“One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.”
–Romans 14:5-6 TLV
“One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.”
–Romans 14:5-6 TLV
Introduction:
At this time of year the inevitable Christmas objectors rear their ugly heads. Being a Jewish Messiah follower and spiritual leader, and given my clear teaching in refutation of the “Pagan Christmas” lie, I usually receive a number of angry messages and or responses to posts on the subject. These messages are full of twentieth century evidence (not evidence at all), emotionalism and personal attacks and the majority of the reactionary messages are from pseudo learned so called “Messianic Gentiles”.
The Messianic movement has now been so heavily inundated with hyper-law keeping Gentiles that it no longer truly represents the Jewish followers of Yeshua. As Messiah following Jews we are appalled at the nonsense taught by many Messianic Gentiles and some Messianic Jewish leaders, who do not represent the freedom we have found in Yeshua but rather, are teaching as the laws of God, the doctrines of human beings, flesh born, unspiritual.
As a result of the demise of the genuine Jewish Messianic movement, our congregation now call ourselves “Messiah following” rather than “Messianic”. This is a decision made to clearly distinguish ourselves from the foolish teaching of so many.
I am bemused by the hypocrisy which has developed among hyper-law communities. I have heard them denounce the Talmud for being myth and conjecture, uninspired and full of made up stories and flawed theology, while they themselves teach as truth that which is not true. Christians have their Talmud, full of rapture theory, love languages, self-help, misinterpretation. So too do Hebrew roots groups, and Messianics, with their anti-birthday, anti-Christmas, everyone must keep Sabbath, we are the true called out Church nonsense.
How ironic that the Messianic anti-Christmas movement, which prides itself on living a faith that is connected to Hebrew roots and consistent with the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, has nonetheless taken its que for the denigration of Christmas from a gentile protestant.
The anti-Christmas movement essentially began in the eighteenth century CE, 1500 years after Christians began to celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. The anti-Catholic German protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski (1693-1757) attempted, through pseudo scholarly works (1743), to prove that December 25 was somehow pagan and therefore Christmas was a pagan celebration and Catholicism is heretical.
His facts were false and his conclusions error but his work tickled the ears of protestants and puritans (a subgroup), the majority of whom hated the Catholic Church. Thus, out of hatred for Catholicism, and not from Scripture, the “modern” anti-Christmas movement was born. It has ebbed and flowed through the last two centuries and has now found new proponents among the Messianic movement. Rather than actually looking to the Scripture, and Jewish roots of our Jewish faith, we have taken the word of a man who based his theories on false facts, a Gentile no less, and have concluded that it is Jewish to be anti-Christmas. Actually, it couldn’t be more goyish (Gentile).
The truth is that for the most part modern Jews could care less about Christmas because 13.7 million of us believe Jesus to be a false demi-god of a Gentile religion that has nothing to do with our faith. Therefore, as a people and a religion Jews have little interest in being anti-Christmas.
But, for the Messiah following Jews of the first century the celebration of the birth of Yeshua had everything to do with being Jewish and with the redemption of Israel (so not remotely pagan, in fact, the opposite).
Several years ago, one of the beautiful ironies at work to refute the now metastasised anti-Christmas sentiment, was that at least one of the most common objections to the celebration of Christmas (it shouldn’t be celebrated on a date when a pagan deity was worshipped), was made impotent by the date of the Jewish observance of Chanukah (Rededication), which began on Christmas day, the 25th of December 2017. In 2017 the lunar Calendar of Israel coincided with the Gregorian calendar so that the 25th of Kislev and the 25th of December (a so called pagan date) became the same day.
The primary reason that I continue to speak out against the demonizing of Christmas, is the demoralizing effect that anti-Christmas sentiment has had on the community of believers (Ecclesia). I come across this message of bondage far too frequently among the wandering masses of Christianity, who, disillusioned with the shallow nature of their own faith, seek depth at the feet of pseudo-learned lay people and worse, professed Messianic Jewish Rabbis, many of whom dine on a steady diet of conspiracy theory, YouTube Bible teaching and conjecture.
My hope is that the following article will equip you for the practise of freedom in Messiah. A key aspect of the faith that has been sadly neglected by the para-church swing back to bondage on the rebound from hyper-grace. It has become more and more clear that in recent times the gift of the Holy Spirit most lacking in the western Ecclesia (Church) is that of discernment.
I am consistently told by certain Messianic extremists that I should not celebrate Christmas, worship on Sundays, use the name “Jesus,” etc. Though it must be said they are entirely misinformed regarding Christmas and the use of the name Jesus and fail to understand that all days belong to God; the more poignant issue is this, that they are so busy telling others what they shouldn’t do, that they are unable to articulate the freedom, wonders and depth of faith found in a Messiah essential Messianic Jewish Tradition. What’s more, the same celebrate extra Biblical festivals and break numerous other commands of Torah on a daily basis and are therefore, the greatest of hypocrites.
When we define ourselves by what we are not, we are repeating the error of our forebears both Jewish and Christian. Those we seek as converts to our way of thinking are instantly disillusioned, in our zeal we turn them away from the beauty and traditions we might otherwise have positively offered them. Often our fierce words of rebuke are based on poor historical knowledge, misinterpretation of Scripture, inaccuracies and myth; passed on by lazy teachers and blinded guides.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Mattitiyahu/Matthew 23:14-16
This is not who we are, it is who we were, before we met Messiah, but now, in Him, we are to be a light to the nations. It is time to stem the flow of darkness that is issuing from our mouths. We are, “A royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people belonging to G-d. That we might declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Kefa/Peter 2:9
If we continually define ourselves by what we are not, we will inevitably forget who we are.
Anti-Christmas Sentiment is Anti-Christ
It’s interesting to note that the list of Christmas objectors includes the Mormons, Jehovah’s witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Muslims, Conspiracy theorists, Hebrew roots groups, Messianic believers and atheists, among others.
“those who celebrate Christmas do not honor God or Christ, but honor pagan celebrations and pagan gods.” –The Watchtower Magazine (JW) Dec. 8 1988 (pg.19)
We must ask, why are cults and atheists some of the strongest opponents of Christmas? What is it that they share in common? There is one unifying answer, every pseudo Christian cult and atheist group agree on one thing, that Yeshua (Jesus) is not God with us (Imanu-El).
“Do not be deceived, evil communication (bad company) corrupts good character” -1 Corinthians 15:33 (The Bible)
The deity of Messiah is first revealed on earth in the Christmas narrative (Historical record: Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7). His divine conception and His lineage are first illuminated in the Christmas accounts. To neglect the celebration and remembrance of the Christmas story is a means of cutting off the truth of Messiah’s divinity and His legitimate human lineage at its root, thus supporting the Satanic claims that Yeshua (Jesus) is just a man and at the same time does not qualify to be Israel’s Messiah. This is a direct attack on Messiah, the Christ, and is at its heart driven by a spirit of anti-Christ.
Refuting Common Objections to Christmas
First, let me repeat that generally speaking Jews do not object to Christians celebrating Christmas because for the most part Jews do not accept Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah.
Therefore, from their perspective Christmas is simply the religious practice of the Gentile Western world.
So who are these people within the faith community who are objecting to the celebration of Christmas? They are for the most part, disillusioned Christians, who, with great pride, claim to be Messianic. They are not Jews but they are Judaizers and because of their devote observance of human rules, consider themselves more righteous than the so called, “Apostate Church” they claim to have separated themselves from. As a Jew I find this extremely offensive because they are not only misrepresenting the message of the Messiah but they are also pretending to observe Jewish practices and thus often appear to be representing the Jewish view. They do not represent the Jewish view, nor do they represent the Messianic Jewish view. They simply represent themselves and their own confused attempts to earn God.
