Now customs can be good or bad. If enough people decided to stop doing one, obviously it would no longer be a custom. But people like getting gifts, even if they don’t like buying them, and enough people believe that the story of Bethlehem is important enough that they’ll put up with all the pagan trappings that have swaddled around the birth of the Savior of the world. But keeping Christmas is not commanded in the Bible. The person of Santa Claus is a myth, as is his North Pole home and band of elves, not to mention Comet and Dasher.
In Christian theology it’s the scenes of Jesus’ death and resurrection that carry important meaning; the death is commemorated by the communion service and the resurrection is a daily reminder that we must walk in newness of life. The birth of Christ is not made central in the theology of Paul, Peter, and especially John. And yet we keep on keeping Christmas because of the custom.
This custom can be traced to the pagan Roman holiday named Saturnalia, and from sun worship, since Christmas comes just after the winter solstice, when the sun is being “born again.” The days get shorter and shorter as December progresses, until they are shortest about December 21. By observation with the eye, which is all the ancients had before telescopes, the sun could noticeably be seen being longer in the sky by about December 25. Thus any worries about the sun not showing its face in its December decreases were shattered when its increases were observed about December 25. The sun is “born again!” An ancient sun-worshipping custom was started.
Jesus was not born on December 25. He was born at a time when shepherds would be out with their flocks at night, which is not in December, even in Palestine. Christian oral tradition says that Jesus was born on September 29. In the calendar of the church of England September 29 is listed as the feast of St. Michael. A close study of the name “Michael” in the Old and New Testaments reveals that “Michael” is Christ. For instance, “Michael” is mentioned at Revelation 12:7 as head of the angels who cast out Lucifer from heaven. Only Christ would have the ultimate authority to do that. In Jude 9 we are told that Michael the archangel disputed with Satan about the body of Moses. Only Christ could rightfully engage Satan in such a debate. Further, the title “archangel” means the “head of the angels.” That is Christ. Thus the feast of St. Michael, on September 29, is really a commemoration of Christ’s birth into this world, His incarnation as Jesus from Nazareth.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This famous sentence, beginning John’s gospel, is a clear revelation that Christ was with God the Father from eternity, and was God Himself, reigning with the Father. Thus the word “incarnation”, from the same root as “carnal”, meaning “flesh”, is used to refer to the most astounding of historical events; God Himself taking human flesh in the womb of Mary! The Creator and Sustainer of the Universe laying in donkey’s feed box, a helpless babe!
| “When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a women…”(Gal. 4:4) |
| “The days were completed for her to give birth.”(Luke 2:6) |
These two scriptures seem to indicate that the time of Jesus’ birth was fully planned in the foreknowledge of God. Why September 29?
In 4 B.C., the year Jesus was born, the 10th of Tishri fell on September 29 of our present calendar. That day was Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Jesus was born on Yom Kippur! God so loved the world that He gave it an offering for all its sins. The Day of Atonement was, and is, the most solemn Jewish feast day. The people were to fast and afflict their souls before God, in anticipation of the High Priest’s exit from the temple’s Most Holy Place. When he finally came forth it was evidence that their sins had been purged away, and all was made right with God.
God instituted this special feast at Mount Sinai for the purpose of getting the worshippers looking by faith to that day when the Messiah would come and put away all sin. But the Jews had let selfishness and pride all but obliterate the Divine purpose in their religious calendar. So while many worshippers massed upon the temple site (like the Muslims of our day to Mecca), blindly obeying a religious habit, waiting for the High Priest to come forth, it was a few humble shepherds only who saw the true High Priest after he had come forth from the most holy place of Mary’s womb!
One of the Levitical stipulations for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, was that the high priest would remove his beautiful, glorious garments, and put on the white linen garb of the common priests. (Lev. 16:4, 23) The symbolism is plain: the Son of God would lay aside His royal robes, and leave the adoration of all the angels in the bliss of Heaven, and clothe Himself with humanity and share in the dismal lot of humankind. “And the Word was made flesh and tabernacled among us…” (John 1:14) Christ’s birth in Bethlehem was thus the beginning of the true Yom Kippur, God’s initial “making good” on His promise to redeem the race. The headlines in Heaven certainly read: “Son of God takes human flesh! First beachhead established in Operation Redemption.”
There were many distant visitors sojourning at this time in the vicinity of Jerusalem for the Tishri feasts, especially the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles. The Roman government probably planned the census enrollment during these feasts to ease their administration. Bethlehem was seething with people returned for the enrollment. All the rooms in the famous city and its environs were booked up. And who is making room for Him who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings? Where is the eager anticipation among the people of God for Him who was to fulfill all that was written in Moses and the Prophets? Where is the earnest seeking of the long-promised Messiah?
“And she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a feeding box, because there was no room for Him in the inn.” (Luke 2:7)
Oh sublime paradox and lofty contradiction! Food indeed for the deepest meditation!
When the wise men had come through Jerusalem and inquired of the Jewish theologians, they were quick to inform the Oriental astrologers that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem:
4 And when he (Herod) had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, “In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 ‘And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:4-6)
But there is no record that these Bible-smart theologians asked the magi if they could travel with them to see their Messiah. There is no record that they gladly sent messengers to Bethlehem to tell the common people: “Get excited! The prophecy of Micah about the Messiah being born in your town is likely to soon be fulfilled! Congratulations! Keep your eyes open.” No. Too often pride rules in the heart of men, even in (especially in?) men with lofty religious profession.
Since we know Jesus was not born on December 25, what reason is there to continue the custom of gift-giving? Must we admit that we are simply going the way of Rome, engaged in Saturnalia, or can we find yet a godly rationale for this holiday we love? In His unique way, the God of Heaven has turned this pagan feast day into a day to glorify Himself! For if we count 280 days, the length of human gestation, back from September 29, it comes to December 25! Mary was inseminated by the Holy Spirit on this day! What a gift that was, causing her forever to be blessed of women!
It is customary in the Orient to consider one’s birth date the date of conception. Following this Oriental custom, Jesus WAS born on December 25!
The genealogy of Christ has some very interesting turns. And if we can spend time charting the likes of the genealogy of the house of Windsor, certainly we can spend a moment contemplating the Savior’s. Rahab, mentioned at Matthew 1:5, in the lineage between Abraham and David, was a harlot. Ruth, also mentioned there, was a pagan. How could it be that Christ “avoided” all this “bad blood?” How is it that Christ was born sinless, the thoroughbred and pedigree of Heaven, uncontaminated by all the sin and guilt stemming from Adam’s fall, while the ancestors of His blood line were obviously fallen human beings carrying the “original sin” characterizing all humans since Adam’s fall? (See Romans 5:15-19)
There have been various attempts to try and “save” Jesus from this dilemma.
Courtesy of bibleprophesy.net
