A great battle took place in 166 B.C. that would help set the stage for Jesus’ entrance into the world.
It happened in the Valley of Ajalon, a few miles northwest of Jerusalem, where a small band of heroes went up against a vast army of the Greek Empire in a battle that would determine the fate of the Jewish nation. The clash between forces in this lop-sided fight would later become known as the Battle of Emmaus.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, ruler of the Seleucid Empire (a branch of the Greek Empire), ushered in a very violent period of religious persecution against the Jewish people. While Greek and secular influences of the time had already threatened the survival of the Jewish religion, Antiochus seemed even more obsessed with eradicating the Jewish nation all together—their faith, their way of living, and thereby, their future.
The Plot to Wipe Them All Out:
He begins his treacherous campaign by murdering the High Priest, Onias III. Then moves on by slaughtering 40,000 of Jerusalem’s inhabitants. He orders all sacrifices and service at the Temple to be stopped. He prohibits the Jewish nation from celebrating their sacred Feasts, like Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
He then dedicates the Temple of God, to his god, Zeus. He orders the Holy Scriptures to be destroyed and mandates the Jewish people to participate in heathen rites. It was all part of his plan to impose Greek customs, including idolatry, on the people.
Ultimately, to ensure that no one could worship the God of Israel, Antiochus would then desecrate the Temple itself by placing idols in the house of the God and sacrificing a pig upon the holy altar. If that were not enough, the final insult is manifested when Antiochus took the title “Epiphanes,” which means “God manifested,” and demanded the Jewish people to worship him.
A Resulting Revolt Arises:
Against all odds, a small band of heroes rose to take on this mad man. They were led by the Maccabean family from the priestly line of Aaron (Maccabee means “hammer”) in a revolt against this evil ruler and miraculously experienced victory after victory over the mighty Greek forces.
The most significant battle happened at Emmaus. An enraged Antiochus sent an army of 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry against a much smaller contingent of Jewish forces.
Camped at Emmaus, a mere 3,000 Jewish soldiers found themselves looking upon this vast army. Facing suicidal odds of 16:1 (where 3:1 odds are usually needed to avoid defeat) it seemed obvious how this was going to play out.
But God’s honor was stake and so was the entire Jewish nation. So before going into battle, Judah Maccabee, the leader of this small Jewish army, along with all his men, fasted and prayed to God.
When the Greeks launched their attack, they split their forces to attempt a surprise raid on the Jewish camp. But the Jewish troops anticipated such an attack and countered with a surprise attack of their own. They caught those left in the Greek camp sleeping, killed as many as they could and captured their storeshouses. Upon realizing their supply base was destroyed, the remaining Greek soldiers fled the battlefield.
Understand, this was a huge victory and a major turning point in preserving the Jewish nation and setting the stage for Jesus’ entrance into the world.
The Feast of Hanukkah (Dedication):
The Feast of Hanukkah commemorates the “against all odds” victory God gave the Jewish people.
It’s during this time of year that the Jewish nation is reminded that God is the One who gives the victory.
The Feast is called Hanukkah (which means, “dedication”) because the high point of the Jewish victory was ultimately when they were able to rededicate the Temple back to God. This very moment would serve as a reminder of God’s power to keep His promises and preserve His people.
When Jerusalem was finally recaptured by the small Jewish army, it is said that they immediately set out to rededicate the Temple. Judah Maccabee and his men spent several weeks in the Holy Temple, removing the idols, making necessary repairs, and reconstructing the defiled altar.
The problem was that they didn’t have enough consecrated oil to rekindle the sacred candelabra or menorah. They found enough oil for at least one day, but it would take at another eight days before they could procure some more.
The thought of lighting the menorah for such a momentous event only to see it go out again, would have been heart-wrenching. Yet their zeal to rededicate the Temple was so strong that, despite the dilemma, they decided to go for it.
And guess what happened? After lighting the menorah, it miraculously burned for a full eight days.
The miracle of the divinely supplied oil would serve as a reminder of God’s power to keep His promises and preserve His people.
