Hanukkah is a beautiful holy day celebrated by Jewish people. Many are aware of the customs and history of Hanukkah. Perhaps some even know Scripture well enough to know that this holy day is prophetically mentioned in the book of Daniel. Most surprising to both the Jewish and the Christian communities is that the most clear mention of Hanukkah in the Bible is in the New Testament!

The people who normally celebrate this holy day, the Jewish people, have scant biblical references for it; yet the people who do not normally celebrate Hanukkah have the most explicit reference to it, in the New Testament!

This brings us to the first reason believers in Messiah might want to understand and celebrate this holy day. The Messiah celebrated it. Not only did Yeshua celebrate Hanukkah, but he observed it in the same Temple that had been cleansed and rededicated just a few generations earlier under the Maccabees.

Many Jewish scholars see a deeper spiritual meaning to Hanukkah. As the editors of the popular Artscroll Mesorah Series state:

Then, the light is kindled to give inspiration, for the light of Messiah must burn brightly in our hearts (Chanukah, Mesorah Publications, Brooklyn, 1981, p. 104).

This is a logical conclusion. Because Hanukkah is a celebration of deliverance, it has also become a time to express messianic hope. Just as the Maccabees were used by God to redeem Israel, perhaps the greatest redeemer, the Messiah, would also come at this time!

With this understanding, we more fully appreciate the scenes that unfolded as Yeshua celebrated the feast 2000 years ago in Jerusalem. Amidst the festivities, Yeshua was approached by some rabbis who asked a simple question: “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us publicly” (John 10:24). The answer to this very appropriate question is contained in Yeshua’s Hanukkah message. He clearly reiterates his claim and the proofs of his Messiahship (John 10:25–39).