A Response to Some of the Most Common Objections to Christmas
Some popular false claims regarding supposed Christmas syncretism with false gods:
–Romans 14:5-6 TLV
Introduction:
At this time of year the inevitable Christmas objectors rear their ugly heads. Being a Jewish Messiah follower and spiritual leader, and given my clear teaching in refutation of the “Pagan Christmas” lie, I usually receive a number of angry messages and or responses to posts on the subject. These messages are full of twentieth century evidence (not evidence at all), emotionalism and personal attacks and the majority of the reactionary messages are from pseudo learned so called “Messianic Gentiles”.
The Messianic movement has now been so heavily inundated with hyper-law keeping Gentiles that it no longer truly represents the Jewish followers of Yeshua. As Messiah following Jews we are appalled at the nonsense taught by many Messianic Gentiles and some Messianic Jewish leaders, who do not represent the freedom we have found in Yeshua but rather, are teaching as the laws of God, the doctrines of human beings, flesh born, unspiritual.
As a result of the demise of the genuine Jewish Messianic movement, our congregation now call ourselves “Messiah following” rather than “Messianic”. This is a decision made to clearly distinguish ourselves from the foolish teaching of so many.
I am bemused by the hypocrisy which has developed among hyper-law communities. I have heard them denounce the Talmud for being myth and conjecture, uninspired and full of made up stories and flawed theology, while they themselves teach as truth that which is not true. Christians have their Talmud, full of rapture theory, love languages, self-help, misinterpretation. So too do Hebrew roots groups, and Messianics, with their anti-birthday, anti-Christmas, everyone must keep Sabbath, we are the true called out Church nonsense.
How ironic that the Messianic anti-Christmas movement, which prides itself on living a faith that is connected to Hebrew roots and consistent with the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, has nonetheless taken its que for the denigration of Christmas from a gentile protestant.
The anti-Christmas movement essentially began in the eighteenth century CE, 1500 years after Christians began to celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. The anti-Catholic German protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski (1693-1757) attempted, through pseudo scholarly works (1743), to prove that December 25 was somehow pagan and therefore Christmas was a pagan celebration and Catholicism is heretical.
His facts were false and his conclusions error but his work tickled the ears of protestants and puritans (a subgroup), the majority of whom hated the Catholic Church. Thus, out of hatred for Catholicism, and not from Scripture, the “modern” anti-Christmas movement was born. It has ebbed and flowed through the last two centuries and has now found new proponents among the Messianic movement. Rather than actually looking to the Scripture, and Jewish roots of our Jewish faith, we have taken the word of a man who based his theories on false facts, a Gentile no less, and have concluded that it is Jewish to be anti-Christmas. Actually, it couldn’t be more goyish (Gentile).
The truth is that for the most part modern Jews could care less about Christmas because 13.7 million of us believe Jesus to be a false demi-god of a Gentile religion that has nothing to do with our faith. Therefore, as a people and a religion Jews have little interest in being anti-Christmas.
But, for the Messiah following Jews of the first century the celebration of the birth of Yeshua had everything to do with being Jewish and with the redemption of Israel (so not remotely pagan, in fact, the opposite).
Several years ago, one of the beautiful ironies at work to refute the now metastasised anti-Christmas sentiment, was that at least one of the most common objections to the celebration of Christmas (it shouldn’t be celebrated on a date when a pagan deity was worshipped), was made impotent by the date of the Jewish observance of Chanukah (Rededication), which began on Christmas day, the 25th of December 2017. In 2017 the lunar Calendar of Israel coincided with the Gregorian calendar so that the 25th of Kislev and the 25th of December (a so called pagan date) became the same day.
The primary reason that I continue to speak out against the demonizing of Christmas, is the demoralizing effect that anti-Christmas sentiment has had on the community of believers (Ecclesia). I come across this message of bondage far too frequently among the wandering masses of Christianity, who, disillusioned with the shallow nature of their own faith, seek depth at the feet of pseudo-learned lay people and worse, professed Messianic Jewish Rabbis, many of whom dine on a steady diet of conspiracy theory, YouTube Bible teaching and conjecture.
My hope is that the following article will equip you for the practise of freedom in Messiah. A key aspect of the faith that has been sadly neglected by the para-church swing back to bondage on the rebound from hyper-grace. It has become more and more clear that in recent times the gift of the Holy Spirit most lacking in the western Ecclesia (Church) is that of discernment.
I am consistently told by certain Messianic extremists that I should not celebrate Christmas, worship on Sundays, use the name “Jesus,” etc. Though it must be said they are entirely misinformed regarding Christmas and the use of the name Jesus and fail to understand that all days belong to God; the more poignant issue is this, that they are so busy telling others what they shouldn’t do, that they are unable to articulate the freedom, wonders and depth of faith found in a Messiah essential Messianic Jewish Tradition. What’s more, the same celebrate extra Biblical festivals and break numerous other commands of Torah on a daily basis and are therefore, the greatest of hypocrites.
When we define ourselves by what we are not, we are repeating the error of our forebears both Jewish and Christian. Those we seek as converts to our way of thinking are instantly disillusioned, in our zeal we turn them away from the beauty and traditions we might otherwise have positively offered them. Often our fierce words of rebuke are based on poor historical knowledge, misinterpretation of Scripture, inaccuracies and myth; passed on by lazy teachers and blinded guides.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Mattitiyahu/Matthew 23:14-16
This is not who we are, it is who we were, before we met Messiah, but now, in Him, we are to be a light to the nations. It is time to stem the flow of darkness that is issuing from our mouths. We are, “A royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people belonging to G-d. That we might declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Kefa/Peter 2:9
If we continually define ourselves by what we are not, we will inevitably forget who we are.
Anti-Christmas Sentiment is Anti-Christ
It’s interesting to note that the list of Christmas objectors includes the Mormons, Jehovah’s witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Muslims, Conspiracy theorists, Hebrew roots groups, Messianic believers and atheists, among others.
“those who celebrate Christmas do not honor God or Christ, but honor pagan celebrations and pagan gods.” –The Watchtower Magazine (JW) Dec. 8 1988 (pg.19)
We must ask, why are cults and atheists some of the strongest opponents of Christmas? What is it that they share in common? There is one unifying answer, every pseudo Christian cult and atheist group agree on one thing, that Yeshua (Jesus) is not God with us (Imanu-El).
“Do not be deceived, evil communication (bad company) corrupts good character” -1 Corinthians 15:33 (The Bible)
The deity of Messiah is first revealed on earth in the Christmas narrative (Historical record: Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7). His divine conception and His lineage are first illuminated in the Christmas accounts. To neglect the celebration and remembrance of the Christmas story is a means of cutting off the truth of Messiah’s divinity and His legitimate human lineage at its root, thus supporting the Satanic claims that Yeshua (Jesus) is just a man and at the same time does not qualify to be Israel’s Messiah. This is a direct attack on Messiah, the Christ, and is at its heart driven by a spirit of anti-Christ.
Refuting Common Objections to Christmas
First, let me repeat that generally speaking Jews do not object to Christians celebrating Christmas because for the most part Jews do not accept Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah.
Therefore, from their perspective Christmas is simply the religious practice of the Gentile Western world.
