We are at the beginning of Hanukkah. This is a week when our Jewish neighbors are lighting a candle each day for eight days as they remember the cleansing of their temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC. Why should this matter to us?
In the fourth century BC Alexander the Great, with less than 40,000 troops, swept away the mighty Persian empire. Then he died at the ridiculous age of 33. His generals immediately began dividing his empire among themselves. Three main kingdoms came from this, two of them bordered Israel: the Seleucid to the north and the Ptolemaic to the south in Egypt. In the second century the Seleucid king Antiochus IV marched south to conquer Egypt and unite the empire. But he ran into the new kids on the Mediterranean block, the Romans. They kicked his butt. As he limped back north, he decided to take his frustrations out on those pesky Jews. Big mistake.
The Jews paid their taxes and even fought in his wars, but they would not worship his gods. This annoyed poor Antiochus who desired to be worshipped, he even titled himself “Epiphanies” which basically means the appearance of God. He wanted everyone in his kingdom to be more Greek; to think, act and believe the same things. But he had no social media to persuade or brainwash those not interested, what’s a god man to do?
He outlawed Judaism. He outlawed their circumcision. He outlawed their Sabbath. He outlawed their scriptures and their prayers. He outlawed their worship. He killed all their priests and appointed more “open minded” ones. He went into their Temple and erected an image of Zeus. He sacrificed pigs on the great altar. As you can imagine, the Jews were not convinced by these blasphemies. Antiochus had kicked the oldest hornet’s nest on earth. Tyrants never learn.
An old priest named Mattathias and his five sons began to fight back. Others joined their cause, and they kept winning battles. They basically invented guerilla warfare. Even today the Maccabean revolt is studied in war colleges for the tactics. Antiochus kept sending armies against them and the Maccabees kept annihilating them. By 164 BC the Seleucids were spent and withdrew from the cauldron of Israel. Within a few decades much of their empire would be just another Roman province.
The Jews rejoiced and set about cleansing Jerusalem and rededicating their Temple. According to the Talmud there was only enough oil to burn the sacred light (menorah) in the Temple for one day, yet it miraculously lasted for eight days while more was prepared. And that is why your Jewish neighbors celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.
The continued existence of the Jewish people for over 4000 years is the great mystery of history. Countless kingdoms have tried to exterminate this tiny sliver of humanity, from ancient Egypt to modern day Europe. The Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans all came and went while trying to get rid of this little tribe. The Romans obliterated Jerusalem in AD70 and again in AD132, yet today you can visit Israel and see a Jewish tour guide pointing out Roman ruins. God has a sense of irony.
The Temple was the physical representation of Gods’ presence on earth. It was the reminder of Eden, where Heaven and earth come together. In John 10 Jesus himself walked in the Temple courts during the Feast of Dedication, (Hanukkah). He got into trouble when he announced to his audience that “I and the Father are one.” such talk would eventually cost him his life on a cruel Roman cross. But three days later, in what can only be called the most dramatic vindication in history, he rose from the dead. Jesus is the only true God Man. He establishes his kingdom with the power of love and forgiveness, not with violence and subjugation. Jesus was a Jewish teacher. All the first Christians were Jews, many thousands of them. The Church and its message of this God Man exploded into existence one weekend in the most monotheistic place on earth: the middle of downtown Jerusalem. The resurrection of the Son of God is still the best explanation for this historical fact. He is now the place where Heaven and Earth meet.
The debt we owe the Jewish people is immeasurable. It is through them that we regained the knowledge of the Living God. It is through their prophets, poets, and scribes that the word of God was brought to us. it is through them that our Savior and king has come to us, our Immanuel, God with us. To our Jewish neighbors, those who believe what I do about the Messiah and those who do not, I say thank you for everything and Happy Hanukkah.
I hope the rest of you have a merry Christmas.
“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people…” -Jesus