The Bible says:
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
— Isaiah 7: 14
Christmas is an annual celebration held on the supposed birthday of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I say supposed, because no one knows the exact date of Jesus’ birth. There is no data in the Bible by which we can determine the exact date.
There are all manner of calculations used to explain the reason for making December 25th as the date of Jesus’ birth. One is the “Plan of the Ages.”
By complicated and fantastic calculations the creation of the world was estimated as beginning March 25, so Christ, the Paschal Lamb, the new Creation, had his conception on March 25 and his birth therefore December 25.
Another one is “by other unsubstantial reasoning from the Gospel stories the conception of John the Baptist is placed in September and so Christ’s is in March and thus his nativity in December.
But December 25 has more connection to pagan religion and festivals than anything Christian. The pagans celebrated the Saturnalia (December 17-24) and Brumalia (December 25) “rejoicing in the end of the winter solstice and the birthday of the unconquered Sun.”
Almost all the heathen nations regarded the winter- solstice, which occurs at about this time, as a most important point of the year, as the beginning of renewed life and activity of the powers of nature, and of the gods, who were originally merely the symbolical personification of these powers.
It’s also very unlikely December 25 was the birthday of Christ because shepherds did not keep their sheep in the fields in December, due to the rain and snow, and the obvious lack of pasture grass.
And Caesar Augustus wouldn’t have been a very wise governor to put a tax on the citizens and make them travel to their home town to be taxed, in the dead of winter when travel was almost impossible.
Neither was there any uniformity in the early church of observing the nativity of Christ. Some celebrated this festival in May, April or January.
When Jesus was born isn’t important, or the Scriptures would have revealed very clearly when it took place. Jesus never told us to remember His birth, but He did tell us to remember His death.
(Luke 22: 17-19; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26) Sadly, for more and more people Jesus is just a Ceremonial Deity, someone they recognize at Christmas and Easter, and ignore the rest of the year.
The Christian though celebrates the birth of Jesus every day, for they know had He not been born, died on the cross, rose from the grave, and ascended to the Father, there would be no gift of eternal life for sinners, victory over sin, a hope of Jesus’ soon return, and a home in Heaven.
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
— 2 Corinthians 9: 15
James H. Cagle is a Ray City resident who pastored several churches for a total of 11 years. Email him at pastorjameshcagle@ yahoo.com
