ACCORDING to The
World Book Encyclopedia, “Christmas is the day on which
Christians celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.” Nevertheless, the
encyclopedia also states: “The early Christians did not celebrate [Jesus’]
birth because they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.”
The Making of
the Modern Christmas, by Golby and Purdue, agrees: “Early
Christians did not celebrate the birth of Christ. Birthdays in themselves were
associated with pagan practices; the Gospels say nothing about the actual date
of Christ’s birth.”
If birthday
celebrations do not have a Christian background, how did the birthday of Christ
become such a prominent “Christian” festival?
The Pagan Origin of “Christmas”
“Everyone feasted
and rejoiced, work and business were for a season entirely suspended, the
houses were decked with laurel and evergreen, visits and presents were
exchanged between friends, and clients gave gifts to their patrons. The whole
season was one of rejoicing and goodwill, and all kinds of amusements were
indulged in by the people.”—Paganism in Christian Festivals,
by J. M. Wheeler.
Does this
description fit the Christmas festivities you know? Surprisingly this was not
Christmas! Rather, that is a description of Saturnalia—a week-long pagan Roman
festival associated with the winter solstice (depicted on opposite page). The
birthday of the unconquered sun was celebrated on December 25, a principal
feast-day of Rome’s Mithraic religion.
According to The
New Encyclopædia Britannica, “December 25, the birthday of
Mithra, the Iranian god of light and . . . the day devoted to the invincible
sun, as well as the day after the Saturnalia, was adopted by the church as
Christmas, the nativity of Christ, to counteract the effects of these
festivals.” So the pagan birthday celebration continued with a simple switch in
names, from Mithra to Christ!
However, you may
feel that the birth of God’s Son, Jesus, was something special, deserving to be
remembered. A look at what the Bible relates about this will prove to be very
enlightening.
A Joyous Event
The 2nd chapter of
Luke’s Gospel sets the scene. Luke tells us how heavenly angels, humble
shepherds, devout servants of God, and Mary herself reacted to this noteworthy
event.
Consider first the
“shepherds living out of doors” who were “keeping watches in the night over
their flocks,” which they would not have been doing in the depths of winter.
When “Jehovah’s angel” appeared and God’s glory shone around them, the
shepherds were at first afraid. Reassurance came when the angel explained:
“Have no fear, for, look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that
all the people will have, because there was born to you today a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord.” When “a multitude of the heavenly army” of angels suddenly
appeared, the shepherds knew that this birth was different from all others.
Interestingly, the angels brought no gifts for the newborn infant. Rather, the
angels praised Jehovah, saying: “Glory in the heights above to God, and upon
earth peace among men of goodwill.”—Luke 2:8-14.
Naturally, the
shepherds wanted to see this baby for themselves, for it was Jehovah who had
announced the happy event. When they found the infant lying in the manger, they
told the parents what the angels had said. The shepherds then departed,
“glorifying and praising God,” not the baby.—Luke 2:15-18, 20.
Mary, Jesus’
mother, no doubt rejoiced over the successful delivery of her firstborn. But
she also drew “conclusions in her heart.” Then, accompanied by her husband,
Joseph, she traveled to Jerusalem in obedience to the Mosaic Law. This was no
birthday celebration. Instead, it was a time to present the infant to God,
“just as it is written in Jehovah’s law: ‘Every male opening a womb must be
called holy to Jehovah.’”—Luke 2:19, 22-24.
At the temple in
Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph encountered Simeon, whom Luke describes as
“righteous and reverent, waiting for Israel’s consolation.” Under inspiration,
he had been told that he would not die before seeing “the Christ of Jehovah.”
What happened next was also “under the power of [God’s] spirit.” Simeon took
the infant in his arms, no, not to give him a present, but, rather, to bless
God, saying: “Now, Sovereign Lord, you are letting your slave go free in peace
according to your declaration; because my eyes have seen your means of saving
that you have made ready in the sight of all the peoples.”—Luke 2:25-32.
Next, the aged
prophetess Anna came near. She too “began returning thanks to God and speaking
about the child to all those waiting for Jerusalem’s deliverance.”—Luke
2:36-38.
Mary, Simeon, Anna,
the shepherds, as well as the heavenly angels, all rejoiced at
Jesus’ birth. Please note, however, that they indulged in no birthday revelry,
nor did they engage in gift giving. Rather, they glorified Jehovah,
the heavenly Provider of their means of salvation.
Still, some may
reason, ‘Surely Christmas gift giving cannot be wrong, for did not the “three
wise men” honor Jesus with gifts?’
Christmas Gifts
Again let us
examine the Biblical account. You will find it recorded in Matthew’s Gospel,
chapter 2. There is no mention of any birthday celebration, nor is any specific
time given, though obviously it was some time after Jesus’ birth. In verse 1,
Matthew calls the visitors “astrologers [Greek, ma´goi] from eastern
parts,” hence pagans with no knowledge of Jehovah God. The star these men
followed led them, not directly to Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem, but to
Jerusalem, where King Herod ruled.
