The Gospel, The Baby, The Messiah, The Risen Lord

What does the Bible tell us about the birth of Jesus Christ?...

"Whilst our Saviour was on the Earth, He spoke very little about His own birth, have you noticed that? He never drew attention to it in His teachings. He said things like 'For this purpose I came to this hour...' (John 12:27), but certainly, never did He mark His own birth as something to be remembered in a yearly festival. However, He did tell His disciples to remember His death!" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"It is important to note ... that neither Matthew nor Luke wrote about the Nativity so that we might celebrate the birth of Christ on a certain day, but rather that the Jews might realise Yeshua is his Messiah, and secondly, that Theophilus (most likely a Gentile of high rank in Rome), might know the certainty of the Gospel by means of an eye witness account. The Gospel of Matthew, written to the Jews, was done so before Luke's account, to a Gentile. The Scripture revealing a pattern here, that salvation is first to the Jew, and then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16)" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"What is the beginning of the gospel? Mark says that it is when Jesus is baptised by John (Mark 1:1. See also Acts 1:21-22) ... Although only two of the four gospels focus on the incarnation, in contrast, all four gospels focus on, and emphasise the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now this shows us that the Cross takes the primary place in relation to the gospel" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"[In the book of Acts, the believers] did not preach 'the babe of Bethlehem', but rather the Risen Saviour, now in glory. Their entire focus was on Christ Crucified, raised from the dead, seated in glory, and coming again to reign upon the earth. The reason they did not focus on Jesus as a baby was for the simple fact that He was no longer in the manger. They brought the unbeliever to the living Christ" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"The first Gospel message mentioned in the early Church was when Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost after the Spirit of God fell on the believers. What was Peter's message? Christ, and Him crucified; now exalted and reigning in glory. That was the message that cut the people to the heart and three thousand were added to the Church" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"Surely our worship needs to be directed to Him as He is now, in glory ... at Christmas time, metaphorically speaking, we take Christ down form heaven again and relate to Him as He once was: a babe in Bethlehem ... We need to worship the Lord in spirit, and in the reality of who Hew is now ... the disciples never focused on the crib, but rather the Christ, crowned with glory and seated on the Throne" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"Many people say that Christmas time is a good opportunity for witness ... what Jesus do we bring them to? ... Jesus in a manger, a totally harmless baby. I imagine this is why so many unbelievers are happy to come to Christmas services. There is nothing offensive if we keep Jesus in the crib. It is the Cross that offends; and a risen King who is Lord over all that people kick against" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"[T]he ancient church ... did not celebrate Christ's birth. At all. To them, it was insignificant. They were far more concerned with his death... and resurrection. But modern man has turned that around. A baby lying in a manger is harmless, non-threatening. But a man dying on a cross - a man that claims to be God - that man is a threat! He demands our allegiance! We cannot ignore him. We must either accept him or reject him. He leaves us no middle ground ... He was born to die... that all who believe in him might live" [Daniel B. Wallace, The Birth of Jesus Christ].

"The Lord never spoke of commemorating His birth but rather commanded us to remember the sacrifice of His suffering and death, which purchased our salvation" [source].

Succoth/Feast of Tabernacles: Birth of the Messiah

"Jesus's birth was not in December, but mid-October and coincided with the Jewish Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles or Booths). How do we know? ... Luke carefully provides us with the data. In chapter 1:5 Luke records: 'There was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah.'  We know from 1 Chronicles chapter 24 that there were 24 such divisions, so each division served for about half a month in the Temple, 'the eighth for Abijah' (v10).  The first priestly division began Temple service at Passover in March (the first month in Israel's old calendar). So the Abijah division's service began around the end of June. Zechariah returns home and his wife Elizabeth becomes pregnant in July. Then 'in the sixth month' (the end of January) of this pregnancy, Mary conceives Jesus. Nine moths later Jesus is born, in October at the time of Sukkot" [source].

