Then Came Hanukkah

Background

Chag Hanukkah Sameach! I would like to take this week and discuss an important teaching of Yeshua during the time of Hanukkah. Last week we discussed the background of the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah. We spoke about Antiouchus IV Epiphanies and how he had set up an image of himself and claimed to be the Incarnation of Zeus. Then on the 25th day of Chilsev 167 (which corresponded to December 25th), Antiochus sacrificed a pig on the altar of Adonai in Jerusalem. This was described as the abomination that caused desolation, and all of this had been prophesied by Daniel.

We also spoke about how Yeshua said that it would all happen again in Matt. 24:15-16 ““So when you see ‘the abomination of desolation,’ which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.”

God in the Flesh

Let’s now look into the teaching of Yeshua on Hanukkah in John 10:22-42 .

John 10:22–42 TLV

Then came Hanukkah; it was winter in Jerusalem. Yeshua was walking in the Temple around Solomon’s Colonnade. Then the Judean leaders surrounded Him, saying, “How long will You hold us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us outright!” Yeshua answered them, “I told you, but you don’t believe! The works I do in My Father’s name testify concerning Me. But you don’t believe, because you are not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life! They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 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. I and the Father are one.” Again the Judean leaders picked up stones to stone Him. Yeshua answered them, “I’ve shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone Me?” The Judean leaders answered, “We aren’t stoning you for a good work, but for blasphemy. Though You are a man, You make Yourself God!” Yeshua answered them, “Isn’t it written in your Writings, ‘I have said you are gods’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the Word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, the One the Father set apart and sent into the world, ‘You speak blasphemy,’ because I said, ‘I am Ben-Elohim’? “If I don’t do the works of My Father, don’t believe Me! But if I do, even if you don’t trust Me, trust the deeds. Then you may come to know and continue to understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.” Therefore they tried to capture Him again, but He escaped from their hand. Again He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first started immersing, and He stayed there. Many people came to Him and were saying, “John performed no sign, but all John said about this man was true.” And many trusted in Him there.

Biblical Scene

We start out the passage with Yeshua taking a stroll on the Temple Mount, in Solomon’s Collenade which had been rebuilt by King Herod. An the Judean leaders ask Yeshua explicitly to tell them if he is the Messiah.

Yeshua affirms their question, by pointing back to the conversation he had recently had with them in John 8 when he concluded by stating explicitly that he had been sent by God (Jn. 8:42 “Yeshua said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for from God I came and now I am here. For I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.”) that he was greater than Abraham and the Prophets (Jn. 8:52-53 ““Now we know You have a demon!” the Judean leaders said to Him. “Abraham and the prophets died. Yet You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.’ You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, are You? The prophets also died! Who do You make Yourself out to be?”” ). Then Yeshua concluded by claiming to be the pre-existent one, the I AM. John 8:58-59 “Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!” Then they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Yeshua hid Himself and went out from the Temple.”

But how does Yeshua argue the point in Solomon’s Portico on Hanukkah? Does he give them a big theological argument? Well no, and then yes. In the first instance, Yeshua points to his actions, the “works I do in My Father’s name.” He is asking the audience to judge Him and see if he is a false prophet according to the Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 13:2–6 TLV

“Suppose a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises up among you and gives you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder he spoke to you comes true, while saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods’—that you have not known, and—‘Let’s serve them!’ You must not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams—for Adonai your God is testing you, to find out whether you love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Adonai your God you will follow and Him you will fear. His mitzvot you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling. That prophet or dreamer of dreams must be put to death! For he has spoken falsehood against Adonai your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to entice you from the way Adonai your God commanded you to walk. So you will purge the evil from your midst.

Michael Brown points out that one of the biggest theological objections for Jews to believe in Yeshua is this:

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 2: Theological Objections Objection 3.2: If You Claim that Jesus is God Then You are Guilty of Making God into a Man. You are an Idol Worshiper!

If you claim that Jesus is God then you are guilty of making God into a man. You are an idol worshiper!

Is this what Yeshua is doing? In John 10:30 Yeshua goes on to state, “I and the Father are one.””

Is he doing the exact same thing as Antiochus IV Epiphanies? Is he, as a man claiming to be God?

This seems to be what the Jewish leaders thought because in John 10:33 “The Judean leaders answered, “We aren’t stoning you for a good work, but for blasphemy. Though You are a man, You make Yourself God!”” So they are accusing Yeshua of making himself God.

How does Yeshua respond?

He responds by quoting Psalm 82. Let’s go ahead and read the entire Psalm and see what argument is Yeshua actually making?

Psalm 82 TLV

A psalm of Asaph. God takes His stand in the assembly of God. He judges among the ‘gods’: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the poor and fatherless. Be just to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They know nothing; they understand nothing— they walk about in darkness. All of earth’s foundations are shaken. I said: ‘You are ‘gods’, and you are all sons of Elyon, yet you will die like men, and will fall like any of the princes.’ ” Arise, O God, judge the earth! For You possess all the nations.

Now I want to read it by substituting a specific Hebrew word. Psalm 82

Psalm 82 (TLV)

A psalm of Asaph. Elohim takes His stand in the assembly of El. He judges among the elohim: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the poor and fatherless. Be just to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They know nothing; they understand nothing— they walk about in darkness. All of earth’s foundations are shaken. I said: ‘You are elohim, and you are all sons of Elyon, yet you will die like men, and will fall like any of the princes.’ ” Arise, O Elohim, judge the earth! For You possess all the nations.

In this Psalm, is Adonai talking to men, or Judges, as some Rabbis claim? Or does the term elohim, which is normally translated as “god” refer to more than just Adonai? Does this Psalm mean that there are more than one god?

