What Does Chanukah Mean - Chanukah From a Messianic Jewish Perspective by Jeisyn Murphy, Ph.D.

What does Chanukah mean? Did you notice that I did not ask,
“What does Chanukah mean to you?” Why is it important to
make this distinction? According to Jonathan S. Tobin,
executive editor of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia and
author of “Hijacking Chanukah” this great Jewish holiday is
being usurped by groups who want to shove their agendas down
our throats.* One example is the Coalition on the
Environment and Jewish Life and the Jewish Council for
Public Affairs. They are trying to reframe Chanukah as a
message about energy conservation (because the Menorah in
the Beit haMikdash burned for eight days while only using
one keg of oil) and are campaigning for the American public
to see the lights of Chanukah and think of energy efficiency
and global warming issues. It’s a nice thought; like when
your six year old offers you a mud pie fresh from your
backyard. But is it kosher? Should we really entertain ideas
that reframe the true meaning behind Hashem’s intervention
in time and space?

It didn’t work so well with Christmas. Watch any American
kid on Christmas morning and you’ll discover right away
where their kavanah (intent/devotion) is-”Did I get the
Playstation 3?” “I really hope Santa brought me my iPhone!”
Rarely will any of them pause (even for a moment) and
meditate on the artificial notion that “baby Jesus” was
brought into this world as Savior and King during this
season. Never mind the fact that one of the reasons the
holiday could be reframed into a capitalistic orgy of gifts
and food is because it is founded on faulty teachings and
pagan rehearsals. There is another culprit as well: a lack
of dedication.

The word Chanukah means dedication. The festival
memorializes two miracles: oil that was supposed to only
last one day and actually burned for eight; and the Jewish
people’s victory over the Greeks who wished to push God, the
Torah, and any sense of holiness out of our people’s lives.
Chanukah is a testimony to God’s faithfulness and a warning
against assimilation. Can we say, in our modern times, that
we no longer need this reminder and warning? That we are
wise enough to put our own meanings into the festival?

If the maniacal leader of Iran, who wishes to “wipe Israel
off the map,” destroy the Great Satan (America), and usher
in the time of the Mahdi (the Muslim messiah) through
violence isn’t enough, what about the constant media streams
in T.V., radio, print, and internet which bombard all of us
with messages about isolation, materialism, sexual
permissiveness, idolatry, and lawlessness? These are the
“sirens” of the Post-Modern age-an age which emphasizes
contradiction, ambiguity, diversity, relative truth, and a
false sense of intimacy. This age embraces its images,
styles, and personal meanings. However, rules, traditions,
and capital “T” truths are rejected, even scorned. An
individual’s narrative (life story, beliefs, values,
emotions) is more important than the “meta-narratives”
(universal norms and ethical judgments) contained within a
society or group. This is a time when “Don’t judge, so that
you won’t be judged (Matthew 7:1)” has replaced John 3:16 as
the most popular Bible verse. Can we as disciples of Yeshua,
and Israelites either by the flesh or the Spirit, really
say, “Its okay to fill up our Biblical and historical events
with your own personal narrative.”? Are you going to let
Post-Modern ideas continue to render your mind unclean and
unfit for the service of Hashem? If not, then resolve to
live out what Chanukah is really coming to teach us.

Chanukah is about fighting, cleansing, and rededicating
yourself and all that you have authority over back to God.
Our Master Yeshua teaches us that we are to be like a light
on a lampstand which is meant to reveal the mysteries and
secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven to those who do not see and
hear (Mark 4). As soon as He says this, however, He follows
up with an important caution, “Take care what you listen
to…For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and
whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away
from him.” (Mark 4: 24-25) Yeshua is speaking about Truth.
The more we pursue Truth, in all aspects of our lives, the
more Truth we will gain. We must love Truth; let it fill us
in order for us to reveal it to the world. We need to take
time this Chanukah to ask some hard questions and to
evaluate the condition of our “soil” according to the
Parable of the Sower in Mark 4. Are you unprepared to
receive Truth? Is the Satan coming and stealing your lunch?
Is your heart full of rocky places so that you cannot
receive with any depth, God’s Word? Have you let thorns grow
around your heart which are causing you to be worried about
earthly matters or are you being deceived by your
consumption of material things? Are you putting other things
first before seeking the Kingdom of God? If you cannot
answer “no” to every one of these questions, how can you
bear fruit for the One who loved you enough to die in your
very place? If you are struggling in any way with these, get
help. Seek counsel. Stop procrastinating and take action. We
are in the season for dedicating our lives to God, so make
good use of it!

My blessing for us all this Chanukah is that as we light the
candles of the Chanukiah, and bless the Holy One who has
been the source of all provision and miracles, is now and
will be forevermore, that we be filled with the light of
Messiah and raised up for all to see. That Truth abound in
our lives, confusion and distraction be far from us, that we
become more dedicated to His service and bear fruit for our
King Yeshua who is the Light of the world. Amein.

Jeisyn Murphy, Ph.D. is the congregational leader of Beit
Shalom Messianic Congregation. You can learn more about
Messianic Judaism in Austin, Texas by visiting

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