Answer # 44

To begin with, the Bible nowhere says Jesus was born December 25. In fact, it doesn't tell us which day Jesus was born. It doesn't even tell us the month. The Bible does, however, show that Jesus' birth did not take place in December or, for that matter, in any of the winter months.

This is clear from Luke 2:8. When Jesus was born, "there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." The shepherds were living out in the open fields, sleeping with their flock at night. As many Bible commentators admit, the shepherds would not have been doing this [during the cold and rainy winter months. It was hardly the kind of weather for sleeping out in the fields. Or for having a baby in a stable and laying him in a manger (Luke 2:7)!

So we know when Jesus was not born. If we are supposed to celebrate His birthday, why doesn't the Bible give us the date of that event? Elsewhere in the Scriptures, when God revealed certain days He wanted His people to observe, no room was left for doubt as to when those days occurred. Information for determining the exact days for celebration was abundantly clear and precise: "the fourteenth day of the first month" or "count fifty days to the day" or "in the seventh month, on the first day of the month" (see Lev. 23, entire chapter).

The instructions were specific because God wanted His people to observe those particular days. Why, then, the silence as to which day Christ was born?

The plain truth is that the Bible nowhere commands us to observe birthdays in the first place!

The Bible does reveal two examples of specific birthday celebrations - Pharaoh of Egypt (Genesis 40:20-22), and Herod of Galilee (Matthew 14:6-12). On both those occasions, part of the festivities involved a beheading - the latter beheading was of John the Baptist.

But an even more important point to consider is this: When Jesus' name is applied to borrowed pagan ideas and practices, does Jesus really feel honored? After all, it was Jesus Himself who told His people Israel not to seek to worship Him with customs borrowed from other religions (Deut. 12:29-32). Time and again He made it clear through His prophets that He wanted His people to remain "cleansed ... of everything pagan" (Neh. 13:30).

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8)!