Copyright Š 2017 by Nel Sewraj All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
CHRISTMAS UNWRAPPED ISBN 978-0-620-78440-5 First Published by Nel Sewraj in 2017
Book design, editing and typesetting by: Battle Axe Publishing Green Gables, Eland Road Ballito, 4420 RSA www.groundbreakerschurch.co.za
CHRISTMAS UNWRAPPED
Nel Sewraj
Copyright 2017 by Nel Sewraj
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION: THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS ………..………… 1
CHAPTER 1:
THE CHRISTMAS STORY BEGINS
The Origins of Christmas & How It Came to be Part of the Church …. 4
CHAPTER 2:
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN
Famous Christmas Customs and Icons …………………………………………. 10
CHAPTER 3:
THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS PAST
Exploring Christmas in the Bible and the Early Church …………………. 17
CHAPTER 4:
THE CHRISTMAS TRADITION
Is Christmas a Tradition of Man or Command of God? ………………….. 22
CHAPTER 5:
A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY
The Consequences of Abandoning Prescribed Patterns ……………….... 26
CHAPTER 6:
O HOLY COW
Reasons Christians Cite for Celebrating Christmas ………………………. 33
CHAPTER 7:
CAMPING AT THE CHRISTMAS SIGNPOST
Moving the Church to Christlike Maturity ……………………………………. 40
CHAPTER 8:
NEHUSHTAN
Has the Church Given Christmas Undue Significance? ………………….. 43
CHAPTER 9: WISE MEN CAME FROM THE REFORMATION What the Reformers Have to Say About Christmas ………………………. 54
CONCLUSION: KEEPING CHRISTMAS The Implications of Cohabiting with Pagan Practices ……………………. 65
Introduction
THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS
C
hristmas is one of the most celebrated events in the world today. It has captured the hearts of billions of people worldwide. Even in nations with little or no Christian history, people are
celebrating Christmas in increasing numbers. Economists agree that Christmas has become the largest economic stimulus for many nations around the world. According to them retail sales increase rapidly during the Christmas season and millions of dollars are spent on marketing and advertising trying to woo Christmas shoppers. In 2012 alone, the retail sector in the United States generated about three trillion dollars during the Christmas holidays.
The commercialization aside, Christmas is a special time of the year for most people. Schools and colleges close for the holidays. Large companies and businesses take a recess from work. Everyone’s a little more relaxed than normal. Everyone also has a little more cash to splash out, so there’s usually more shopping and more partying. The media is filled with stories and advertisements relating to Christmas. People take vacations, plan trips, and visit family and love ones. There are plenty of get-togethers with good company, good food and great memories. People are generally happier, more generous and full of good cheer. Twinkling lights adorn 1
many houses. Santa Claus and his reindeers are at every storefront. The familiar sounds of Silent Night, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and We Wish You a Merry Christmas resonate everywhere. The sights and sounds of Christmas are truly magical and enchanting.
Now, my next statement may come as a surprise to you, as it does to most Christians: Most of the charming, attractive practices that accompany Christmas have their roots in secular society. In truth, none of these practices have any direct connection with Christ or the Bible. The popularity of Christmas, especially in the past century, cannot be ascribed to the Church. It is ascribed to secular society, and this is a fact. What entrenched Christmas in the Church was its commercialization by the world. And many Christians are not aware of this. The Church has always been a little naĂŻve and uninformed when it comes to Christmas.
Before I continue, allow me to clear any misconceptions from the outset. My intention for writing this book is not to ridicule the celebration of Christmas. Neither do I wish to disrespect or insult those Christians who celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Far from it. I intend only to present needful information to the saints of God, information they may have been oblivious to before. Many Christians are already aware that Christmas is only a Church tradition and not a biblical imperative. But they remain uninformed about its exact origins or how the tradition evolved in the Church. This book is intended to provide that information in a way that provokes their thoughts and enlightens their understanding.
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In recent years significant new developments have been taking place in the global Church. All across the earth there is a move of God stirring the saints to return to the authenticity of the Scriptures. His Word is proceeding out of heaven with such clarity in this season. God is unveiling biblical truth to His Church in an unprecedented way. When His proceeding Word comes it audits the Church. It measures the Temple against the prescriptions and patterns of heaven. It scrutinises every practice of the Church to establish its veracity. It leaves the Church with no option except to re-examine all its practices in the light of the Scriptures. One of the many practices being re-examined is the celebration of Christmas.
Christmas occupies quite a conspicuous place in the life of the Church. The celebration of Christmas has become a principal event on church calendars. Many Christians regard it as the most important day of the year. Perhaps you are an avid keeper of the Christmas tradition. If I were to ask you, "why do you celebrate Christmas?” How would you reply? You might say, “I celebrate Christmas because its honours the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ”, or “It is a good family tradition that brings my loved ones together” or “I have always celebrated it.” Most Christians would say similar things, and I can understand the rationale behind that, but wouldn’t it be better for Christians to say that they celebrate Christmas because God commanded it or the Bible sanctions it? Regrettably, that is not the case. There remains then the question that must be answered: Does Christmas have a legitimate existence in the life of the Church?
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Chapter 1
THE CHRISTMAS STORY BEGINS The Origins of Christmas and How It Came to be Part of the Church
The History of December 25th
Was Jesus born on December 25th?
M
ost scholars and encyclopaedias agree that the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ cannot be ascertained. Evidently the date of Jesus’ birth is not disclosed in the Holy Scriptures. Was
this an oversight on God’s part? Or did God deliberately conceal the date to prevent His Church from hallowing it? Whatever the reason, the birth account of Jesus is inconsequential in comparison to His epic work on the Cross and His ongoing work at the throne. Perhaps God concealed the date of Jesus’ birth to prevent the Church from becoming side-tracked by it.
In his Gospel, Luke records an event around the time of the birth of Jesus. He says that shepherds were out in the field with their flocks: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). According to meteorologists, the temperature around Bethlehem drops in December, and there’s 4
occasional frosting1. People and cattle are rarely in the fields. It is certain therefore that Jesus was born nowhere close to December 25 th. But this leaves us with a dilemma: If Jesus was not born on December 25th then how did the date come to be associated with Jesus’ birth? To answer this question, we first need to understand why December 25th was significant to the ancient Romans.
Why was December 25th significant to the Romans?
December 25th was significant to the Romans, but not because of the birth of Jesus. As a matter of fact, December 25th was an auspicious date on the Roman calendar long before Jesus was born. The date was important to the Romans for another reason. It coincided with their idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia.
Saturnalia was a harvest festival that honoured Saturn, the god of agriculture (also called the god of fire). Celebrations began on December 17th and continued for seven days. Saturnalia was a time of merrymaking and exchanging of gifts. Interestingly this festival was also observed around the winter solstice (the day with the shortest daylight), dated in the Roman calendar as December 25th. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia back-to-back with the winter solstice and with great festivity. These celebrations often ended in riot and disorder.
1
Cole, D. I. Monthly Notes of Astronomical Society of Southern Africa, Vol. 23, The Star of Bethlehem, p. 156
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There was another reason why December 25th was significant to the Romans. It marked the birthday of a deity and, unfortunately, that deity was not Jesus. Let’s look more into this.
Who was Really Born on December 25th? To answer this question, we need to understand the background. Rome was notorious for flirting with the gods and cults of the nations it had conquered. Persia was one of those nations and, consequently, the 3rd century Roman emperor Aurelian became a worshipper of Mithra, the Persian sun-god. In AD 274 Aurelian declared Mithra-worship to be the official religion of Rome and he constructed a massive temple in honour of Mithra. Furthermore, Aurelian initiated a festival on the 25th of December because it was the birthday of Mithra. By this time, December 25th was already prominent among the Romans, being the date of the winter solstice and the climax of the week-long Saturnalia festival.
No one could have predicted that, just a few decades later, December 25th would be christianized into Christmas Day, and the celebration of Mithra’s birth would be replaced by Christ’s. This would become a watershed event in the history of the Church. For the first time since her inception some 300 years before, the Church would be celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25th. And the man chiefly responsible for orchestrating this era was none other than Constantine the Great.
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How Christmas Came to be Part of the Church As I have already mentioned, the Church gave no attention to the birth of Jesus in the first 300 years. The idea of celebrating Jesus’ birth was taboo to them. So, how and when did it become part of Christian practice? It began after Constantine, Emperor of Rome, converted to Christianity. Until then Mithra-worship dominated the Roman Empire. Even Emperor Constantine adhered to Mithraism up to the time of his conversion to Christianity1.
However, through a strange turn of events, Constantine was converted to Christianity in AD 313. As to whether his conversion was spiritually authentic, or a political manoeuvre, we can only speculate. After his conversion Constantine wanted to spread his new-found religion. But the Roman empire was too steeped in the customs of Saturnalia & Mithraism. So, Constantine sought instead to integrate the pagan customs of the empire with Christianity. His most ingenious attempt at doing so was when he introduced the celebration of the birth of Jesus as a replacement festival, and fixed it to the already auspicious December 25th.
Constantine also allowed pagan customs to be incorporated into the new “Christ mass” festival, so as to make Christianity more palatable to the Romans citizens.
By AD 380 the Roman Empire had embraced
Christianity as its official religion. But many Church fathers living in this era did not welcome the celebration of Christ’s birth. Christian preachers 1
Gerard and Patricia Del Re. 1979. The Christmas Almanac, p. 17
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of the West and the Near East protested against the frivolity with which Christ’s birthday was celebrated, while Christians of Mesopotamia accused their Western brethren of idolatry and sun worship for adopting as Christian this pagan festival1.
It is clear that Constantine played a major part in endorsing and promulgating the celebration of Christmas. In fact, the first recorded year of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in AD 336 and, as expected, it was during the reign of Emperor Constantine.
How Christmas Continued to the Present Day We already learned that Christmas began in the Roman Empire and was first celebrated in AD 336. Some two hundred years later, the practice of Christmas was set in concrete when Emperor Justinian [A.D. 527-565] declared it to be an official holiday. His pronouncement gave Christmas much leverage, catapulting the practice right into the Middle Ages [11th to 15th century].