The reality is that the word elohim seems to refer more to the nature of the being and not a specific individual. We see this in the English word “god” with a small “g”. In this Psalm we see that Adonai, who is God over all other gods, is bringing judgement against other gods who have been showing partiality to wicked humans, and are not protecting weak and needy humans. According to Ex. 20:3, Adonai is the only god we humans are allowed to worship (Ex. 20:3 ““You shall have no other gods before Me.”). So in Psalm 82, Adonai is declaring that these divine, small “g”, gods will be judged one day and will die like men, and fall like human princes.

So coming back to Yeshua’s argument with the Judean leaders, Yeshua’s argument goes something like this:

I’ve already told you, but you don’t believe v.25

My actions demonstrate who I am and who I represent v.25

I and the Father are one (meaning same nature or being) v.30

There are other divine beings, elohim, known in Scripture as “sons of God” Ps.82:6

I am THE, “set apart”, Son of God or Ben-elohim v.36

If my actions don’t perfectly align with the Father (as revealed in Scripture) then don’t believe me v.37

But if my deeds do perfectly line up with Scripture, then truely I am in the Father and the Father is in me!

Is it that simple?

Well not really, because we are talking about the nature and person of the Lord God Almighty. Michael Brown puts it this way:

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 2: Theological Objections Objection 3.2: If You Claim that Jesus is God Then You are Guilty of Making God into a Man. You are an Idol Worshiper!

If John simply wrote, “God became a human being,” that would have given a false impression, leading one to think that the Lord was no longer filling the universe or reigning in heaven, having abandoned his throne to take up residence here. Instead, John tells us that it was the divine Word that became a human being, and through the Word we know God personally.

What Michael is referring to is the concept of the memra or logos. When John began his Gospel, he began by saying this, John 1:1-5

John 1:1–5 TLV

In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.

Now this may sound like double talk, but in the Aramaic Targums or paraphrases Scripture read during Yeshua’s day, every place that Adonai reached out and touched people, the Targums would substitute “the Word of Adonai.” An example of this would be in Gen. 3:8

Genesis 3:8 TLV

And they heard the sound of Adonai Elohim going to and fro in the garden in the wind of the day. So the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Adonai Elohim in the midst of the Tree of the garden.

The Targums actual say, “And they heard the sound of the Word of the LORD God walking in the midst of the garden.” There are hundreds of examples like this.

Philo, a Jewish philosopher who was a contemporary of Yeshua, said this about the logos:

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 2: Theological Objections Objection 3.2: If You Claim that Jesus is God Then You are Guilty of Making God into a Man. You are an Idol Worshiper!

Although in a sense an aspect of the Divine, the Logos often appears as a separate entity, namely, a half-personal emanation of God. The concept was appropriated by Philo in order to bridge the gap between the transcendent God of Judaism and the divine principle experienced by human beings. This view of the Logos as a mediating principle between God and material creation could link up with biblical references to the creative “Word of God,” by which the heavens were made (Ps. 33:6) and with the concept of meimra (Aram.; “word”) in Targum literature (especially as it appears in Targum Onkelos).

John also mentions in John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The concept of the Word, or logos, pitching His tent, or tabernacling, among us is extremely important.

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 2: Theological Objections Objection 3.2: If You Claim that Jesus is God Then You are Guilty of Making God into a Man. You are an Idol Worshiper!

So just as God “pitched his tent” in the midst of his people Israel through the Tabernacle and Temple—while remaining God in heaven and filling the universe with his presence—so he pitched his tent among us through his Son—while remaining God in heaven and filling the universe with his presence. As one Catholic scholar put it, Jesus is the replacement of the ancient Tabernacle.

This is the ultimate answer to the question of the Talmudic rabbis, Jewish philosophers, and medieval mystics as to how Almighty God could dwell in our midst: He came to us through his Word, Yeshua the Son of God. In a very real sense, God was in his Temple, and in a very real sense, God was in his Son. The glory of God filled them both, and the glory of God was manifested in both.

This is exactly what Yeshua was trying to tell the Judean leaders, but they were not willing to listen. However as we see in John 10:42 “And many trusted in Him there.” There were many Jewish people who did listen and trusted in Yeshua as the Word of God made flesh!

Application for Today

In all that we have learned, we must remember that the New Covenant is completely in the Hebrew Scriptures, and Yeshua is exactly the messiah that the Torah and the Prophets wrote about. There are two passages that summarise all that we have talked about. Hebrews 1:1-3

Hebrews 1:1–3 TLV

At many times and in many ways, God spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets. In these last days He has spoken to us through a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things and through whom He created the universe. This Son is the radiance of His glory and the imprint of His being, upholding all things by His powerful word. When He had made purification for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Colossians 1:15–19 TLV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created— in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen, whether thrones or angelic powers or rulers or authorities. All was created through Him and for Him. He exists before everything, and in Him all holds together. He is the head of the body, His community. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead— so that He might come to have first place in all things. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him

Colossians 2:9 TLV

For all the fullness of Deity lives bodily in Him,

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 2: Theological Objections Objection 3.2: If You Claim that Jesus is God Then You are Guilty of Making God into a Man. You are an Idol Worshiper!

So the next time someone says to you, “God is not a man, so Jesus cannot be God,” you have a sound answer to give: “Of course, God is not a man. But can he reveal himself in and through a man? Can he temporarily pitch his tent among us? Can his fullness dwell in a virgin-born human? The scriptural answer is yes.”

And if someone hits you with, “Your god wore diapers; our God sits enthroned in heaven,” tell them, “My God, who is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, always has and always will sit enthroned in heaven. But his divine Word became flesh and blood. It’s really quite a lofty spiritual concept!”

You are now ready to teach them. In fact, you can begin by quoting John 1:18.