Week #2 - How Does Hanukkah connect with Christmas?
Blog Series Intention Recap
The Questions of Christmas series invites us to slow down and look at the Christmas story with fresh eyes. We begin by seeing how Matthew, Luke, and the Old Testament fit together to tell one true story about Yeshua (Jesus)—Israel’s King and our Savior. Then we explore how Hanukkah’s themes of light and God’s faithfulness shape the world Yeshua (Jesus) was born into. We also look at why many scholars believe Yeshua (Jesus) was likely born during the Feast of Tabernacles, when God came to dwell with His people. Finally, we discover who the magi really were and how their long journey shows that the nations have always been drawn to Israel’s Messiah.
This page is a post in the series “The Questions of Christmas.” Click here to see the rest of the posts.
Let’s jump into Week #2:
Hanukkah and Christmas are not the same holiday, but they meet at a powerful point: God keeps His promises, preserves His people, and brings light into the darkness. Hanukkah prepares the world into which Yeshua (Jesus)—the Light of the World—was born.
Most Christians know Christmas well: the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), the manger, the shepherds, the angels, the joy of the incarnation. But fewer understand Hanukkah, the Jewish festival that appears in the background of Yeshua’s (Jesus) ministry and shapes the world He entered.
Why it Matters:
Hanukkah remembers God’s preservation of Israel when their faith was under attack.
Its themes of light, dedication, and temple cleansing set the stage for Yeshua’s (Jesus) mission.
Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated Hanukkah and used it to reveal His identity.
Seeing Hanukkah next to Christmas strengthens our understanding of the Messiah’s coming.
Go Deeper:
Two Holidays, One Story of God’s Faithfulness
Hanukkah commemorates a time when God preserved His people amid great darkness. Christmas celebrates when God sent His Son into that same darkness. One holiday looks back to God’s saving acts. The other reveals the fullness of those acts in the person of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
To understand Yeshua’s (Jesus) birth more fully, we need to understand Hanukkah’s history, meaning, and message for both Israel and the nations.
The Story Behind Hanukkah: When Faith was Under Attack
1. The world between the Testaments
After the prophet Malachi, there are about 400 years before Yeshua (Jesus) was born. This period is often called the “intertestamental” era. Though Scripture is silent, God was not inactive. Empires rose and fell—Persia, Greece, and eventually Rome.
When Alexander the Great conquered the world, Greek culture spread everywhere. This “Hellenization” pressured the Jewish people to abandon their faith, language, and identity.
2. Antiochus IV: the king who tried to erase Israel
Around 167 BC, a cruel Greek ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes tried to destroy Jewish worship. He outlawed:
Sabbath observance
Temple sacrifice
Circumcision
Reading the Torah
He forced Jewish people to eat pork and worship Greek gods. He defiled the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and setting up an idol to Zeus. This was more than oppression—it was an attempt to erase God’s covenant people from history.
3. The Maccabean revolt: God works through faithful people
A priestly family—the Maccabees—refused to bow. They led a revolt to reclaim Jerusalem. Though they were outnumbered and outmatched, God gave them victory. After three years of battle, they entered the Temple, tore down the pagan altar, rebuilt the holy altar, and rededicated the House of God.
This rededication is the source of the name Hanukkah, which means “dedication”.
4. The miracle of the oil
Jewish tradition says that when the Maccabees entered the Temple, they found only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. But God sustained it for eight days until new oil was ready. This is why Hanukkah lasts eight nights.
Whether one emphasizes the miracle or the military victory, the message of Hanukkah is clear: God preserves His people and their worship.
What Hanukkah meant for Yeshua’s (Jesus) World
1. Hanukkah restored the Temple where Yeshua (Jesus) would later teach
The Temple that the Maccabees purified is the same Temple where:
Yeshua (Jesus) was dedicated as a baby (Luke 2:22–38)
Yeshua (Jesus) taught as a rabbi (John 7–10)
Yeshua (Jesus) confronted religious leaders (Matthew 21–23)
Yeshua (Jesus) announced His identity (John 10)
If Antiochus had succeeded, there would have been no Jewish people, no Temple, and no preserved line of David. Hanukkah is one of the reasons the world was ready for Messiah.
2. Hanukkah kept alive the hope of the coming King
Oppression made Israel long even more deeply for the Messiah who would:
Cleanse the Temple
Overthrow wicked rulers
Restore God’s kingdom
Bring true light
By the time Yeshua (Jesus) was born, Israel was ready—aching—for deliverance.
3. Hanukkah deepened the longing for light
Darkness was not just political. It was spiritual. The Scriptures often describe salvation as light breaking into darkness:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
(Isaiah 9:2, ESV)
“The LORD is my light and my salvation.”
(Psalm 27:1, ESV)
Hanukkah kept this imagery alive for generations.
So when Yeshua (Jesus) said:
“I am the light of the world.”
(John 8:12, ESV)
His listeners heard it in the glow of Hanukkah lamps.
Yeshua (Jesus) Celebrated Hanukkah (And Made A Claim during It)
1. Yeshua (Jesus) goes to Jerusalem during Hanukkah
John 10 records:
“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter… And Yeshua (Jesus) was walking in the temple.”
(John 10:22–23, ESV)
The Feast of Dedication is Hanukkah. Yeshua (Jesus) is there, in the Temple that the Maccabees reclaimed, teaching about His identity.