Christmas celebrations ceased during the 17th and 18th centuries, as Puritans emphasized strict adherence to New Testament scriptures. In 1644 Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas activities in England due to the belief that Christmas celebrations were too closely linked to those of Saturnalia.
1
Newman, A.H. 1909. The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopaedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. 3 by Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York
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During the Victorian era leading up to the 19th century Christmas began to gain acceptance again. Writers like Washington Irving in America and Charles Dickens in England were responsible for idealizing Christmas through their popular Christmas stories. By 1870 Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States. In the 20th century, the focus of Christmas became highly commercialized, to the benefit and profit of capitalistic societies.
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Chapter 2
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN Famous Christmas Customs and Icons
T
he previous chapter focused solely on the origin of Christmas. This chapter will focus on some well-known traditions and symbols associated with Christmas. What is the real origin of
Santa Claus, the Christmas Tree and the custom of exchanging gifts? And how did they come to be associated with Christmas?
Many of the trimmings attached to Christmas are “carryovers� from ancient celebrations, just as Christmas was. Almost all of the customs associated with Christmas have been recycled from ancient pagan festivals honouring other gods. And many Christians are unaware of this. So, in this chapter we will trace the roots of some of the famous Christmas customs and emblems.
The Origins of the Christmas Tree The Christmas Tree is one of the most popular and cherished Christmas symbols. Each year, between 35 to 40 million live trees are purchased and decorated in the United States alone. But when, where, and how did this custom begin? What is the origin of the Christmas Tree? 10
Many scholars believe that the tradition of the Christmas Tree predates Christianity. Long before the advent of Christianity, evergreen plants and trees had a special meaning for people in the winter. Many cultures including the Egyptians and Romans cut branches of evergreen trees in December, moved them into the homes or temples, and decorated them in recognition of the winter solstice. Later, when the birthdate of Jesus was allotted to December 25th, the custom of decorating trees was absorbed into this new Christmas celebration.
The earliest record of an evergreen tree being decorated and used for Christmas was in Germany in 1521. From that time, the Christmas Tree grew in popularity and use. By the beginning of the 19th century the Christmas Tree became a principal part of the Christmas celebrations in Germany. The Christmas Tree was “exported� from Germany to America in the early 18th century when the first German immigrants settled in western Pennsylvania. By the year 1850, the popularity of the Christmas Tree had spread across the United States.
The Origins of the Tradition of Christmas Gifts Many Christians supposedly believe the Christmas gift-giving tradition comes from the Bible example of the wise men presenting gifts to baby Jesus. Is there any truth to this? This question is answered later in the chapter A SACRED COW IN THE CHURCH.
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So, where did the tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas come from? Well, it can be traced to ancient Roman celebrations that honoured Saturn, the god of harvest, and Mithra, the god of light. During such celebrations, Roman emperors would compel their most despised citizens to bring offerings and gifts. Later, this gift-giving custom expanded among the general populace.
We know that Christianity eventually supplanted Roman pagan worship, and Christmas replaced Saturnalia. But many customs of Saturnalia, including gift giving, remained through popular demand, and were integrated into Christianity. This was the beginnings of the gift-giving tradition. Many years later, the Roman Catholic Church connected this gift-giving tradition to the supposed gift-giving of Saint Nicolas. In so doing, they practically immortalized the tradition in the Church (We will discuss Saint Nicholas further in the next point). All in all, nearly every country was participating in the custom of gift giving by the 10th century1.
The History of Santa Claus Saint Nicolas At the heart of the Santa Claus tradition is Saint Nicholas. Nicolas was a bishop in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) during the 4th century. He was among the senior bishops who convened the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 and created the New Testament. He was known for his love for children 1
Rossi. 1931. The Gift of Christmas, (http://italianstationeryblog.com/rossi1931-the-gift-of-christmas/)
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and generosity towards the poor. He died on 6th of December in AD 345. Two centuries later, he was venerated when Emperor Justinian built a Church in his honour in Constantinople in AD 540.
The Nicolas Cult
Almost five centuries after his death, Nicolas mysteriously rose to prominence when legends about him began to emerge. These stories gave rise to what was called the “Nicolas cult� and the custom of distributing gifts. Years later, sailors, thieves, virgins and children recognized him as their saint. In 1087 a group of sailors who idolized Nicholas moved his bones from Turkey to Bari in Italy. Bari became the centre of the Nicholas cult. Members of this cult gave each other gifts annually on December 6th, the anniversary of Nicholas’ death.
By and by, the Nicholas cult spread north until it was adopted by German and Celtic pagans who worshipped the chief-god Woden (Wednesday has been derived from his name). Woden had a long, white beard and rode a horse through the heavens once every Autumn. When Nicholas was merged with Woden, he shed his Mediterranean appearance, grew a beard, mounted a flying horse, rescheduled his flight for December, and dressed himself in heavy winter clothing1.
1
Lawrence K. The History of Christmas (https://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory)
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Eventually the Roman Catholic Church adopted the Nicholas cult as official Catholic tradition. They also shifted the gift giving tradition to December 25th to coincide with the now accepted date of Jesus’ birth.
Where did the modern image of Santa Claus come from?
How did the modern image of Santa Claus as a white-bearded, chubby fellow in a red winter suit come about? It began in 1809 when Washington Irving wrote a novel entitled Knickerbocker History of New York. The novel referred to the white bearded, flying-horse riding Saint Nicholas using his Dutch name, Santa Claus. The novel so inspired Clement Clarke Moore that he published a poem called A Visit from St. Nicholas. His poem was about Santa Claus and contains the famous lines: “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hope that Saint Nicholas soon would be there…” Moore further portrayed Santa with eight reindeers and who descended through chimneys.
However, it was the Bavarian cartoonist Thomas Nast who, inspired by Moore’s poem, brought his imagery to life in 1862. Thomas Nast published more than 2200 cartoon images of Santa. Through his cartoons, Nast gave Santa a home in the North Pole, a workshop filled with elves, and his list of the good and bad children of the world. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the colour of his coat from tan to green to the red 14
he’s known for today. Here are a few cartoon images of Santa Claus by Thomas Nast. He published more than 2200.
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It was ultimately Coca-Cola that helped shape the Santa we know today with his trademark red suit, chubbiness and jolliness. In 1931, the Coca Cola Corporation decided to create a coke-drinking Santa. They contracted commercial artist Haddon Sundblom for this project. Sundblom portrayed his friend Lou Prentice as the Santa-model because of his cheerful and chubby face.
Coca
Cola
also
insisted that Santa’s furtrimmed suit be bright Coca Cola red. And Santa Claus was born - a blend of Christian crusader, pagan god, and commercial idol. The evolution of Santa from influential bishop to red-suited jolly man with elves
spanned
over
a
period of 1500 years. The first Santa advert created for Coca-Cola by artist Haddon Sundblom in 1931
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Chapter 3
THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS PAST Exploring Christmas in the Bible and the Early Church
I
n this chapter we will examine what the Bible says about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Does the Bible advocate the observance of Christmas? Did the birth of Jesus hold an esteemed place in the
practice of the early Church? These are some of the questions that we will attempt to answer.
Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible This is rather obvious to most Christians, and they seem to be unruffled by it. Anyhow, the New Testament covers a period spanning over sixty years of ministry. The Gospels cover over thirty years of Jesus’ life & ministry; the rest of the New Testament covers another thirty years or so of early Church ministry. Combing through the details of six decades of New Testament history, we nowhere find any hint of a Christmas celebration or anything likened to it.
Certainly, the Gospels provide numerous details surrounding Jesus’ birth. For instance, the angelic appearance to Mary and then Joseph, the conditions surrounding His birth in a stable in Bethlehem, the heavenly choir's performance for the shepherds in the fields outside the town and 17
so forth. But nowhere in the Bible is there any record of an ongoing celebration of Jesus’ birth. There is neither any directive from God the Father or Jesus Christ for us to do so.
The date of the birth of Jesus is not revealed in the Bible Jesus was not born on the 25th of December. Though this may come as a surprise to many Christians, it is nonetheless the truth. In an earlier chapter we mentioned that the weather around Bethlehem is cold and occasionally frosty in December. No shepherd in his right mind would have kept his flocks outside at night. Consider also that Jesus was born in Bethlehem because his parents came there to register during the Roman census. The Romans were highly efficient administrators. They would not have organised a national census in the dead of winter, when temperatures often dropped drastically, making travelling difficult. It would have been impractical to conduct a census under such conditions.
Having established that Jesus was not born on the 25th of December, many may be curious to know the exact date of His birth. Many scholars say that He may have been born around September or October; this is just before the Feast of Tabernacles. This is ascertained from the fact that Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to keep the feast. Whatever the case, God chose not to disclose the exact date of Jesus birth so that His Church would not become side-tracked by it.
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Did the Apostles or the Early Church celebrate the birth of Christ? The Encyclopaedia Americana (1956) says, “Christmas…was not observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth.”1
Did the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke and John consider Jesus’ birth significant enough to celebrate? They probably didn’t. Mark and John didn’t even include the birth narrative in their Gospels. Matthew and Luke included it, but neglected to provide a date. Mark’s Gospel was the earliest, written about AD 65. And Mark begins with the baptism of an adult Jesus. Somehow, the early church lacked interest in Jesus’ birthdate. Even the Apostle Paul says nothing about commemorating Christ’s birth in his Epistles.
