“What does the Bible say about the jolly old man we see every Christmas in malls and advertisements? The short answer, of course, is nothing,” Denison said. “But there’s more to the story about Santa, just as there is more to the many other traditions associated with Christmas.”
- Santa Claus—Santa was not present at the first Christmas, but he was a real person. Nicholas was a priest in Asia Minor in AD 280, who spent his life helping poor, underprivileged and mentally challenged children. He visited their homes at night disguised in a red-and-white hooded robe to leave gifts of money, clothing and food in their windows or around their fireplaces. His popularity led him to be made one of the most venerated saints all over the world, and his gift giving tradition out of love, continues.
- Candle in the Window—One of the earliest Christmas traditions was lighting candles to symbolize the coming of the Light of God. Christians often still light candles in their places of worship and put them on their windowsills at home.
- Christmas Trees—Martin Luther is credited with decorating the first Christmas tree in the 16th century. For Christians, the tree symbolizes the beauty of the world Jesus brought into being. And it also foreshadows the tree of Calvary upon which he died for us.
- Wreath—The Roman tradition symbolizing victory predates Jesus’ birth. Christmas wreaths symbolize Jesus’ victory over death.
- Poinsettia—Coming to America from Mexico in the 19th century, the beautiful red leaves of the poinsettia plant, blooming especially during our Christmas season, remind Christians of the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for us all.
- Mistletoe—Its origins are from Medieval England where they believed it to have mystical powers of love, but to Christians, the mistletoe represents Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He alone can bring lasting peace between nations and souls.
- Christmas Cards—These first became popular in the mid-19th century. When receiving or sending a card in the mail, by email or in person this season, Christians can stop to pray for the one on the other end and make the Christ of Christmas more real than any card ever could.
Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25?
According to our traditions, Santa Claus visits our homes on December 24, Christmas Eve. And we celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25. But, do we know why we observe Christmas on that day?
The night Jesus was born, the Bible tells us that the shepherds were in the fields tending their sheep (Luke 2:8), something they did not do in the winter. The Roman census, which brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, would not have been possible in winter either.
It is most likely Jesus was born in the springtime. Early scholars estimate the time around March 25 or sometime in April. But Christmas was not celebrated as a holiday for nearly four centuries.
For many years, the Romans had celebrated the “birthday” of the sun each year on December 25 since that date is near the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s the beginning of the winter season. Pagan festivals marked the occasion for centuries before Christians began using the “birthday” of the sun as the birthday of the Son.
By 1038, the Mass of Christ was called Cristes Maesse, from which we get the word “Christmas.” In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first nativity scene.
And so Jesus’ birthday is celebrated on December 25, and St. Nicholas is the “patron saint” of the holiday.
And we give gifts to celebrate the greatest Gift.
Where was Jesus born?
Christmas actually began centuries before that blessed night in Bethlehem, as we will see later when we examine Old Testament prophecies.
The little town’s greatest claim to fame before the birth of Jesus was the fact that King David grew up there, just outside of Jerusalem. He tended his flocks there as a boy and called Bethlehem his home, so that is why it is known as the “City of David” to this day.
For centuries, wandering tribes used caves in this mountainous area as temporary shelters from the elements. And they were often used as homes for gypsies, nomads, and their families and animals.
In time, people settled there, establishing the town they called Bethlehem, or “house of bread,” so named for the fertile fields amidst surrounding valleys. A road linking Jerusalem with Hebron to the north and Egypt to the south gave the area significance.
Bethlehem’s location on this well-traveled route made it the perfect location for an inn, which was built near a cave and the hill later known as Golgotha. The cave was used as a stable for the innkeeper’s animals. The average cave size in the area was about thirty-nine feet long, eleven feet wide, low at the entrance, and nine feet high at the highest point.
Our modern-day nativity scenes depict Jesus and his family and worshippers surrounded by beauty and serenity. They are lovely, but they are not the way it all was. If you have been in a cave, you know why. There’s no light except the fire one lights inside, and then the smoke stings the eyes and fills the lungs. There’s no air circulation, so it feels damp and musty.
And animals were stabled here. Imagine the odors of a barn, multiplied many times. This was the scene where Jesus was born. He was placed, not in a wooden crib lined with hay, but on a feed stone feed trough chiseled out of a rocky platform, two feet off the ground. The Lord of the universe was placed where donkeys, mules, and sheep had been licking up barley and oats.
But don’t see this as mistreatment or a lack of compassion. The innkeeper offered what he had on a busy night during the census when every room in the inn was full.
The wonder of it all is that Jesus chose to be born here. He was the only baby ever to choose his birthplace. He could have chosen Jerusalem, or Athens, or Rome, but he chose Bethlehem. He could have chosen a palace, but he chose to be born in a cave.
Over time, the Romans attempted to eliminate the memory of Jesus’ birth here by planting a grove dedicated to their pagan god Adonis, the lover of Venus.
But when Constantine the Great became a Christian, he and his mother began to build churches to commemorate holy sites and cleared away all pagan rituals. In AD 330, they constructed the oldest church building in Christendom, the Church of the Nativity, commemorating what is believed to be the site of Jesus’ birth. It is the most visited site in all of Israel, bringing millions of pilgrims from across the world to the place of our Lord’s birth.
Why was it so important that all this happen in a cave? Not a house, or a palace, or a field, but a cave? For this simple reason: you enter a cave with low ceilings bowed down or on your knees. You come in humility.
That’s how the shepherds came in worship. They entered on their knees. Eventually, the door to the Church of the Nativity was lowered as well, with the result that even today pilgrims must enter it stooped down, in humility. And this is as it should be.
Christ before Christmas
The cave where Jesus was born is the only earthly element of the Christmas miracle that existed across the centuries as all the preparations for Jesus’ birth were being made. Once you’ve learned all that Jesus did to prepare the world for his first coming, you’ll be sufficiently grateful. And you’ll be prepared for his return—not as a baby in a secluded cave, but as the Conqueror and King of the universe.
Let’s begin at the beginning. According to God’s word, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). The baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas “made the universe” (Hebrews 1:2), for “by him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16). He now “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). He is “before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
Think of it—a newborn baby created the mother who gave him birth and the shepherds who came to wonder and worship. He created the wise men who came eventually to celebrate his birth and the star that guided them to him. At the beginning of the Old Testament in the creation story, Jesus Christ himself created, and still sustains, all that is.
Even before time began, God knew that he would bring the Messiah (Hebrew for “Chosen One”) to die for our sins, to take our place and punishment, to purchase our salvation. And, step by step, the Old Testament revealed this Messiah: the Lamb slain from the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8).
Scriptures made clear his story in advance of his advent. He would be
- Descended from the line of Abraham (Genesis 12:2), Jacob (Numbers 24:17), Judah (Genesis 49:10), Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), and David (2 Samuel 7:12)
- Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
- Eventually rejected by his own people (Isaiah 53:3)
- Sold for thirty shekels (Zechariah 11:12)
- Forsaken by his disciples (Zechariah 13:7)
- Silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7)
No detail was left unaddressed:
- At his death, his hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16).
- He would be crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12).
- No bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20).
- The soldiers would gamble for his clothes (Psalm 22:18).
- He would suffer thirst (Psalm 69:21).
- He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9).
- He would be resurrected (Psalm 16:10).
- He would ascend (Psalm 68:18).
- And he now sits at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1).
All this was revealed centuries before it came to pass. And provisions for the spread of the gospel were being established too. All the preparation didn’t end with Jesus’ birth.
It was only just beginning.