"On the Feast of Succoth (Tabernacles), Jesus entertained two special friends that specifically appeared to speak with Him. Moses and Elijah, from centuries past, representatives of the Law (Torah) and the Prophets, appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration and talked with Jesus. One disciple (Peter) suggested building three tabernacles (succoth) for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Could it be because it was required for the festival? Peter may not have understood that these three were fulfilling that which the festival symbolised: saints dwelling in their temporary tabernacle (succoth) of flesh, awaiting their eternal resurrection temples as promised in Bible prophecy" [source].

The Word 'Christmas'

"In June 350AD, Pope Julius I, of the Roman Catholic Church, set the date for the 25th December and declared what was to be known as Christ's-Mass ... The Mass ... is the central liturgical ritual in the Catholic Church [in which] the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. This teaching is called transubstantiation" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"The word 'Christmas' is a combination of the words 'Christ' and 'Mass'. The word 'Mass' means death and was coined originally by the Roman Catholic Church, and belongs exclusively to the church of Rome. The ritual of the Mass involves the death of Christ, and the distribution of the 'Host', a word taken from the Latin word 'hostia' meaning victim. In short, Christmas is strictly a Roman Catholic word"  [source].

"[M]ost people think that the word 'Christmas' means 'the birth of Christ' ... the word 'mass' in religious usage means a 'death sacrifice'. The impact of this fact is horrifying and shocking; for when the millions of people are saying, 'Merry Christmas', they are literally saying, 'Merry death of Christ!'.  Furthermore, when the fat man in the red suit laughs boisterously and says, 'Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas', he is mocking and laughing at the suffering and bleeding Saviours, who dies for our sins" [source].

Romanism, Paganism, Syncretism

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God: ... be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing" (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

"On the one hand, we see carols being sung and the nativity told; on the other hand, revelry, drunkenness and all kinds of pagan practices; yet all on the same day for the season of Christmas" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"Firstly, without doubt, Christmas is of Roman Catholic origin. No reputable historian would argue against that. Secondly, because it is an extra-Biblical feast, it is [therefore] a man-made tradition. Thirdly, it was influenced by, and mixed with, pagan religion" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"Cleanse our Churches of unscriptural pageantry borrowed from Rome. Take the Scriptures as our guide and refuse to be pressured into conformity to paganism practiced in the name of Christ" [A.W. Tozer, quoted in John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"We have no superstitious regards for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first because we do not believe in the Mass at all, but abhor it ... and secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birth of the Saviour; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of Divine authority" [C.H. Spurgeon, quoted at John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"In England, as the Authorised Bible (AV/KJV) became available to the common people by the decree of King James II in 1611, people began to discover the pagan roots of Christmas, which are clearly revealed in Scripture. The Puritans in England, and later in Massachusetts Colony, outlawed this holiday as witchcraft. Near the end of the 19th century, when other Bibles versions began to appear, there was a revival of the celebration of Christmas"  [source].

Syncretism: The Christmas Tree

The following verses from Jeremiah speak about wooden idols made by men's hands, but see the similarity to the modern Christmas tree...

"Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good" (Jeremiah 10:1-5).

"In Germany, the evergreen tree was used in worship and celebration of the yule god, also in observance of the resurrected sun god. The evergreen tree was a symbol of the essence of life and was regarded as a phallic symbol in fertility worship" [source].

"What has bringing a tree into a house and decking it with all kinds of ornaments got to do with the Birth of Christ? The truth is: nothing at all. Early Romans marked the winter solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia, which was in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture. Knowing that the solstice meant the end of the long nights and the people could look forward to orchards being green and fruitful again, they marked the occasion by decorating their homes and temples with evergreen boughs, as a symbol of everlasting life ... [the] use [of the tree] in festivities [is] founded in pagan practices" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

Syncretism: Mistletoe

"This stems from Greek mythology, is rooted in paganism and is a superstitious practice. If a girl did not allow a kiss, it basically would bring bad luck upon her" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"The white berries of mistletoe were believed by pagans to represent droplets of the semen of the sun god. Both holly and mistletoe were hung in doorways of temples and homes to invoke powers of fertility in those who stood beneath and kissed, causing the spirits of the god and goddess to enter them" [source].