When this wicked
ruler heard them inquiring about “the one born king of the Jews,” he sought out
the priests to find exactly “where the Christ was to be born” so that he could
have the child killed. The priests answered by quoting Micah’s prophecy that
located Messiah’s birthplace in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2) Herod hypocritically
instructed his visitors: “Go make a careful search for the young child, and
when you have found it report back to me, that I too may go and do it
obeisance.” The astrologers went on their way, and the star “went ahead of
them, until it came to a stop above where the young child was.” Notice that he
is described as a “young child,” not as a newborn baby.—Matthew 2:1-10.
As befitted
Oriental magnates visiting a ruler, the pagan astrologers fell down and
“presented [the young child] with gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
Matthew adds: “However, because they were given divine warning in a dream not
to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another way.”—Matthew
2:11, 12.
From this brief
Scriptural account, some people might attempt to find support for their
Christmas gift giving. Nevertheless, Discovering Christmas Customs
and Folklore explains that the current custom of giving gifts
finds its roots in the Saturnalia gifts that Romans offered their poor
neighbors. “The early church . . . cleverly transferred its significance to a
ritual commemoration of the gifts of the Magi.” What a contrast this is to the
true worshipers—such as the humble shepherds—who simply praised God at Jesus’
birth!
Honor Christ as King!
Today Jesus is no
longer a baby. He is a powerful Potentate, King of God’s heavenly Kingdom, and
he should be honored as such.—1 Timothy 6:15, 16.
If you are now an
adult, have you ever felt embarrassed when, in your presence, people showed
photographs of you as a baby? True, such pictures remind your parents of their
joy at your birth. But now that you have an identity of your own, do you not
usually prefer others to see you as you are? In a similar vein, think how
disrespectful it is toward Christ Jesus when those who claim to be his
followers become so engrossed each year in the pagan traditions of Christmas
and in honoring an infant that they fail to honor him as King. Why, even in the
first century, the Christian apostle Paul reasoned on the propriety of thinking
of Christ as he now is—a King in heaven. Paul wrote: “Even if we have known
Christ according to the flesh, certainly we now know him so
no more”!—2 Corinthians 5:16.
Christ, as King of
God’s Kingdom, will soon make come true the prophetic promise to remove pain,
suffering, disease, and death. He is the One who will ensure adequate housing
and rewarding work for all under Paradise conditions here on earth. (Isaiah
65:21-23; Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Revelation 21:3, 4) Surely, these are
reasons enough to avoid dishonoring Jesus!
Following Christ’s
own example, true Christians strive to give their neighbors one of the greatest
gifts anyone can offer—an understanding of God’s purpose, which can lead to
eternal life. (John 17:3) This type of gift giving brings them much joy, even
as Jesus said: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in
receiving.”—Acts 20:35; Luke 11:27, 28.
Christians who have
a genuine interest in one another find no difficulty in spontaneously
expressing their love at any time of the year. (Philippians 2:3, 4) As a simple
example, what a thrill it would be to receive a picture from a Christian
youngster who, after listening to a Bible talk, drew it as an expression of
thanks! Equally encouraging is the unexpected present from a relative as a
token of that one’s love. Likewise, Christian parents gain much joy when they
choose appropriate occasions throughout the year to give gifts to their
children. This kind of Christian generosity is untarnished either by perceived
obligation on celebration days or by pagan tradition.
Consequently, today
over four and a half million Christians from all nations do not celebrate
Christmas. These are Jehovah’s Witnesses, who regularly busy themselves by
giving to their neighbors a witness about the good news of God’s Kingdom.
(Matthew 24:14) You may well meet them when they visit your home, perhaps soon.
May your eager reception of what they bring you lead your family to great joy,
as you learn how to praise Jehovah God every day of the year.—Psalm 145:1, 2.
WhiLe kinukuLit namin, I noticed his mp4 lying on his side. Hiniram ku at kinaLikot. MadaLi aman aku matuto when it comes to gadgets tapos maya-maya napunta aku sa Images nung mp4. Nakita ku agad pic nun besprend nia tapos pag-scroLL ku pababa, naguLat aku kasi famiLiar sa’kin ung next pic! And haha, my heart stopped beating. Hinimatay aku! Pero joke Lang.. Napa-smiLe lang aku.
Isa Lang ang hindi ku nasabi kung bakit hindi pwede. Prefer ku kasi ung kapareho ku ng faith… un taLaga… Minsan kasi naiisip ku kung pwede Lang worLdLy baka lalakero na ku weh kaso gusto ko kung sinu na ung una ko, sia na asawa ku… May ginagaya Lang. hehehe After some time.. I don’t know what came to me pero I think tama ung sinabe sa’kin last time ni HanzeL… (lalaking nagbaLak din.. ata) 
