History of Hanukkah
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights (Jesus is the Light of the World) starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (November-December on the Gregorian calendar). In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication."
Why is Hanukkah Celebrated
There also lived an evil man called King Antiochus. Antiochus ordered all the Jewish people to give up their God, religion, and customs and worship only the Greek Gods. By his orders, Jewish temples were destroyed or used for his purposes, and those Jews who would not worship how he commanded were severely punished.
The Maccabees and the Syrians fought for about three years until finally, the Maccabees defeated the Syrians and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. Their first priority was to clean and rededicate the temple to the service of God. So they washed and scrubbed the temple clean and removed the Greek symbols and idols from within the walls. Now, they were ready to rededicate it to their God. The only problem was that Judah and the Judean heroes could not find any blessed oil to light the lamps. They searched and searched. Finally, in one of the Temple chambers, they discovered a very small cruse of oil.
The Maccabees knew that there was just enough oil for one evening. Then, a miracle happened. That tiny flask of oil lasted not just one night but eight nights! This is why the menorah has eight candles. Each one represents a night that that small flask of oil kept the lights of the Holy Temple lit.
Jesus preached three sermons in which he declared Himself the "light of the world," and all three would be during Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.
John 8:12; ".....I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life." Then He said in John 9:5 that "as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." And in John 11:9 He said, "......are there not twelve hours in a day? If any man walk in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world." And again in John 12:35; "Then Jesus said to them, for a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you."
Each of these references to Jesus as the world's light in John chapters 8, 9, 11, and 12 surround chapter 10 where the "feast of dedication" (Hanukkah) is observed. In each of these references, when Jesus refers to Himself as the world's light, He is in the Temple.
Following the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Hebrew Christians identified light with Christ and the Temple at Hanukkah. The servant candle (SHAMMAS) that stood higher than the other candles to light them refers to Christ. John 1:9 says, "That He was the true light, who lights everyone who comes into the world." Therefore, the lights of Hanukkah were not ancient luminaries pointing to Christ; they were added after His death to point back to the One who alone is the light of the world.
Also, the celebration of Hanukkah involves burning light even when no supply is left, which is a perfect symbol of the eternity of God's Word.
The next question is, "Why did the early Christians set December 25th as the day to commemorate the birth of the Son of God?" December 25th is not the actual date for the birth of Jesus Christ. It is said his birth was during the Feast of Tabernacles, and he was conceived during Hanukkah. In December, shepherds in Israel would have been out of the fields tending their flocks at night. Therefore, why did they choose this date?
On December 25th, Antiochus Epiphanes chose to desecrate the Temple and establish the worship of his god, Zeus Olympius, because it was already a heathen holiday. It is also the date that the Jews cleansed and rededicated the Temple three years later. Light had defeated darkness; the true God had defeated the heathen god, Zeus Olympius.
The purpose of Israel's Temple was that the deity should dwell within and that Israel would know the glory of God was present with them. And the purpose of the body of Jesus Christ was that the deity should dwell within and that divine glory was manifested through it. John 1:18, "No one has ever seen God, except the uniquely born Son, who is at the Father's side (the place of intimacy); he has made him known."
In other words, the glory of the invisible God could be seen in the visible Son. Hebrews 1:3 describes the Lord Jesus this way; "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word......" In other words, Jesus was an outshining of God's glory and an exact representation of His nature. The glory of God shone out of the Temple, and the glory of God shone out of the flesh of Jesus Christ.
So close was the relationship between the Temple on Mount Moriah, in which God dwelt, and the body of Jesus, in which deity lived, that when He was pressed for a sign to authenticate His life and teaching to the Jewish leadership, Jesus said in John 2:19, ".....destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." And this commentary is added in John 2:21, "But He spoke of the temple of His body."
The Temple had housed the glory of God, and the body of Christ housed the glory of God. That is why, in a description of the new Jerusalem, the apostle John wrote in Revelation 21:22, "And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb is the temple of it."
The church did not choose December 25 because it was an ancient heathen holiday but because of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah on that date and the added emphasis that Jesus gave. This date eloquently testified that at the birth of Jesus, the deity was dwelling in a human body (temple) and shining out to give light amid darkness. It is said that the date of the feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), the 25th of KISLEV, seems to have been adopted by the ancient church as that of the birth of our blessed Lord, Christmas, the dedication of the true temple, which was the body of Jesus Christ. In the simplest terms, the early church chose December 25th to remind the world that God came down to dwell in human flesh, and from out of that flesh, He gave light and life to all who would put their trust in Him.
The exact date for Christmas is not relevant. What is relevant is that you believe that Jesus Christ came into the world, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross bearing all the sins of the world, rose from the dead three days later, and ascended back to heaven from where He came.
Christmas is a time to remember when God became man and dwelt among us. Many would only remember if we had this holiday. Again, we see God making it easy for humans to believe and be saved. No one will have any excuse when they stand before God in judgment.