What About the Church Fathers? In this section I will quote directly from well-known, reliable sources so that the facts can speak for themselves. Let me commence with a statement made in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopaedia of Religious Knowledge which tells us that, "There is no historical evidence that our
1
Rines, G.E. 1956. Encyclopaedia Americana, Vol. 6, page 622
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[Saviour’s] birthday was celebrated during the apostolic or early postapostolic times.”1 No record of the celebration Christ’s birth can be found in the first two to three centuries of the Church’s existence. The postapostolic church did not consider, write or speak anything pertaining to the birth of Christ. The Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature confirms that, "The fathers of the first three centuries do not speak of any special observance of the nativity”.2
Irenaeus (AD 130-202) and Tertullian (AD 160-220) According to The Catholic Encyclopaedia, "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts..."3 Irenaeus and Tertullian were early Church Fathers and notable scholars in the formative years of Christianity. In his writings, Tertullian reports that early Christians did not join themselves with unbelievers during their holiday customs.
Tertullian also wrote to unbelievers saying: “On your day of gladness, we [Christians] neither cover our doorposts with wreaths, nor intrude upon the day with lamps…We are accused of lower sacrilege because we do not celebrate along with you the holidays…” Tertullian believed that Christians should have no dealings with the festivals of unbelievers. He often cautioned Christians: “You Christians have your own registers,
1
Newman, A.H. 1909. The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopaedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol.3, by Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York, p. 47 2 Strong, J and McClintock, J. 1880. Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, Vol.3, by Haper and Brothers; New York, p. 276 3 Herbermann, C. 1913. Catholic Encyclopaedia, Vol.3. Robert Appleton Company, New York, p.724,728
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your own calendar. You have nothing to do with the festivities of the world. In fact, you are called to the very opposite…" Tertullian’s comments express the disapproval of early Christians towards the pagan holiday customs surrounding December 25.
Origen (AD 182-254) and other Church Fathers
Many Church Fathers opposed the Christmas celebration from its inception in AD 336. As early as AD 245, the Church father Origen proclaimed it “heathenish to celebrate Christ’s birthday as if He were merely a temporal ruler when His spiritual nature should be the main concern”. Origen also said: “…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world”. The well-known Encyclopaedia Britannica mentions that Origen, among other Church Fathers, associated Christmas with heathen customs: “The [church] Fathers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Epiphanius, contended that Christmas was a copy of a pagan celebration”1.
1
The Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1768–2010. 15th edition, Vol. 4, "Christianity". Macropaedia, p. 499
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Chapter 4
THE CHRISTMAS TRADITION Is Christmas a Tradition of Man or Command of God?
L
et’s admit it, what we know as “Church” today is a far cry from the Church we read about in the New Testament. Let’s also admit that the Church has been influenced and, at times, misdirected
by various doctrines and traditions of men over the centuries. If we could dissect the Church as we know it today, we would find countless traditions within its operating system. In every generation Christians have been guilty of imposing their own cultures, customs, and beliefs upon the life and purpose of the Church. It is not surprising that many church practices we hold to be sacred today may have proceeded out of traditions that originated centuries ago. What’s more alarming is that some of these traditions may have roots in non-Christian religions and, possibly, devilish cults.
Traditions are usually handed down from one generation to the next. If this be true, then we have to ask ourselves where we learned to do church the way we do. How much of what we do as church today proceeds out of man-made traditions? Can we genuinely say that what we have today is truly the authentic church of the New Testament?
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Jesus sets the standard in Mark 7 Like many churches today, Jesus Himself encountered problems with man-made traditions. The seventh chapter of the Book of Mark is a case in point. This is the incident where the Pharisees and teachers got offended because Jesus’ disciples ate with unwashed hands. It was customary for Jews to observe a ceremonial washing of hands before eating any food. This was a tradition of the elders, and was especially observed when the Jews returned from the marketplace or the fields. Jews observed many such customs including the washing of cups, pitchers and tables. And so, the Pharisees expected Jesus’ disciples to comply with this tradition. But the disciples did not, and their supposed “sacrilege” offended the Pharisees. In Mark 7:5, they enquire of Jesus as to why his disciples were disobeying the traditions of their ancestors: Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"
Immediately recognising their problem, Jesus retorts, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (verse 7). This response of Jesus gives us a key criterion for building the Church. It provides us with the standard by which we are to measure all church practices. According to Jesus, all church practices fall into one of two categories: the traditions of men or the commandments of God. These two categories help us to distinguish legitimate church practices from those that are not. Using these categories, we can clear up a lot of the confusion within the Church. 23
We can measure every church practice by simply asking the question: “Is this a commandment of God or a tradition of man?” If a practice is found to be a command of God, it should be retained within the life of the Church. If a practice is nothing more than a “tradition of man”, it needs to be redressed and, if possible, withdrawn from the life of the Church. I realize this may sound a bit extreme but it is nonetheless needful because whenever the Church accommodates a traditional practice, people soon treat it as dogma. Before long, it becomes a fundamental part of the life of the Church and almost impossible to remove over time. J.C. Ryle, the 19th century English writer and preacher says it so aptly: “Experience supplies painful proof that traditions once called into being are first called useful, then they become necessary. At last they are too often made idols, and all must bow down to them or be punished.”
You may be asking what all this has to do with the celebration of Christmas. Well, the celebration of Christmas has become an integral part of the life of the global Church. And, like all other church practices, Christmas too must be subjected to the scrutiny of Mark 7, which raises the million-dollar question: is Christmas a command of God or a tradition of man?
The preceding chapter THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS PAST has already clarified that Christmas is not a command of God. God did not command it. Jesus did not require it. And the apostles did not endorse it. So, Christmas has no biblical basis. All things considered, the observance of Christmas by the Church is nothing more than a tradition of man. 24
Today we are faced with a two-fold challenge as the body of Christ: Should we accommodate past traditions and defy the commands of God? Or do we keep the commandments of God and abandon man-made traditions? It is as simple as that. In spite of this, the Church is stuck in limbo when it comes to the tradition of Christmas. It is no surprise why Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, said of the Church: “How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!”
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Chapter 5
A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY The Consequences of Abandoning Prescribed Patterns
God Values Prescribed Patterns
T
he Law of Moses provides detailed specifications for the construction and operation of the tabernacle. For example, Exodus chapters 25 to 30 provides explicit instructions for the
design and assembly of the tabernacle and its furnishings. Numbers chapter 4 provides specific procedures for dismantling and moving the tabernacle. Leviticus chapters 1 to 7 prescribes the procedures for offering the various sacrifices in the tabernacle. Consequently, a full fifty chapters in the Bible is devoted to the tabernacle.
Clearly, patterns and procedures are important to God. He has prescribed patterns for all things in His Kingdom, and especially for His Church. It is therefore imperative that the Church align its operations to the principles and patterns prescribed in His Word. When the Church deviates from prescribed patterns, it puts its purpose and destiny at risk. Because God will not bless nor honour what He has not prescribed.
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The Church Has Abandoned Prescribed Patterns The ark of the covenant was perhaps the most important furniture in the tabernacle. God provided specific instructions for moving the ark whenever the tabernacle was moved. For instance, the Levites alone were to carry ark (Deut.10:8). Also, the ark was to be carried with poles on the shoulders of the Levites (1 Chron.15:15). This was God’s prescribed pattern for transporting the ark. And Israel complied with it in the many years they journeyed through the wilderness.
Nevertheless, we find a violation of this pattern recorded in 2 Samuel 6:110. Here, the ark was being transported on an oxcart driven by two men, Uzzah and Ahio. Uzzah was killed when he took hold of the ark after the oxen stumbled. This tragedy was an unsettling experience for Israel, and one that upset David greatly. But it could have been avoided had the Israelites followed the prescribed patterns for moving the ark. The ark was supposed to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites. Instead the Israelites chose to move it on a cart drawn by oxen and thereby incited the wrath of God. The result was disastrous.
Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.
Israel’s oversight cost Uzzah his life. The lesson here is simple: deviation from the prescribed pattern of God incurs the judgement of God.
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This tragedy serves as an admonition to the current day Church. It is common knowledge that the Church today is gradually abandoning biblical patterns. Secular and contemporary practices are replacing biblical patterns. And the celebration of Christmas is a case in point. We know that God did not prescribe any celebration in honour of Christ’s birth. The Bible does not mention it. The apostles of Christ did not command it. And the early Church did not commemorate it. We discussed these facts in the chapter THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS PAST. So, while the celebration of Christ’s birth may be a principal part of the life of the Church, it is certainly not God’s prescribed pattern.
Introducing unbiblical patterns into the life of the Church will by and by erode the testimony of the Church and compromise its destiny. Jesus did not pay the price on the Cross for a Church that will miscarry its purpose. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said: “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Note, Jesus said “I” will build. He did not say “you” will build. This means that Jesus is personally building His Church all by Himself. As colabourers with Him we must build the Church according to His patterns and His Word. Against such a Church the gates of hell will never prevail. The Church built on His proceeding Word and patterns becomes impenetrable to the enemy. On the other hand, the Church that accommodates man-made extra-biblical practices becomes a susceptible prey for the devil.
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How Prescribed Patterns Have Been Replaced by Pagan Practices The Uzzah tragedy of 2 Samuel 6 could have been avoided had the Israelites followed the prescribed patterns for moving the ark. So, why did Israel choose an alternative method to move the ark of God? To answer this question, we begin in 1 Samuel 4 when Israel went to battle against the Philistines. Israel was defeated and, what’s worse, the Philistines captured the ark of God and carried it back to their own land. The ark remained within their territory for seven months during which time the Philistines were plagued with many afflictions. The afflictions continued until the Philistines were forced to return the ark to Israel. But being pagans, the Philistines were not acquainted with the Law or its prescriptions for moving the ark. So, they concocted their own means of transportation according to what seemed best to them. In 1 Samuel 6:1-14 the Philistines placed the ark on a new cart drawn by two cows and sent it back to Israel. This was obviously not the proper way to transport the ark, but the Philistines didn’t know any better.
