 “I AM GOD’S SON”… During this exact same time of the year 2000 years ago, while everyone else was celebrating a festival, Jesus continued doing the same thing He had done for the past 3 years. Knowing His death was only a few months away, Jesus appealed to religious folks to believe that He was the Son of God. His revelations shook their world and continue to shake ours today as we contemplate the true meaning of our “holiday” celebrations. “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.” John 10:22-23 The Colonade was known in Solomon’s day as the Hall of Judgment, the place where the King would pronounce final judgment in matters of law. And there He was, King of Kings, walking in the midst of mankind here on planet Earth, in one of the most venerated buildings in the entire world. But most folks were so busy, they couldn’t even see the man, Jesus, their King, the very reason for the festival itself, standing in their midst. The 8-day Festival of Dedication, aka Hanukkah, aka the Festival of Lights, had begun several centuries earlier after a revolt led by the Jewish Maccabees against pagan practices that sought to destroy their relationship with God. Perhaps they had not seen how pervasive the actions really were until the prohibition against the worship of the One True God was issued and the Temple itself was profaned by other gods. The historical book of 1 Maccabees records they rebuilt the holy altar on Kislev 25, 164 BC, exactly three years from the date of its pagan defilement. After successfully regaining control of the Temple, and spiritually and physically cleansing it, the people realized their need to rededicate the Temple to Almighty God. Lighting the Temple menorah for 8 nights, (seen as a miracle in later years) they followed the pattern of two previous Temple dedications, affirming that true worship pivots on the Creator’s perfect 7-day work, and an 8th day looking forward to a new-creation gathering. It is sometimes even called Second Sukkot or Festival of Tabernacles in the month of Kislev. Around 200 years later, people began to recognize Jesus during the Festival of Dedication as the one who had also physically and spiritually cleansed the Temple earlier during the spring Passover Festival (John 2:13-17) He also declared Himself the Living Water and the Light of the World just a couple months before at the fall Festival of Tabernacles (John 7:37-44). As they gathered around Him and reflected on the events that had led to the Festival of Dedication, their questions predictably reflected their intense desire for the arrival of the Messiah. “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” John 10:24 When Jesus answered them, it was about as plain and to-the-point as you can get. In fact, He had just told a group of Pharisees exactly that when they questioned His miraculous healing of a blind man, recorded in the previous chapter. “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 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 will 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.” John 10:25-30 “Again (they) picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” John 10:31-32 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:33 "Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, "I have said you are “gods”? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart (sanctified) as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.' Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp." John 10:34-39 We can immediately sense this very moment in time during the Festival of Dedication was pivotal in the timeline of Jesus as Messiah. In fact, he seems to be saying that His human nature WAS the Temple of the Divine, “I and the Father are one.” All the pieces of the puzzle were coming together, and the picture that was being revealed was undeniable. Yet the people—His people—still resisted and would not believe that Jesus was fulfilling His appointment as Messiah as He literally stood before them. Jesus pointed out the great irony that if the world’s defiled and unjust rulers are referred to as gods in scripture (Psalm 82) how much more is the One who is sanctified and set apart from the world by God Himself to be declared “God”. Perhaps the hidden gem here is the fact that the Greek word “sanctified” translated into Hebrew means “dedication,” So literally, Jesus is pointing to Himself as the fulfillment of the Feast of Dedication, sanctified by the Almighty to stand undefiled as His Temple. In every respect He was the TRUE Dedication of the Temple. But they still didn’t believe Him. Sounds a lot like us today, right at this very moment as further scripture study reveals other “gems”. Haggai 2 states that on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Kislev on God’s calendar, Zerubbabel, who was instrumental in the dedication of the restored 2nd Temple, was designated “a servant of the Lord” and marked as “the signet ring of the Lord”, a well-known Messianic metaphor, guaranteeing God’s blessing through him to Jesus Himself. Indeed, the direct line of Zerubbabel in Matthew 1:1-16 clearly establishes Jesus as the legal heir to this throne through