So who are these people within the faith community who are objecting to the celebration of Christmas? They are for the most part, disillusioned Christians, who, with great pride, claim to be Messianic. They are not Jews but they are Judaizers and because of their devote observance of human rules, consider themselves more righteous than the so called, “Apostate Church” they claim to have separated themselves from. As a Jew I find this extremely offensive because they are not only misrepresenting the message of the Messiah but they are also pretending to observe Jewish practices and thus often appear to be representing the Jewish view. They do not represent the Jewish view, nor do they represent the Messianic Jewish view. They simply represent themselves and their own confused attempts to earn God.
A Response to Some of the Most Common Objections to Christmas
Some popular false claims regarding supposed Christmas syncretism with false gods:
Even if it were true that false deities were worshipped in similar ways to Yeshua prior to His birth, this does not detract from Yeshua Who is all existing and therefore pre-existed all these false deities (John 1:1). Nor does performing miracles equate false gods and holy men to Yeshua. The Bible teaches that the Anti-Messiah will perform miracles in an attempt to fool the elect (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
The misuse of something does not define its intended purpose! A counterfeit does not delegitimize the real thing.
Nor does it matter on which day Yeshua was born or if other deities were worshipped on that day. All days were created by God for His glory. Again, the misuse of a thing does not define its intended purpose!
1.Christmas is Pagan.
This generalisation is lazy and intellectually dishonest as well as being an oxymoron (self-contradicting).
In fact Christmas is the name of a Judeo-Christian celebration of the birth of Christ (Messiah). The name Christmas is a contraction made up of two words: Christ and mas.
Christ comes from the Greek Khristos and means anointed one, it was intended by the Jewish New Testament writers to convey the Hebrew title Mashiyach, which is often translated Messiah, both titles represent the anointed one of God, Who would be born into time and space to deliver His people Israel. So I guess you could say the first part of the name Christmas is pretty much Jewish.
Mass: the English term mass comes from the Anglo-Saxon word maesse, which came from the Latin missa, which is a form of the verb mittere, which means "to send." In Hebrew we would use the term neshlach—to send. Therefore the meaning of Christmas is, “Christ is sent,” or Mashiyach neshlach—Messiah is sent. In truth, the two concepts of anointing and sending are rooted deeply in Judaism and help make Christmas—in my opinion—as much a Jewish Holiday as Purim and Chanukah. So, is Christmas Pagan? Well, the name certainly isn’t.
Some say that the celebration of Christmas is part of a Satanic agenda. To the contrary, to be anti (Christmas) Christ being sent is more Satanic than all the so called pagan links to Christmas put together. If there is a Satanic (Pagan) agenda at work, it is the agenda that seeks to silence the celebrating of the birth of our Messiah: it’s literally an anti-Christ agenda.
I wish you a hearty, “Chag Sameach le’Mashiyach neshlach!” and a, “Chag Ha-molad Sameach!”
Christ = Messiah & mas (Sent)
Christmas = Messiah is Sent
2.The date of Christmas is a day on which pagan deities were worshipped. Therefore, Messianic believers shouldn’t celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December.
As clearly shown in my previous tables regarding the supposed correlation between false gods and Yeshua (Jesus), the majority of the proposed pagan deity connections to the 25th of December are false. In addition, we have the following:
The god Tammuz was celebrated in February, March, April, June and July. The “Wailing of Tammuz” was celebrated at the end of summer long before the winter solstice.
Saturnalia was celebrated from 17 – 23 December, not 25 December.
And then there’s the false claim that Christmas borrows from Natalis Sol Invictus (Birth of the Unconquerable Son) an addition to the Emperor cult syncretized from paganism.
Natalis Sol Invictus is celebrated on the 25th December (4th century), however…
While Aurelian made Sol Invictus an official religion in Rome in 274 CE, the December 25 connection to the religion is a later syncretism between Sol Invictus and Saturnalia that did not exist in the third century CE. The earliest reference to this pagan celebration on the 25th December is written by Macrobius Theodosius in the 4th century CE [j].
The Christian author Hippolytus of Rome (170-235 CE) writing prior to 235 CE suggested that Yeshua (Jesus) was born on December 25. [k] Therefore, according to the known historical record, the first Christian reference to a December 25th date for Messiah’s birth predates the pagan Sol Invictus celebration by over a hundred years. The only conclusion is that the Emperor of Rome borrowed from the Christian practice in order to syncretize the pagan practice, and not the other way around.
Put simply. Christians used the 25th of December prior to the Natalis Sol Invictus cult. Pagans adopted our date.
The logic of this objection is that any day used to worship a false god should not be used to worship the one true God. Nonsense! Prior to the giving of the Torah and the moedim (festivals) of HaShem at Sinai, Israel was under bondage in a land where the Sun deity Ra-Atum was worshipped every morning at dawn and every evening at sundown (365 days a year). Using the foolish logic of those who claim pagan deities defile days, every one of HaShem’s moedim (festivals) should not be celebrated because they fall on days when the pagan deity Ra-Atum was worshipped. Who made the days? On which of the days should the God of Israel not be worshipped? We are fools to argue over the keeping of days while worshiping the One Who is beyond days. The One Who formed each day for His glory.
In the midst of all the rhetoric and conspiracy allegations aimed at the Gentile Church fathers of the 2nd Century regarding the so called pagan date of the 25th of December. Few Christmas objectors have bothered to consider the fact that the authentic fathers of the Church were Jews who lived over 100 years before the first records indicating syncretism, and would have been eager to celebrate the birth of the Jewish Messiah on a regular basis in a Jewish way and for at least 100 years, free from Gentile interference.
In fact the Jews have an intrinsic connection to the date of the 25th of December. Every four years or so Chanukah coincides with the 25th of December. In fact, last year in 2017 the first day of Chanukah 25th of Kislev coincided with the 25th of December. Those who claim that pagan connections to this date make the day unsuitable must either denounce Chanukah (A festival Yeshua venerated) or simply admit that they are in grave error.
Given that we have no way of knowing when Messiah was born either from Biblical or Historical record, who’s to say that the 25th of December is the wrong date? We don’t know the date, therefore we contradict ourselves by saying that the 25th is the wrong date.
Consider this, the 25th of Kislev of the Biblical lunar calendar of Israel which begins Chanukah (A festival of light/dedication) coincides with the 25th of December of the Gregorian Solar calendar on a regular cycle. Therefore, if we are bound by conjecture, as so many anti-Christmas proponents are, we may as well conjecture that it is equally likely that the date of Christmas was simply transitioned from one calendar to another and that early Messianic Jews celebrated the birth of Yeshua (The Light of the World Who rededicated Israel to God) during the festival of Chanukah. Which, as we know, is in the winter months and regularly coincides with Christmas.
3. Yeshua (Jesus) said, "Remember my death until I come", therefore, we should not celebrate Christmas.
The logic here is, that anything not explicitly commanded in Scripture should not be observed. This flawed logic makes a negative commandment out of a positive commandment. It is a self-defeating premise because Messiah’s death cannot be remembered without His birth into time and space.
Yeshua Himself observed Chanukah (John 10:22-41), a festival that is not commanded in Scripture.
If we pursue the foolish logic of this objection, we must also cease to celebrate Purim, Chanukah, the Torah cycle, the resurrection, and the miracles of the Messiah. Therefore, if we fail to acknowledge the Messiah’s literal birth into the world we make His life and ministry redundant.
An instruction to remember something does not negate the remembrance of other things.
4.Christians and Messianics shouldn’t celebrate Messiah’s birth because birthday celebration is pagan.