When the cart returned to Israel, the people were baffled by what they observed. The ark had arrived on the back of a cart. This was an act that defied the Law. Yet no retribution was metered out against the cows. And why not? Was God perhaps revealing to His people a new and innovative way of moving the ark? Whatever the reason, the idea of transporting the ark on a cart appealed to Israel. Israel began to transport the ark in the similar manner from that point onwards. Israel adopted and perpetuated the error of the Philistines. Israel traded prescribed patterns for a pagan 29
practice and thus placed herself on a collision course with God. The disaster waiting to happen would ultimately reach its boiling point in the Uzzah incident. There is an uncanny resemblance between Israel’s conduct mentioned above and the Church’s adoption of Christmas. How Christmas came to be accepted by the Church is outlined in the chapter THE CHRISTMAS STORY BEGINS. It establishes that Christmas is pagan in origin, and reveals how the 4th century Church was hoodwinked into consenting to it. Just as Israel adopted the Philistine practice of placing the ark on a cart, so the Church adopted the pagan celebrations of December 25th and placed Christ in it. Under the pretext of honouring Christ’s birth (which God did not command), the Church used the pagan cart of Saturnalia and Mithra-worship.
The Need to Return to Biblical Patterns The Uzzah tragedy was a rude awakening for Israel. David was so horrified by the incident that he utterly abandoned the idea of moving the ark for three months. David probably spent this time enquiring of God as to what really went wrong. Before long he discovered his error; he had not followed God’s proper order for moving the ark. He instead moved the ark using a pagan Philistine practice which had gained acceptance in Israel. Therefore, in 1 Chronicles 15 David attempted to rectify the situation by returning to prescribed patterns. In verses 11-15 we read:
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And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. He said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order." So, the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.
This is a prophetic parallel of what is taking place in the global Church today. A Davidic generation is rising in the Church to return it to the prescribed patterns of God. They are accessing the “proper order” and patterns of heavens to accurately build the Church. They are restoring the accurate apostolic blueprints we witnessed in the early Church of the Book of Acts. This generation of reformers will arrest the works of darkness and eliminate worldly patterns in the Church. The Church will “not be conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). In the Amplified Bible this verse reads, Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude].
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God does not want His Church to bend to the customs of this world. He does not approve of His Church conforming to worldly or pagan practices. Psalm 1:1 supports this notion. It tells us that God will not allow His Church to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful. This simply means that the Church should not take its lead or example from the patterns of society. God’s Word provides every pattern that the Church needs. When the Church desires solely to keep God’s laws and commands, great momentum and acceleration is added to her. On the other hand, when the Church trades biblical patterns for worldly practices, she quickly deviates from God’s prescribed will and sooner or later attracts His judgement. She leaves God with no option but to remove her lampstand.
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Chapter 6
O HOLY COW Reasons Christians Cite for Celebrating Christmas
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he cow is regarded as a sacred animal in India. It is never eaten or mistreated. Indian societies highly esteem the cow, even to the extent of worshipping it. It is from these literal “holy” cows
that the Western figure of speech “sacred cow” was coined. A sacred cow then refers to something that we think is too important to destroy, change or criticize. It's an idea or custom that we hold dear and beyond question, and often unreasonably so.
The Church has sacred cows too, and perhaps the most cherished of all is Christmas. It is a known fact that the Christmas service is the most attended church service in the world. Most churches record their highest attendance on Christmas Day. The preparations are elaborate. Congregation members turn up dressed in their best and sometimes costly attire; many purchase an outfit exclusively for this day. Their regular, conventional greetings change to “Merry Christmas.” The normal programme of Church is replaced by a tailored Christmas programme. Songs of praise and worship are replaced by Christmas carols and the proceeding Word is replaced by a Christmas sermon. The elaborate affair the Church turns Christmas into demonstrates that Christmas is a sacred cow in the Church.
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Why Christians Celebrate the Birth of Christ In this section I will discuss a few reasons Christians cite for celebrating Christmas. We will also understand why Christmas has become the sacred cow of the Church. Here are the most common reasons stated:
1. “The Wise Men worshipped Jesus at His birth” Many Christians turn to the story of the wise men (Matt 2:1-12) to validate the celebration of the birth of Jesus. And they correctly point out, the wise men did indeed bow down and worship Jesus. But most Christians have overlooked an important fact in this narrative. The wise men were not celebrating a baby. They were worshipping a coming king, a god and a saviour. The gifts they brought attest to this fact. The wise men, endowed with prophetic sight, foresaw the future work and Kingdom of Christ. The gold, frankincense and myrrh were prophetic symbols of Christ’s future. Gold is a symbol of a King or royalty. Frankincense symbolises deity or God because it was one of the ingredients used to worship God in Moses’ tabernacle. Myrrh is a symbol of death, being a key ingredient used for embalming the dead. The gifts of the wise men were symbols of Jesus as King, God and Saviour. The wise men caught a glimpse of Jesus’ kingship, divinity and death, and they came to worship a future king – not a baby in a manger. They were neither promoting Jesus’ birth nor the giving or receiving of gifts.
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This may be the opportune time to discuss the gift-giving tradition during Christmas. Many today are of the opinion that Christmas gift-giving began when the wise men presented gifts to Jesus. Is there any truth to this? Did the Bible endorse the gift-giving tradition? The following points are worth mentioning in this regard. Firstly, the wise men did not give gifts one to another, as many do during Christmas today. Jesus was the sole recipient of their gifts. Secondly, the gifts offered by the wise men were fit for a king. They were not the regular, customary gifts commonly associated with the birth of a baby. They were unusual gifts that befitted kings. In Bible times it was customary when appearing before kings to offer them gifts in the likes of gold and valuable spices. Some spices were as precious as gold, and that is why two of the gifts offered to the “King of the Jews” were aromatic spices. I also reiterate that each of the three gifts was a prophetic symbol of Jesus’ future purpose and ministry. The act of the wise men carries no resemblance to the gift-exchanging tradition we have. And as you can see, there is no correlation between the wise men offering gifts to Jesus and the gift-giving tradition of Christmas.
2. “Christmas honours Christ” I have heard many well-meaning Christians say by keeping Christmas they are “honouring Christ”. They say that they have removed its pagan influences and now “keep it focused on Christ alone”. Now this may seem like a noble thing to do and, no doubt, these Christians may have good intentions. But does it make it right? Does it make it acceptable to God? Christians who hold this rationale still need to answer the question, has God commanded it? Quite the opposite, God actually commands against it. Christ said, “But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines 35
the commandments of men” (Matt 15:9). Christmas is not a command of God—it is a tradition of men. We established this in the chapter THE CHRISTMAS TRADITION.
Christians holding this rationale need to answer the following questions: Do you as a Christian celebrate Christmas because you want to honour Christ? Or do you also enjoy the hype, the sense of fantasy and the dreaminess that accompanies Christmas annually? How much of your Christmas has to do with Christ? How would you feel if Christ’s birth was moved to another date, say May 25th? Why do we persist celebrating Christ’s birth on a date appointed by Rome? Why do you buy into Santa Claus, and why do you still have pagan decorations? And do you think Jesus is happy when you celebrate His birthday by continually displaying Him as a baby? How would you feel if your family celebrated your birthday annually by displaying everywhere photographs of your infancy? So, does Christmas really honour Christ? Makes you think, doesn’t it?
3. “Let’s put Christ back into Christmas.” The present-day Church is becoming increasingly aware of the pagan origins of Christmas. As a result, Christians nowadays are talking about “putting Christ back into Christmas”. This is spoken from countless pulpits, especially during Christmas. While such talk is commendable and justifiable, and putting Christ back into Christmas may sound like a nice gesture, there is one problem. How do you put Christ back into something He was never in to begin with? Christ is not the 36
originator of Christmas. And He cannot be found in the origins of Christmas. So, it is not possible to "put Christ back into Christmas" since He was never there in the first place.
The children of Israel did something similar at Mount Sinai in Exodus 32. They fused the worship of Yahweh with the worship of a golden calf. Many scholars believe the golden calf was a replica of the sacred bull Apis, an Egyptian deity. This was a deliberate attempt by Israel to marry Yahweh worship and pagan worship even though God condemned such mixture. Their actions infuriated God and cost the lives of three thousand people. The point is clear: We cannot worship our God in the ways we choose, let alone in the ways pagans worship their gods. Therefore, the notion of putting Christ back into Christmas is somewhat misguided.
4. “Christmas has been celebrated by the Church for hundreds of years” This statement is true. The church has been celebrating Christmas for a few hundred years. It’s a fact and there’s no evidence to the contrary. Christmas has enjoyed unusual longevity. However, longevity is not necessarily an indicator of veracity. In other words, because Christmas has endured for hundreds of years does not make it right. Let me elaborate by using two examples from the Scriptures. The first is found in the Gospels. In the time of Jesus’ ministry, Jerusalem had been under Roman occupation for almost one hundred years. And the Roman denarius was the currency of the day. But the Sanhedrin, the 37
Jewish temple authority, refused to accept the denarius as temple tax. The only currency they accepted was the Hebrew shekel. To this end they allowed money changers to set up tables in the temple court. Their decision soon attracted other peddlers into the temple court who sold animals, birds and various items for worship and sacrifice. This was convenient for both the Sanhedrin and worshippers alike. But what began out of convenience soon became a compulsory custom in the temple. And it remained a mandatory temple practice for many years to come. Then Jesus arrives at the temple and aggressively shuts down temple trading, despite it being the accepted, common practice for so many years. Jesus’ here demonstrating that the legitimacy of a custom is not measured by its longevity.
The second example is found in the Old Testament. In Numbers 21 many Israelites were killed by fiery serpents in the wilderness after they complained against God. When Israel repented, God asked Moses to make a bronze serpent and erect it on a pole. Whenever an Israelite was bitten by a serpent, he gazed at the bronze serpent and was miraculously healed. Long after this incident, the bronze serpent continued to hold a place of significance among the Israelites. They preserved it, carried it along in the wilderness and brought it into the Promised Land, where it was set up as a memorial of God’s goodness to their fathers. But in the process of time Israel began to revere the bronze serpent. They gave it the name Nehushtan, burned incense to it and incorporated it into their worship. They continued to venerate it for about 700 years, until King Hezekiah rose up and destroyed it in 2 Kings 18:4. We will discuss the Nehushtan image in greater detail in a later chapter.
