CHRISTMAS, NOT JESUS-MAS

Written by: Blackson Makhumba B

WHY DO CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF JESUS ON 25^TH DECEMBER?

Of late Christmas day has come under severe attack and questionning. Many people wonder if indeed Christ was born on 25th December or how did  the day become the day for celebratingthe birth of Christ. The argument about the exact date of Christ's birth and the essence of celebrating Christmas on 25th December has been there since Christmas was first cebrated during the fourth century. Both Christians and non-Christians have the same questions in this regard.However, the debate has become very hot of late due to a rise of so many religious sects that are even against Christianity.  I have done some research and found the information that will help the reader, by the grace of God, to understand this whole issue (at least). The question mainly is, “Was Jesus born on 25^th December?”

Many Christian teachers suggested different dates all over the calendar because no one knows the exactly date and even year when Jesus was born.  For example, one man named Hyppolytus who lived between 170 and 236 AD claimed that Jesus was born on Wednesday, 25^th December 4 BC. Clement picked 18^th November. Anonymous document believed to have been written in Africa around 243 AD placed the date on 28^th March. Among all the dates, 25^th December became popular for certain reasons.   It was popularized as the date for Christmas, not because Christ was born on that day, but because it was already popular in pagan religious celebrations as the birthday of the sun.

 WHY DECEMBER IS NOT FITTING HERE?

Careful analysis of weather and seasons of Israel and of Scripture clearly indicates that December could not be the month for Christ's birth.

Here are two primary reasons:

1.   First, we know that shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at the time of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:7- Shepherds were not in the fields during December because it is during winter and weather is so could and rainy in Judea, that people are mostly indoors. Thus, it is likely the shepherds would have sought shelter for their flocks at night" It would be unusual for shepherds to be “abiding in the fields at this cold time of year when fields were unproductive. The normal practice was to keep the flocks in the fields from spring to autumn.

2.   Second, Jesus' parents came to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census (Luke 2:1-4)  Such censuses were not taken in winter, when temperatures often dropped below freezing and roads were in poor condition. Taking a census under such conditions would have been self-defeating. Also, winter would likely be an especially difficult time for pregnant Mary to travel the long distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem (70 miles).The Complete Book of American Holidays ,states that  Luke's account "suggests that Jesus may have been born in summer or early fall (p309).

JESUS’ APPROXIMATE BIRTH DATE

 The approximate time of year Jesus was born can be properly calculated if we know when John was born. John's father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah (Luke 1:5) Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June 13-19 in that year (The Companion Bible, 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200).It was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child.
 

 Therefore, biblical accounts point to the fall of the year as the most likely time of Jesus' birth based on the conception and birth of John the Baptist. Since Elizabeth (John's mother) was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived (Luke 1:24-3) After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (Luke 1:23-2) Assuming John's conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John's birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus (Luke 1:35-36), brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus' birth.

 If the conception of John took place in June, it is most probably that the conception of Jesus took place in December when the angel visited Mary and then Jesus was born in September.” The probability is that the mighty angel leading the heavenly host in their praises that came to the shepherds was Michael the archangel. Then this occasion was later commemorated by the early church as Michaelmas (‘Michael sent’), on September 29, the same as the date of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. It would have at least been appropriate for Christ to have been born on such a date, for it was at His birth that ‘the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14).

WHY CELEBRATING JESUS BIRTH ON 25^TH DECEMBER?

Although it is difficult to determine the first time anyone celebrated December 25 as Christmas Day, historians are in general agreement that it was sometime during the fourth century. This is an amazingly late date. Christmas was not observed in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, until about 300 years after Christ's death. Its origins cannot be traced back to either the teachings or practices of the earliest Christians.

Some sources suggest that the date was chosen by the Roman Catholic Church because Rome dominated most of the “Christian” world for centuries, the date became tradition throughout most of Christendom. The original significance of December 25 is that it was a well-known festival day celebrating the annual return of the sun. December 21 is the winter solstice (shortest day of the year and thus a key date on the calendar), and December 25 is the first day that ancients could clearly note that the days were definitely getting longer and the sunlight was returning.

So, why was December 25 chosen to remember Jesus Christ’s birth with a mass (or Communion supper)?  The Church wished to replace the pagan festival with a Christian holy day (holiday). The psychology was that is easier to take away an unholy (but traditional) festival from the population, when you can replace it with a good one. Otherwise, the Church would have left a void where there was a long-standing tradition, and risked producing a discontented population and a rapid return to the old ways.

However, as suggested above, it is rather commonly believed (though not certain) that Jesus’ birth was around the last of September. The conception of Christ, however, may have taken place in late December of the previous year. Our Christmas celebration may well be recognized as an honored observation of the annunciation of ‘the Word made flesh’ when the angel announced to Mary about the conception.  Thus, it might well be that when we today celebrate Christ’s birth at what we call Christmas (i.e., ‘Christ sent’), we are actually celebrating His miraculous conception, the time when the Father sent the Son into the world, in the virgin’s womb.

ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS

Christmas means ‘Christ sent’ not Christ’s birth as others suggest. Essence of Christmas is to celebrate that Christ came into the world to atone for our sin; He died on the cross, was buried together with our sin, then, was resurrected to eternity and is alive today. He came during the darkest time of the year—the time of the pagan Saturnalia, and the time when the sun (the physical ‘light of the world’) is at its greatest distance from the Holy Land—which was surely an appropriate time for God to send the spiritual ‘light of the world’ into the world as the ‘Savior, which is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:11).

It is no sin to celebrate the coming into the world of the Son of God in any time of the year seen appropriate. We are doing the right thing as declared by Zechariah, “Shout and be glad O daughter of Zion, for I am coming, and I will live among you….” Zechariah 2:10.

THE DEFEATING TRUTH

Despite human misconceptions, the actual facts about Jesus are more marvelous than words can express. One day among many in a certain year Jesus was born. He was indeed born of a virgin in the city of Bethlehem, the city of David, exactly as prophesied many years before God spoke through prophet Micah, “But you, Beth-lehem Ephrata, though you be  little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He come forth unto Me who is to be  the ruler of Israel; Whose going forth have been of old, from everlasting.’ Micah 5:2. Jesus was conceived in Mary, not by man, but by the Holy Spirit of God. As the apostle John reveals, Jesus existed before the Creation of the world. He is the second person of the Holy Trinity we know as God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The Son of God came in human form for a purpose—to die as a willing sacrifice in payment for the sins of mankind. He did this to provide eternal salvation as a free gift to all who will accept it and follow Him.

This Jesus Christ must be celebrated everyday, at any place all the times in our hearts. Lack of this understanding has made the whole concept of Christmas be pagan festive. The pagan or non-believers celebrate more in their ways than how Christians are supposed to celebrate. This has even turned many Christians’ way of thinking about Christmas. It has turned into time of eating, drinking partying and doing all sorts of things in the name of celebrating Jesus birth.