“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.” John 10:22-23
December 8, 2023
It is no accident that Jesus, in the cold month of December, was in the temple area at the celebration of Hanukkah. There is more to this than meets the eye. The lighting of the menorah was the center focus of what was known as the Feast of Lights. The tradition goes back to the deliverance of the Temple from the control of Antiochus Epiphanes and his determination to make the Jews submissive to the idolatry of Greek culture. The lampstand was a symbol of God’s guidance and protection. The lighting of the lampstand in the Temple was a reminder of the pillar of fire in the wilderness. Jesus had already announced that He was the light of the world (Jn. 8:12). He was the genuine light by which truth and error can be distinguished and direction given as to the meaning of life. Today is the first of eight days of lighting the menorah in Judaism. In the darkest month of the year we welcome light. As Israel remembers kicking the enemy out and putting the light back in the Temple (165 B.C.), we know that Jesus Christ claimed to be God with us, our source of protection, the One who guides us through life and into God’s eternal presence. Is He your light? Having and lighting a menorah can help ready us for the celebration of the coming of the Light into the world in the incarnation of Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:4-5).
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“O Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change, make my life and my home a light shining forth Christ in this Christmas season.”