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These two incidents from Scripture prove that it is possible for man-made traditions to continue unchallenged inside the Church for hundreds of years. And as disconcerting as it may be, Christmas has been one such tradition which thrived within the Church for hundreds of years.
5. "But my children love Christmas!” Many Christian parents say things like: “We cannot deny our children gifts.” Some parents add, “our children just love the whole Santa Claus thing.” Other parents are concerned, “if we don’t let our children celebrate Christmas, they will be ridiculed at school.” These are real concerns for Christian parents. They feel sorry for their children and make every attempt to protect their psyches from the negative stigma of society. Parents are responsible for protecting their children. This is understandable. By the same token, parents are equally responsible for the education of their children. Christian parents especially owe it to their children to train and educate them in righteousness and truth. It is therefore essential that parents enlighten their children concerning the truth about Christmas, gift-giving, Santa Claus and so forth. Obviously, parents may need to utilize discretion and tactfulness in this regard. Having said that, it may come as a surprise to parents how quickly and easily their children receive the truth about Christmas. Let’s not take our children for granted.
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Chapter 7
CAMPING AT THE CHRISTMAS SIGNPOST Moving the Church to Christlike Maturity
“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
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hese words were prophesied by Isaiah some 700 years before the birth of Christ. Today this has become synonymous with Christmas. Its Christmas connotation has made it one of the
favourite and commonly used texts in Christmas sermons. We will almost certainly hear it being quoted in nativity plays. Yet this text is one of least understood texts in the Bible. Let me clarify.
To begin with, let’s zoom-in to an interesting word within this text. It is the word “sign”. The birth of Jesus was to be a “sign”. In the original text the word actually means “a signal” or “a signpost”. A signal or signpost is a landmark that gives directions to a destination. It is not the destination itself. The signal or signpost only guides us in the particular direction we should move. We have to go beyond the signpost if we intend to reach our destination. We cannot stop our journey at the signpost. That would be 40
irrational. Halting our journey to camp out at the signpost would be meaningless. However, this is exactly what the Church is doing.
The sign was that a virgin would give birth to a son, making reference to the birth of Christ. The birth of Christ was intended to be a signpost and nothing more. But the Church has turned the signpost into a permanent pit stop. Every time the Church commemorates the birth of Christ, it demonstrates that it has camped at the signpost. The fact that Christmas is a principal event on the Church’s calendar is proof thereof. Christmas has become the highlight of the Church’s annual activities.
In many churches, Christmas is the most important event of the year. Children commence with rehearsals for the Christmas plays weeks in advance. Sunday School teachers run helter-skelter in a frantic search for children’s gifts. One of the church members is chosen to masquerade as Santa. Santa’s appearance, his iconic “Ho Ho Ho” and his bag of gifts are always a hit with the kids. The church auditorium is decked with Christmas decorations. An exquisitely decorated Christmas tree stands glowing in the corner. Regular praise reverts to the singing of carols, and Feliz Navidad after the benediction. Everyone greets one another with the customary “Merry Christmas”. The pastor has prepared a special, tailormade Christmas message. Unlike other Sundays, the Christmas service carries with it a strange jubilation. Christians make no small affair of Christmas. Celebrating the birth of their Saviour gives them real a sense of fulfilment. Yet God intended Christ’s birth to be nothing more than a sign.
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Nothing about Jesus’ nativity was intended to become an observance or a celebration. It was merely a sign or signpost. And what is the purpose of signs? Firstly, a sign is a visible clue that something has happened. Thus, the nativity served as a visible fulfilment of the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy. It was intended to be a public witness of the Word God spoke hundreds of years before. Secondly, signs and signposts point to a particular destination. They provide direction and show the way. They indicate what is still to come. Therefore, the birth narratives of Jesus were intended to point us to what is still to come. Isaiah 7:14 tells us that Christ was born to become the “Immanuel”. Immanuel was the destination and the reason why Jesus was born. Immanuel means “God with us” and refers to the presence and person Christ becoming resident in the life of the saint. God is with us when Christ dwells with us, or in us. So, Immanuel is about attaining Christlike nature and character in one’s life. It speaks of spiritual maturity brought about by Christ-likeness manifesting in one’s life. Immanuel “God with us” is about every saint coming to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ. This is the real meaning behind the name “Immanuel”. God’s goal for His Church is that she will attain to the Immanuel posture in the spirit. Therefore, the goal of the Church is not “a virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son” but “Immanuel”.
What can the Church do to remedy the situation? Three things. Firstly, the Church must be willing to revisit its fixation with Jesus’ nativity. Secondly the Church must desist from removing Christ from His throne and returning Him to the manger year after year. Finally, the Church must revert to its original mandate of building Christ into every member until they become mature and complete.
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Chapter 8
NEHUSHTAN Has the Church Given Christmas Undue Significance?
What is a Nehushtan?
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n Numbers 21:8 God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent to heal the children of Israel after snakes afflicted them. The bronze serpent was a healing antidote that God provided specifically for that
incident in the wilderness. However, the children of Israel carried the bronze serpent with them to Canaan and preserved it as a memorial. In the process of time they were drawn into idolatry through the bronze serpent when they decided to burn incense to it.
In 2 Kings 18, King Hezekiah zealous for God's honour forbade the people to worship the bronze serpent. He told the people that the bronze serpent was Nehushtan. The word Nehushtan means something that is nothing more than a piece of brass. What Hezekiah meant was that the bronze serpent was an insignificant item which carried no spiritual significance or relevance. He believed it to be an exercise in futility that Israel preserved this worthless object for hundreds of years. Not to mention Israel’s wickedness in worshipping and burning incense to it. That’s why Hezekiah broke the bronze serpent to pieces and ground it to powder. 43
Nehushtan is a worthless piece of bronze that Israel gave worth to. The Nehushtan error is about giving undue significance to something that is actually insignificant. It may seem surprising but the present-day Church is teeming with Nehushtans. And the most common Nehushtans by far are church traditions and customs. Whenever a Church places too much value on a certain practice or custom, that practice or custom very soon becomes a Nehushtan in that Church.
Has Christmas Become a Nehushtan in the Church? As alluded to in earlier chapters Christmas is nothing more than a tradition. Celebrating the birth of Christ is inconsequential to God. He did not command it in the Holy Scriptures. And it is insignificant to the saving work of Christ and the overall purposes of God. In spite of this the Church continues to give Christmas undue significance in its midst and in so doing has produced a Nehushtan.
Furthermore, just as Nehushtan survived in the midst of Israel for around 700 years, Christmas has survived in the midst of the Church for hundreds of years. Both the traditions of Nehushtan and Christmas were handed down from one generation to another. And we know that traditions become more and more distorted as they pass down generations. Consider also that the Nehushtan tradition came to occupy a significant place in the heart and worship of Israel. They burned incense to it and probably moved it into the temple. The same can be said about the Christmas tradition. 44
Today it has come to occupy a significant place in the heart and worship of the Church. The analogy between Nehushtan and Christmas is uncanny. Christmas is the modern-day equivalent of the Nehushtan.
Why Nehushtans Have to be Destroyed Nehushtan eventually brings judgement on the Church. In 2 Kings 9 we are introduced to one of the most fascinating persons in the Bible. His name was Jehu. Jehu was a commander in the army of Israel. But God set him apart to become the king of Israel. God also called him to annihilate the whole house of Ahab. Jehu instantly responded to the call of God. On the very day he was anointed king He slew both the king of Israel and the king of Judah. He also had Jezebel put to death for her abominations. He succeeded in destroying all the sons of Ahab and all the priests of Baal in Israel. Thus, Jehu ultimately rid Israel of Baal worship and went on to reign as Israel’s king for the next twenty-eight years. The reforms of Jehu were some of the most radical ever recorded in the Scriptures. He executed his call with such agility and precision. Jehu was the epitome of a mighty man of God. Yet there was one thing God held against Jehu. And this is what tarnishes Jehu’s remarkable image and achievements. It is recorded in 2 Kings 10:29 that, Jehu did not give up the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he made Israel to sin, that is, the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
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About a century before Jehu, Jeroboam reigned as king over Israel. Jeroboam did not want his people to go down to Jerusalem to the annual feast. So, he erected two golden calves as shrines in Bethel and Dan instead and enjoined the people to offer their annual sacrifices here. In so doing, Jeroboam created an alternate form of worship, and one that violated the prescribed patterns of the Law. This was so offensive in the eyes of God that He told Jeroboam “you have done more evil than all who were before you” (1 Kings 14:9). This was idolatry and God judged Jeroboam severely for it. Despite this, the idolatry Jeroboam instituted survived for a many centuries and Israel continued to annually sacrifice to these golden calves. The reign of Jehu came a century after Jeroboam. By then sacrificing to the golden calves was a common and accepted practice in Israel. But God in the hope of ridding Israel of all idolatry put a spirit of reformation upon Jehu. Jehu rid Israel of Baal worship but he neglected to remove the golden calves. Was he duped into thinking the golden calves represented worship to Yahweh? We will never know. All we know is that Jehu was blindsided by the calves, and God held him responsible for this oversight. Jehu was not the only king to suffer this fate. Prior to his reign God held various other kings responsible for accommodating the golden calves. These included Zimri (1 Kings 16:19), Omri (1 Kings 16:26) and Jehoram (2 Kings 3:3). Subsequent to Jehu’s reign, consecutive kings were indicted for the same error since they made no attempt to remove the golden calves from Israel’s worship. These included Baasha (1 Kings 15:34), Jehoahaz (2 Kings 13:2,6), Jehoash (2 Kings 13:11), Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:24), Menahem (2 Kings 15:18) and Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:24). The worship of 46
the golden calves continued for many centuries, and none of the kings removed it. Nehushtan became so entrenched in Israel’s religious life that God had no option but to completely destroy Israel! What happened to Israel is a warning to keep us from doing the same evil things. A “Nehushtan” will ultimately bring judgement on the Church because it is a tradition of man which gradually becomes a doctrine of the Church. The case of the golden calves is akin to that of Nehushtan because Israel also offered incense to Nehushtan for a long period of time. And Israel could offer no intelligent explanation for burning incense to this image for all those years. Their fathers had burnt incense to it after all, so why shouldn’t they? The golden calves and Nehushtan are clear illustrations of how traditions gradually become doctrines. Ordinary church practices and customs can over time become so crystalized in the Church that people begin to accept them as “the voice of God.” Such “traditions” become “burdens” (Matt. 23:4) unnecessarily levied upon people robbing them of their freedom in serving Christ. That’s why all traditions and practices, especially those which the Church cherishes as truth, must to be tested. Christmas too! Nehushtan is idolatry. Idolatry is more than idol-worship. It’s about is replacing God’s prescribed patterns of worship with one’s own religious thoughts and ideas. God did not command Israel to preserve the bronze serpent as a relic of devotion. By their own whim, the Israelites kept Nehushtan in memorial of the healing incident in the wilderness. Later, Nehushtan became an idol that was worshipped in the temple. This illustrates the process by which church traditions become idols. Whenever God’s people attach superstitious reverence to a tradition, they create an 47
idol. A tradition venerated by the Church becomes an idol in the Church, and will remain so for generations to come. Nehushtan has to fall for the next generation to rise. The Church can longer disregard and devalue the succession generation arising in its midst. We have the responsibility of transferring accurate doctrines, patterns and practices to the next generation. If we are going to perpetuate a legacy of truth for our future sons in the faith, we must become the cutoff point in our present generation. Extra biblical practices have to be removed. The destruction of the Nehushtan resulted in the emancipation of future generations. They were no longer obliged to burn incense to Nehushtan. Why should we place the burden of superfluous traditions like Christmas upon the future Church? I honestly believe that, if the next generation is shielded from the distractions of traditions, they will accelerate God’s destiny and purpose for His Church.
