The Birth of Messiah
The History of Christmas
The Traditions of Christmas
4th article
Conclusion on Christmas
by Scott Callas, Wildbranch Ministry
Our study of Christmas has taken us through a lot of history and Scripture. We have explored reasons, origins, practices, and beliefs. This study has approached a topic that many hold dear, and some hold as paramount to the Christian faith. This study has also challenged the veracity of the celebration of Christmas based upon the origins and traditions of the festival. Now that we have come to end this study, what are we to do with all that we have seen?
I know that some of those who read this study will click off of this site [Ed. note - Scott has his own website to which he is refering], never to return. Some will read this study and return for the other materials available here, but suppose this is one area where the writer is 'off base.' It is my hope that even a few will read this study, see the truth we have uncovered and effectively put into work the truth of God's Word regarding this festival.
Once again, if you have not read all of the preceding sections of this study, please go back and do so. This study is designed to be read in order, and each section builds on the previous sections. Before you read this section, you should have read: The Birth of Messiah, The Origins of Christmas, and The Traditions of Christmas.
In concluding this study, I hope to tie up all the loose ends and present a course of action for those who have seen the case this study lays out.
The first question everyone asks, I know this because I myself have asked and been asked this question, is this: "What is wrong with celebrating the birth of Jesus at the time when this whole country (and much of the world) celebrates His birth? This is one of the two times of the year that Jesus is spoken of publicly in many non-religious places." The answer to this question is not as simple as it may seem.
To celebrate the birth of the King of Kings is not wrong in any way. I can find no evidence of anything wrong with celebrating Yahshua's birth. In fact, if we think about it, we should celebrate His birth, life, death, and resurrection everyday! It is through Him coming to die for our sins that we are redeemed. So in that respect, to celebrate in May, July, or December, it doesn't matter. But think of it this way. Think about your birth date. Mine is in January. I didn't plan when I was going to be born. I was unable to set the day or the hour. However, even though I was just along for the ride until my birth came, I still celebrate my birthday in January, on the day that I was born. Why? Because that is the day that I came into this world. That day holds special meaning to me. I'm sure I'm not alone in this view. I think everyone reading this knows exactly what I'm saying.
Now, Yahshua is divine, God incarnate. I would say that He has the power and authority to pick the day He would be born. I would also say, He would pick a specific day, for a specific reason. YHVH is precise in all that He says and does. This day would have a purpose in the overall plan He set into motion in the beginning. This day would be a great mark on history. This day would have been set up in advance, considering all that had to be set in place beforehand. Consider the genealogy in Matthew. Forty-two generations to be set into place, over roughly two thousand years. Each of the men and women in that family tree are placed there for a specific and special purpose. A bloodline from David had to be kept to bring the Messiah out of the tribe of Judah. A blood curse came upon one side of the bloodline, so that was planned around, and still brought the Messiah about. A host of angels turns out to announce the birth of the Messiah, in the hills near Bethlehem, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." The king of the nation murders every male infant in the country to try and kill the Son of YHVH. This was not an ordinary birthday.
As you saw in the first section of this study, The Birth of Messiah, it is the view of this writer, and many wiser men than I, that the birth of Messiah occurred during the feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Sukkot is one of seven festivals ordained by YHVH in Leviticus chapter 23, and one of three that required all the men of Israel to come to Jerusalem for the feast. Since we already covered the evidences that this was the season of His birth, let's consider why this is important to us.
