Christmas: an open letter to the haters’

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.

Introduction:

“Christmas!” Yeah I’m Jewish and yeah, I said it. “Christ-mas,” yep, said it again, feels good on my tongue too. Okay, let me clarify what kind of Jew I am, because I know there are people out there who strip Jews like me of our identity if they find out we’re crushing on Yeshua—that’s Hebrew for Jesus. Yeah I said it, “Jesus!” and no, I’m not one of those conspiracy theorists who thinks the Greek word for Joshua venerates Zeus. So now we’re clear on who I am, let me define the audience I’m writing to—most of whom have stopped reading already—I guess it’s a closed letter now.

I’m writing to the rapidly growing group of Messianic Jews/Christians who claim that Christmas is pagan. I’m also writing to those Gentile followers of Messiah who pretend to represent Messianic Jewish interests, people who so desperately wish they were Jewish that they have convinced themselves that some eleventh century Spanish ancestor cheated on his wife with a Jewish maid, and so, that now gives them the right to speak for the Jewish people. I want you to know that you don’t speak for me, I want you to know that you don’t represent the views of the wider Jewish community, I want you to know that you dishonor the name of Messiah when you defile His grace with your misinformed nonsense and your hate filled arguments over the keeping of days. I want you to know that you’re no more or less special than anyone else, for G-d seeks all and desires all. He’s bigger than your widest argument and fiercer than your narrowest accusation. This letter is written to the pretenders, who smile at my face and hiss behind my back. If you’re a Christmas hater, this letter is addressed to you. Don’t miss understand me, I’m for you, I’m just not with you.

What’s in a Name?

So what’s in a name? Well, if you’re Jewish or have studied the Torah you will probably hold the view that from G-d’s perspective at least, there is a great deal of value and meaning in a name. Christmas is the name of a Christian celebration of the birth of Christ. 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 G-d who would be born into time to deliver His people Israel. So I guess you could say the first part of the name Christmas is pretty much Jewish. Next comes the word 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 Mishiyach neshlach—Messiah is sent. In truth, the two concepts of anointing and sending are rooted deeply in Judaism and help make Christmas--in my not so humble opinion--as much a Jewish Holiday as Purim and Chanukah. I wish you a hearty, “Hag Sameach v Mishiyach neshlach Sameach!”

The Complaints of the Christmas Haters:

I’m told by some, that I shouldn't celebrate Messiah’s birth because birthday celebration is pagan. Really? Ancient Pagans celebrated weddings too, should I no longer celebrate weddings? I’m also told that I shouldn't celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December because a number of pagan gods were born on or worshiped on the same date. Is there a day in the year when some other deity was not born or worshiped? I know for example that Amun Ra was worshiped morning and evening every day in Egypt long before Israel received it’s moadim—holy convocations/festivals. Does this mean that the commanded feasts of G-d are also pagan? Am I to assume then that there are no days that can be used for worshiping the one true G-d of Israel? What nonsense. The Creator of Days owns the days, they are all purposed for His use—December 25th included.

The feasts of the Torah were specifically commanded by G-d but Christmas wasn't:

It’s true, Christmas was not commanded by G-d: neither were Purim or Chanukah, and yet Yeshua venerated Chanukah and used it as a teaching platform—John 10:22-36. David was not commanded by G-d to dance half naked before the Ark of the Covenant—which carried the tablets of stone upon which G-d 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 G-d 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 with deep seeded malice! 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.

Christmas trees are pagan:

Are they? It’s true that pagan cultures have venerated trees and worshiped tree deities but I ask, “Who came first? The tree or the pagan?” The tree of course. G-d commands us not to worship objects of creation, he doesn't tell us not to use them as reminders of Him, in fact G-d Himself commands the manufacture of Cherubim for the arc of the covenant, and these were symbols of His protection, not to be worshiped but to give a visual understanding to His worshipers. Are trees good or evil? They are neither. 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.

Isn't there some way we can work out the season of Messiah’s birth?

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 honest or accurate assessment of 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 on? Given the lack of Biblical evidence sighting exact dates and times for His birth I would hazard a guess that G-d 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 G-d, you don’t need to know everything, knowledge puffs up but love builds up.

The Keeping of Days:

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.

My name is Yaakov ben Yehoshua, I am both a Jew and a Gentile and I love Christmas--Mishiyach neshlach Sameach!

© 2013 ​Yaakov Brown