The story of Hanukkah goes back to the time of Alexander the Great. He had no heir when he died, so his empire was divided among his generals. Antigonus got the main part of the Empire; Greece itself. Selucius got Asia Minor. Ptolemy got Egypt and Israel. Later, the descendants of Antigonus took Israel from the descendants of Ptolemy. The Greeks generally left the Jews alone. As long as they paid taxes, everything was fine. But, in the 2nd century BC, Antiochus IV took over as king. He hated the Jews. He wanted to Hellenize them, force them to be like the Greeks. He forbid them from observing the Sabbath, keeping the festivals, etc. But the Jews continued to obey God. Many were killed by Antiochus.
One day, some Greek soldiers went to Modin and ordered the Jewish priests to offer a sacrifice to Zeus. One of the priests agreed. Another priest, Mattathias, became furious. He was an old man, but God's strength came upon him. He killed the priest and all of the Greek soldiers. He went home and told his five sons what had happened. He knew that he would not live much longer, so he told his sons to continue to obey God and resist Antiochus. His oldest son was named Judah. He was called "Maccabee," which means "hammer." Judah and his brothers began gathering other Jews and laying siege to various towns. Slowly, the Jews began to take their land back from the Greeks. Eventually, they laid siege to Jerusalem itself. They were only a small group, but God was with them, They took Jerusalem back from the Greeks. They went to the Temple to clean it. The Greeks had defiled it. They even sacrificed a pig on the altar! The Jews cleaned the Temple and rededicated it to God.
The Temple had a menorah, a seven-branched candlestick. It symbolized God's eternal presence with the Jews, and was supposed to always stay lit. The Greeks had put it out. Judah wanted to relight the menorah, but could not find any of the purified olive oil that was used to light it. Finally, he found one small flask of oil. It was just enough to light the menorah for one day. But he found out that it would take 8 days to get more oil. Judah prayed and asked God to not let the menorah go out. Then, he lit the menorah. The oil, which should have lasted for only one day, lasted eight days until more oil was delivered.
The story of Hanukkah is a story of faith and obedience. The Jews continued to obey God, even when faced with death. Because of their obedience, God blessed them and helped them take their land back from the Greeks.
Hanukkah has important symbolism for Christians, too. Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights. During Hanukkah, the Jews light a "hanukkiah," a special menorah for Hanukkah. It has nine branches; one for each night of Hanukkah, and one for the "shammash." The shammash is the "helper" or "servant" candle; it is lit first, then it lights all the other candles. One candle is lit on the first night, two on the second night, etc. The menorah is placed in a window or doorway, so that everyone who passes by will see its light.
John 8:12 (CJB) says:
"Yeshua spoke to them again: 'I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives light.'"
Matthew 5:14-16 (CJB) says:
"14 You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don't cover it with a bowl but put it on a lamp stand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your father in heaven."
Jesus is the light of the world. As Christians, we are to let His light shine through us. Just like the menorah is placed in the window so that everyone will see its light, we must let Jesus' light shine through us.
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