Ancient Pagans celebrated weddings too, should we no longer celebrate weddings? The false Canaanite deity Shalem is said to have been worshipped on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Yebus) thousands of years before Solomon’s Temple was built there.[l] Does this mean the Temple Mount is Pagan? By applying the logic that we should do nothing that pagans do, we must also cease drinking water, procreating, even breathing.
Did Joseph and Mary not celebrate the birth of Yeshua? They did, are they pagan? Did the Jewish shepherds of the Migdal Eder (Temple flock) not celebrate Yeshua’s birth? They did, are we to call them pagan? Were the gifts of the magi not celebratory? If they were considered pagan, why did Joseph and Mary allow them to be presented to Yeshua?
Some go so far as to suggest that Jews don’t celebrate birthdays. What nonsense, they have obviously spent little time around Jews. Furthermore, Jews have honoured and celebrated birthdays from ancient times. Within the Tanakh (OT) there are numerous examples of the births of children being celebrated. One of the ways the birth of Jewish children is celebrated both in the Scripture and in modern Jewish life is with the naming ceremony, called a Brit Milah for Jewish boys (circumcision), and held eight days after the birth. The births of children are honoured throughout Scripture by placing a God given name on the child and/or choosing a name that expressed the character attributes exhibited by the child through the pregnancy and in the birthing process (Gen. 25:24-26; ). Hence, Yeshua (YHVH Saves)! One of the most famous Messianic prophecies of Isaiah is in fact a birthday celebration song:
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given to us,
and the government will be upon His shoulder.
His Name will be called
Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God
My Father of Eternity,
Prince of Peace.
6 Of the increase of His government
and shalom there will be no end--
on the throne of David and over His kingdom--
to establish it and uphold it
through justice and righteousness
from now until forevermore.
The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot
will accomplish this.”
-Isaiah 9:5-6
5.Yeshua (Jesus) wasn't born during the Christmas season, He was born during Sukkot (Festival of Booths).
No, there isn’t any conclusive way to determine the day or season of Messiah’s birth. We simply don’t have historical information that enables us to make an accurate assessment concerning the time of His birth. Those who presume to know are reliant on conjecture born from theological niceties and presumption. Am I saying Messiah was born on the 25th of December? Certainly not. Does it matter which day He was born? Given the lack of Biblical evidence citing exact dates and times for His birth I would hazard a guess that God doesn't want us to know the date or season of His Son’s birth. He probably has a very good reason for this. Learn to embrace the mystery of God, you don’t need to know everything, knowledge puffs up but love builds up.
With regard to the “Sukkot birth” claim, the census recorded in Luke 2:1-4 was the first of two, taken between 1 C.E. and 7 C.E. (It’s the latter of the two that is referred to in Acts 5:37). While Quirinius was not physically governing in Syria until 6 C.E., he was responsible for the oversight of its operations and defence under Varus, during Herod’s reign.
It’s important to remember that for the people of Israel, a census was considered an affront to God. The taking of a census denoted a lack of trust in God’s provision. This census therefore, was something they were forced to participate in under an oppressive Roman occupation. (See Exodus 30:12; 2 Samuel 24).
Beit-lechem (Bethlehem) is approximately 8 kilometres from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and approximately 136 kilometres from Natzeret (Nazareth) in the Galil (Galilee).
Given that a majority of governors over the province of Philistia (Occupied Israel) were keen to avoid further uprisings and the causes for them, it is unlikely that a census would have been called during an Regalim (going up) festival of Israel (Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot). In addition, a Jew could not be both in his ancestral town and in Yerushalayim at the same time. While Beit-lechem was close to Yerushalayim, the majority of Israel’s outer communities were more than two days journey from Yerushalayim, where the Temple stood. This is just one of many reasons why a Sukkot birth for Messiah is extremely unlikely. In fact all of the Regalim festivals fall into this category. Therefore, it is more likely that Yeshua was born in the winter months.
Some misuse the following verse, claiming it proves a Sukkot birth:
“Now in the sixth month the messenger Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,” –Luke 1:26
There has been much needless conjecture relating to this text. Many who are desperate to claim a Sukkot birth for Messiah need to perform linguistic, contextual, chronological and cultural gymnastics—to name a few—in order to manipulate this date to fit their argument, something every good Bible student knows, is usually an indication that we’re headed in the wrong direction. It’s most likely that this “sixth month” refers to the time as counted from the conception of Yochanan (see verse 36), the problem with confirming the date this way is that we don’t know which of the two times of year that Aviyah’s (Zechariah’s clan) division was serving is intended by the narrative.
We’re not told at what point during the year that the 24 divisions began to serve but we can presume that they began in the seventh month, Tishrei, following the inauguration of Solomon’s temple. If this continued to be the practice and providing the beginning of their service was not initiated at the spiritual new year of Pesach or at the giving of the Torah during Shavuot (Which are also possibilities [even if this were the case the math still wouldn’t conclude a Sukkot birth]), then we would calculate that each of the 24 divisions would serve one week twice a year. If they performed their duties in order of selection, Aviyah’s (Zechariah’s clan) division would have performed its duties eighth, in the last week of Nisan and the last week of Cheshvan, with some anomalies caused by the lunar calendar this will have varied slightly. If we count from Nisan, the sixth month would be Tishrei. If this is the month of Messiah’s conception then He was born in the month of Sivan. If we count from Cheshvan we arrive at Iyar, which makes Messiah’s birth in the eleventh month of the Hebrew Calendar, Shevat. Neither date is even remotely close to Sukkot.
However, the sixth month could also refer to the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar Elul, which is the month prior to Tishrei, which again leaves us with Iyar as a possible birth date for Messiah.
Additionally because Luke is either a Greek proselyte or a Jew from the Greek Diaspora, he could also be referring to the sixth month of the Roman calendar. Regardless, any conclusion arrived at is pure conjecture. We have no definitive way of knowing when Yeshua was born.
Some say, “But He was born dwell with us, and John 1:14 says that He became flesh and sukkot (dwelt) in our midst.”
But the text of John 1:14 does not say that Messiah Sukkot with us, but that He Shakhan (from Mishkan) came as flesh, as a Tabernacle in our midst. Meaning, He was a human being Who was like the Tent of meeting (Mishkan) which once dwelt in the midst of Israel. Shakhan is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek Skaynoo. Both are verbs and NOT proper nouns. Sukkot is a proper noun that is unrelated to the Hebrew Shakhan.
While it is true that Messiah dwells with us, it is not proof of the date or season of His birth. Messiah is also the Lamb of God, that doesn’t mean He was born at Passover. He is the substitutionary sacrifice for our sin, that doesn’t mean He was born during Yom Kippur.
6.The feasts of the Torah were specifically commanded by God but Christmas wasn’t. Therefore Christians and Messianics shouldn’t celebrate Christmas.
It’s true, Christmas was not commanded by God: neither were Purim or Chanukah, and yet Yeshua venerated Chanukah and used it as a teaching platform—John 10:22-36. Therefore, based on the foolish logic of this objection, Yeshua sinned because He celebrated a festival that wasn’t specifically commanded by God. Utter nonsense!
Some claim that Yeshua’s veneration of Chanukah is an exception because He is God with us, but Yeshua is not the exception, He is the Rule! He is the first-born among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). We are called to be like Him.
