The Hanukkah Hang-up
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In my service for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, one of the things I set out to accomplish this fall was to study the subject of Hanukkah in order to bring special messages on that topic.
With God’s help, I was able to do so in three churches, along with sharing the material in a Bible study group that I teach regularly—and I have greatly enjoyed the experience!
As I strive to make clear when I present educational Passover Seder demonstrations, as well, I am not Jewish by heritage, nor do I claim to have any personal background that bestows expertise in the historical, religious and cultural aspects of these issues. But, as I always say, I am a Bible teacher, and thus I have the ability to research and speak before congregations in these vital areas.
As I have studied and taught on the origin, meaning and significance of Hanukkah this year, however, I have become overwhelmed with the reality that the events of the Hanukkah story are absolutely essential to our understanding, as Christians, of the New Testament, the gospels and the life of Christ.
But this revelation has also left me pondering on a question.
Why do we seem to know so little about Hanukkah—when the elements behind it are ultimately foundational to the storyline of the Bible? It is really quite remarkable—almost shameful—that we are not exceedingly familiar with them for that reason alone. This is to say nothing of the need to learn about Hanukkah for the purpose of relating to our Jewish friends at one of their most important seasons of the year.
So, what prevents Christians from knowing this rich history, which is so fundamental to our understanding of the world into which Jesus walked?
The events behind the Hanukkah story were clearly foretold by predictive prophecy in the book of Daniel (8:9-26; 11:21-35). And it is so important for us to grasp the truth that God was at work during those “400 silent years” that followed the close of the Old Testament canon.
He was working “all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). He was working “all things … together for good to those who love” Him (Rom. 8:28). He was working to propel history toward “the fullness of the time,” at which point He “sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4). He was working to move the world to that stage at which “the people were in expectation” (Luke 3:15).
Notice precisely how God was superintending above the events of His creation during those “silent years”:
- He was moving history toward “the time of the end” (Dan. 8:17) and “the appointed time” (Dan. 8:19).
- He gave specific revelation regarding “the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness” (Dan. 8:23).
- In spite of all nefarious attempts to the contrary, we realize that “the end will still be at the appointed time” (Dan. 11:27).
- Regardless of all the machinations of man, God’s plan for “the time of the end” was “still for the appointed time” (Dan. 11:35).
- Finally, the events of the Hanukkah story foreshadow the prophetic future, when “what has been determined shall be done” (Dan. 11:36).
Jesus Himself celebrated Hanukkah during His last year of Earthly ministry—and made the most amazing announcements during His participation—in John 10:22-39.
Yet, somehow it seems that we have neglected these necessities to understanding the world of the New Testament. We have replaced concepts of such ancient importance with modern questions and extra-Biblical trivialities. Could this actually be the result of a latent anti-Semitism that continues to plague our thinking in the Western, Christian world?
You really cannot celebrate the resurrection if you do not understand how and why Jesus died. Likewise, the most glorious Christmas production—even if has actual sheep and a real live baby—may not prove to be as helpful toward growing our understanding of His first coming as it would be to take the time to understand more about the world into which He was truly born.
Hanukkah will take place next year from Sunday, Dec. 18, to Monday, Dec. 26, sundown to sundown. It will again cover two Sundays, and will overlap perfectly with Christmas.
Now would be a wonderful time to think ahead about how you will prepare to have a meaningful outreach to the Jewish people—and also educate those within your own circle of influence about the importance of Hanukkah—during this season which is so significant to both Christians and, especially, all of our Jewish friends.
Scriptures from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash.
Paul Scharf 2019 Bio
Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, serving in the midwest. He also assists Whitcomb Ministries and writes for “Answers” Magazine and Regular Baptist Press. For more information on his ministry, visit foi.org/scharf or email pscharf@foi.org.
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I don’t start wishing folks a Merry Christmas until Hanukkah is over. On the premise that without Hanukkah there’d be no Christmas. The fullness of time and all that.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
….would we have the Scriptures at all? The Greeks were, after all, trying to destroy Judiasm entirely. So it is a wonderful celebration of God’s providence, IMO.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
Hanukkah — no matter how you spell it — is worth the effort to study. We had a representative from Chosen People ministries teach on it, followed by a carry-in dinner. I made the latkes. I am of Slovak descent, and Slovaks grow up on potato pancakes, though we put a little marjoram in ours,not just onion and garlic. I also provided sour cream (which Slovaks have in their veins instead of blood).
I think many of us connect it to the end times and also the rebirth of Israel; with so much of evangelicalism turning away from any kind of dispensational thinking (any view that sees a glorious exaltation of Israel during a literal Millennium), things Jewish are no longer in vogue, I am sad to comment.
Here is my outline: https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/hanukah-ed-vasicek-sermon-on-holi…
"The Midrash Detective"
Ed, tried marjoram, good hint….and the sour cream, too. If I allowed myself, I could eat that all the way to the cardiologist’s office. Good thing I’m good friends at church with a Mayo cardiology resident! Either that, or I’d better ask God for the spiritual gift of self-control.
Agreed as well that it’s sad to see the love of Israel wane with dispensationalism. I joke that I’m simply not smart enough to do anything with the prophetic passages but to believe it means “descendants of Jacob” when Israel is mentioned.
And boy, did I ever adhere to the tradition of putting some extra letters in the word, didn’t I? Since it starts with the gutteral “chet”, I’ll favor the Ch, but flex on everything else.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
I have been preaching through the book of John. I was preparing a separate Christmas message to just take a break form John for a week when I realized that we would be coming to the end of John 10 and the Feast of Dedication (HANUKKAH) next week. It did not take me long to decide that I would just stay in John and preach on that passage and emphasize that our great shepherd protects us for eternity just like he protected and provided for them during that special time about 200 years before John 10 when they cleansed the temple.
I have also been struck by how much I keep going back to Daniel as I go through John. Not only did Daniel predict the time when Christ would arrive, but he also described the Messiah as one like the son of man, just before giving that time. Then in John, Jesus uses the title son of man to show he is the Messiah. I had forgotten about the Daniel connection to the temple cleansing until I read this today. Thank you for sharing it.
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