Celebrate Christmas
with Christ in view, knowing that it’s most likely not His birthday at all.
Bethlehem and
Golgotha, the Manger and the Cross, the birth and the death, must always be
seen together.
—J. Sidlow Baxter
Christmas is coming!
Quite so; but what is “Christmas”? Does not the very term itself denote its
source—“Christ-mass.” Thus it is of Romish origin, brought over from Paganism.
But, says someone, Christmas is the time when we commemorate the Savior’s birth.
It is? And who authorized such commemoration? Certainly God did not. The
Redeemer bade His disciples “remember” Him in His death, but there is not a
word in Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, which tells us to celebrate His
birth.
—Arthur Pink
For I received from the Lord what I also
passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and
when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for
you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the
cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you
drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this
cup, you proclaim the Lordʼs death until he comes. 1 Corinthians
11:23–26 NIV
Christ Himself instituted the
ordinance of Communion, commemorating His death and sacrifice on the Cross,
where the bread and wine represent His broken body and blood shed for us. While
it is true that nowhere in Scripture are we admonished to celebrate Christ’s
birth, there is a scriptural precedent set forth in Luke 2:8–14, 16–18; where
an angel brings the news of the birth of the Messiah, the Lord, to the
shepherds tending their flocks in the field, and the heavenly host of angels
are there praising God and this event. After witnessing the event, the
shepherds went on to spread the joyful good news. Likewise, in Matthew 2:1–3,
11; we see the Magi, the wise men from the east, come to worship the newborn
King, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Therefore, we have a
biblical precedent for celebrating His birth.
However, with that said, we as
Christians should also understand the basic facts surrounding Christmas. While
we are now generally certain of the year of Christ’s birth in 4 BC, and His
death in AD 30, at the age of thirty-three (there is no “0” year in the
timeline as we go straight from 1 BC to AD 1), we are not certain about the
actual day of His birth. The original year set for Christ’s birth in AD 1 has
been shown to be incorrect. (For reference, BC denotes before Christ and the designation follows the year; AD denotes anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord,”
and that designation precedes the year. The more recent “religiously neutral”
designations are: BCE, meaning “before common era,” and CE, meaning “common, or
current, or sometimes even Christian era.” Regardless, the calendar of dating
is still the Gregorian calendar based on the birth of Christ.)
It is highly unlikely
that Christ was born on December 25th for many good reasons, notably
that shepherds of that area, even today, are not typically out in the fields
with their flocks due to both inclement weather and lack of available pasture.
During the winter season, the flocks are typically penned and somewhat
sheltered. Also, it would have been an arduous journey for pregnant Mary to
make this trip of about seventy miles over rather difficult terrain in
inclement weather, and probably on foot as they were poor, most likely not
owning a donkey. This would also have been an inappropriate and inconvenient
time for a taxing census by the Roman government requiring everyone to register
in their hometown. The most likely date of Christ’s birth is probably in the
spring, late March to early April in 4 BC, and there is more data to substantiate
this.
The early church did not
celebrate Christ’s birth, and it wasn’t until about the third century, some
three hundred or more years later, that it began to be observed. The date set
was in fact most likely appointed to appease the new influx of pagans into the
church with pressure to keep their old holiday celebrations, substituting a
Christian designation for a pagan event. The December 25th date is
most assuredly the former pagan celebration of the winter solstice, most
notably the Roman heathen festival of Saturnalia, honoring the god Saturn, the
Babylonian celebration of Semiramis, the queen of heaven, and the Egyptian
goddess Isis, giving birth to her son Horus, all occurring on similar days.
Therefore, good Christian,
celebrate Christmas with Christ in view, knowing full well the history of it
all and realizing that it’s probably not His birthday at all.
Excerpt from Restore My Spirit, O God, pages 488-490.
www.JeffHoracek.com