Who Destroys Nehushtans? We are told in 2 Kings 18 that Hezekiah destroyed Nehushtan or the bronze serpent. Who was this Hezekiah who had the audacity to destroy a relic that Israel preserved for over 700 years? Hezekiah was the twelfth king of Judah and he came to the throne at the tender age of 25. His name means the strength of God. His name revealed his grace and calling. As the twelfth king of Judah (12 being the number of governmental perfection) national reformation was etched in his soul. From his first act we witness the manifestation of the spirit of a reformer. He purged,
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repaired and reopened the temple. Hezekiah also obliterated Nehushtan in the midst of this season of spiritual reformation.
Only reformers have the grace to destroy Nehushtans and things that bear resemblance to it. When God unleashes a season of reformation on the earth, reformers emerge in the Church to counter inaccurate elements that have infringed upon the Church for decades. Who can forget the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries? The next chapter WISE MEN CAME FROM THE REFORMATION examines how Christmas was viewed during the Protestant Reformation. A new season of reformation is currently sweeping across the earth. The Church is returning to its original blueprints. It is only a matter of time until reformers emerge to redress traditional practices like Christmas and others in the Church. When a season of reformation comes, every traditional practice of the Church is called into question. Let’s consider some characteristics that precede a reformation season, taken from the life of Hezekiah.
One of the first things we find in a reformation season is a need to reconnect to authentic original patterns. Hezekiah connected directly to the spirit and example of his ancestor David (2 Kings 18:3). He bypassed all other predecessors in his lineage including his father Ahaz. The Scriptures attest that Hezekiah did what was right “according to all that his father David had done.” As a matter of fact, Hezekiah is regarded by many scholars as a second David. Like David before him, he had genuine love for God's Word and God's temple. David’s accurate life and example was embodied in Hezekiah. Something similar is happening to the global 49
Church in this present season of reformation. The Church is reconnecting to original apostolic patterns. It is scaling over many generations of church history to return to its ancient foundations. The restoration of authentic patterns in the Church is laying bare every counterfeit manmade tradition.
The next thing that happens before a reformation is that the spiritual understanding of the Church increases. The prophetic becomes frequent and revelation and illumination flows more steadily. It was heightened spiritual perception that moved Hezekiah to destroy the bronze serpent. Hezekiah perceived straightaway what the people failed to perceive for hundreds of years. Their spiritual senses were dulled, however Hezekiah’s spiritual understanding exceeded theirs. He viewed their precious Nehushtan as nothing but a piece of brass (2 Kings 18:4). When the Church’s spiritual understanding becomes sharpened and heightened, she is able to discern inaccurate doctrines in her midst. Reformation is about the elimination of the inaccurate and the restoration of the accurate.
Operating under spiritual covering and chain of command also paves the way for spiritual reformation. Hezekiah resigned himself to the spiritual counsels of the prophet Isaiah. He was the king of Judah but he did not operate autocratically or independently. Instead he readily submitted to the voice of the prophet. He respected the prophetic mantle over Isaiah’s life and chose to submit to his spiritual oversight. The Kingdom of God, like all kingdoms, has rank and order. The Church as well has a chain of command or an authority structure. God has appointed spiritual fathers as the highest authority structure within the local Church. Spiritual 50
fathers in the Church have the responsibility to hear from God, transmit pure doctrine and preserve a legacy for the next generation.
Reformation usually comes forth in a zealous and tumultuous manner. The initiators of a religious reformation are often provocative and controversial. Throughout the history of the Church, zealous reformers have arisen to forcefully advance the Kingdom. Many of them were regarded as controversial figures in their day. Hezekiah too demonstrated similar zeal when he became king (2 Chron. 29:3; 31:1). He inherited a kingdom which had become corrupted, wicked and idolatrous. Through the influence of past generations, a deluge of idolatry had spread over the land and Hezekiah’s spirit was stirred against this idolatry. This is similar to what Jesus did when he drove the moneychangers and peddlers out of the temple. John 2:17 says “the zeal of Your house has consumed Me”. The same nature of Christ is being formed within the life of the saints and it is only a matter of time until the saints arise with Christ-like zeal to purge the Church of inaccurate practices.
Spiritual reformations are preceded by a reformation of the Word of God. We observe this in Hezekiah. He ordered his scribes to copy King Solomon’s proverbs. These copies have been incorporated into what we have as the Book of Proverbs today. Hezekiah steered Israel back to God’s Word. And in so doing he was able to eliminate their double standards. In a reformation the proceeding Word is brought into prominence. The Word is elevated to a position of absolute authority. God is bringing a revival of the Word and the Spirit upon His Church at this present time. The saints
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are returning to the proceeding Word of God. And every tradition in the Church is being scrutinized against the truth of God’s Word.
Finally, reformation begins with the Church undoing the errors of former generations. A reformation becomes the cut-off point for past traditions. Hezekiah demonstrates this principle. When he took the throne of Judah, the southern kingdom was subservient to Assyria. His father Ahaz had taken gold from then temple to pay tribute to the king of Assyria. However, Hezekiah unlike his predecessor “rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him” (2 Kings 18:7). Hezekiah’s father also dabbled in pagan worship during his reign. Hezekiah on the other hand became the endpoint for pagan worship in Judah. No sooner had he succeeded the throne than he rid Israel of the pagan customs practised by his father. The 16th century reformer Martin Luther is a good example of a reformer who undid the errors of the Church in his day. Luther identified ninety-five erroneous practices within the Church he belonged to. In October 1517 Luther defiantly nailed a copy of this provocative document onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The 95 Theses would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation.
I close this chapter by reiterating, a reformation move of God is currently sweeping across the earth. Its principal purpose is to measure and reform the Church. The Church is found wanting because accurate divine patterns are lacking. The Church is built on man-made rituals, beliefs and practices. It has become the recipient of countless errors handed down from past generations. And Christmas is one of them. The reformation will challenge man-made traditions, like Christmas, in its quest to restore 52
divine patterns. The spirit of reformation is already upon the Church and it’s only a matter of time before the whole Church begins to question the validity of Christmas.
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Chapter 9
WISE MEN CAME FROM THE REFORMATION What the Reformers Have to Say About Christmas
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t is believed that the Protestant Reformation began in 1517, when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Church at Wittenberg. The movement was initially aimed at reforming the beliefs and
practices of the Roman Catholic Church but when all hopes of reforming the Church failed, the "protestants" were forced to separate from Roman Catholicism. Having separated they quickly gained adherents across Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Scotland and portions of France. Within the next few decades the Protestant Reformation movement spread through most of Europe.
The Lutheran Church in Germany, the Reformed Church in Switzerland and the Netherlands, the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, and the Anglican Church in England were all offshoots of the Reformation movement. Most Church denominations in the world today have in one way or another evolved out of this Protestant Reformation movement.
Many reformers and scholars debuted at different stages of the Reformation. Their contributions have become the cornerstone of the 54
Church we have today. Many of these reformers are household names today. In this chapter we will examine their views about Christmas as a Church celebration. Let’s begin with the famous reformer and theologian, John Calvin.
John Calvin (1509 – 1564)
The historical roots of the Presbyterian and Reformed Church are in the teachings of John Calvin, a 16th century French reformer. Calvin initially trained for the Catholic priesthood at the University of Paris and later as a lawyer, but he eventually converted to the Reformation movement and became a theologian and minister. He wrote a great deal during his career, including lengthy Bible commentaries and the Institutes of the Christian Religion, a work of systematic theology. Calvin was based in Geneva and his theology had saturated that city so much so that Church holidays including Christmas were abolished altogether. An edict called citizens to respect “the abrogation of all festivals, with the exception of Sundays, which God had ordained." When festivals like Christmas were banned it ruffled some feathers in certain quarters and Calvin was blamed for instigating the ban. To these accusations Calvin responded, "Although I have neither been the mover nor instigator to it, yet, since it has so happened, I am not sorry for it."1 Clearly John Calvin did not favour man-made customs and festivals in the Church, including the celebration of Christmas.
