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Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Chanukah Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

It’s all about Yeshua: Multilayered message of God’s Living Temple of hope for humanity

It used to be common to ask, “What would Jesus do?” Well, why did Yeshua visit God’s House on an extrabiblical Jewish festival — Chanukah — to make one of the most startling statements about God’s love for humanity? Why did the “disciple whom Iesous loved” record it? Rather than focus on layers upon layers of manmade tradition about a winter celebration of the birth of Yeshua, let’s dig through a number of layered messages that actually are in the Bible about God’s dedicating of a Living Temple — the Messiah — among humanity that could never again by left desolate or destroyed.

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Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Chanukah Discussions

Chanukah: ‘Perfect’ in dedication to God

“You are to be perfect, just as your Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48) seems like an impossible goal until we understand the meaning of the word translated as “perfect.” Luke’s parallel — “be merciful” (Luke 6:36) — helps us understand perfect and shows us a deep meaning under the Festival of (Re)Dedication of the Temple, or Chanukah. To be mature believers, to be righteous, we must dedicate all of ourselves — devotion and weakness — to God.

Yeshua pointed to the actions He was doing through His Father’s power as evidence that He and the Father were “one,” that His “temple” — His body — was whole dedicated to God’s purpose (John 10:22–30). Our “temples” should be wholly dedicated to God as well.