It is called the feast of the dedication in the New Testament in the book of John. Chanukah is about the celebration of the victory of the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and its leader Antiochus IV Epiphanes. A seven year revolt because the Jewish people refused to worship the Greek pagan gods. It is also called the Feast of Lights.
John 10:22-23 KJV
And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.
The December Chanukah is a time that is honored by nine lights on the Chanukah menorah. Each light being lit for each of the 9 days celebrated. This is the celebration of the Jewish people. However, how can Chanukah relate to the Christians who believe the Light of the World is the Messiah Jesus? Jesus came to the world for all people of all ethnic groups, that is Jew and Gentile to bring salvation to all. He brought light into the world when he was born, as the angels sang of his birth, and the stars declared. The message of his birth written in the stars and the shepherds watching could read this part of the gospel story. Jesus brought light into the world by turning water into wine and began his ministry, and continued to bring light and hope to all the people of Israel, and to the Gentiles as well. He brought the light in teaching of the law, healing the sick, lame, deaf, and the blind. He also delivered people from darkness and brought them into the light by casting demons out of them. He brought light into the families when their loved ones died and he raised them from the dead. He brings us light because he has authority over all, even death.
Light into the world can be viewed as victory over death, and Jesus brought us this victory by being the final sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice in that he never sinned, was a man but was not born of man’s seed. He was born of the Holy Ghost, and his father is the God of Israel. Only God can deliver man because mankind has been defiled by sin. Jesus declared that he is the Light of the World, by beginning the phrase I AM. The two words I AM in Hebrew is yah and that is one of the many names for God—the God of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God of all of us who believe in his son Jesus.
Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Christians and Messianic Jews celebrate Jesus’s birth at this time of year and honor him as the light. The Chanukah menorah has nine lights. The number nine has a biblical significance in gematria. That is, the nine fruits of the Spirit, and the completeness of the Lord. God laid his plan out in the Old Testament by establishing the law so that all of mankind, and the Hebrews would know how to live moral lives in righteousness, govern themselves, and also how to worship the Lord through sacrifices, psalms, dancing, and praise. The burnt offerings of the animals, and the grains were just a covering, especially the blood that was presented before God. To finalize God’s plan of salvation he had to send his son Jesus to be the sacrifice for mankind, and undefiled sacrifice. His character can be seen in the fruits of the spirit in which the nine candles can represent, and these fruits Jesus displays to man in his time on earth, and in our current eras. For Jesus is the December Chanukah.
Notes: All scripture used is from the King James Version Public Domain Biblegateway.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maccabean_Revolt
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
Biblical Mathematics: Keys to Scripture Numerics, Evangelist Ed. F. Vallowe, page 88.
James G. Owen, Author 