Overjoyed by this miraculous sign of divine favor, the Jewish people celebrated spontaneously for eight days. A year later, the Jewish religious leaders (also known as the Sanhedrin) would ordain the eight-day Feast of Hanukkah to commemorate this great miracle of the oil for all time.
Jesus at the Feast of Dedication:
When the Jews rededicated their Temple back to God, in His grace, God miraculously supplied the oil needed to keep the candles on the menorah burning for far longer than they should have.
The miracle enabled them to fulfill their religious obligations and experience a spiritual intimacy with God.
To be able to rededicate the Temple was the result of God keeping His promise to preserve a people through whom the Messiah would come.
And about 162 years later, He did come. In fact, the Bible records one instance in which Jesus came to the Temple to celebrate the Feast of Dedication.
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.
John 10:22-23 NRSV
The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ time knew of the events surrounding the Feast of Dedication. They could not help but notice all the miracles that were being performed through Jesus evidenced by those who experienced a miracle and witnessed by the immense crowds that followed Him.
Jesus was the Miracle Man.
So it’s not surprising that they would demand Him to tell them plainly if He was their Messiah.
So the Jews gathered around Him and said to Him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
John 10:24 NRSV
Yet, regardless of how Jesus would respond to them, the Jewish leaders were not ready for their Messiah to come and much less, be led by Him.
Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name testify to Me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to My sheep.”
John 10:25-26 NRSV
It wasn’t obvious to the Jewish leaders that Jesus was their Messiah, but it should have been. Wasn’t it obvious through the miracles He performed that God’s grace was upon Him? That He had a relationship with God? That His life had been set apart and dedicated to God? And that His supply of miraculous power could have only come through the power of the Holy Spirit?
The Messiah, their Miracle, their Supply, was now walking in their midst, but they wouldn’t accept the Truth.
Yes, there must have been a special relationship Jesus enjoyed with the God of Israel, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. Such a close relationship, a shared DNA. It is no wonder what Jesus would say next:
“The Father and I are one.”
John 10:30 NRSV
Of course, the Jewish leaders’ response was not surprising. To them what Jesus said was blasphemy. It was like Antiochus IV Epiphanes all over again, coming into the Temple, during the very Feast in which they celebrate its rededication back to God, to claim His own deity.
The religious leaders couldn’t comprehend it. They couldn’t grasp the fact that the Light of the world, the Eternal Light that will shine forever as a sign of God’s grace to all who would dedicate their lives to God through Christ, was already shining in their midst. They couldn’t accept the reality that their Messiah had already entered into humanity through the power of the Holy Spirit and was now standing in the Temple built to house His presence.
Their response:
The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.”
John 10:31-33 NRSV
They attempted to stone Him. But He escaped. It wasn’t His time to die.
That would come later at the cross where Jesus would pay the price for all of humanity’s sins. His resurrection would bring about an even greater victory than the one at the Battle of Emmaus—a victory over death, sin, hell and the grave.
With Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Father, He now pours out His Holy Spirit upon all who would put their trust in Him; to fill them with His divine presence and power; to supply them with what they need to keep His light burning brightly, especially in dark times.
God still gives the victory. When we dedicate our lives, our Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), to God through Christ, we can can expect God to supply what we need to live for Him.
It is through His grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit that you can expect God to supply the divine oil you need to keep your light burning brightly regardless of what you might be facing, even right now. In Him, you still have the victory!!
Here’s a SIMPLE TIP:
Let your light shine brightly by dedicating yourself anew to God—to live for Him by the power of the Holy Spirit who burns within us through Christ.
When we find our supply in Him, we won’t have to worry about not having enough to be the person God is calling each of us to be. The miracle of the oil is what will keep our lights burning brightly, especially in those times when it’s dark.
Article Postsciprt:
If you feel led, encourage someone else by sharing this article, or perhaps another article that was an encouragement to you. This one action could be a real game-changer in their life. With God, all things are possible!!