Did Jesus Celebrate Hanukkah?
Did Jesus Celebrate Hanukkah? Why is this even a question that we might ask? In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to establish authority to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday among brethren. In addition, a similar attempt has been made to make Easter a religious holiday for the Lord’s church. It has been well established that these holidays are not once mentioned by command or example in the New Testament. Can it be inferred that Christians can keep either of these latter man-made holidays in a religious fashion? I realize that this has become such a controversial issue in recent years. Many are highly offended and can even become quite offensive when discussing this matter. It is not my objective to stir contention, but as with everything, we must not forget the admonition of the inspired Apostle to the Thessalonian brethren, “prove all things; hold fast that which is good, abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess 5:21-22). So let us keep that in mind we have to prove all things, all the while holding fast to the good thing, which means we abstain from all forms of evil.
When Did This Occur?
For this article, I would like to consider one often-cited action of Jesus that has become a key argument for the celebration of such days. So, from a reading of the text, does it teach that Jesus celebrated Hanukkah in John 10? John 10:22-23 reads, “And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: it was winter; and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s porch.” First, we can note that the Holy Spirit explains the time of year which He is describing. To the reader and hearer it helps us to understand when the following events took place. Perhaps to Jewish readers, He mentions that it was the Feast of Dedication, because a Jewish audience would understand what He meant. A contemporary example would be like saying to a Mexican that it was the 16 of September. A Canadian might not recognize the significance of such a date in Mexico, but to the Mexican citizen, it is their Independence Day from the kingdom of Spain. So how would non-Jewish readers understand this date? The Holy Spirit says, it was winter. So every other person who would read this would understand that this was at the time of that specific season.
Where Did This Occur?
Next, let us consider location. The Spirit dictates that this feast of dedication was at Jerusalem. This gives us the place where some individuals were gathering to celebrate this feast. Does this suggest that Jesus went up to Jerusalem to keep the feast of Jerusalem giving it equal standing among the three appointed (authorized) feasts required by the Law of Moses (cf. Deut 16:16)? I do not read that in the text. What I do find is the time of year and location of an event that would help not only the Jewish but Gentile reader in their understanding of the events that would unfold.
Where in Jerusalem was Jesus? The text tells us that He was walking in the temple at Solomon’s porch. So this further explains the location where Jesus was walking. Why is this important? The events that will take place next will show us why it is important. It is written, “The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). From this verse and following we can conclude some things. First, Jesus was surrounded by His opposition and questioned. “If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly!” He responded by pointing out that He told them and they would not believe, because they were not His sheep. He spoke of the eternal life that was available through Him and His unity with the Father (John 10:26-30). The very same text includes the fact that the opposition was eager to stone Him (John 10:31), and as He departed from them, they still were planning to kill Him, but He escaped (John 10:39-40).
What is Determinable?
From this text, I cannot conclude that Jesus was there to celebrate the Feast of Dedication. What it appears to be is that Jesus used this opportunity to go to the temple and interact with the people. He often went to interact with people, including enemies. Also from this text, I cannot find evidence that Jesus ever got to celebrate this feast considering the threats of His opponents and His departure from Jerusalem to beyond the Jordan (John 10:40).
So does John 10:22-23 prove that Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Dedication or is it simply a time marker put in the text for the reader of John’s account? I would contend it is the latter. I believe that those who would read the former into the text are simply adding that to the text for use as a proof text. If this was something that the Holy Spirit intended for us to ascertain, surely there would be further evidence in the Scripture. There is, however, none.
What Can We Learn From This?
John’s account includes these words, ‘Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31). Not even all the signs Jesus did were recorded. Are we thus to conclude that one can embellish the record of His miracles? I do not believe any brother would seek to do that. However, the insistence on equating the birth of Christ with the Christmas holiday is in itself an embellishment of the already magnificent Gospel account.
So in closing, can one prove Jesus’ intent to celebrate the feast of Dedication? No. Would it be good to point out the invalidity of such an argument and its use in furtherance of a justification for action? Yes. If something is presented as absolute and is not, would it be evil to present it as factual? Yes. Brethren, I appeal to you to stop trying to bind this celebration on the brotherhood at large with proof text arguments such as this one. I simply appeal to our mutual commitment to the Lord and the authority of the Scripture we all hold dear.
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
