It’s Hanukkah, the joyous Feast of Dedication in which Jews remember the miracle of God in rededication of the Temple in about 165 BC. The Maccabees rose up to revolt against the Seleucids who turned their Temple into a desecrated den of idols!

If you know anything about the ancient Temple, you know there was a giant 7-branch menorah that stood in the Holy Place, along with the Table of Shewbread and the Altar of Incense. Today, a replica is displayed in a protective glass case in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. (See photo to the left.)

But the Hanukkah menorah (or Hanukkiah) is a 9-branch menorah! Why? Because it represents the 8 days in which one day’s worth of oil kept burning (plus the middle branch). The image at right is the hanukkiah on display at the Western Wall during Hanukkah.

So, what’s up with that middle branch? During Hanukkah, is the middle branch that is lit first each night. Then it serves as the source of light for each of the branches that are lit each night. (One on the first night, two on the second night, etc) The middle branch is known as the shamash or “servant candle.”

When our Lord Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the world (John 8:12), Jews would have immediately thought of the Hanukkiah. What may have escaped notice is that Jesus is the center or it all, and a servant who not only offers light to the whole world, but made us (believers) to be lights of the world as well! (Matthew 5:14)

Our Lord wastes nothing in Jewish history, but uses it to display His character and His glory! The hanukkiah is a representation of Him, and what a blessing it is to be able to celebrate alongside our Jewish kinsmen!