John 10:22-23 At that time the Feast of Dedication (Chanukah) took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.
John 10:28-31 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.
For the first time in over a 100 years, Thanksgiving and Chanukah will fall on the same day, November 28th, 2013. Some have termed it “Thanksgivukkah”, however my wife calls it, “Todanukah”. (The Hebrew word for “thanks”, is “toda”.) According to one calculation, the next time that Thanksgiving and Chanukah will align perfectly will be 79,043 years from now! I expect we will all have gone to our reward by then.
Many people don’t realize that Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated Chanukah. In the gospel of John, it was during the feast of Chanukah that He was questioned as to whether He was the Messiah or not, and His amazing responses provoked His questioners to threaten to stone Him. But one of His statements contains a promise which ought to motivate us to the deepest dedication, and most profound gratitude:
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
What an amazing assurance we have there!
As this “Todanukah” holiday combines the themes of dedication and gratitude, remember these precious words of Yeshua, and rededicate your life with thanksgiving. You’ve been given eternal life that no one can take from you. The Lord Himself said it on Chanukah. That is certainly something to be thankful for!