Objections to Christmas: A Messianic Response

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. 

Introduction:

At this time of year the inevitable Messianic Gentile objections to Christmas rear their ugly heads. One of the beautiful ironies at work to refute this year’s tirade, is that at least one of the most common objections to the celebration of Christmas is made impotent by the date of the Jewish observance of Chanukah (Rededication), which begins on Christmas day, the 25th of December. This year the lunar Calendar of Israel coincides with the Gregorian calendar so that the 25th of Kislev and the 25th of December become 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. 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, many of whom dine on a steady diet of conspiracy theory, YouTube Bible teaching and conjecture.

My hope is that this article will help to equip you for the practise of freedom in Messiah. A key aspect of the faith that has been sadly neglected by the parachurch swing back to bondage on the rebound from hyper-grace.

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, 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 centred Messianic Jewish Tradition.

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.

Refuting Common Objections to Christmas

First, let me make it clear that Jews do not object to Christians celebrating Christmas because for the most part Jews do not accept Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah. Therefore, Christmas is simply the religious practice of the Gentile Western world.

So who are these people 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”. 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

1. Christmas is Pagan.

In fact 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 God 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 opinion—as much a Jewish Holiday as Purim and Chanukah. So, is Christmas Pagan? Well, the name certainly isn’t. I wish you a hearty, “Chag Sameach v Mishiyach neshlach Sameach!” and a, “Chag Ha-molad Sameach!”

2. Christians and Messianics 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 its 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.

3. The feasts of the Torah were specifically commanded by G-d 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. David was not commanded by God 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! 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.

4. Christmas trees are pagan.

Are they? It’s true that pagan cultures have venerated trees and worshipped 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 worshipped but to give a visual understanding to His worshippers. 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.

5. The Messiah was born at Sukkot, not in winter.

​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 on? Given the lack of Biblical evidence citing 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.
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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 (Israel) were keen to avoid further uprisings and the causes for them, it is unlikely that a census would have been called during an Aliyah (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.

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 19th century, 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 (5777: 2016) 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.

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!

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
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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
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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
 
© 2016 Yaakov Brown