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The Real Meaning of Christmas
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In our increasingly consumer-driven
world, some say that Christmas is the exchanging of gifts. Others
say it is simply the exchange of good wishes (gifts being optional).
"Spending time with friends and
family" is a common response, as are "Christmas is the look of wonder
in children's eyes," or "Christmas is a time of peace and joy." |
On the contrary side, there are people who
would agree with the character, Scrooge, in Charles Dickens' classic story,
"A Christmas Carol," whose response to Christmas was, "Bah, humbug!" A more
contemporary way of expressing it is that the holiday, with its crowded
shopping malls and crass commercialism, is "a hassle."
Since about 400 AD, Christians have celebrated the birth of
Jesus Christ. Christmas is a compound word: 'Christ' means 'Messiah' or
'Anointed One' — the title given to Jesus — and 'Mass' was a religious
festival.
In the West today, the real meaning of Christmas is
often forgotten. It has become a non-religious holiday! More children
believe in Santa Claus than in Jesus. Christmas Day is a time for eating
and drinking too much and watching television.
The real Christmas story
But the real Christmas story is found in the Christian Bible. It is told
in two different books: Matthew and Luke chapters 1 and 2.
If you have no Bible, you can
read these chapters online in a variety of languages.
These chapters tell how Jesus was born to a
young girl named Mary. But this was no ordinary birth! She was not married,
still a virgin, (yes, really!) and an angel had appeared to her and told her she
would bear a special baby. Her husband-to-be, Joseph, did not believe her at
first. Who would? Then an angel told him in a dream that it was true!
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Probably no one else in their village believed
it, either. So when they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, to register their names in a census as required by the
Roman government, they probably escaped many harsh words from their
neighbors. Arrival in Bethlehem brought worry and upset: there was no room for them
to stay at an inn. There was only space in a stable — the place for
travelers' donkeys and horses.
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Jesus was born that night, and as they had no bed for him, they used an
animal feeding box filled with the dry grass the animals ate.
Christmas cards and pictures today make it all seem very nice. In
truth, it must have been dirty and frightening for a young couple, far
from their home and families. Possibly the birth was brought on from the
stress of the journey. This was a very poor place for Jesus to start his
life on earth.
God's plan?
Christians believe that it was
exactly God's plan that things happened this way. They say that it shows
that Jesus came as a humble, poor person and not as a strong, rich king.
They also claim that the birth of Jesus was foretold many years before in
the books of the prophets.
Five hundred years before, the prophet Micah had said,
"But you Bethlehem, though you are small, out of you will come for
me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times."
The prophet Isaiah had written,
"A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our
ruler.
He will be called, "Wonderful Counselor," "Mighty God," "Eternal
Father," "Prince of Peace." His royal power will continue to grow; his
kingdom will never end....
These are only two of over 300 prophetic passages that foretold of the
birth and life of Jesus, written hundreds of years before His birth.
The shepherds
At that time, sheep
herders were viewed by other people as low and of no social standing. Yet
it was to these shepherds that God Chose to first announce the birth of
Jesus in an amazing, dramatic way:
"That night there were some men looking after sheep
in the fields nearby. Suddenly they saw a great light. It was an angel,
who said,
'Don't be afraid. I have good news for
you, and for all people. Someone great has been born today. He is
Christ, the great King you have been waiting for. He will save you from
your sins. You will find him wrapped in cloths, lying in a feeding box.'"
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The story
of the wise men
After Jesus was born, wise men came to look for Him, from an
area which is now in either Iran (Persia) or Saudi Arabia.
Although they are often called the "Three Kings",
the Bible does not say how many there were, or that they were kings.
Traditionally, the number has been three because they brought with them
three gifts. They were certainly men of learning - probably today we
would call them philosophers or scientists. |
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They had seen an unusual new star in the sky, and knew that it told
of the birth of a special king. (The star they saw may have been an
exploding "supernova" — there is one known from astronomical
records to have occurred around this
time.) They followed the direction of the star
and eventually found the place where Mary, Joseph and Jesus were
staying. To bring honor to the child, they brought rich gifts: gold,
frankincense (a resin which burns with a beautiful smell), and myrrh
(plant oil with a very strong sweet smell). These gifts tell us in
symbols three key things about Jesus:
Gold:
a gift fit for a King
Frankincense:
burnt in worship of God
Myrrh:
a sign of mortal humanness — it was used in burials, foretelling Jesus'
future self-sacrifice
Jesus a refugee
Herod, the evil king ruling over that region, heard about the child, saw Him as a
threat, and sent soldiers to kill Jesus. But God told Joseph in a dream
to take Mary and the baby and escape to Egypt. They lived there until
King Herod died and then went back to live in Nazareth.
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But this is not the end of the story. You can learn what happened to the
baby when he grew up by reading
eye-witness accounts in the Bible
online.
You may also learn more through the
special study resources and links offered on our page dealing with
Christian beliefs. |
Note one important thing: Jesus was not a white
European, and Christianity is not a Western religion. Christmas cards
from different countries often show Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the
indigenous landscape of that country, and with the racial appearance of that
nationality, be it African, Middle Eastern, Indian, or Asian. This is
both good and
right — Jesus came to identify with every racial group. He is
truly the "Son of Man" as He referred to himself.
Below is an excerpt from the book of Luke describing the birth of
Jesus:
Luke, Chapter 2
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan. All rights reserved. The Holy Bible, New
International Version
The Birth of Jesus
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census
should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first
census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And
everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to
Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and
line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was
pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While
they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she
gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him
in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord
appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were
terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I
bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today
in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ
the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby
wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the
angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the
shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing
that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby,
who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they
spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and
all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But
Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Read, or listen to, the
full text
in a variety of languages.
Learn more about
Christian beliefs.
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