“AND IT WAS AT JERUSALEM THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION, AND IT WAS WINTER. AND JESUS WALKED IN THE TEMPLE IN SOLOMON’S PORCH.” John 10:22-23
RE-CAP
Jesus, or Yeshua (as He was known throughout His life) of Nazareth was raised in an observant Jewish family in a culture where the Torah was the National Constitution, and thus, was taught the observance of the Feast of Dedication. But about 175 years before the birth of Jesus, the Syrian empire ruled over the land of Israel.
THE HANUKKAH HISTORY CONTINUES - A MOTHER’S FAITH
Chanah and Her Seven SonsHeroism and Martyrdom
2 Maccabees 7:1-21
Good News Translation (GNT)
What do you hope to gain by doing this? We would rather die than abandon the traditions of our ancestors.
3 This made the king so furious that he gave orders for huge pans and kettles to be heated red hot, 4 and it was done immediately. Then he told his men to cut off the tongue of the one who had spoken and to scalp him and chop off his hands and feet, while his mother and six brothers looked on. 5 After the young man had been reduced to a helpless mass of breathing flesh, the king gave orders for him to be carried over and thrown into one of the pans. As a cloud of smoke streamed up from the pan, the brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die bravely, saying, 6
The Lord God is looking on and understands our suffering. Moses made this clear when he wrote a song condemning those who had abandoned the Lord. He said,
The Lord will have mercy on those who serve him.
7 After the first brother had died in this way, the soldiers started amusing themselves with the second one by tearing the hair and skin from his head. Then they asked him,
Now will you eat this pork, or do you want us to chop off your hands and feet one by one?
8 He replied in his native language,
I will never eat it! So the soldiers tortured him, just as they had the first one, 9 but with his dying breath he cried out to the king,
You butcher! You may kill us, but the King of the universe will raise us from the dead and give us eternal life, because we have obeyed his laws.
10 The soldiers began entertaining themselves with the third brother. When he was ordered to stick out his tongue, he quickly did so. Then he bravely held out his hands 11 and courageously said,
God gave these to me. But his laws mean more to me than my hands, and I know God will give them back to me again. 12 The king and those with him were amazed at his courage and at his willingness to suffer.
13 After he had died, the soldiers tortured the fourth one in the same cruel way, 14 but his final words were,
You have the power to do whatever you want with us, even though you also are mortal. But do not think that God has abandoned our people. 17 Just wait. God will use his great power to torture you and your descendants.
18 Then the soldiers took the sixth boy, and just before he died he said,
Make no mistake. We are suffering what we deserve, because we have sinned against our God. That's why all these terrible things are happening to us. 19 But don't think for a minute that you will avoid being punished for fighting against God.
20 The mother was the most amazing one of them all, and she deserves a special place in our memory. Although she saw her seven sons die in a single day, she endured it with great courage because she trusted in the Lord. 21 She combined womanly emotion with manly courage and spoke words of encouragement to each of her sons in their native language.
A
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ntiochus
was determined to enforce his vicious edicts upon the Jews, effectively
destroying their attachment to the Torah. He forbade the observance of all
religious laws; anyone found with a Torah would be executed; circumcision,
kosher food, Shabbat, all vestiges of Judaism were outlawed. Phillip was
appointed governor of Judea, and he set out to ruthlessly enforce the king's
edicts. He decided to begin his campaign with the arrest of the notable sage
and High Priest, Elazar. Elazar thwarted Phillip's design by choosing martyrdom
over submission. Soon after, Chanah and her seven sons were arrested.
When
the king, who was returning to Antioch, heard about the events which were
taking place in Jerusalem, he decided to take an active role in enforcing his decrees.
The mother and her sons were bound and brought before the king.
Antiochus
tried to convince the eldest boy to abandon the Torah. The youth responded with
great confidence, "Why do you bother with this long speech, trying to
inflict your abominable religion upon us? We are ready to welcome death for the
sake of our holy Torah!"
The
king was furious and ordered the boy's tongue, hands and feet severed and
placed in a fire. The soldiers proceeded to torture the boy, forcing his mother
and six brothers to watch his excruciating pain. Antiochus was sure that this
sight would intimidate his prisoners into unquestioning submission.
Instead,
the martyrdom spurred the family to a deep resolve to accept their fate and to
sanctify God's name.
When the second brother was brought to the king, even the members of the king's retinue begged the boy to obey the king. The boy, however, replied, "Do what you will with me. I am no less than my brother in devotion to God." The second son's torture was as bitter as his brothers had been. As he died he told the king, "Woe to you, pitiless tyrant! Our souls go to God. And when God will awaken the dead and His martyred servants, we will live. But you--your soul will dwell in a place of eternal abhorrence!"
When the second brother was brought to the king, even the members of the king's retinue begged the boy to obey the king. The boy, however, replied, "Do what you will with me. I am no less than my brother in devotion to God." The second son's torture was as bitter as his brothers had been. As he died he told the king, "Woe to you, pitiless tyrant! Our souls go to God. And when God will awaken the dead and His martyred servants, we will live. But you--your soul will dwell in a place of eternal abhorrence!"
To the
amazement of all, the third brother unflinchingly suffered the same fate. The
fourth brother echoed his brothers' exhortations, and faced his brutal death
with firm resolve. Before he was killed, the fifth brother turned to Antiochus
and said: "Don't suppose that God has handed us over to
you to exalt you or because He hates us. It is because He loves us and has
granted us this honor. God will take His vengeance
upon you and your progeny."
The
blood-lust of the king was not assuaged, and the sixth brother was brought to
the same end as his brothers who preceded him. His words bespoke his deep faith
that God would ultimately requite the suffering of His servants.
Throughout
this horrible sequence Chanah stood by her sons, giving them strength
and encouragement. Now, only the youngest child remained to face the king. When
they brought the boy, the king offered him gold and silver if he would do his
will. The seven-year-old boy displayed the same courage as his brothers and
taunted the king to carry out his threats.
...to be cont'd
In Christ,
In Christ,
Playwright
Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible
Stories Theatre of
Fine
& Performing Arts
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