Syncretism: Holly and Ivy

"The holly and the ivy were used during the time of the winter solstice to ward off evil spirits and celebrate new growth. Again, we see the mixing of the Holy with the profane" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"Witches and other pagans regarded the red holly as a symbol of the menstrual blood of the queen of heaven, also known as Diana. The holly wood was used by witches to make wands" [source].

Syncretism: Decorations

"At a time of persecution, during the Roman Empire, Christians were detected by not decorating their houses at the Saturnalia. Again these practices stem from pagan origins that have nothing to do with our Christian history" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

Obedience to the Lord's Commands

"Whatsoever things I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Deuteronomy 12:32).

"If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

"Now dear reader, do you not think that if our Father really wanted us to celebrate the birth of His Son once a year, He would have told us to? The Lord is clear in regard to what He requires of us. For example, He has commanded us to remember His death in the communion service (Luke 22:19), the Scriptures command us not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25), but there is no command concerning the celebrating of his birth" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"With no direct Biblical command in God's Word concerning Christmas, should we not be asking the Lord, Himself, how He views the Festival? After all, it is done in His Name. Should we not at least inquire of Him and ask, 'Lord do you like this? Do you receive the response you are looking for in our worship through the Carols? Do you want us to worship Your Son as though he was in a manger again?' ... The heart of a true servant is evidenced by his diligent search to prove that which pleases his master, and forsake anything that brings displeasure to His heart" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"To practice Christmas is to build on silence rather than command ... Where the Scriptures are quiet, we do well to be cautious ... Let us not add religious observances where the Lord has not commanded them" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

In This Matter - A Christ-like Spirit

"Let us choose ... in Christian love and fellowship [to] respect each other's positions and endeavour to build each other up in our walk with the Lord ... Our fellowship is not in Christmas, but in Christ" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

"In among all our festivities should come sweet thoughts of the love of God. The gifts we may receive should make think of the greatest gift of all - when God gave his Son. Let us all try to make our Christmas very full of memories of Christ. Let the blessed love of Christ make a glad Christmas in our hearts, helping us to be like Christ Himself in love, unselfishness, and forgiveness" [J.R. Miller D.D., In Green Pastures].

"What Christ is to us we ought, in our human measure, to be to others. Christmas means love. Christ came to our world to pour divine kindness on weary, needy, perishing human lives. The Christmas spirit in our hearts should send us out on the same errand. There is need everywhere for love's ministry. We should learn the true Christmas lesson of gentle, thoughtful kindness to those we love and to all we meet in life's busy ways" [J.R. Miller D.D., In Green Pastures].

"Christmas should teach us to be Christ to others all about us, that from our very garments may flow the virtue that shall heal and bless all who touch us. There are few people whom God calls to do great things for Him, but the best thing most of us can do in this world is to live out a real, simple, beautiful, strong Christian life in our allotted place. Thus in our little measure we shall repeat the life of the Master Himself, showing men some feeble reflection of His sweet and loving face, and doing in our imperfect way a few of the lovely things He would do if He were Himself in our place" [J.R. Miller D.D., In Green Pastures].

The Return of the Messiah

"Jesus is coming back soon for a Bride, all pure and holy. Let us put aside anything that would hinder the light of God's Word being the final say in all our thinking, and may it be that we understand what the will of the LORD is on this matter [of Christmas], to His glory" [John Hayward, Christmas, In the Light of God's Word].

Thus saith the LORD,
Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls
(Jeremiah 6:16)

© Bayith Ministries     http://www.bayith.org     bayith@blueyonder.co.uk