Leviticus 23:1-2
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
In verse two, we see the word 'feasts' used twice. You may notice through out Scripture, that things are said twice in this manner. This is a literary device in the Hebrew language that is used often in the Bible, which states something in a general sense, then clarifies that statement with more detail. In this case, the "feasts of the LORD" are introduced, and then these feasts are explained to be "holy convocations," and His feasts. This word 'feasts,' is the Hebrew word mo'edim. This is the plural of the word mo'ed. Mo'ed means an appointment, a fixed time or season. Mo'ed comes from the verbal root word ya'ad, which means to fix upon, to meet at a stated time (with God), to arrange a marriage. From looking at the definition and root of the word used for 'feast' in verse two, we can come to understand that these feasts are fixed times that YHVH has set into place as appointments for specific events. We know that these feasts coincide with great events in the Tenakh (Old Testament), and then set times for Brit Chadashah events, also. The Passover coincides with the exodus from Egypt, and then again later with the birth of John the Immerser, and once again with the death of Yahshua. The feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) is marked as the day in which the Torah was given to Moses on the mountain, which coincides with the outpouring of the Ruach haQodesh in Acts. Sukkot marks the time when Israel lived in booths (Sukkot, or tabernacles) in the wilderness. It is the season in which Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem. As we have seen, it is the feast of Sukkot that marks a set time, an appointment in which the Son of YHVH was born.
I cannot say it enough; YHVH is a very precise and exacting God. This is He who knows the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30). This is He who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. This is He who laid the foundation of the earth. This is He who proclaims from the beginning, the end (Isaiah 46:10).
Job 38:4-7
4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Upon investigating why we should and should not do something, I believe that what we should do better be based on what YHVH has told us to do. Conversely, the things we abstain from should be based on His instructions also. That is, those of us who wish to be obedient to the Word of YHVH, the God of the Bible.
1 John 5:2-4
2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
John 15:9-17
9"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. " 10"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Fathers commandments, and abide in his love. " 11"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. " 12"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. " 13"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. " 14"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. " 15"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. " 16"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. " 17"These things I command you, that ye love one another. " 18"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. "
Romans 12:2
2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Now back to our question in the beginning of this section. What is wrong with celebrating the birth of Messiah on the feast called Christmas? We will answer that in part with a question: If a person does not celebrate the birth of Messiah on the day that YHVH set, knowing in His omniscience that the day He would choose would be marked for very specific purposes (other than just Yahshua's birth), a day He told His people to celebrate, a very precise and exacting day, why does that person celebrate on the wrong day? Perhaps I seem harsh, and that is not my intent, but if we don't celebrate a day God points out to us, but choose another day, is that living by faith in the Word of God? Is it wrong to celebrate the birth of Messiah on any other day than the feast on which He really was born? I would say no. Not if you are celebrating the feast on which He really was born. But, this is only my opinion. The Levitical feasts are commands given by YHVH. Anything else is 'extra-Biblical,' or simply: outside of the Scriptures.
Here is a provocative thought: In Daniel, the Antichrist is mentioned to be one who will change the "times and the laws." These 'times' that are mentioned are 'set times.' We saw earlier how the Levitical feasts are 'set times.' This concerns me. If it is the Antichrist (or anyone acting in the spirit of Antichrist) who is changing the 'times' I think we should all be concerned, and at the very least, check to see what this verse means. Could it be that Sukkot is one of the 'times' that was changed in the last two thousand years? Again, perhaps this seems like I am being harsh. However, I am simply pointing out that the Scriptures seem to suggest something's amiss with this feast.
Daniel 7:25
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
As for the traditions that are practiced during the feast of Christmas, that is a separate issue from whether or not we celebrate the day at all. We explored the main tradition, as far as material things, which is the Christmas tree. We saw how other cultures in times past have used this symbol in their forms of worship for pagan deities; gods of the sun and harvest. In my article on Halloween, we explored how YHVH feels about the practices of the pagans and His instructions to not pick up those ways and worship Him like the pagans worshipped their gods. (I think we agree that Halloween has no redeeming quality at all. Christmas may have at least one redeeming point in that it is one of two times a year when the Messiah is openly spoken of.) Let's look at the Scriptures, and see what they have to say that may apply to our current study.
