In John chapter 8, we find Jesus in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. Two chapters later, in John 10, He is in the Temple again—this time during Hanukkah. While Hanukkah is not a biblical feast, it is deeply connected to one: Sukkot.

The Light of the World

The name Hanukkah comes from the rededication (“chanukat”) of the Temple’s altar, which occurred after the Maccabean revolt reclaimed and purified the Temple from Greek defilement (2nd-century before Christ). According to the Book of Maccabees, during the year of conflict, the Jewish people were unable to celebrate Sukkot. But once the Temple was reclaimed near the end of the month of Kislev, they celebrated it in retroactive joy—eight days of Sukkot, woven together with victory and rededication. Thus, Hanukkah is a mirror celebration of Sukkot—both festivals filled with light, pilgrimage, and God’s providence.

During the Second Temple period, the Simchat Beit HaShoeva (Water Drawing Ceremony) was held each night of Sukkot, filling Jerusalem with music, dancing, and immense torchlight. Massive bonfires lit the city to overflowing joy. In rabbinic tradition, this was more than festivity—it was revelation. The light was both physical and spiritual.

In the Talmud, the well-known story is preserved: a single jar of oil remained pure after the Temple’s desecration. Though enough for only one day, it burned for eight. Ever since, the central motif of Hanukkah has been light—pure, miraculous light.

Reflections of the True Light: From the Temple to the Messiah

Sukkot recalls the wilderness journey after the Exodus. The Israelites were commanded to remember God’s provision and dwell in booths—just as they did in the desert. But there was also light:

And the Lord went before them… by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

(Exodus 13:21)

God revealed Himself in the pillar of fire—a powerful light that illuminated the cloud and guided Israel. This fire comforted and directed them. Wherever the light moved, the people followed. It was presence. It was leadership. It was life.

To this day, light symbolizes for us: life, knowledge, beauty, and joy.

Life – The sun is the source of all life. Without it, nothing survives.

Knowledge – Light reveals. In darkness we stumble; in light we see.

Beauty – It is light that reveals color, form, and artistry.

Joy and Comfort – Sunlight produces endorphins in the body; lack of it leads to sadness. Light dispels fear. It calms the soul. This is why a child asks for the light to be left on at night.

But great light also holds danger. It can blind. Look directly at the sun, and you’ll be blinded. Come too close, and you will perish.

To gaze into pure light is to look into God’s presence: “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” (Exodus 33:20)

At Mount Sinai, Israel could not endure the light that radiated from Moses’ face: “They saw that his face was radiant… and Moses put the veil over his face.” (Exodus 34:34-35)

Light, then, is layered with meaning. It comforts and warns. It reveals and conceals. And to this day, we light Hanukkah candles with the understanding that light is not just a theme, but the very heart of the celebration.

God is Our Light

In John 8, during the Feast of Tabernacles—when the Temple menorahs were burning brightly and illuminating the city—Jesus stands in the Temple and declares:

I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

(John 8:12)

What is He claiming? That the light Israel once followed in the desert—the radiant pillar of fire—the Temple’s brilliant menorah, the guiding glory of God Himself… is Him.

You long for guidance? You seek beauty? You crave joy? You long for comfort? You need life?

“Come to Me. I am the light of the world.”

Jesus is not only the pillar of fire. He is also the new Exodus—the pathway from slavery to freedom. When He was born, the wise men from the East followed a light in the sky. A star. Why did they follow it? Because they wanted to meet not just a reflection of the light, but its source.

The star was a mirror. The Temple menorah was a mirror. But the true Light had come.

His disciples saw this light unveiled:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John… and was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light.

(Matthew 17:1-2)

Moses pointed toward the light. Jesus is the light. He doesn’t say, “Let me show you the way.” He says, “I am the way.”

The Source, Not the Reflection

There are many lights in the world: the sun, the moon, the stars. But the light of the moon and stars is merely reflected light. Only the sun radiates light from itself.

Likewise, many sources can reflect truth—books, religions, philosophies. But all are reflections of the one true Light. Jesus is not a reflection. He is the radiance. The source. The origin of all truth.

When Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world,” He wasn’t offering poetry. He was declaring His divinity. He was revealing that He is God.

In John 10, again during Hanukkah, Jesus walks in the Temple. This time, there is no metaphor. He declares outright: He is the Messiah. He is the Son of God. The crowd understands the claim, and they pick up stones to kill Him:

We are not stoning you for any good work… but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.

(John 10:33)

Hanukkah celebrates a light that miraculously burned for eight days. But Jesus offers more. He is the eternal flame that never dims and never dies. His light needs no oil. It cannot be quenched.

When we celebrate Hanukkah, Sukkot—or any festival—it is not the ritual we worship. It is the reality the ritual points to. It is not the candle that saves us. It is the Light behind the candle: our Savior, our God, our Messiah—Yeshua!

This was an excerpt from my book “The Feasts of Israel for Christians: A Brief Overview of Israel’s Festivals in the Hebrew Scriptures and Their Relevance to Christianity.”