Hanukkah: The Festival of "Lights"

John 10: 22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Yeshua was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.

Here we see that Yeshua observed this holiday.  Therefore, we Messianic Jews do as well.
But the Messiah had a lot to say about the message of this season, and he embodied this message in Himself.

I. Light in the Beginning

The very first thing G-d created was the light.  The Torah says that G-d spoke, “Let there be Light”.
There is much commentary on these 4 short words, and I believe it has a lot more to do with truth than simply the absence of darkness.  Literal light is used figuratively in the Scripture as equating to truth and the knowledge of G-d. It is more than just the existence of “daylight”. Darkness on the other hand refers not only to the absence of light, but it translates in scripture as lies, and evil. One commentator of the Torah was John, he expanded the knowledge of G-d and light in creation when he wrote by the inspiration of the Ruach Hakodesh:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 

A couple of things to take notice here.

John says that the Word of G-d is G-d, all is created through Him and by Him, and in Him is life.  G-d is the source of all life, right? Now an important statement, that: “life, was the light of all men”. And it shines in the darkness. Important fact: men need light.  The light is the true life.  We have physical life here on earth, but earth is filled with darkness.  Remember what I said earlier, darkness is more than just the absence of daylight, it refers to evil & sin. We are living in a "dark" world.

The Bible says that G-d created light and that light is the life for all men. John says that the darkness does not understand the light. Until you come and receive the light from G-d, you do not understand the light, because you are in darkness. Now John, the Apostle, is now speaking about John the Immerser  in vs. 7....

7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

Who was coming into the world? The Messiah…

Look at the next verse…

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

II. Messiah Yeshua is the Light

John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

Remember how I said darkness is symbolism for evil, and light is the symbol of truth?  In Yeshua there is light, therefore in Yeshua there is truth.  He is the truth.  He is the way the truth and the life.

Yeshua told us this about himself…

John 8:12 When Yeshua spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Hanukkah is the Festival of Light, and we have to know what light really is, and we have to know what Light G-d intended to create and illuminate our lives with.

John 9:4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Yeshua warned his disciples that there is a time that is coming when darkness will rule, and while it is day, while he is with them he was about his Father’s business.  But notice he said while he was in the world, he was the light of the world. What happened to the light when he left this world.  He did leave this world, he ascended to the Father, so what of the light of the world?

III. You are the Light of the World

Matthew 5:14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Just as we light the Menorah and put it out where everyone can see it, so too does Messiah tell us that we are like these candles. Now we need to recognize that a lone candle is not very bright.  Each of us is a lone candle and we have the light of Messiah in us by faith. The Bible says that that faith in Messiah is the light and that light is the life that all men need. Just as this candle is used to ignite the others on the Menorah, so too are we to be a candle that illuminates the light into the life of others.
So even though we alone are not very bright, together if we form a Menorah, our light becomes very brilliant.  In the illustration of the Menorah, Yeshua is The Shammas Candle (i.e. "the Servant Candle")…and He lights us with His light...

Matthew 23:11
The greatest among you will be your servant.

May the One who came to bring the Light of Life into this dark world, illuminate your hearts and homes this Hanukkah, and may we all rededicate ourselves to Him in the new year of 2017.

Happy Hanukkah,

Rabbi Eric D. Lakatos