A Hanukkah to Remember

4th Sunday of Easter, 5/12/19
John 10:22-30


A Hanukkah to Remember
I. Jesus clearly reveals his person.
II. Jesus claims us as his sheep.


For most people, memories of holidays spent with family or other loved ones are some of the most memorable and cherished memories we have. We fondly recall the time we had last Christmas and already hope that this coming Christmas is just as enjoyable. Thanksgiving 2018 was a wonderful day. Everyone you spent time with seemed to enjoy themselves and you plan to repeat the experience this coming November. You enjoyed your grandchild’s birthday party and you look forward to the next one. In the next few months there’s another wedding in your family and you’ve already indicated that you will attend. You hope this next one is as wonderful as the last one.

Celebrating holidays and important family events with people we love creates memories that last for a lifetime.

So, what are your memories of the last Hanukkah you celebrated? Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here are state that you have no memories at all—pleasant or otherwise—of celebrating Hanukkah because you have never celebrated Hanukkah. It’s not something Christians observe. In fact, we’re far too busy at that time of year getting ready to celebrate Christmas to even give Hanukkah a thought.

But Jesus did. In fact, he observed it. Hanukkah was not one of the Jewish holidays that God required his people to observe, but by and large Jewish people even in the days of Jesus on this earth observed it. Perhaps you’re aware that Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in 167 BC by Judas Maccabeus after it had been desecrated by a wicked heathen ruler.

We have before us today in John 10 the account of Jesus observing Hanukkah. And because of what Jesus said on that day, it’s a Hanukkah for us to remember, in much the same way we fondly remember our holiday celebrations. Let’s do that as we study just what Jesus said on this day in his life.

Part I.

“I already told you that!” I’m not proud to admit that I have heard those words more times than I can count. It’s one of my many faults. People have told me things and either I didn’t listen carefully or my memory is faulty or both. So they had to repeat telling me the information and it annoyed them.

At this Hanukkah celebration, the first words of Jesus in my red letter edition of the Bible state, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.” I can’t help wondering what the tone of Jesus’ voice was when he spoke those words. Was he annoyed? Was he angry? Was he sad or filled with pity? Was it a little of all of the above? We don’t know. But the tone of his voice wasn’t important. If it were, the Holy Spirit would have caused John to include it in his account.

What’s important is that we understand the situation so that we can apply it to ourselves.

John simply tells us, “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’” This event occurred late in Jesus’ earthly ministry. In fact, it was December—the December before he would suffer, die and rise again. At this time in his ministry, it would be hard to imagine that any Jewish person was unaware of Jesus of Nazareth and what he had been teaching and doing. The reality is that they were fully aware of what he had been saying and doing, and the leaders of Jews were keenly aware of these things.

John tells us that Jesus was in the temple area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. There’s some disagreement about exactly what this was, since the temple Solomon built had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Suffice it to say that it was one of the exterior portions of the temple area and it afforded Jesus a place to congregate with others or provided an area that offered some protection from the winter weather.

What’s noteworthy for us is that the people around him were not friendly forces. John refers to them as “the Jews,” but this was a specific segment of the Jews. This was in the temple in Jerusalem, the home turf of the Jewish religious leaders who were hardened opponents of Jesus. In other words, on this day Jesus was surrounded by his enemies, the very men who would succeed in having him crucified in just a few months.

So, when they ask Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly,” their question didn’t arise out of innocent curiosity. They were looking for an opportunity to get rid of him. They were trying to trap him. The fact of the matter is that if he answered that he was the Son of God, the stones would start to fly. And that’s exactly what happened. The very next verse after our text ends informs us, “Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him.” As you read further in chapter 10 you find that they tried to seize him, but Jesus escaped. His time had not yet come.

But the important point for every person to take in and believe is how Jesus replied to their question. Listen to it again, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. I and the Father are one.” Jesus refers to the fact that he had told them plainly from the very beginning of his ministry that he was the Son of God. And their reaction then was the same as it was on this day.

The shining truth for you and me this morning is that, even under such hostile circumstances, Jesus didn’t hesitate to proclaim the truth that he was the eternal Son of God. That is the greatest truth in all the world.

And that’s what makes this a Hanukkah to remember. Jesus clearly reveals his person.

I’m not big on debates about who is the greatest. Who’s the greatest baseball player? Who’s the greatest musician? Which US president was the greatest? Or the worst? I realize others might like to debate such things, but I don’t feel it’s worth the time or effort.

People in every age of history have debated who Jesus is. My question is, “What’s there to debate?” Just listen. Just look at the evidence.

In today’s text Jesus clearly reveals who he is—the eternal Son of God. And his actions backed up his words. Only God can do the things Jesus did, such as raising the dead. Added to that is the verbal testimony from his Father on at least three occasions, “This is my Son whom I love.” Without a doubt, Jesus is true God.

But realize what that means. One: I can’t ignore his word. What Jesus tells me isn’t up for debate or negotiation. What he says is divine truth. What he calls sin is sin. What he tells me about myself and my natural sinful condition is fact. When he condemns my sinful words and actions as arising from an evil heart, he speaks the truth. I am a poor, miserable sinner.

Two: Since Jesus is true God I can be absolutely certain of my forgiveness and eternal life. If Jesus died as true man and true God, then he died for the sins of the whole world. He died for me. For you. If Jesus died and rose again as true man and true God, then eternal life is ours. Everything Jesus ever said or promised is true and certain. That’s what makes this a Hanukkah to remember!

Part II.

But this is also Good Shepherd Sunday. It’s the Sunday on which we celebrate not only who Jesus is but also what he does for us as our Good Shepherd.

`Take notice once again of everything Jesus does for you as he speaks these simple, but powerful words. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Jesus points to the power of his word. His word is literally the word of God and his sheep know him only through that word.

And that knowledge works the other way as well. Through his word Jesus knows us as his sheep as well. On the basis of his saving word Jesus has established an eternal relationship with his sheep. He knows them as his own.

And here’s what he offers: “I give them eternal life.” He doesn’t state: I make it possible for them to have eternal life, or, I give them the hope of eternal life. No, he gives us eternal life. In fact, that his highest will. It’s why he came to this earth in the first place. He won eternal life for us and he wants us to be confident that it’s ours.

So confident, that he states, “No one can snatch them out of my hand. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Your God has your life right here in the palm of his almighty hand. He keeps you there through his word. As long as you remain in his word, you remain his. He guards and keeps you to eternal life.

That’s what makes this a Hanukkah to remember. Jesus claims you as his sheep.

At the end of today’s worship, we’ll sing stanza three of the hymn entitled, “I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb.” And I don’t think any of us will mind. It might seem silly to the world for adults to be singing that hymn, but we don’t think so. In fact, we get a great deal of comfort from singing it. It reminds us who we are and who Jesus is. And that will never change no matter how difficult or sad this life gets. Our comfort and our confidence are in our relationship with our Good Shepherd, who died for us and rose again.

That’s what Jesus was talking about on this day in his life. That’s what makes this a Hanukkah to remember. Cherish these memories, forever. Amen.