Christmas is just around the corner, and we can already see signs telling us to "put Christ back into Christmas." People everywhere are saying Christmas is too commercialized and that we are overlooking the real meaning of Christmas. Some preachers are asking, "What are you going to give Christ on his birthday?" Most churches are organizing Christmas plays, cantatas, and programs.

Since most people recognize Christmas as a religious Holy Day, it would be good for us to study its meaning. Considering that Christmas has the word Christ in it, it should have some connection to the Lord. If there is such a connection, we should be able to turn to the New Testament and read about this observance. However, upon a careful examination, we fail to find a single reference to this day in God's word.

When did people first begin observing this special day? To answer this question, we have to go outside the New Testament. Historians tell us it was nearly three centuries after Christ's death before a day was set aside for a special observance of His birth.

• "Christmas was for the first time celebrated in Rome in 354, in Constantinople in 379, and in Antioch in 388." (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Noval Geldenhuys, p. 102)
  
  
• A well-known preacher during this time mentioned the late origin of Christmas. "Chrysostom, in a Christmas sermon, A.D. 386, says, 'It is not ten years since this day was clearly known to us ...'" (Unger Bible Dictionary, p. 196).
  
  
• "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church, and before the fifth century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar, whether January 6th, March 25th, or December 25^th." (Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 5, p. 641)
  
  

When was Jesus born? It comes as a shock to many individuals that the Bible does not tell us when Christ was born; but we are reasonably certain He was not born in December.

Nearly everyone remembers reading about the angel's appearance to the shepherds. In Luke 2:8 we read, "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." This rules out Christ's birth as a winter event. "According to this statement, Jesus cannot have been born in December, in the middle of the rainy season, as has been since the forth century supposed ... According to the Rabbins, the driving forth of the flocks took place in March, the bringing in of them in November." (Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospels of Mark and Luke, H.A.W. Meyer, p. 273)

Adam Clarke made this observation: "It was a custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the deserts, about the Passover, and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain; during the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As the Passover occurred in the spring, and the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to our part of October and November, we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country during the whole of the summer. And as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields." (Adam Clarke's Commentary, p. 857)

What about the three wise men? In every city across America, you can see the famous nativity scene with the shepherds, Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus, and the three wise men. I do not know how many wise men there were, but I am certain they were never at the manger! Matthew tells us when they found Jesus they went "into the house" (Matthew 2:1-11). He did not mention the manger.

"They came to Jerusalem after Jesus had been presented in the temple, and taken back to Bethlehem, and, therefore, when the infant Jesus was more than forty days old. They must have come at least forty days before the death of Herod, for he spent the last forty days of his life at Jericho and the baths of Callirrhoe; the wise men found him still at Jerusalem. Jesus must, therefore, have been at least 80 days old when Herod died." (The Fourfold Gospel, J.W. Me Garvey, pp. 42-43)

Who made the decision to celebrate Christ's birthday on December 25? This dubious credit goes to the Roman Catholic Church. They explain it thusly: "Numerous theories have been put forward through the last 2,000 years to explain December 25 as Christmas Day. The most likely one, however, the one most generally accepted by scholars now, is that the birth of Christ was assigned to the date of the winter solstice. This date is December 21 in our calendar, but was December 25 in the Julian calendar which predated our own... The solstice, when days begin to lengthen in the northern hemisphere, was referred to by pagans as the 'Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.' During the third century, the Emperor Aurelian proclaimed December 25 as a special day dedicated to the sun-god, whose cult was very strong in Rome at that time. Even before this time, Christian writers already had begun to refer to Jesus as the Sun of Justice. It seemed quite logical, therefore, that as Christianity began to dominate the religious scene in the Roman Empire, the date of the 'new-born sun' should be chosen as the birth date of Christ. Apparently, it bothers some people that the date for Christmas has its roots in a pagan feast. Be that as it may, it's the best explanation we have for the choice of December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus." (The New Question Box, pp. 28-29)

This December observance originated with pagans as a feast day to their sun god, Mithra. It was changed into a Christian holy day by the Roman Catholic Church.

"Don't you think we need to observe the birth of Christ?" People often ask this question, but I usually answer this question with a question, "Why should we?" In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter said that God has given us "all things that pertain to life and godliness." Everything we need to know, of a religious nature, has been revealed in the Bible. 1 Peter 4:11 says that if I speak, I must speak "as the oracles of God." If God would have wanted us to observe Christ's birth, He most assuredly would have told us!

How should we remember Jesus? God left three memorials to Christ; all three point to His death and resurrection.

• First, baptism in water reminds us of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4).
  
  
• Second, the Lord's Supper is a constant reminder of His death. As we partake of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, we "proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
  
  
• Third, our worship on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, reminds us of His resurrection (Matthew 28:1; Acts 20:7; Revelation1:10).
  
  

God does not want His Son remembered as a baby lying in a manger, but as the suffering Savior and now-resurrected Redeemer. (Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 21, pp.641.663 November 2, 1989)

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Without question, all of these articles clearly pointed to the human origin of Christmas day. What other issues concerning this holiday should God's children examine? Each of us probably does other things in connection with the season.

• Exchanging presents,
  
  
• Sprucing up our homes with holidays decorations,
  
  
• Sending holiday cards,
  
  
• Expressing the greetings of the season, and
  
  
• Dealing with others whose convictions differ from our own.
  
  

None of these things should leave the impression that we believe this day is a religious holiday. Also remember the following:

• Do not send cards that depict religious activities (three kings, Jesus in a manager, a star guiding the wise men, etc);
  
  
• Do not invite into your home brethren who have convictions concerning Xmas trees, lights, etc. Do not cause them to violate their consciences.
  
  
• Do not put a star on top of the tree or candles in the window; both have religious connotations to Christmas.
  
  
• Be careful about the school activities in which you allow your children to participate. It is inconsistent to allow your child to play the part of a wise man or one of the angels announcing Christ's birth. These things are connected with the world's concept of Christmas as a religious holiday.
  
  
• Above all, seek for opportunities to teach the more important things about Jesus-His death, burial, and resurrection and what they mean to us. (KMG)