the kings of Israel. “From this day on I will bless you” indicates God’s blessing moved forward from the appointed 24th day of the 9th month. The next day, the 25th, reckoned by biblical count began the evening of the 24th day. This date begins the first evening of the Festival of Dedication in 164 BC and is most likely the same day that Jesus stood in the Temple years later and introduced Himself as “the Son of God”. God's festival days follow His lunar calendar, and do not fall on the same date on our solar Gregorian calendar every year. But some years, the two calendars do align. New Testament scholars and theologians N.T. Wright and Michael Bird document in their book, “New Testament Theology: The New Testament in its World” that on December 25th, 164 BC, the rededication of the Temple occurred exactly three years after its desecration by the Greeks. The Apocrypha With Notes, repeats the same historical fact. Remember, the historical book of 1 Maccabees records the holy altar dedicated on Kislev 25, 164 BC. So, in the following years, it would have been easy to mistake the calendar date of December 25 as the anniversary date of the dedication, instead of calculating Kislev 25 by the lunar calendar pattern set forth in God’s Word. This year the beginning of the Festival of Dedication to which Jesus points Himself as the fulfillment in every way, the 25th day of God’s 9th month on the lunar calendar, begins the evening of December 15 and continues to the evening of December 23 on our 2025 solar Gregorian calendar. So, reviewing our lesson today, we find The Almighty is literally showering us with unimaginable gifts this season. Right this very minute, Jesus is gifting us with the same words He spoke over 2000 years ago, still speaking to folks so busy with their holiday (a version of holy and day) celebration they don’t recognize that it is just a shadow of a Holy Day manifesting the true Incarnation of the Son of God, the perfect sacrifice that accomplished what the Temples in Jerusalem never could. Through the birth of His Son, God made a way to not only dwell WITH his people but to dwell IN His people, with no need for a physical temple. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16. God has gifted us with the perfect time for all God’s people to celebrate and rededicate their Temple to Almighty God and His perfect 7-day creation on this earth, looking forward to that glorious 8th day when we will gather together with our King Jesus in His Kingdom forever! "I AM GOD’S SON." |
“I AM GOD’S SON”… During this exact same time of the year 2000 years ago, while everyone else was celebrating a festival, Jesus continued doing the same thing He had done for the past 3 years. Knowing His death was only a few months away, Jesus appealed to religious folks to believe that He was the Son of God. His revelations shook their world and continue to shake ours today as we contemplate the true meaning of our “holiday” celebrations. “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.” John 10:22-23 The Colonade was known in Solomon’s day as the Hall of Judgment, the place where the King would pronounce final judgment in matters of law. And there He was, King of Kings, walking in the midst of mankind here on planet Earth, in one of the most venerated buildings in the entire world. But most folks were so busy, they couldn’t even see the man, Jesus, their King, the very reason for the festival itself, standing in their midst. The 8-day Festival of Dedication, aka Hanukkah, aka the Festival of Lights, had begun several centuries earlier after a revolt led by the Jewish Maccabees against pagan practices that sought to destroy their relationship with God. Perhaps they had not seen how pervasive the actions really were until the prohibition against the worship of the One True God was issued and the Temple itself was profaned by other gods. The historical book of 1 Maccabees records they rebuilt the holy altar on Kislev 25, 164 BC, exactly three years from the date of its pagan defilement. After successfully regaining control of the Temple, and spiritually and physically cleansing it, the people realized their need to rededicate the Temple to Almighty God. Lighting the Temple menorah for 8 nights, (seen as a miracle in later years) they followed the pattern of two previous Temple dedications, affirming that true worship pivots on the Creator’s perfect 7-day work, and an 8th day looking forward to a new-creation gathering. It is sometimes even called Second Sukkot or Festival of Tabernacles in the month of Kislev. Around 200 years later, people began to recognize Jesus during the Festival of Dedication as the one who had also physically and spiritually cleansed the Temple earlier during the spring Passover Festival (John 2:13-17) He also declared Himself the Living Water and the Light of the World just a couple months before at the fall Festival of Tabernacles (John 7:37-44). As they gathered around Him and reflected on the events that had led to the Festival of Dedication, their questions predictably reflected their intense desire for the arrival of the Messiah. “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” John 10:24 When Jesus answered them, it was about as plain and to-the-point as you can get. In fact, He had just told a group of Pharisees exactly that when they questioned His miraculous healing of a blind man, recorded in the previous chapter. “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 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 will 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.” John 10:25-30 “Again (they) picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” John 10:31-32 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:33 "Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, "I have said you are “gods”? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart (sanctified) as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.' Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp." John 10:34-39 We can immediately sense this very moment in time during the Festival of Dedication was pivotal in the timeline of Jesus as Messiah. In fact, he seems to be saying that His human nature WAS the Temple of the Divine, “I and the Father are one.” All the pieces of the puzzle were coming together, and the picture that was being revealed was undeniable. Yet the people—His people—still resisted and would not believe that Jesus was fulfilling His appointment as Messiah as He literally stood before them. Jesus pointed out the great irony that if the world’s defiled and unjust rulers are referred to as gods in scripture (Psalm 82) how much more is the One who is sanctified and set apart from the world by God Himself to be declared “God”. Perhaps the hidden gem here is the fact that the Greek word “sanctified” translated into Hebrew means “dedication,” So literally, Jesus is pointing to Himself as the fulfillment of the Feast of Dedication, sanctified by the Almighty to stand undefiled as His Temple. In every respect He was the TRUE Dedication of the Temple. But they still didn’t believe Him. Sounds a lot like us today, right at this very moment as further scripture study reveals other “gems”. Haggai 2 states that on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Kislev on God’s calendar, Zerubbabel, who was instrumental in the dedication of the restored 2nd Temple, was designated “a servant of the Lord” and marked as “the signet ring of the Lord”, a well-known Messianic metaphor, guaranteeing God’s blessing through him to Jesus Himself. Indeed, the direct line of Zerubbabel in Matthew 1:1-16 clearly establishes Jesus as the legal heir to this throne through the kings of Israel. “From this day on I will bless you” indicates God’s blessing moved forward from the appointed 24th day of the 9th month. The next day, the 25th, reckoned by biblical count began the evening of the 24th day. This date begins the first evening of the Festival of Dedication in 164 BC and is most likely the same day that Jesus stood in the Temple years later and introduced Himself as “the Son of God”. God's festival days follow His lunar calendar, and do not fall on the same date on our solar Gregorian calendar every year. But some years, the two calendars do align. New Testament scholars and theologians N.T. Wright and Michael Bird document in their book, “New Testament Theology: The New Testament in its World” that on December 25th, 164 BC, the rededication of the Temple occurred exactly three years after its desecration by the Greeks. The Apocrypha With Notes, repeats the same historical fact. Remember, the historical book of 1 Maccabees records the holy altar dedicated on Kislev 25, 164 BC. So, in the following years, it would have been easy to mistake the calendar date of December 25 as the anniversary date of the dedication, instead of calculating Kislev 25 by the lunar calendar pattern set forth in God’s Word. This year the beginning of the Festival of Dedication to which Jesus points Himself as the fulfillment in every way, the 25th day of God’s 9th month on the lunar calendar, begins the evening of December 15 and continues to the evening of December 23 on our 2025 solar Gregorian calendar. So, reviewing our lesson today, we find The Almighty is literally showering us with unimaginable gifts this season. Right this very minute, Jesus is gifting us with the same words He spoke over 2000 years ago, still speaking to folks so busy with their holiday (a version of holy and day) celebration they don’t recognize that it is just a shadow of a Holy Day manifesting the true Incarnation of the Son of God, the perfect sacrifice that accomplished what the Temples in Jerusalem never could. Through the birth of His Son, God made a way to not only dwell WITH his people but to dwell IN His people, with no need for a physical temple. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16. God has gifted us with the perfect time for all God’s people to celebrate and rededicate their Temple to Almighty God and His perfect 7-day creation on this earth, looking forward to that glorious 8th day when we will gather together with our King Jesus in His Kingdom forever! "I AM GOD’S SON." |
Fontana Community Church
20 Fontana Church Road, P.O. Box 93
Fontana Dam, NC 28733
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