2. Yeshua (Jesus) uses Hanukkah themes to explain who He is
During Hanukkah, people remembered:
Light overcoming darkness
Truth overcoming lies
A faithful remnant overcoming an evil king
The Temple being cleansed
God’s presence returning
Right in that setting, Yeshua (Jesus) says:
“I and the Father are one.”
(John 10:30, ESV)
This is not a coincidence. Yeshua (Jesus) uses Hanukkah to reveal His unity with the Father.
3. The leaders understood exactly what He meant
The Jewish leaders pick up stones to kill Him—not because they misunderstand, but because they understood His claim to deity:
“You, being a man, make yourself God.”
(John 10:33, ESV)
Hanukkah is not just a backdrop. It is the context in which Yeshua (Jesus) announces that He is the true, eternal Shepherd of Israel—the very One the Maccabees fought to honor.
How Does Hanukkah Connect with Christmas
Hanukkah doesn’t connect on the surface. Hanukkah is a Jewish festival, but it doesn’t have Old Testament significance. Hanukkah’s timing is tied to the historical event. The rededication of the Temple took place on the 25th of Kislev in 164 BC, after the Maccabees defeated Antiochus.
Jews kept the celebration on the same Hebrew date every year.
December is the usual overlap. Most years, the celebration falls somewhere between late November and late December, making Hanukkah a “winter holiday” and often overlapping with the Christmas season. So what can we see in both holidays.
1. Both holidays highlight God’s faithfulness
Hanukkah shows God keeping His covenant by preserving Israel. Christmas shows God keeping His covenant by sending His Son.
In both, God is faithful to His promises.
2. Both holidays celebrate God bringing light into darkness
Hanukkah lights remind us of God’s sustaining power. Christmas lights remind us of the Light of the World.
When you put the two together, the message is clear:
God shines light in every kind of darkness—political, spiritual, internal.
3. Both holidays show God’s heart for His people
Hanukkah shows God does not abandon Israel. Christmas shows God comes near to save.
In Yeshua (Jesus), the Light came not just to restore a Temple, but to redeem humanity itself.
4. Hanukkah helps Christians understand the world Yeshua (Jesus) was born into
Without Hanukkah:
There would be no Jewish Temple for Yeshua (Jesus) to enter.
There would be no intact Jewish identity.
The Davidic line might not survive.
The faithful remnant might disappear.
God preserved Israel so that the Messiah could come from Israel.
5. Hanukkah sets up the nativity
Think of it this way:
Hanukkah: God preserves His people.
Christmas: God comes to His people.
Hanukkah is the shield.
Christmas is the Savior.
They are different events, but one story.
A Closer Look at Yeshua (Jesus) as the Light of the World
1. Light is a major theme in the prophets
The prophets promise a coming King whose glory shines like light:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come.”
(Isaiah 60:1, ESV)
“The LORD will be your everlasting light.”
(Isaiah 60:19, ESV)
These prophecies echo during Hanukkah.
2. Yeshua (Jesus) fulfills the longing for light
Yeshua (Jesus) says:
“I am the light of the world.”
(John 8:12, ESV)
This aligns with Hanukkah’s central symbol. The menorah in the Temple always pointed to God’s presence. Yeshua (Jesus) is the ultimate presence of God among His people.
3. Light reveals truth, exposes sin, and brings hope
When Yeshua (Jesus) enters the world:
He reveals the truth about God.
He exposes darkness in the human heart.
He brings hope to all nations.
This is why the angels say:
“Glory to God in the highest… peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
(Luke 2:14, ESV)
The birth of Yeshua (Jesus) is the true light shining, not for eight days, but forever.
How does this help me understand the concept of “The Questions of Christmas?”
Two Lights, One Story of Redemption
Hanukkah and Christmas come from different parts of history, but they point to the same faithful God. Hanukkah reminds us that God preserves His people no matter the darkness around them. Christmas announces that the Light has come into the world to save us all.
When we understand Hanukkah, we see Christmas with deeper clarity. Yeshua (Jesus), the Light of the World, stepped into a world God had protected—through war, empire, and oppression—so that the Messiah, promised in Scripture, would come exactly as God said.
The Light has come. And the darkness has not overcome Him (John 1:5).
Why Should Christians Care About Hanukkah?
1. Hanukkah protects the story of Christmas
If God had not preserved Israel, the Messiah could not come as promised. Hanukkah kept the lineage, the Temple, and the Scriptures intact.
2. Hanukkah enriches our understanding of Yeshua (Jesus)
We see Yeshua (Jesus) not as a figure floating in history, but as Israel’s Messiah who enters a story filled with struggle, hope, and promise.
3. Hanukkah shows God’s love for the Jewish people
God fights for His people. He preserves them. He keeps His promises. This matters today, not just historically.
4. Hanukkah strengthens our worship at Christmas
When we see what God protected, we appreciate even more what God provided.
Christmas is the gift.
Hanukkah is the preparation.
Hanukkah and Christmas may come from different moments in history, but together they tell one story of a faithful God who protects His people and brings light into the darkness. Hanukkah reminds us that God preserved Israel, guarded the Temple, and kept alive the hope of the coming Messiah. Christmas celebrates the moment that hope took on flesh and dwelt among us. When we see these two holidays side by side, we recognize that the Light of the World entered a world God Himself had already prepared and protected. In both celebrations, we hear the same message: God keeps His promises, God fights for His people, and God’s light still shines in the darkness.
