30 December, 2021
💎 ”Yet it is not this way among you. But whoever wants to be great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mak 10:43-45, TLV)
Last week we mentioned that Yeshua addressed the Hanukkah crowd in Jerusalem and declared His messiahship. This week we will look at Hanukkah from another perspective for its prophetic significance.
Hanukkah is observed by lighting the candles of a nine-branched menorah, which is also known as hanukkiah. Although Hanukkah is not a major religious holiday, it is celebrated among the Jewish people worldwide. The very unique candle used to light the other eight candles is called the shamash, the servant candle. Every night, one additional candle is lit by the shamash until all eight candles are lit on the eighth day. When we take a closer look at this shamash candle, it deepens our understanding and appreciation of who Yeshua is.
- Yeshua is a humble servant who serves others.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mak 10:45)
“Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Phl 2:7)
When we light the shamash candle first every night, let us remember that our Yeshua emptied Himself and stepped down into darkness from heaven to serve us. He sets a great example of servanthood leadership for all of us, and so shall we humble ourselves to serve others.
- Yeshua lightens the world by giving His own life!
“Yeshua spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. The one who follows Me will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (Jhn 8:12)
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you might be blameless and innocent, children of God in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Among them you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that I may boast in the day of Messiah that I did not run or labor in vain.” (Phl 2:14-16)
In order for us to spend eternity with our God, Yeshua gave us His life in obedience to Father’s will. He gave His all not just partial, so we have the full light of life. When we light the shamash candle first every night and see how it lights the rest of candles to bring light into the room, let us remember what Yeshua did and determine to give all of us to reflect His light!
🙏 Dear Heavenly Father, please open our eyes to see the meaningful connection between shamash and our Messiah Yeshua every night when we light the Hanukkah candles. Dear Holy Spirit, please fill us and empower us to follow Yeshua’s footsteps, reflect His light, and shine brightly in the world to bring many out of darkness for walking into the kingdom of light! In the Name of Yeshua we pray and bless You, Amen.