Favor of Zion

Chanukah--more than just the "Jewish Christmas"

When I was young, the only thing I knew about Chanukah was that it was a time when we as a Jewish family lit a fancy candelabra called a menorah, and we kids got presents.  I had no idea what the holiday awas all about.  All I knew was that it was close to Christmas (when we as a Jewish family got a Christmas tree, and when my Jewish mom would tell me she was meeting Santa Claus at midnight to get my Christmas gifts).

To many non-Jews (and to many Jews who were raised as I was!), Chanukah is merely the Jewish answer to Christmas.  It's nothing more than a Jewish way to participate in the holiday season without giving up our identity as Jews.  And while there's a lot to be said for that, Chanukah is about so much more.

So often we Jews are defined by who we are not.  We are not Gentiles.  We do not consider ourselves "Christians."  (Even many of us who do believe in Jesus don't accept many of the trappings of "Christianity.")  We don't eat pork.  And we don't celebrate Christmas.

But who are we?  What is our calling?  And where does Chanukah fit in to this calling? 

Friendship with Israel requires passion!

Ever had a friendship that couldn't be conquered by distance?  If you have, you know the joy of getting to be with that person--seeing how such opportunities would be scarce.  You treasure every moment together.  You can't wait to see each other again.  You know that when you do reunite, it'll be as though you'd never parted company.

That's how it feels to be in Israel.  If you're Jewish--or if you are a Gentile who follows the Jewish Messiah and loves His people--you are connected to the Land of Israel.  If you're Jewish, your connection to the Land is your inheritance--and has been for centuries.  If you're a Gentile who loves Israel, your connection to the Land comes through your connection to Abraham, Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles.  Either way, it's a heart connection that cries out for you to be in the Land at some point.  And then, after you've been once, you can't wait to be there again!

But friendship with Israel isn't like just any friendship.  It requires you to make a choice.

For one thing, traveling to Israel requires money.  Unless you know people there, your first trip may well be a tour that will cost $3000 per person at minimum.  That's not easy for most of us to come up with even in good economic times--let alone the times we are currently experiencing!  You'll have to sacrifice.  You'll have to commit to putting money aside.  You may even have to ask friends and families for help.  You will likely have to step out in faith and trust that God will provide the means for you to go.

Traveling to Israel requires courage.  Though the Land is normally safe to travel in, let's face it:  Israel is surrounded by enemies committed to her destruction.  Scenes from the evening news don't help--especially when the only mention of Israel is in connection with wars, intifadas, and bus bombings.  Even in times of peace you may get hit with questions from well-meaning friends and loved ones about why you'd be so crazy to "such a dangerous place."  (Never mind that Israel is by and large much safer than the average U.S. interstate!)

And that's where the main ingredient comes in:  PASSION!  Israel both arouses and requires passion.  She arouses passion because the God Who gave birth to her arouses passion.  Why else would she be so hated by many--and yet be loved by many at the same time?  Likewise, she requires passion because her God requires passion. 

Israel is for lovers

Israel is for lovers.  Passionate lovers.  Lovers of her God.  Lovers of her people.  Lovers of her heritage.  Lovers of her destiny.

Take a moment to drink in God's passion for His Land and people with these words:
"'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness'" (Jeremiah 31:3).
"'When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son'" (Hosea 11:1).
"'Therefore I am going to allure her...and speak tenderly to her...then she will sing as in the days of her youth'" (Hosea 2:14).

These are all statements written by the Hebrew prophets as they heard, through the Holy Spirit, God reveal his heart toward Israel.  Can you hear the pathos in these words?  Can you feel the heartthrob?  Does this sound like a dry doctrinal treatise on "God's love for Israel?"  Or does it, as one Israeli author has stated, sound like "a hot-blooded Middle Eastern love story--a divine "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights"?

Israel for the brokenhearted

Do you really want to carry God's heart for His chosen people?  Do you really want intimacy with Him at the same time? 

If yes, then I say: come to the Land.  But be warned: you will truly never be the same.  Your heart will, as the saying goes, become broken with the things that break His heart.