1
Calvin, Letters, Vol. ii, p. 289; cf. George Gillespie, A Dispute Against the English-Popish Ceremonies, Obtruded upon the Church of Scotland (Geneva, 1637), Part 1, p. 34.
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John Knox (1514 – 1572)
Second in importance to John Calvin in the history of Presbyterian Church was John Knox. He lived in Scotland from 1514 to 1572. He led the reformation in Scotland in accordance with Calvin’s principles. Knox condemned Christmas as one of the many false practices of the Roman Catholic Church. In a public debate against these false practices Knox declared: “That God's Word damns your ceremonies, it is evident; for the plain and straight commandment of God is, ‘Not that thing which appears good in thy eyes, shalt thou do to the Lord thy God, but what the Lord thy God has commanded thee, that do thou: add nothing to it; diminish nothing from it.’ Now unless that ye are able to prove that God has commanded your ceremonies, this his former commandment will damn both you and them.”1
In December 1560 John Knox drew up the First Book of Discipline. It was a document that ordered the life of the Reformed Church in Scotland. In it Knox wrote about keeping Christmas and other feasts. He wrote, “Which things [Christmas and other feasts], because in God’s Scriptures they neither have commandment nor assurance, we judge them utterly to be abolished from this realm.”
Also, under the supervision of John Knox, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland wrote in its acts of 1566: "festival of our Lord's nativity, ... passion, resurrection, ascension, ...that these festivals at the 1
Dickinson, W.C. 1950. John Knox's History of the Reformation in Scotland. Philosophical Library, New York. Vol. 1, p. 91.
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present time obtain no place among us; for we dare not religiously celebrate any other feast-day than what the divine oracles prescribed."
David Calderwood (1575 – 1651)
David Calderwood was a Scottish minister and historian. Calderwood was educated at Edinburgh after which he took an active part in the affairs of the Church. He encapsulated the Scottish Church’s firm opposition to Christmas in his sharp critique published in 1619: "If it had been the will of God that the several acts of Christ should have been celebrated with several solemnities, the Holy Ghost would have made known to us the day of His nativity, circumcision, presentation in the temple, baptism, transfiguration, and the like. This opinion of Christ's nativity on the 25th day of December was bred at Rome…Nay, let us utter the truth, December-Christmas is a just imitation of the December-Saturnal of the ethnic [heathen] Romans, and so used as if Bacchus, and not Christ, were the God of Christians."1
Oliver Cromwell (1599 – 1658) Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan. He fought for the cause of the Protestant Reformation in England and sought to rid the Church of its Catholic influences. In 1628, Cromwell was elected to the House of Commons, one half of England's legislative branch. In 1653 after Cromwell was named Lord Protector and given full power over the British Republic he 1
David Calderwood. 1619. Perth Assembly, Presbyterian Church. pp. 79-81.
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commenced a reformation of godliness in England. This involved a clamping down on drunkenness, immorality and other sinful activities. He also abolished the celebration of Christmas during his tenure. He believed that Christmas was nothing more than a catalyst for social revelry so much so that in London soldiers were ordered to monitor the streets and take, by force if necessary, food being cooked for a Christmas celebration. The smell of a goose or turkey being cooked could spell trouble. Traditional Christmas decorations like the holly were banned as well.
The Puritan Movement Puritanism was an offshoot of the Protestant Reformation movement in the late 16th century. It sought to “purify� the Church of England of its remaining Roman Catholic practices. Puritan opposition to the Christmas celebration was widely recognized. All Puritans whether in America or Europe were united against it. The Puritan argument against Christmas was three-fold: 1. No time of worship is sanctified, unless God has ordained it. 2. Unscriptural holidays are a threat to the proper observance of the Lord's day because these holidays tend to eclipse the sanctity which belongs only to the Lord's day. 3. The observance of unscriptural holidays tends toward the superstition and innovation in worship which are characteristic of Roman Catholicism1
1
Reed, K. 1995. Christmas: An Historical Survey Regarding Its Origins and Opposition to It. (http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Xmas)
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Furthermore, and as already mentioned the parliament of England under Oliver Cromwell passed a legislation abolishing Christmas and other holidays in June 1647. It came at the request of the Westminster Assembly, who forbade the observance of Christmas and calling it a heathen holiday. The legislation read: “Forasmuch as the feast of the nativity of Christ, Easter, Whitsuntide, and other festivals, commonly called holy-days, have been heretofore superstitiously used and observed; be it ordained, that the said feasts, and all other festivals, commonly called holy-days, be no longer observed as festivals; any law, statute, custom, constitution, or canon, to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding.�1 Halfway across the world in the American colonies Puritans took a similar stand against the celebration of Christmas. The 25th of December was just another day among the pilgrim settlers who came over on the Mayflower. They made it a point to work on December 25th in defiance of the day. In 1621, a mild conflict arose when some newcomers had to be confronted about the so-called Christmas Day: “On the day called Christmas Day, the Governor called them out to work as was used. But the most part of this new company excused themselves and said that it went against their consciences to work on that day. So the Governor told them that if they made it a matter of conscience, he would spare them till they were better informed; so he led away the rest and left them. But when they came home at noon from their work, they found them in the street at play, openly; some pitching the bar, and some at stool-ball and such like sports. So he went to them and took away their
1
Neal, D. 1837. The History of the Puritans. Thomas Tegg and Son. London. Vol.2. p.458
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implements and told them that was against his conscience, that they should play and others work. If they made the keeping of it a matter of devotion, let them keep their houses; but there should be no gaming or revelling in the streets. Since which time nothing hath been attempted that way, at least openly.”1
Many Puritans immigrated to Massachusetts to build a new life. Following strong Puritan sentiments, Christmas festivities were outlawed in Boston from 1659. The courts banned the celebration of Christmas and other such holidays together with gambling and many lawless behaviours, regarding all such behaviours equal. The courts placed a fine of five shillings on anyone caught feasting or celebrating the holiday in any manner. The records of the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony made the following entry on the 11th of May 1659: “…it is therefore ordered by this court and the authority thereof that whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labour, feasting, or any other way, upon any such account as aforesaid, every such person so offending shall pay for every such offence five shilling as a fine to the county.”2
In 1681, some twenty-two years later, the ban on Christmas was lifted by the newly appointed governor of Massachusetts. However, it wasn't until the mid-1800s that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in the Boston region again and people stopped working on Christmas. The Puritans knew the roots of Christmas and labelled it “heathen, papist
1 2
William Bradford. Of Plymouth Plantation (Samuel Eliot Morison, ed.; New York: Alfred Knopf, 1979), p. 97. George E Ellis. The Puritan Age. Applewood Books, Massachusetts, 1888. p.122
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idolatry.” They commonly referred to it as “Fools-tide.” Within the American colonies Puritans, Baptists, Quakers and Presbyterians opposed the Christmas celebration while Catholics, Anglicans (Episcopalians), Dutch Reformed and Lutherans approved of it.
The Presbyterian Movement The Presbyterians of America opposed Christmas and other Church holidays through the latter half of the nineteenth century. They did not recognise it as a day of any religious significance. In fact, there was no recognition of either Christmas or Easter in any Protestant churches except the Episcopal and Lutheran. And Presbyterian journals only mentioned Christmas to indicate how futile it was to believe Jesus was actually born on December 25th.
Ernest Trice Thompson one of the most respected Southern Presbyterian historians wrote: "If the exact date were known, or if some day (as December 25) had been agreed upon by common consent in the absence of any certain knowledge, we would still object to the observance of Christmas as a holy day. We object for many reasons, but at present mention only this one—that experience has shown that the institution of holy days by human authority, however pure the intention, has invariably led to the disregard of the Holy day—the Sabbath—instituted by God." 1
1
Ernest Trice Thompson. Presbyterians in the South. John Knox Press, Richmond, 1973. Vol. 2, p. 434
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In 1899, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Churches in the United States released a pronounced and explicit charge against the recognition of Christmas and Easter as religious days: “There is no warrant in Scripture for the observance of Christmas and Easter as holy days, rather the contrary (see Gal. 4:9-11; Col. 2:16-21), and such observance is contrary to the principles of the Reformed Faith, conducive to will worship, and not in harmony with the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”1
Christmas did not go unchallenged in twentieth century Presbyterianism. In 1962, the Synod of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland issued a "Statement of Differences” between itself and other Presbyterian churches. One point of difference was the observance of holidays. It read: “The Free Presbyterian Church rejects the modern custom becoming so prevalent in the Church of Scotland, of observing Christmas and Easter... At the time of the Reformation in Scotland all these festivals were cast out of the Church as things that were not only unnecessary but unscriptural.”2
Charles Haddon Spurgoen (1834 – 1892)
Charles Haddon Spurgoen was England's most renown preacher during the second half of the nineteenth century. Although he received limited formal education he proclaimed the Gospel to an estimated 20 million
1
Smith, M.H. How is the Gold Become Dim. Jackson, Mississippi, 1973. p. 98 Synod of the Free Presbyterian Church. History of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, (1893-1970) Scotland, p. 383 2
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people, wrote more than 140 books and founded 66 organisations. One of his superb literary achievements is The Treasury of David, a Bible commentary on the Book of Psalms. In it Spurgoen reveals his stance on Christmas and other Church festivities. Commenting on Psalm 81:4 he says: “When it can be proved that the observance of Christmas, Whitsuntide, and other Popish festivals was ever instituted by a divine statute, we also will attend to them, but not till then. It is as much our duty to reject the traditions of men, as to observe the ordinances of the Lord. We ask concerning every rite and rubric, ‘Is this a law of the God of Jacob?’ and if it be not clearly so, it is of no authority with us, who walk in Christian liberty.”
On the 24th of December 1871 Spurgoen delivered a sermon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, a Church he pastored. In this sermon Spurgoen clearly outlines his views about the celebration of Christmas. He said: “We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Saviour; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority.”