David was not commanded by God to dance half naked before the Ark of the Covenant—which carried the tablets of stone upon which God had engraved His word—as he brought it into Jerusalem with music and rejoicing. His wife Michal criticized him for His shameless celebrating and as a result the Scripture says that she remained barren until her death. If David danced semi naked in celebration before the written word of God as it entered Jerusalem, how much more should we celebrate with great joy the entry into our world of the living Word Yeshua our Messiah, born of a virgin, born to save us from sin. Though we know not the day, we celebrate Him gladly, lest we become like those who begrudge others their joy and seek to imprison people in the bondage of the past! The warning is clear, we must not become like Michal: perhaps she was physiologically unable to conceive after this event? On the other hand perhaps her husband simply no longer approached her to be sexually intimate with her? Or worse still—and most likely—she may have continued to harden her heart until she no longer wanted to be around David. This is the dangerous road we walk when we neglect grace and follow rules born of the foolish arguments of human beings. When we harden our hearts through jealousy and false religion we become isolated and alone. Like Michal we might find our spiritual womb barren, not because we can’t conceive but rather because we have refused our Husband, whose name is Freedom and in turn have failed to be inseminated by His grace. Don’t let the misconceived theories of the pseudo-learned mislead you.
7.Shepherds in Israel don't tend their sheep in winter, therefore, the shepherds of the Christmas story can't have been tending their flocks in winter. Thus, a December date for Messiah's birth cannot be correct.
In fact, Israel’s sheep are shepherded throughout the year including the winter months. Even more importantly, the shepherds of the Christmas story (approx. 3 C.E.) were no ordinary shepherds. It’s an historical fact that there was a tower in close proximity to Beit-lechem, called Eder (flock), around which were pastured the flocks destined for the Temple sacrifices. The group of shepherds in charge of these flocks held a position of great esteem in Israel and were led by a Priest whose role was to ensure the production of unblemished animals that would be offered at the Temple in nearby Yerushalayim. These sheep were needed year round for the Temple sacrifices. Therefore, a winter date for Messiah’s birth is quite possible.
8.Christmas trees are pagan.
Are they? It’s true that pagan cultures have venerated trees and worshipped tree deities. However, these were living trees growing outside the home. Furthermore, those that did bring trees into the home or communal space, didn’t use them in the same way that Christmas trees are used today. For example, the yule tide log of the Norse culture was burned in the fire. These pagan examples do not equate to the cutting down of a tree for symbolic use during Christmas celebrations.
Some decontextualize and mis-quote the following scripture from Jeremiah:
How the Christmas tree objectors read it based on their presupposition:
“3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”
What the full text actually says:
“3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”
It is not speaking of anything remotely similar to Christmas trees. It is speaking of idols carved from trees and representing false gods.
But I ask, “Who came first? The tree or the pagan?” The tree of course. God commands us not to worship objects of creation, he doesn’t tell us not to use them as reminders of Him, in fact God Himself commands the manufacture of Cherubim for the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:18), and these were symbols of His protection, not to be worshipped but to give a visual understanding to His worshippers. Are trees good or evil? They are neither. Once again, if the use of a thing by pagans makes it sinful then we should also discontinue using oxygen—this might be a good idea for some. I repeat, the misuse of a thing does not define it!
Conclusion
So we see that for many and varied illegitimate reasons, a number of modern Christians (Hebrew Roots movement) and Messianics (a term that is now so loosely applied that it is unable to identify any one group), have decided not to celebrate Christ-mas (Messiah is sent).
This on its own would be of little consequence if they simply chose to celebrate His birth at another time, however in the aftermath of the establishment of this foolish pseudo-learned doctrinal decision, they have ceased celebrating the birth of our Messiah altogether. Like the Separatists of the late 18th &19th centuries, they have become so convinced of their own separation from the Ecclesia [Community of faith] (Viewing themselves as the so called “called out” pure Church/Bride), that they have, in seeking purity through their own actions, become subject again to bondage; forgetting that in Messiah we are not keepers of the Torah but rather we are kept by the Living Torah, Ha-d’var Emet (The Word of Truth) Yeshua, Who, if not for His birth into time and space, could not have been crucified and resurrected, thus leaving us without hope. Therefore, let us celebrate His birth, which illuminates His purpose in being sent, that we might also hope in the future glory purchased for us through His death and resurrection.
This year our congregation will once again delight ourselves in remembering the birth of our Messiah Yeshua, each one practicing the Biblical remembrance of Christmas (Messiah is sent) utilizing the symbolism and positive traditions that affirm their own convictions regarding this celebration. We are reminded that every Shabbat we light the candles of Sh’mor (Observance) and Zakhor (Remembrance), therefore we observe the holy day, remembering that Yeshua was born for the purpose of our Salvation (Yeshua). We remember what God has done, what He is doing and what He has promised to do, in Messiah, The Hope of Glory.
“One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.”
–Romans 14:5-6 TLV
As I’ve said before, we are fools to argue over the keeping of days while worshiping the One Who is beyond days. The One Who formed each day for His glory.
An Afterthought
All our Jewish celebrations and festivals fall into one of two categories. Either they celebrate God’s provision for us or they commemorate His delivering us from our enemies. Christmas is the celebration of God’s greatest provision and the commemoration of the beginning of our eternal deliverance. Thus it qualifies as one of the most important Jewish celebrations of all time.
If it were possible to be dull in the Olam Haba (World to come), I’m inclined to believe that those who argue against the celebration of Christmas will be wandering around the new Jerusalem debating whether we should celebrate Messiah’s return. After all, it’s not commanded in the Torah. Wake up sleeper!
Sources:
[a.] Vermaseren, M. J. (1951). "The miraculous Birth of Mithras". In Gerevich, László (ed.). Studia Archaeologica. Brill. pp. 93–109. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
[b.] https://www.ancient.eu/Mithra/
[c.] Ulansey, David (1991). The origins of the Mithraic mysteries. p. 6. ISBN 9780195067880.
[d.]https://www.ancient.eu/Horus/#:~:text=The%20elder%20Horus%20is%20one,the%20creation%20of%20the%20world.&text=In%20another%20version%20of%20the,wife%2C%20and%20daughter%20of%20Horus.
New York Folklore Society (1973). "New York folklore quarterly". 29. Cornell University Press. p. 294.
Ian Shaw (2003). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-815034-3.
Piotr O. Scholz (2001). Eunuchs and castrati: a cultural history. Markus Wiener Publishers. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-55876-201-5.
Roy G. Willis (1993). World Mythology. Macmillan. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-8050-2701-3.
[e.] https://www.ancient.eu/Horus/
[f.] https://strangenotions.com/horus-manure/
[g.]https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/gods/dionysus/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20origin%20given,his%20true%20form%20to%20her.&text=A%20few%20months%20later%2C%20Dionysus%20was%20born%20from%20Zeus's%20thigh.
[h.] https://www.greekboston.com/culture/mythology/dionysus/
[i.] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dionysus
[j.] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ambrosius-Theodosius-Macrobius
[k.] https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/december-25th-day-christ-was-born-8-arguments
[l.] https://www.biu.ac.il/JS/rennert/history_2.html
NB: In combination with this article, please also consider the articles I’ve written on Luke chapters 1 and 2, and the previous articles I’ve written regarding Christmas:
Christmas: An Open Letter to the Haters
http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/christmas-an-open-letter-to-the-haters
This Jew Boy will be Celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December
http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/this-jew-boy-will-be-celebrating-christmas-on-the-25th-of-december
Isaiah 9: For unto us a Child is Born
http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/isaiah-91-2-6-7-for-unto-us-a-boy-is-born
Luke 1:1-38: Choosing Between Disbelief and Wonder
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-11-38-choosing-between-disbelief-wonder
Luke 1:39-80: From Generation to Generation
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-139-80-ldor-vdor-from-generation-to-generation
Luke 2:1-24: G-d’s Plan is not World Peace, it is Peace for the World
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-21-24-g-ds-plan-is-not-world-peace-its-peace-for-the-world
Luke 2:25-52: Hearing About Grace and Favour
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-225-52-hearing-about-grace-favour
© Yaakov Brown 2020
The misuse of something does not define its intended purpose! A counterfeit does not delegitimize the real thing.
