Christmas
Pagan Or Kosher?
December
25th: A joyful day to celebrate the Messiah coming to earth… or a hijacked
pagan holiday?
Does
the date really matter? And how did it become 25th December anyway, since
Yeshua was most likely born during the Fall Feasts?
Every
year the level of rage regarding Christmas seem to be getting higher, and the
tone of the debate shriller.
Some
were furious with Starbucks for trying to sidestep the Christian aspect of the
holiday season on their decorative cups, while others are horrified that
Yeshua’s followers would keep such a pagan holiday at all.
Here in
Israel, Christmas is a regular working day, with the rare Christmas tree found
in Christian Arab areas, and objections about idol worship whenever they come
close to Jewish quarters.
Messianic
believers tend to downplay the holiday that celebrates the birth of our Messiah
since Christian holidays have often been associated with Christian persecution
of the Jewish people.
It is a
bit of a touchy subject. What are we supposed to make of it all?
A Biblical Story
“It is
in the Bible you know,” an Israeli believer reminded my friend who
had recently come to faith. She was raised traditionally Jewish, and was
clearly struggling with the whole idea. The obvious truth of his statement
brought us all down to earth with a bump. Of course it is. The story is right
there in the Bible, as plain as day.
There
were no reindeer or decorated trees at that pivotal event as far as we know,
but it definitely happened.
Yeshua
was born, shepherds were told by angels to go and worship him, and some sages
from the east were guided by celestial beings to offer gifts and honor to the
King of Kings.
God
became man and dwelt among us, just as He promised.
Why has
marking this joyous event become so controversial?
Many
claim, with good reason, that the customs of decorating fir trees, wreaths,
yule logs, and celebrations in late December are all from pagan origins,
particularly, the feasts of Sol Invictus and Saturnalia.
The
anti-Christmas camp, keen to steer clear of anything approximating idol worship
will avoid such traditions like the plague.
They
often say that the Bible never asks us to celebrate the incarnation, and that
in any case, it’s disrespectful to honor Yeshua on a date chosen for quite
different purposes – like giving your new girlfriend a birthday gift on the
date of your ex-girlfriend’s birthday.
However,
as we shall see, there is also good reason to say that there is nothing wrong
with Christmas decorations and celebrations… or even the very date December
25th.
Let me explain.
Is it Pagan?
It is true that many pagans (those who do not worship the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) have worshiped false deities with certain trees,
foods, and so on, but does this render those trees and foods unholy?
I don’t
think so.
Unadvisable
as it may be to eat food offered to idols, if pagans are offering lamb in their
homes to their idols, it doesn’t mean you can’t cook your own lamb at home and
enjoy it with your family in fellowship with the Living God of Israel.
If
those involved in animism use images and pictures of their ancestors to
worship, it doesn’t prohibit us from having photographs of our relatives around
the house.
Even if
they are deceased.
But
what if the tradition originated with pagan practice and Byzantine Christianity
tried to co-opt those holidays, neutralizing the traditions by super-imposing
Christian stories over the top of existing feasts?
Surely
that’s not good? I would say it is debatable.
If
there are aspects of a culture that are not harmful, it is quite right to
maintain them when we are born again; certain foods, decorations, or ways of
having fun.
You
couldn’t stop a British Christian drinking tea, for example!
Fireworks
are used for all kinds of occasions and for all kinds of reasons.
They
are not wrong – they are neutral.
The
question is, what is being celebrated? The way different cultures celebrate
special times is not so much the problem as the focus of the celebration
itself.
There’s nothing wrong with fir trees
Some point to Jeremiah 10 as a warning against taking in a
Christmas tree and decorating it, but that passage is clearly talking about
fashioning that tree into a carved wooden idol, and then worshiping it.
Quite a
different thing. There is nothing wrong with fir trees themselves, or even with
decorating them in a festive manner, so long as we worship God alone.
The significance of fir
trees goes way back further than any Greek or Roman tradition. In the Bible
they are symbolic of eternal life, and are first mentioned in the Bible in the
context of worshiping the one, true God.
David
was taking the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem and fir trees feature for
the first time in the story:
“And
David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner
of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on
psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.” (2 Samuel 6:5)
Similarly,
these fir trees (broshim in Hebrew)
make up part of the temple itself (1 Kings 6).
In
fact, if you follow it through the Bible, fir trees represent upright and
honorable worshipers of God. Here’s a verse that spells it out well:
“Ephraim shall
say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed
him: I am like a green fir tree.” (Hosea 14:8)
What a
special symbolism lies behind this evergreen tree that God created – it
represents the righteous believer and eternal life!
This is
exactly what the incarnated Messiah came to give us as a gift – His own
righteousness, and life with Him forever.
