Yeshua(Jesus) and Hanukkah

Remember the Light:
During the time of the 2nd temple, the Holy Land was ruled by cruel Greeks.  Now a wicked and evil ruler came to power whose name is Antiochus Epiphanies.  Antiochus robbed the Jews of their property, set up pagan idols in the Temple of God, he forsook the Jews to keep the Sabbath, he didn't allow them to circumcise their children and he burned their copies of Torah(first 5 books of the Bible)
These horrible actions led to a revolt by a Jewish group known as the Maccabees.  The Maccabees risked their lives to keep Torah alive, to cling to those sacred things  that their God had given them...and because the Lord saw that the intents of their hearts were good, He favored them and gave them the victory over the Greeks.  The Hanukkah lights remind us of the great miracle that took place where a small band of Jews defeated the mighty Greek armies with the help of their God.

Filling the World with Light:
With tremendous joy, the Jews cleansed the Temple and began to serve Hashem(God) once again as He instructed them.  Nowadays, we have to draw on that joy, and remember that as the Jews rededicated the temple of God so too must we do today.  We must cleanse our temples from sin and corruption by living a life pleasing to Yeshua(Jesus).  If we make Him the Lord of our life He will miraculously fill us with light just as He miraculously made the light of the menorah burn 8 days whe there was only enough oil to burn for one day!
Having the light of Yeshua brings a great joy to our life and to celebrate the Joy that only Jesus/Yeshua can give, we have Hanukkah parties, games, food and fellowship.  Jesus has the power to overcome all darkness by the light that is in Him.

Adding Light:
Every day of Hanukkah we add another candle til all eight candles of the Hanukkaiah are ablaze remembering the Great Festival of Lights.  It is tradition to put the Hanukkiah in the window of our homes for all to see that they also may see that Jesus is the Light in our home.

Yeshua gives us important instructions concerning the light...
Matthew 5:14-16"You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven!