Christmas and the Christmas Tree
By Clifton H. Payne, Jr.
There is no religious holiday as well known through out the world as Christmas. The earliest known mention of Christmas occurred in the year 336 A.D. with December 25th as the day of celebration, and it quickly became, as Chrysostom called it, the fundamental feast. By 1100 A.D. Christmas had become the most important religious holiday in Europe, and its popularity spread until the 1500’s with the beginning of the Reformation when many Christians began to view Christmas as a pagan festival or at least one with pagan origins. Because of this concern, Christmas was outlawed in England and parts of the Colonies during the 1600’s; however, by the 1800’s Christmas had once again regained its popularity. However, this concern over the “correctness” of Christmas remains with us to this day and many Christians agonize over the question of whether we should celebrate Christmas or abandon the festival as a non-Biblical feast with pagan origins.
This can be a difficult problem for parents with small children because of the great love that children all over the world have for Christmas. Christmas has a universal appeal in its story of God’s salvation, peace and joy and the love of God, which is expressed in giving. And what child does not delight in the colorful lights and joyous music of the season along with the anticipation of gifts and a wonderful holiday meal. Christmas has even impacted other cultures and religious groups. For example, many Jewish families will have a “Hanukkah Bush” and exchange presents during the season of Hanukkah. Most Christians have little if any knowledge of Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu holidays, but most of these groups are aware of the Christmas holiday and what it represents.
The difficulties that many Christians have with the celebration of Christmas are varied. First, there is no mention in the Bible of the date of Christ’s birth, no mention of celebrating His birth, and a December birth does not accord with the Talmud which states that the flocks of Judea were brought in at the beginning of November and not returned to pasture until March. Secondly, it is well known that the date of December 25th was the date of the birth festival of the unconquered sun (natales invicti Solis – the feast of the Persian sun god Mithras) which occurred after the winter solstice, when the days began to get longer, and the Roman festivals of Saturnalia, Sigillaria, Junvenalia, and Brumalia which also occurred in December and commemorated universal freedom, equality, and honor of the unconquered sun, which were especially great holidays for slaves and children. Further, many of the early church fathers spoke of the symbolic reference of the birth of Christ (the Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the World) in the birth festival of the unconquered sun. Thirdly, the Christmas tree itself sounds reminiscent of a passage of scripture in Jeremiah (10:3-5) that says, “For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.” This sounds like our Christmas tree and Jeremiah calls it a futile pagan custom. Fourthly, many people are disgusted with the great commercialism that surrounds Christmas and see it only as an excuse for merchants to make money.
For these and possibly other reasons, many Christians believe that the celebration of Christmas should be abandoned. While these reasons seem valid, I propose a different perspective based upon over 30 years of Biblical and Jewish heritage studies. First of all, I want to point out a fundamental truth that I believe is often overlooked. Most of the world has heard the basic story of Christ because of Christmas. As stated earlier, Christmas is the most well known religious holiday in the world. Christmas communicates the story of God’s love for man, God’s desire for our peace and salvation, and it exemplifies the nature of love in the act of giving. As scripture says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…” Because of the universal appeal of this holiday its importance for proclaiming the gospel should never be overlooked.
Now, regarding the four most noted objections: First, while it is true that Christmas is not a biblical holiday, we do have a scriptural precedent for the addition of a holy festival. In John 10:22 Jesus went up to Jerusalem to the Temple at the Feast of Dedication (also known as Hanukkah). Hanukkah was not a biblical feast but was instituted at the cleansing of the Temple during the Maccabean revolt on the 25th of Kislev in 165 B.C. This was over 160 years before Jesus was born and this festival continues to be celebrated among the Jews to this day. Since Jesus participated in this festival, it seems that it is clearly permissible in the eyes of the LORD for a holy festival to be added along side the ancient biblical festivals. It should also be noted that the festival of Purim in the book of Esther was not instituted by God but by the Jewish people in response to the great deliverance that God provided His people, and yet this festival was included in our Bible and it is still celebrated by the Jews to this day.
Secondly, it is clear that the early church used or usurped the date of an ancient pagan festival and used the motif of the rebirth of the sun god for the birth of the Son of God. Although this may seem unimaginable and improper, we do have scriptural precedent for this as well. In Acts 17:22-23 it is written, “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you…” Paul used a pagan altar and belief to communicate the gospel and in verse 28 quotes one of their pagan poets in support of the gospel message. Just as Paul used aspects of pagan culture to communicate the gospel the early church used the pagan festivals to communicate the gospel. This is not unlike our day where many churches hold a fall festival to counter Halloween which itself was once an attempt to redeem an ancient pagan festival. For while we are not of the world yet we live in the world and we are obliged to use every opportunity in our culture to proclaim the gospel.
Thirdly, concerning the Christmas tree: The passage of scripture in Jeremiah does not refer to a Christmas tree but rather to the making of idols. In verses 10:8-9 it is written, “a wooden idol is a worthless doctrine…the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the metal smith.” Have you ever met a single Christian who worshipped a Christmas tree or somehow used it as an idol in place of worshipping God? No, most people see it only as a festive ornament. There is, however, a totally different interpretation that can be given for the Christmas tree. Shockingly, the Christmas tree can be seen to represent Jesus Christ Himself. In Luke 23:29-31 Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us! And to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” The term green tree is used in Ezekiel 20:47 and elsewhere as a symbol for the righteous, and the dry tree is used as a symbol for the wicked. The ancient Rabbi’s came to use the term, green tree, to refer to the righteous one (the Messiah). The Christmas tree is always an evergreen and symbolizes He who always lives and who is always righteous (hence evergreen) our LORD and our Messiah. As the church is the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30) it represents the church as well. In the same way, Ephraim called himself “a green cypress tree” because the fruit of God was found in him (Hosea 14:8).
The analogy amazingly continues with the lights that are placed on the branches of our Christmas tree. Jesus taught that we are the branches, as He is the vine, (John 15:5) and as Paul said that we, the gentiles, are wild olive branches grafted into the natural olive tree (Rom. 11:17); so, the branches of the Christmas tree represent the church, the disciples of our Lord. The lights on the branches represent our witness in this world just as Jesus said that we are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14) and we should let our light shine before men (Matt. 5:16) that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. The ornaments on the branches represent the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), which are our adornments that attract men to God. As Matt. 15:8 says, “By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit.” Just as the ornaments are beautiful and attractive, in such a manner, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives attracts people to God and brings Him glory.
At the foot of the Christmas tree are gifts that represent the gifts that God has given to the church. As Ephesians 4:8-13 says, “He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men…and He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” And as written in Romans 12:5-6, “so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us.”
On top of the tree there is usually either a star or an angel. Both of these symbols can be seen as representations of Christ. One of the strongest Messianic symbols is the star, as in the prophecy of Balaam recorded in Numbers 24:17, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob.” And in Revelation 22:16 Jesus says, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Also, the word for angel that is used in the Bible is the same word that is used for messenger. As the book of Malachi can mean either “my angel” or “my messenger.” As it is used in Isaiah 42:19, “Who is blind but My servant, or deaf as My messenger.” And again in Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send My messenger. And he will prepare the way before Me, and the Lord whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold He is coming says the Lord of hosts.” As Jesus is clearly the Messenger of the New Covenant, the Bright Morning Star and the Star that comes out of Jacob the symbol of the star or angel on top of the Christmas tree can easily be seen as Christ as the head, or top, of the church.
Fourthly, while it is true that Christmas at times becomes far too commercialized, the same could be said for the Temple in Jesus day. The High Priest and his henchmen were notoriously corrupt and used the Temple for great financial gain. Jesus chastised and drove out those who bought and sold in the Temple courts (Matt. 11:15-17). Although Jesus rightly criticized the excesses, He still participated in the Temple services. Just because something is often abused does not mean it has no merit and should be abandoned. Jesus praised the woman who put two small coins in the Temple treasury as giving more than all the rich because she gave all she had. Although the priests were corrupt in the time of Jesus, He still extolled her because she gave her best as unto God and not unto man (Mark 12:41-44). So, the intent, or as it is called, the Kavanah is the important thing. God looks upon the heart and if what one does is in true love and devotion to God it does not matter if someone else uses it for selfish and monetary motivations. So while many may use Christmas as an opportunity for commercial interests this does not negate the significance or importance of celebrating the advent and birth of Christ for the salvation of mankind.
It is truly amazing that our cultural Christmas tree can be seen as a symbol for Christ and the church. The earliest record of the Christmas tree comes from the 15th or 16th century in Germany. While the use of green bows and wreaths for celebrating the winter solstice date back as far as ancient Egypt, the tradition of the Christmas tree is relatively new and yet the symbolism of our Christmas tree is abundantly and astoundingly in accord with scriptural references to Christ and the church. It would be a pity to lose 1700 years of Christian tradition and one of our best tools for telling the story of Jesus simply because we don’t see what God has put in our hands to be used for His glory. The secular world clearly sees Christmas as a religious holiday and every effort is being made to eliminate it from our culture. The Christmas tree is being called the holiday tree and any reference to Christ is slowly being eliminated. It seems that any and every opportunity is afforded to show contempt and disregard to Christ and all that refers to Him. So it is all the more important that we use every occasion to testify to Christ. The Christmas tree and Christmas dinner can be used to invite those outside of the body of Christ to hear His story and to remind all of us that when we look at a Christmas tree we see a symbol of Christ and His church and the great love that God has for all mankind and also our great commission to be a light of salvation in this dark and fearsome world.
