Which to celebrate: Christmas or the Christ?

Modern customs and commercialism obscure the true Jesus

By Tom Kovach

I was not at all surprised to read the recent Associated Press news that an ancient church — where the custom of celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December began — was intentionally built near the site of Roman pagan rituals. As I've written in previous columns on this topic, (The hijacking of Christmas, and the more-detailed Christmas needs an extreme makeover), the modern version of Christmas is not merely a "commercialization" of a godly celebration. The modern version is actually insulting to God.

I was not "born" a Christian. Although my childhood did include sporadic attendance at various local churches (as a "visitor") , I did not truly accept the Christian faith until the age of 17, when I was already in the Air Force. When I did come to Christ, it was another long length of time before I was formally baptized. (In an act of loving faith, my dear, late Russian grandmother had baptized me in her bathtub when I was an infant. But, I was not aware of it until well after my 30th birthday.) This background underscores that, when I investigated Christianity for myself, I made a study of the history, and of the meanings behind the rituals. What I found was fascinating. And, the more I learn with age, the more fascinating it becomes. Please let me share with you the hidden treasures that are buried beneath the baubles of what we now call "Christmas."

our Jewish roots

No true examination of our Christian faith can be complete without an examination of the Jewish roots of both Jesus and the religion that honors Him. Few things on planet Earth disturb me more than people that call themselves "Christians" while disrespecting and even despising Israelites and their faith. (I use the term "Israelites" as a way to distinguish between the modern terms "ethnic Jews" and "religious Jews." Israelite is the term that Jesus used in John 1:47 to describe Nathanael, in whom there was "no guile.") There is no doubt that Jesus was of the nation of Israel, the tribe of Judah, and the line of David. The Bible traces the lineage of Jesus all the way back to Adam. The key difference between Christians and Jews was summed up by a New York rabbi, who told me, "We Jews are waiting for our Messiah to come. You Christians are waiting for our Messiah to come back."

Because of our central belief that Jesus is the promised Messiah, we must examine the Jewish roots of Jesus in order to deepen our understanding of our own faith. And, in examining it, we come to one of the major stumbling blocks between the real Jesus and both Jews and Christians. Are you puzzled? Read on.

The ancient Israelites held a belief that true prophets of God were born and died on the same day of the year. It is a documented historical fact that Jesus died just before the start of the Passover. In fact, during the days of the Temple at Jerusalem, the shofar (ram's horn) was blown at the ninth hour (3pm) to tell people to kill and prepare the sacrificial lamb before the sun goes down. The Gospels tell us that Jesus died on the Cross as the ninth hour arrived on the Day of Preparation (the day before the Passover). Therefore, from a Jewish perspective, it would be impossible for Jesus to have been the Messiah if it was also true that He was born in the winter. But, what if He was born at the time of the Passover?

conceived at Pentecost

The details and timeline are laid out fully in Christmas needs an extreme makeover. But, the short version is that Jesus was born in the Spring, because that is when lambs are born. Shepherds stay in the fields and watch their flocks by night in the Spring, not in the Winter. And, it is nine months from the Hebrew feast of Shauvot (the first fruits of the wheat harvest, also known as Pentecost) until the Passover. By comparing the details given about the conception of Jesus' cousin, John the Baptizer, we can calculate the time of the conception of Jesus. For the people of Israel, Pentecost marks the day when God gave the Law to His servant Moses. For Christians, Pentecost marks the day when the Holy Spirit filled the mouths of the early Apostles with divine teaching. In both cases, it marks a time when God descended to be made known in a specific event. It only makes sense that when the Son of God descended to take on human flesh, it would begin at the time of that same feast.

born at Passover

God knows the end from the beginning. Some might say that the giving of the Law marked the end of the Israelite journey out of Egypt. That journey began at the Passover, when an angry God killed the first-born of Egypt in order to force Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free from bondage. In an interesting twist, the beginning of Jesus' earthly life was to be conceived on the day that marks the end of the Passover journey. And, the end of Jesus' journey through humanity is documented on the day that the Israelite journey began. Only an infinite God could plan that timing across the span of centuries. These points about Jesus' birth and death being on the same day — especially because that day is the Passover — bridge the gap between Jews and Christians, because the "prophet's rule" is upheld. The door is now open for Jews to recognize, according to their own ancient traditions, that Jesus truly is their Messiah.

so, what about "Christmas"?

As the above-linked columns spell out in greater detail, modern "Christmas" is an insult to God. Looking at the Christian faith from the outside, why would anyone believe in a God that must use a fat man in a red suit to lure children into a belief in a "welfare system" that turns out to be fiction? (Many of those children that believe in Santa Claus — or, Satan Lucas — will become adults that still wait for "presents" under the tree of government welfare programs.) The reality is that Santa and reindeer and presents have absolutely nothing to do with Christ or the celebration of His birth. Neither do office parties, drunk driving, fights in parking lots, or credit-card debt. When looking from the outside at how much of Christianity the average Christian is willing to toss aside each year at this time, no wonder that we can't convince more people to believe in Jesus! If all that I knew about Christ was what I see during "Christmas," then I wouldn't have anything to do with Him, either! No wonder that so many of the early Christian groups that came to America — for the purpose of pursuing their faith more intently — actually made celebrations of Christmas illegal. Given all of the anti-Christian things that our modern customs invite, the idea makes sense.

who do you say that He is?

A wise pastor once told me, "God has no grandchildren." Each person must make a personal decision about who Jesus is, and how they will let that understanding affect their life. Throughout history, there are stories of dramatic conversions to Christ. Those conversions defy the circumstances of one's birth, parenting, ethnicity, or cultural surroundings. As it was in the days of old, when God called out Gideon to destroy the idol of his father, so must it be now. Christians must become willing to throw off the yoke of foolish customs that drag us, and our children, away from Jesus. We must seek to know Him personally, and to honor Him — not only as Lord and Savior, but also as a brother and friend. If you had a close friend and mentor, would you "honor" him by celebrating his birth on a day dedicated to his enemies? Would you celebrate his birth on a day that is months away from the true date of his birth? If you wouldn't do that to an earthly friend, then why would you do it to the Holy Son of God that came to save you from Hell? Which is more important to celebrate: "Christmas," or the Christ?

© Tom Kovach