03/26/2023 – Gospel of John Fellowship – Chapter Ten – Jesus, the “Light of the World” and a Hanukkah history for context and connection expansion…
I would encourage y’all to look at Chapter Ten for last cycle as well!; Search on date: “02/10/21” , titled “Agape Love of the Triune God.” I will cover new ground today in this cycle.
Today I am going to focus on some historical context on Chapter 10: verses 22 – 28; “The Claim and the Promise” section using a section excerpt from Barclay’s Gospel of John Commentary, volume 2; pg . 69 – 71.
Let’s get started:
“The origin of the Festival of the Dedication lies in one of the greatest times of ordeal and heroism in Jewish history. There was a king of Syria called Antiochus Epiphanes who reigned from 175 to 164 B.C. He was a lover of all things Greek. He decided that he would eliminate the Jewish religion once and for all, and introduce Greek ways and thoughts, Greek religion and gods into Palestine. At first he tried to do so by peaceful penetration of ideas. Some of the Jews welcomes the new says, but most were stubbornly loyal to their ancestral faith.
It was in 170 B.C. that the deluge really came. In that year Antiochus attacked Jerusalem. It was said that 80,000 Jews perished, and as many were sold into slavery. 1,800 talents – a talent is equal to L240 – were stolen from the Temple treasury. It became a capital offense to possess a copy of the law, or to circumcise a child; and mothers who did circumcise their children were crucified with their children hanging round their necks. The Temple Courts were profaned; the Temple chambers were turned into brothels; and finally Antiochus took the dreadful step of turning the great altar of the burnt-offering g into an altar to Olympian Zeus, and on it proceeded to offer swine’s flesh to pagan gods.
It was then that Judas Maccabaeus and his brother arose to fight their epic fight for freedom. In 164 B.C. the struggle was finally won; and in that year the Temple was cleansed and purified. The altar was rebuilt and the robes and utensils were replaced, after three years of pollution. It was to commemorate that purification of the Temple that the Feast was instituted. Judas Maccabaeus enacted that ‘the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year, by the space of eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month of Chislew, with gladness and joy’ (1 Maccabees 4:59). For that reason the festival was sometimes called the Festival of the Dedication of the Altar, the sometimes the Memorial of the Purification of the Temple.
But as we have already seen, it had still another name. It was called often the Festival of Lights. There were great illuminations in the Temple; and there also illuminations in every Jewish home. In the the window of every Jewish house there were set lights. According to Shammai, eight lights were set in the windows, and they were reduced each day by one until on the last day only one was left burning. According to Hillel, one light was kindled on the first day, and one was added each day until on the last day there were eight burning. We can see these lights in the window of very devout Jewish home to this day.
These lights had two significances. First, they were a reminder that at the first celebrating of the festival the light of freedom had come back to Israel. Second, they were traced back to a very old legend. It was also told that when the Temple had been purified and the great seven branched candlestick re-lit, only one little cruse of unpolluted oil could be found. The cruse was still intact, and still sealed with the impress of the High Priest. By all normal measures, there was only oil enough in that cruse to light the lamps for one single day. But by a miracle it lasted for eight days, until new oil had been prepared according to the correct formula and had been consecrated for its sacred use. So for the eight days the lights burned in the Temple and in the homes of the people in memory of the cruse which God had made to last for eight days instead of one.
It is not without significance that it must have been very close to this time of illumination that Jesus said: ‘I am the Light of the world.’ When all the lights were being kindled in memory of the freedom won to worship God in the true way, Jesus said: ‘I am the Light of the world; I alone can light men into the knowledge and the presence of God.”
Soli Deo Gloria!
Our standard questions:
- That does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.