Nor does it matter on which day Yeshua was born or if other deities were worshipped on that day. All days were created by God for His glory. Again, the misuse of a thing does not define its intended purpose!
1.Christmas is Pagan.
This generalisation is lazy and intellectually dishonest as well as being an oxymoron (self-contradicting).
In fact Christmas is the name of a Judeo-Christian celebration of the birth of Christ (Messiah). The name Christmas is a contraction made up of two words: Christ and mas.
Christ comes from the Greek Khristos and means anointed one, it was intended by the Jewish New Testament writers to convey the Hebrew title Mashiyach, which is often translated Messiah, both titles represent the anointed one of God, Who would be born into time and space to deliver His people Israel. So I guess you could say the first part of the name Christmas is pretty much Jewish.
Mass: the English term mass comes from the Anglo-Saxon word maesse, which came from the Latin missa, which is a form of the verb mittere, which means "to send." In Hebrew we would use the term neshlach—to send. Therefore the meaning of Christmas is, “Christ is sent,” or Mashiyach neshlach—Messiah is sent. In truth, the two concepts of anointing and sending are rooted deeply in Judaism and help make Christmas—in my opinion—as much a Jewish Holiday as Purim and Chanukah. So, is Christmas Pagan? Well, the name certainly isn’t.
Some say that the celebration of Christmas is part of a Satanic agenda. To the contrary, to be anti (Christmas) Christ being sent is more Satanic than all the so called pagan links to Christmas put together. If there is a Satanic (Pagan) agenda at work, it is the agenda that seeks to silence the celebrating of the birth of our Messiah: it’s literally an anti-Christ agenda.
I wish you a hearty, “Chag Sameach le’Mashiyach neshlach!” and a, “Chag Ha-molad Sameach!”
Christ = Messiah & mas (Sent)
Christmas = Messiah is Sent
2.The date of Christmas is a day on which pagan deities were worshipped. Therefore, Messianic believers shouldn’t celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December.
As clearly shown in my previous tables regarding the supposed correlation between false gods and Yeshua (Jesus), the majority of the proposed pagan deity connections to the 25th of December are false. In addition, we have the following:
The god Tammuz was celebrated in February, March, April, June and July. The “Wailing of Tammuz” was celebrated at the end of summer long before the winter solstice.
Saturnalia was celebrated from 17 – 23 December, not 25 December.
And then there’s the false claim that Christmas borrows from Natalis Sol Invictus (Birth of the Unconquerable Son) an addition to the Emperor cult syncretized from paganism.
Natalis Sol Invictus is celebrated on the 25th December (4th century), however…
While Aurelian made Sol Invictus an official religion in Rome in 274 CE, the December 25 connection to the religion is a later syncretism between Sol Invictus and Saturnalia that did not exist in the third century CE. The earliest reference to this pagan celebration on the 25th December is written by Macrobius Theodosius in the 4th century CE [j].
The Christian author Hippolytus of Rome (170-235 CE) writing prior to 235 CE suggested that Yeshua (Jesus) was born on December 25. [k] Therefore, according to the known historical record, the first Christian reference to a December 25th date for Messiah’s birth predates the pagan Sol Invictus celebration by over a hundred years. The only conclusion is that the Emperor of Rome borrowed from the Christian practice in order to syncretize the pagan practice, and not the other way around.
Put simply. Christians used the 25th of December prior to the Natalis Sol Invictus cult. Pagans adopted our date.
The logic of this objection is that any day used to worship a false god should not be used to worship the one true God. Nonsense! Prior to the giving of the Torah and the moedim (festivals) of HaShem at Sinai, Israel was under bondage in a land where the Sun deity Ra-Atum was worshipped every morning at dawn and every evening at sundown (365 days a year). Using the foolish logic of those who claim pagan deities defile days, every one of HaShem’s moedim (festivals) should not be celebrated because they fall on days when the pagan deity Ra-Atum was worshipped. Who made the days? On which of the days should the God of Israel not be worshipped? We are fools to argue over the keeping of days while worshiping the One Who is beyond days. The One Who formed each day for His glory.
In the midst of all the rhetoric and conspiracy allegations aimed at the Gentile Church fathers of the 2nd Century regarding the so called pagan date of the 25th of December. Few Christmas objectors have bothered to consider the fact that the authentic fathers of the Church were Jews who lived over 100 years before the first records indicating syncretism, and would have been eager to celebrate the birth of the Jewish Messiah on a regular basis in a Jewish way and for at least 100 years, free from Gentile interference.
In fact the Jews have an intrinsic connection to the date of the 25th of December. Every four years or so Chanukah coincides with the 25th of December. In fact, last year in 2017 the first day of Chanukah 25th of Kislev coincided with the 25th of December. Those who claim that pagan connections to this date make the day unsuitable must either denounce Chanukah (A festival Yeshua venerated) or simply admit that they are in grave error.
Given that we have no way of knowing when Messiah was born either from Biblical or Historical record, who’s to say that the 25th of December is the wrong date? We don’t know the date, therefore we contradict ourselves by saying that the 25th is the wrong date.
Consider this, the 25th of Kislev of the Biblical lunar calendar of Israel which begins Chanukah (A festival of light/dedication) coincides with the 25th of December of the Gregorian Solar calendar on a regular cycle. Therefore, if we are bound by conjecture, as so many anti-Christmas proponents are, we may as well conjecture that it is equally likely that the date of Christmas was simply transitioned from one calendar to another and that early Messianic Jews celebrated the birth of Yeshua (The Light of the World Who rededicated Israel to God) during the festival of Chanukah. Which, as we know, is in the winter months and regularly coincides with Christmas.
3. Yeshua (Jesus) said, "Remember my death until I come", therefore, we should not celebrate Christmas.
The logic here is, that anything not explicitly commanded in Scripture should not be observed. This flawed logic makes a negative commandment out of a positive commandment. It is a self-defeating premise because Messiah’s death cannot be remembered without His birth into time and space.
Yeshua Himself observed Chanukah (John 10:22-41), a festival that is not commanded in Scripture.
If we pursue the foolish logic of this objection, we must also cease to celebrate Purim, Chanukah, the Torah cycle, the resurrection, and the miracles of the Messiah. Therefore, if we fail to acknowledge the Messiah’s literal birth into the world we make His life and ministry redundant.
An instruction to remember something does not negate the remembrance of other things.
4.Christians and Messianics shouldn’t celebrate Messiah’s birth because birthday celebration is pagan.
Ancient Pagans celebrated weddings too, should we no longer celebrate weddings? The false Canaanite deity Shalem is said to have been worshipped on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Yebus) thousands of years before Solomon’s Temple was built there.[l] Does this mean the Temple Mount is Pagan? By applying the logic that we should do nothing that pagans do, we must also cease drinking water, procreating, even breathing.
