Feast Of Dedication

1. DEDICATION IS COSTLY

Bertoldo de Giovanni was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure Michelangelo take his art seriously.

One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, and shouted, "Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!" (Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence)

Too often Christians coast through life by simply going through the motions. Going through the motions of being a Christian is cheap; dedication to Jesus is costly.

2. Feast of Dedication/Lights or Hanukkah – John 10:22-30 (ESV)

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

3. I find it interesting that Jesus often participated in non-biblical situations – synagogue is not in the Law of Moses but Jesus attended; The Feast of Dedication was added to the Feasts of God and Jesus showed up – to honor the events; to embrace freedom over tyranny; and be with the people

4. This year (2021) the Jewish people are celebrating the Feast of Dedication Nov 28 – Dec 6

I. The Dedication of the Priests (Freedom Fighters)

A. The Hanukkah Story:

It is a story, not of mere gift-giving but of defiance against tyranny and the drive for freedom. This desire is shared among all people. During what Christians often call the “Intertestamental Period” between Malachi and Matthew in the English Bible, the Jewish people fought against tyranny and for Liberty.

Until a few years ago, I knew very little of Hanukkah. In my research I found that Hanukkah is a celebration of the resistance of tyranny and the miraculous intervention of God. Here is a summary of the events.

• A few generations before, Alexander the Great had brought the world under one government & culture called Hellenism. After Alexander’s early death, four of his generals scrambled for power and Alexander’s kingdom was divided into fourths.

o Seleucids/Persia, including Syria

o Ptolemies/ Egypt

o Lysimachans in Anatolia/Greece

o Cassanders in Macedonia

• Eventually, Judea fell into the hands of the Seleucids, under the leadership of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

• To unify his holdings, he made people assimilate into Hellenistic culture (arts, language, even religion)

• Not surprisingly, most people didn’t put up too much of a fight. Some dedicated Jews did!

• In 168 BCE, the king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes outlawed Jewish practice and defiled the Jewish Temple in the city by installing an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs.

• A small army of Jews, known as the Maccabees, rebelled against this religious persecution and tyranny. They regained control over the Temple, removed the symbols of Zeus and built a new altar so they could once again offer sacrifices in keeping with Jewish law.

• According to a legend recounted in the Talmud, a miracle occurred at this time. There was only enough oil to keep the Temple’s menorah burning for one day. But the flame stayed lit for eight days, until a new supply of oil could be found - the basis for the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.

Summarizing the Story

This is an oversimplified version of the story, History is more involved. I wanted you to see some things from the story of this holiday.

• First, there was the element of tyranny. The Jews had been under the tyrannical control of Gentiles and the Hellenistic lifestyle was permeating their culture.

• Second, rebellion became the order of the day. The Maccabees led an army of freedom fighters against the invaders. These fought a guerilla style of combat and won.