Understanding Your Jewish Neighbour: Hanukkah

This series explores religious festivals as a way for the church to grow in understanding, discipleship, and mission - building bridges with neighbours of other faiths through humility, love, and thoughtful witness. The article focuses on Hanukkah, the Jewish Feast of Dedication, which surprisingly appears in the New Testament, noting that Jesus was in the Temple during this festival (John 10:22–23). It traces Hanukkah back to the dark days of Antiochus IV, who sought to erase Jewish worship and desecrated the Temple, and to the Maccabees’ unlikely victory and the rededication of the Temple - Hanukkah meaning “dedication.” Later traditions, including the story of the oil lasting eight days and the lighting of the hanukkiah, celebrate God’s preservation and provision of light. The article suggests the deeper miracle is that God preserved His covenant people so the Messiah could come - “without Hanukkah, there would be no Christmas.” Against this backdrop, Jesus makes some of His boldest claims in John 10: that He gives eternal life, that no one can snatch His sheep from His hand, and that He is one with the Father, provoking accusations of blasphemy. Finally, readers are invited to consider celebrating Hanukkah in a Christ-centred way - using candle-lighting as family devotion, praying for Jewish friends, and letting the festival open natural doors for friendship and gospel conversation, as we bear the Light of the World in our day.