Deuteronomy 12:29-32
29When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 30Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 32What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Deuteronomy 18:9
9When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
Exodus 23:24-25
24Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. 25And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
I myself have said in the past, "Doesn't God look at what is in our hearts? Isn't that what matters to Him?" Yes, indeed He does look at our hearts. I tremble to think what He might see when He looks at mine. I know that I am not perfect. But it is with the heart that we believe the Word, the Word that is inspired by the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit). It is with the heart that we obey His Word. Therefore if we are obeying, what He sees in our hearts is pleasing to Him. If we are not obeying, and have good intention to obey, but lack the knowledge of what to obey, it is my opinion that He will be merciful. That of course is up to YHVH. When we have His instructions sitting on the shelf, I believe that we have the responsibility to pick them up and read them. Yes, He looks at our hearts. We are in control of our hearts, and therefore, I desire to conform my heart to the Word of YHVH.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
1 Corinthians 2:9-13
9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
It is with the Scriptures that we come to know and understand the ways and teachings of Yahshua. Without placing ourselves in the Bible and knowing what this book says, we will not know the ways of Yahshua.
So with these things in mind, where do we go from here? This is up to you. I can give suggestions, however your obedience to the Word is between you and God. I cannot be the Holy Spirit for anyone. I have enough on my plate; my responsibilities for my own walk with Yahshua and for the spiritual direction of my family. My suggestions would be like this: Continue in the Bible. See if what I have said is true. Do not take my word for anything, but be as the Bereans (Acts 17:11). Be knowledgeable in God's Word. As you grow in the Word, make your actions, your speech, and your ways reflect what you know to be truth (based on the Bible). If you come up to something that you have been doing wrong, repent. It is that simple.
To sum up: God's Word, the Bible, must be our guide. Understand it! Use that as our guide for what pleases Him. Check our actions, words, celebrations, - our lives - against the Scriptures. What doesn't fit, doesn't stay.
Consider those who have gone before us, like Ezra and Nehemiah. These two men are great examples of men who put their trust in the Word of God. These two took the Word, and put it to action in their lives, leading others to do the same. It is with these two in mind that I stand for what I know to be the truth of God's Word, placing His Word into action in my own life and home. Just as Ezra led the people of Judah back to the Word, I must bring myself and my family to God's Word. I must place His Word into our actions and ways. If I may influence others to do likewise, so be it.
As I said in the introduction to this study, I feel both side of this issue need understanding. Those who lean more towards the traditions of the church, need to investigate the Scriptures, and make sure our traditions line up with the Word. It was under the banner "Sola Scriptura," (Scripture only) that the Protestant Reformation took their first steps. May we trully hold to that standard. For those who lean toward a 'Messianic' understanding, let's not forget that we most likely followed the same traditions not so long ago. Let us help our Brethren out of a heart of love, to find footing. For those who do not celebrate the festival of Christmas, you know how it is to come to grips with the truth of this feast and it's ensuing traditions. We have seen people struggle with these things, as we ourselves have. These traditions have deep roots in our lives. Let us all present the truth in love. Let us all be careful how we communicate the truth. I received an e-mail just a day or two ago that presented a great truth. As I'm not really sure who this is from, I'll just share the quote:
"Whenever you try to influence others, think first about how you can present the ideas in a way that will be accepted. It is not sufficient to just make the point. Even when your goal in communicating the message is totally for the other person's benefit, you still must present what you say in a strategic manner to ensure that people will listen to you."
Criticizing others for practices in which you do not share is not sharing the truth in love. Criticizing a person who is doing what they have been taught all their lives is right, can turn more people away from you than from what they were doing. Please, instead of using harsh words to scare people away from something, let's use a kind word to show the truth. Let us be as Yahshua was with people. The ones He rebuked were those who knew the truth, but did not live it. Those who needed the truth, those He taught with love. Remember that it was Messiah who prayed that His followers would be one. It is difficult to be united with a harsh person. May we all come to be united through the Truth, in Messiah Yahshua, just as He and the Father are one, that the world will know that the Father has sent Him and that He has loved us.
It is my prayer that this study on the festival of Christmas has helped encourage you to seek the truth. I pray that the Spirit guide you in your walk with Messiah. Thank you for taking the time to read this study. Please let me know how this study has helped or hindered you. I would be more than happy to answer questions you may have. E-mail me here: scott (at) studentofscripture.org .
Shalom!