In the same sermon Spurgeon acknowledged the pagan origins of Christmas. He also commended the efforts of past reformers who sought to dispose of Christmas throughout the history of the Church: “Upright men strove to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostasy 63
went on till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant was submerged under pagan superstition. That Christmas is a pagan festival is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it in celebrated, prove its origin�
The point of Spurgeon’s sermon was clear: "Those who follow the custom of observing Christmas, follow not the Bible, but pagan ceremonies".
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Conclusion
KEEPING CHRISTMAS The Implications of Cohabiting with Pagan Practices
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srael in the Old Testament is a symbol of the Church in the New Testament. Israel in the wilderness is the “congregation [eklessia]in the wilderness” according to Acts 7:38. Therefore the experiences of
Israel are examples for the Church (1 Cor.10:11). The Church must learn from Israel’s experiences – both good and bad. With this in mind we will, in this final chapter, focus on one particular incident in Israel’s history. It is an incident found in the concluding chapters of the Book of Ezra. Interestingly, Ezra is a book about spiritual reformation. Israel returned to the Promised Land and rebuilt the temple. A revival of the Word was unleashed. In the midst of this season of revival the Israelites received a revelation from heaven which left them dumbfounded. The message was clear. The Israelites had “taken pagan wives” for themselves (Ezra 10:2). This was a rude awakening for God’s people. Marrying pagans meant they had “not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands” according to Ezra 9:1. Even Israel’s priests and key leaders were hoodwinked in this regard.
Israel’s example resembles that of the contemporary Church. The Church too has been cohabiting with unbiblical customs and Christmas is the foremost of them. Like the Israelites who took pagan wives, the Church is 65
oblivious of its error. Christians naively observe Christmas giving no thought to its 4th century pagan Roman origins. They are unaware that their approval of Christmas is tantamount to “not separating themselves from the peoples of the lands.” Christmas originated from non-Christian quarters and ironically it is returning there. Consider how popular the celebration of Christmas has become among non-Christians today. For instance, 81% of America’s population regard themselves as Christian but more than 93% say they celebrate Christmas. Christmas has come to enjoy worldwide acceptance and, undoubtedly so, considering the world has been its point of origin.
You may be thinking, so what’s the big deal if we celebrate Christmas even though has pagan roots? The Israelites probably asked the same question when God reprimanded them for taking pagan wives. What was wrong with taking pagan wives? In Ezra 9 God tells them why their practice of taking pagan wives was wrong. Let us consider some of the reasons.
Firstly, taking pagan wives would mean that the “holy seed is mixed with the peoples” (v.2). God called Israel “holy seed.” He wanted them to be a nation separated from other nations. He did not want Israel to lose her identity and destiny by cohabiting with other nations. After all demonic spirits drive pagan customs and God did not want Israel defiling herself. Today the Church is God’s holy nation in the earth. The saints are the called-out and set-apart ones. God does not want His Church to cohabit with the world, neither does He want it to adopt the patterns of the world. The salt should not lose its flavour. When the Church acts foolishly it relinquishes its spiritual authority and strength. Thus the 4th century 66
Church acted foolishly when it married the pagan customs of Rome. I believe that the Church’s observance of Christmas has contributed to its diminished power and demise in the world today.
Secondly taking pagan wives caused Israel to plunge into a state of moral depravity. Ezra said, “O my God… our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens” (v.6). Israel plummeted into an abyss of moral and spiritual decay when they took pagan wives for themselves and adopted the customs of the surrounding people. In the same way the Church experienced its first major season of spiritual decay in the years following Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in AD 313. Constantine regularized the Church, promoted clergy to high ranking offices and gave them financial privileges, built ornate basilicas and so forth. As a result, many Roman citizens began to fancy Christianity and became patrons of the Church. In time the Church began to embrace the customs of the surrounding pagan public in a bid to accommodate if not attract them. Celebrating the birth of Christ on the 25th of December was one such custom. With it the demise of the Church entered its inception. It would only be a matter of time until the Church would sink into a state of spiritual and moral depravity that would lead to the Dark Ages.
Taking pagan wives was also a violation of God’s commandments. Ezra prayed, “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments” (v.10). Christmas violates God’s commandments because it is not prescribed by it. This point requires no
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elaboration because it has already been discussed in the chapter A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY.
Lastly taking pagan wives would contaminate future generations. The fathers of Israel not only took pagan wives for themselves, they took them for their sons as well (v.2). God did not want the next generation to be affected so He rebuked the fathers saying, “do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons” (v. 12). God did not want pagan culture and practices transmitted to the succession generation of Israel. Neither did He want them to be exposed to the false gods of the nations because the religions of this world are demon driven and devised to cause mankind to reject the sovereignty of God and His Word. That’s why the Church should refrain from Christianizing pagan practices. Who knows to what extent pagan practices like Christmas will affect future generations of the Church. Satan could use it as a foothold to infiltrate the Church.
Sometime in the future our children will accuse us of misrepresenting the truth to them. We must protect subsequent generations arising in the Church. In 2 Chronicles 33, King Manasseh did evil by building altars of Baal and high places for Judah. God afflicted him and caused him to be captured and deported to Babylon as a human war trophy. However, when Manasseh repented and turned to the Lord during his captivity the Lord caused him to return as king to Judah. When Manasseh returned as a reformed man, he began to reform the land by eradicating the worship of foreign gods. Although he was successful in his campaign to restore worship of the God of Israel back to Judah, verse 17 makes an interesting 68
observation. It reads “Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the LORD their God.” So, they chose to use the high places previously associated with pagan worship to worship the God of Israel. And this is exactly what the Church has done with Christmas. It has taken a practice associated with pagan worship, christened it and used it to worship and honour the Lord Jesus Christ.
As illustrated above bringing pagan practices into the Church has consequences. And Israel is a case in point. From the time Israel accommodated pagan wives within their camp they experienced the judgement of God. Ezra mentions five serious consequences for taking pagan wives in his prayer of repentance for Israel: “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day.” Ezra 9:7
The first consequence was that Israel was “delivered into the hand of the kings of the land.” The strength of Israel was lost and she was enslaved by the Gentiles. It comes as no surprise that this is the current situation of the modern-day Church. Most Christians are nothing more than worldly imitations. They serve their Babylonian masters with utter devotion. In their pursuit for gold and glory, the purpose and destiny of the Church has taken a backseat.
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Secondly Israel was “delivered…to the sword” for taking pagan wives. Accommodating pagan practices within the Church inadvertently opens the doors for the destroyer to enter. Satan seeks every opportunity to break and dismantle God’s Church. Church splits and infighting have become commonplace in the Church today. I recently read about one Church in a small town in Georgia in the United States that split 47 times over the years because of one issue or another. With each split came a new Church affiliated to the same denomination. Today 48 churches are existing in that small town of Centerville, Georgia. Consequently, that denomination holds the record for having the most number of churches in a small town.
The third consequence was that Israel was taken into “captivity.” This has to do with the incarceration of the Church. History tells how the Church occupied a central place in the destiny of nations. State affairs were intertwined with the Church. The Church was indispensable to the wellbeing of cities and nations. Today however the story is different. Society has confined the Church to a religious corner because she lost her distinctiveness. How? She has become a glutton of pagan delicacies so much so that the pagan world no longer respects her. Therefore, she has minimal influence and impact over society.
Fourthly, the enemy took Israel as “plunder/ spoil (KJV).” This speaks of a Church that is carried away by the enemy through deception. A Church led astray doctrinally is generally one that cohabits with pagan practices and other worldly customs. The fifth and final consequence was that Israel suffered tremendous “humiliation/ utter shame (ESV).” The Church has 70
suffered the same. Society no longer respects the Church or gives her the honour she deserves. The Church is regarded as a worthless religious entity. In times gone by the Church determined the laws that regulated society and the government. Today the tables have turned. Now the government and society determine the laws that regulate the Church. In many nations the Church has become dependent on the state. She can barely exist apart from the state. She needs the state’s support, permission, consent, clearance, hand-outs, subsidy, authorization, and the list goes on. It’s an unfortunate situation when the head has become the tail. As we have seen, accommodating pagan practices like Christmas can have serious consequences on the Church. In this reformation season it imperative that the Church responds accurately to the problem of pagan practices in its midst. The destiny of future generations in the Church depends on it. The Church cannot afford to be hanging in a balance about these issues anymore. Even the Israelites came to their senses in Ezra 10. They acknowledged their error in marrying and accommodating pagan wives and they decided to put away their pagan wives from Israel. Shechaniah becomes the champion in this matter: And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law”. Ezra 10:2-3 71
This was no easy decision for Shechaniah. He had married a pagan wife too. So, he had to contend with personal and domestic implications of putting her away. Furthermore, his father Jehiel had also taken pagan wives and so did his five paternal uncles (Ezra 10:26). Pagan wives were part of their family legacy. Putting them away would not only affect Shechaniah personally; it would wreck his extended family as well. Yet Shechaniah deemed it better to obey God than to please himself or his nearest relatives. The spirit of Shechaniah is very much needed in the Church today. It is a spirit that goes beyond personal sentiment or family tradition to do what is right and pleasing to God. It is a spirit that is willing to acknowledge its mistakes, repent of them and change. With regard to Christmas, the spirit of Shechaniah will say: “We have trespassed against our God by taking a pagan custom from the peoples of the land. Now we make a covenant with our God to put away this pagan practice.�
Obviously, there will be some that may not be keen to put away Christmas. Some may even oppose the idea altogether. Actually, I would find it very strange if my submission to do away with Christmas met no opposition. Why do I say that? Because the submission of Ezra and Shechaniah that Israel put away pagan wives was also met with opposition. It appears that two men, Jonathan and Jahaziah, stood against this matter (Ezra 10:15). However, their opposition was unfortunate because the majority of Israel came to their senses, acknowledged their error and put away their pagan wives (Ezra 10:16). I believe that sooner or later the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ will follow suit.
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THE END
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CHRISTMAS UNWRAPPED
Copyright  2017 by Nel Sewraj BATTLE AXE PUBLISHING Green Gables, Eland Road Ballito, South Africa Website: www.groundbreakerschurch.co.za 74
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