Did Joseph and Mary not celebrate the birth of Yeshua? They did, are they pagan? Did the Jewish shepherds of the Migdal Eder (Temple flock) not celebrate Yeshua’s birth? They did, are we to call them pagan? Were the gifts of the magi not celebratory? If they were considered pagan, why did Joseph and Mary allow them to be presented to Yeshua?
Some go so far as to suggest that Jews don’t celebrate birthdays. What nonsense, they have obviously spent little time around Jews. Furthermore, Jews have honoured and celebrated birthdays from ancient times. Within the Tanakh (OT) there are numerous examples of the births of children being celebrated. One of the ways the birth of Jewish children is celebrated both in the Scripture and in modern Jewish life is with the naming ceremony, called a Brit Milah for Jewish boys (circumcision), and held eight days after the birth. The births of children are honoured throughout Scripture by placing a God given name on the child and/or choosing a name that expressed the character attributes exhibited by the child through the pregnancy and in the birthing process (Gen. 25:24-26; ). Hence, Yeshua (YHVH Saves)! One of the most famous Messianic prophecies of Isaiah is in fact a birthday celebration song:
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given to us,
and the government will be upon His shoulder.
His Name will be called
Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God
My Father of Eternity,
Prince of Peace.
6 Of the increase of His government
and shalom there will be no end--
on the throne of David and over His kingdom--
to establish it and uphold it
through justice and righteousness
from now until forevermore.
The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot
will accomplish this.”
-Isaiah 9:5-6
5.Yeshua (Jesus) wasn't born during the Christmas season, He was born during Sukkot (Festival of Booths).
No, there isn’t any conclusive way to determine the day or season of Messiah’s birth. We simply don’t have historical information that enables us to make an accurate assessment concerning the time of His birth. Those who presume to know are reliant on conjecture born from theological niceties and presumption. Am I saying Messiah was born on the 25th of December? Certainly not. Does it matter which day He was born? Given the lack of Biblical evidence citing exact dates and times for His birth I would hazard a guess that God doesn't want us to know the date or season of His Son’s birth. He probably has a very good reason for this. Learn to embrace the mystery of God, you don’t need to know everything, knowledge puffs up but love builds up.
With regard to the “Sukkot birth” claim, the census recorded in Luke 2:1-4 was the first of two, taken between 1 C.E. and 7 C.E. (It’s the latter of the two that is referred to in Acts 5:37). While Quirinius was not physically governing in Syria until 6 C.E., he was responsible for the oversight of its operations and defence under Varus, during Herod’s reign.
It’s important to remember that for the people of Israel, a census was considered an affront to God. The taking of a census denoted a lack of trust in God’s provision. This census therefore, was something they were forced to participate in under an oppressive Roman occupation. (See Exodus 30:12; 2 Samuel 24).
Beit-lechem (Bethlehem) is approximately 8 kilometres from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and approximately 136 kilometres from Natzeret (Nazareth) in the Galil (Galilee).
Given that a majority of governors over the province of Philistia (Occupied Israel) were keen to avoid further uprisings and the causes for them, it is unlikely that a census would have been called during an Regalim (going up) festival of Israel (Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot). In addition, a Jew could not be both in his ancestral town and in Yerushalayim at the same time. While Beit-lechem was close to Yerushalayim, the majority of Israel’s outer communities were more than two days journey from Yerushalayim, where the Temple stood. This is just one of many reasons why a Sukkot birth for Messiah is extremely unlikely. In fact all of the Regalim festivals fall into this category. Therefore, it is more likely that Yeshua was born in the winter months.
Some misuse the following verse, claiming it proves a Sukkot birth:
“Now in the sixth month the messenger Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,” –Luke 1:26
There has been much needless conjecture relating to this text. Many who are desperate to claim a Sukkot birth for Messiah need to perform linguistic, contextual, chronological and cultural gymnastics—to name a few—in order to manipulate this date to fit their argument, something every good Bible student knows, is usually an indication that we’re headed in the wrong direction. It’s most likely that this “sixth month” refers to the time as counted from the conception of Yochanan (see verse 36), the problem with confirming the date this way is that we don’t know which of the two times of year that Aviyah’s (Zechariah’s clan) division was serving is intended by the narrative.
We’re not told at what point during the year that the 24 divisions began to serve but we can presume that they began in the seventh month, Tishrei, following the inauguration of Solomon’s temple. If this continued to be the practice and providing the beginning of their service was not initiated at the spiritual new year of Pesach or at the giving of the Torah during Shavuot (Which are also possibilities [even if this were the case the math still wouldn’t conclude a Sukkot birth]), then we would calculate that each of the 24 divisions would serve one week twice a year. If they performed their duties in order of selection, Aviyah’s (Zechariah’s clan) division would have performed its duties eighth, in the last week of Nisan and the last week of Cheshvan, with some anomalies caused by the lunar calendar this will have varied slightly. If we count from Nisan, the sixth month would be Tishrei. If this is the month of Messiah’s conception then He was born in the month of Sivan. If we count from Cheshvan we arrive at Iyar, which makes Messiah’s birth in the eleventh month of the Hebrew Calendar, Shevat. Neither date is even remotely close to Sukkot.
However, the sixth month could also refer to the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar Elul, which is the month prior to Tishrei, which again leaves us with Iyar as a possible birth date for Messiah.
Additionally because Luke is either a Greek proselyte or a Jew from the Greek Diaspora, he could also be referring to the sixth month of the Roman calendar. Regardless, any conclusion arrived at is pure conjecture. We have no definitive way of knowing when Yeshua was born.
Some say, “But He was born dwell with us, and John 1:14 says that He became flesh and sukkot (dwelt) in our midst.”
But the text of John 1:14 does not say that Messiah Sukkot with us, but that He Shakhan (from Mishkan) came as flesh, as a Tabernacle in our midst. Meaning, He was a human being Who was like the Tent of meeting (Mishkan) which once dwelt in the midst of Israel. Shakhan is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek Skaynoo. Both are verbs and NOT proper nouns. Sukkot is a proper noun that is unrelated to the Hebrew Shakhan.
While it is true that Messiah dwells with us, it is not proof of the date or season of His birth. Messiah is also the Lamb of God, that doesn’t mean He was born at Passover. He is the substitutionary sacrifice for our sin, that doesn’t mean He was born during Yom Kippur.
6.The feasts of the Torah were specifically commanded by God but Christmas wasn’t. Therefore Christians and Messianics shouldn’t celebrate Christmas.
It’s true, Christmas was not commanded by God: neither were Purim or Chanukah, and yet Yeshua venerated Chanukah and used it as a teaching platform—John 10:22-36. Therefore, based on the foolish logic of this objection, Yeshua sinned because He celebrated a festival that wasn’t specifically commanded by God. Utter nonsense!
Some claim that Yeshua’s veneration of Chanukah is an exception because He is God with us, but Yeshua is not the exception, He is the Rule! He is the first-born among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). We are called to be like Him.
David was not commanded by God to dance half naked before the Ark of the Covenant—which carried the tablets of stone upon which God had engraved His word—as he brought it into Jerusalem with music and rejoicing. His wife Michal criticized him for His shameless celebrating and as a result the Scripture says that she remained barren until her death. If David danced semi naked in celebration before the written word of God as it entered Jerusalem, how much more should we celebrate with great joy the entry into our world of the living Word Yeshua our Messiah, born of a virgin, born to save us from sin. Though we know not the day, we celebrate Him gladly, lest we become like those who begrudge others their joy and seek to imprison people in the bondage of the past! The warning is clear, we must not become like Michal: perhaps she was physiologically unable to conceive after this event? On the other hand perhaps her husband simply no longer approached her to be sexually intimate with her? Or worse still—and most likely—she may have continued to harden her heart until she no longer wanted to be around David. This is the dangerous road we walk when we neglect grace and follow rules born of the foolish arguments of human beings. When we harden our hearts through jealousy and false religion we become isolated and alone. Like Michal we might find our spiritual womb barren, not because we can’t conceive but rather because we have refused our Husband, whose name is Freedom and in turn have failed to be inseminated by His grace. Don’t let the misconceived theories of the pseudo-learned mislead you.