The date of December 25th
Why did the church start celebrating on December 25th?
There
certainly were pagan festivals around this time of year, but ancient sources
show that Yeshua’s disciples were already celebrating Christmas on December
25th long before Constantine.
Moreover,
we do not have conclusive evidence the pagan festivals were celebrated on that
specific date at that point in time.
It was
not until 354 AD that we have any clue that Sol Invictus was celebrated on that
date.
By this
point, the rapidly growing church was a force to be reckoned with, and scholars
like Thomas J Talley argue it is more likely that Sol Invictus was moved to
that date by Roman Emperor Aurelian to compete with Christianity.
Saturnalia
was said to be celebrated on 17th-20th December, according to ancient sources.
There
were pagan holidays in December, yes, but there is no early evidence of them
being celebrated on the 25th.
In
other words, it is not a verifiable fact that Christians co-opted Christmas
from the pagans.
There
are suggestions that Yeshua was conceived during Hanukkah and born in the Fall,
at the Feast of Tabernacles, or conceived during Passover in the Spring and
born late December, based on calculations about when we think Zechariah the
priest was serving his turn at the temple.
However,
priests sometimes had to serve in the temple in addition to their scheduled
turns (during major feasts, for example) so we can make educated guesses, but
it is difficult to pinpoint that moment.
But the
time of Zechariah’s encounter with the angel is not our only clue, as we shall
see.
The Star of Bethlehem
Now that we have made such great strides forward with
technology, we are in the very privileged position to be able to go back and
look at what was happening in the night skies, thousands of years ago.
Our
understanding of space, particularly the movements of the planets and stars,
now enables us to literally see what was in the sky as the wise men made their
way to Israel from the East.
God set
a giant clockwork in motion when He created the universe, and so predictable
are the patterns of the skies that when Rick Larson determined he was going to
get to the bottom of the odd story of the star, he made some wonderful
discoveries.
You can watch his fascinating documentary “The Star of Bethlehem,” or visit his website to learn
more.
But by
his calculations, the wise men would have arrived in Jerusalem in the winter of
2 BC, and brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Yeshua in
Bethlehem when the star appeared to stop moving on the date of 25th December.
By this
point, Yeshua was no longer a newborn, but it does present another possibility
about where the date might have come from.
If this is the case, then
December 25th it is not a birthday celebration (Yeshua was already a toddler
according to Matthew 2:11), but a time to honor the Messiah’s arrival, as the
wise men did.
Larson’s
work shows that Yeshua’s conception was most likely in September 3 BC.
The
Bible never mentions any kind of birthday celebration for anyone, but it is
appropriate to celebrate the Messiah’s arrival, and 25th December is a
reasonable date to do it.
Gentleness and respect
As Peter urges us in 1 Peter 3:15, gentleness and respect are
important qualities to maintain if we are to be a good witness.
Gentleness
is also a fruit of the Spirit, and whatever our views on Christmas, if we are
truly walking with God we should be full of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.
There
is room for different approaches and opinions, different choices and practices
when it comes to Christmas.
The
main thing is that we honor Yeshua first of all, and others as well.
Paul
explains this principle very well in Romans chapter 14, where he encourages us
to be aware we will each be accountable before God, but not to judge others for
their decisions.
“Therefore
let us not judge one another from now on, but rather decide this—not to put a
stumbling block or a trap in the way of a brother. I know, and am persuaded in
the Lord Yeshua, that nothing is unholy in itself; but it is unholy for the one
who considers it unholy…. So then let us pursue what makes for shalom and for
the building up of one another.” (Romans 14:13-19)
A Christian family here in Israel once put up a wooden nativity
scene in their home at Christmas, and when some Jewish neighbors came to visit,
they remarked “Oooh! Are these your
idols?!”
Of
course, a nativity scene is not a collection of idols, but a visual
representation of one of the most amazing events this earth has ever seen, to
remind us to worship the God who orchestrated it for us.
Despite
the fact the nativity scene was harmless, the family decided to celebrate
Christmas without miniature figures from that point on, in order to avoid
confusion or needlessly put a stumbling block before their Jewish friends.
They
love their unsaved friends and didn’t want to hinder the message of the good
news of Jesus in any way.
But
they still celebrate Christmas.
It is
in the Bible, you know.
ONE
FOR ISRAEL (Messianic Jews In Israel)
We are an Israeli ministry composed of Jewish & Arab
followers of Yeshua (Jesus) who are all about blessing Israel through sharing
the gospel online, educating the new generation of born-again believers through
our one and only Hebrew-speaking Bible College in Israel, and helping holocaust
survivors by supplying humanitarian aid.
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