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Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 NLT
Hanukkah was a new celebration, just over a century old, at the time of Jesus’ ministry. The holiday—which John 10:22 refers to as the Feast of Dedication—commemorates the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabeus after it had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes.
It was against this background of rededication that Jesus gave the straightest answer yet to the people’s question as to whether He was the Messiah, the one they hoped would overthrow their Roman overlords in the fashion of the Maccabean revolt. John 10:25-27 says, “Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’”
Today is the perfect day to rededicate your life to God and recognize Jesus as the Messiah who came not to claim kingship over Israel, but to be Lord and leader of your life. It is time to live as Jesus did, willing to sacrifice everything to show the world that you are His sheep and you recognize His voice.
Prayer: Jesus, You are both the Good Shepherd and the sacrificial Lamb. May I follow Your example and show the world who You are because I follow You.
Hanukkah was a new celebration, just over a century old, at the time of Jesus’ ministry. The holiday—which John 10:22 refers to as the Feast of Dedication—commemorates the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabeus after it had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes.
It was against this background of rededication that Jesus gave the straightest answer yet to the people’s question as to whether He was the Messiah, the one they hoped would overthrow their Roman overlords in the fashion of the Maccabean revolt. John 10:25-27 says, “Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’”
Today is the perfect day to rededicate your life to God and recognize Jesus as the Messiah who came not to claim kingship over Israel, but to be Lord and leader of your life. It is time to live as Jesus did, willing to sacrifice everything to show the world that you are His sheep and you recognize His voice.
Prayer: Jesus, You are both the Good Shepherd and the sacrificial Lamb. May I follow Your example and show the world who You are because I follow You.