7.Shepherds in Israel don't tend their sheep in winter, therefore, the shepherds of the Christmas story can't have been tending their flocks in winter. Thus, a December date for Messiah's birth cannot be correct.
In fact, Israel’s sheep are shepherded throughout the year including the winter months. Even more importantly, the shepherds of the Christmas story (approx. 3 C.E.) were no ordinary shepherds. It’s an historical fact that there was a tower in close proximity to Beit-lechem, called Eder (flock), around which were pastured the flocks destined for the Temple sacrifices. The group of shepherds in charge of these flocks held a position of great esteem in Israel and were led by a Priest whose role was to ensure the production of unblemished animals that would be offered at the Temple in nearby Yerushalayim. These sheep were needed year round for the Temple sacrifices. Therefore, a winter date for Messiah’s birth is quite possible.
8.Christmas trees are pagan.
Are they? It’s true that pagan cultures have venerated trees and worshipped tree deities. However, these were living trees growing outside the home. Furthermore, those that did bring trees into the home or communal space, didn’t use them in the same way that Christmas trees are used today. For example, the yule tide log of the Norse culture was burned in the fire. These pagan examples do not equate to the cutting down of a tree for symbolic use during Christmas celebrations.
Some decontextualize and mis-quote the following scripture from Jeremiah:
How the Christmas tree objectors read it based on their presupposition:
“3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”
What the full text actually says:
“3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”
It is not speaking of anything remotely similar to Christmas trees. It is speaking of idols carved from trees and representing false gods.
But I ask, “Who came first? The tree or the pagan?” The tree of course. God commands us not to worship objects of creation, he doesn’t tell us not to use them as reminders of Him, in fact God Himself commands the manufacture of Cherubim for the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:18), and these were symbols of His protection, not to be worshipped but to give a visual understanding to His worshippers. Are trees good or evil? They are neither. Once again, if the use of a thing by pagans makes it sinful then we should also discontinue using oxygen—this might be a good idea for some. I repeat, the misuse of a thing does not define it!
Conclusion
So we see that for many and varied illegitimate reasons, a number of modern Christians (Hebrew Roots movement) and Messianics (a term that is now so loosely applied that it is unable to identify any one group), have decided not to celebrate Christ-mas (Messiah is sent).
This on its own would be of little consequence if they simply chose to celebrate His birth at another time, however in the aftermath of the establishment of this foolish pseudo-learned doctrinal decision, they have ceased celebrating the birth of our Messiah altogether. Like the Separatists of the late 18th &19th centuries, they have become so convinced of their own separation from the Ecclesia [Community of faith] (Viewing themselves as the so called “called out” pure Church/Bride), that they have, in seeking purity through their own actions, become subject again to bondage; forgetting that in Messiah we are not keepers of the Torah but rather we are kept by the Living Torah, Ha-d’var Emet (The Word of Truth) Yeshua, Who, if not for His birth into time and space, could not have been crucified and resurrected, thus leaving us without hope. Therefore, let us celebrate His birth, which illuminates His purpose in being sent, that we might also hope in the future glory purchased for us through His death and resurrection.
This year our congregation will once again delight ourselves in remembering the birth of our Messiah Yeshua, each one practicing the Biblical remembrance of Christmas (Messiah is sent) utilizing the symbolism and positive traditions that affirm their own convictions regarding this celebration. We are reminded that every Shabbat we light the candles of Sh’mor (Observance) and Zakhor (Remembrance), therefore we observe the holy day, remembering that Yeshua was born for the purpose of our Salvation (Yeshua). We remember what God has done, what He is doing and what He has promised to do, in Messiah, The Hope of Glory.
“One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.”
–Romans 14:5-6 TLV
As I’ve said before, we are fools to argue over the keeping of days while worshiping the One Who is beyond days. The One Who formed each day for His glory.
An Afterthought
All our Jewish celebrations and festivals fall into one of two categories. Either they celebrate God’s provision for us or they commemorate His delivering us from our enemies. Christmas is the celebration of God’s greatest provision and the commemoration of the beginning of our eternal deliverance. Thus it qualifies as one of the most important Jewish celebrations of all time.
If it were possible to be dull in the Olam Haba (World to come), I’m inclined to believe that those who argue against the celebration of Christmas will be wandering around the new Jerusalem debating whether we should celebrate Messiah’s return. After all, it’s not commanded in the Torah. Wake up sleeper!
Sources:
[a.] Vermaseren, M. J. (1951). "The miraculous Birth of Mithras". In Gerevich, László (ed.). Studia Archaeologica. Brill. pp. 93–109. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
[b.] https://www.ancient.eu/Mithra/
[c.] Ulansey, David (1991). The origins of the Mithraic mysteries. p. 6. ISBN 9780195067880.
[d.]https://www.ancient.eu/Horus/#:~:text=The%20elder%20Horus%20is%20one,the%20creation%20of%20the%20world.&text=In%20another%20version%20of%20the,wife%2C%20and%20daughter%20of%20Horus.
New York Folklore Society (1973). "New York folklore quarterly". 29. Cornell University Press. p. 294.
Ian Shaw (2003). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-815034-3.
Piotr O. Scholz (2001). Eunuchs and castrati: a cultural history. Markus Wiener Publishers. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-55876-201-5.
Roy G. Willis (1993). World Mythology. Macmillan. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-8050-2701-3.
[e.] https://www.ancient.eu/Horus/
[f.] https://strangenotions.com/horus-manure/
[g.]https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/gods/dionysus/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20origin%20given,his%20true%20form%20to%20her.&text=A%20few%20months%20later%2C%20Dionysus%20was%20born%20from%20Zeus's%20thigh.
[h.] https://www.greekboston.com/culture/mythology/dionysus/
[i.] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dionysus
[j.] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ambrosius-Theodosius-Macrobius
[k.] https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/december-25th-day-christ-was-born-8-arguments
[l.] https://www.biu.ac.il/JS/rennert/history_2.html
NB: In combination with this article, please also consider the articles I’ve written on Luke chapters 1 and 2, and the previous articles I’ve written regarding Christmas:
Christmas: An Open Letter to the Haters
http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/christmas-an-open-letter-to-the-haters
This Jew Boy will be Celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December
http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/this-jew-boy-will-be-celebrating-christmas-on-the-25th-of-december
Isaiah 9: For unto us a Child is Born
http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/isaiah-91-2-6-7-for-unto-us-a-boy-is-born
Luke 1:1-38: Choosing Between Disbelief and Wonder
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-11-38-choosing-between-disbelief-wonder
Luke 1:39-80: From Generation to Generation
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-139-80-ldor-vdor-from-generation-to-generation
Luke 2:1-24: G-d’s Plan is not World Peace, it is Peace for the World
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-21-24-g-ds-plan-is-not-world-peace-its-peace-for-the-world
Luke 2:25-52: Hearing About Grace and Favour
http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-225-52-hearing-about-grace-favour
© Yaakov Brown 2020
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