December 2000

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Christian Chronicles, December 2000 - Volume 4, Issue 61

The Editor's Pen

Ordinarily, we at CC do not pay much heed to the holidays that are commonly celebrated in professing Christendom. While they do celebrate Christian themes, most of them have their origins in pagan festivals. Easter began with the spring fertility rites, Eostra. Thus, we have the rabbit and the egg as major symbols of this holiday.

Christmas arose from the celebration of the winter solstice in a weeklong festival called Brumalia, of which Saturnalia was the final day.

Many conservatives feel that it is improper for Christians to celebrate these holidays for that reason. However, not only is it not wrong to celebrate Christmas and Easter, but it is advisable to do so. As Christians, we are all ambassadors of heaven, where our true citizenship is held. We are on the earth to represent our homeland’s interests in the salvation of lost souls. As ambassadors, we are to participate in the customs and mores of the land in which we find ourselves. This includes the celebration of local holidays. However, as Christians, we are to understand the roots of these things and consider them accordingly in our minds and hearts.

Perspectives: Pagan Religious Festivals

Nimrod was the Babylonian chieftain who was responsible for the erection of the Tower of Babel, which in turn was responsible for the confusion of tongues that led to the variety of languages that characterize humanity to this day. This was in the first Babylonian Empire, shortly after the Flood. Nimrod was a descendant of Cush, who was a descendant of Ham, one of Noah’s sons.

One of the chief gods of the Babylonians, in both the first and second Empires was Marduk, an apotheosis of Nimrod. An apotheosis is the elevation of a mortal to deity, so that Nimrod became the chief god of the Babylonians. This is important because one of the earliest religious “festivals” in recorded history was connected with the worship of Marduk, at the close of one year and the beginning of the next.

The Romans worshipped the pagan god Saturnus, the god of seeds and sowing. Their festival was held on the winter solstice, December 25th in the Julian calendar.

After Constantine, Emperor of Rome, was converted in 312 A.D., he made Christianity the state religion of Rome. In that religious system that came to be known as Roman Catholicism, Constantine ruled the entire Roman Empire. The rules of the church became the rules of the state. Grace became tremendously diminished and punishments became greatly emphasized.

As a means of placating those segments of the empire that worshipped other gods, Constantine began to incorporate the festivals of those other religions into his own brand of Christianity. By turning the festival of Saturnalia into a Christian feast, he was able to accomplish three things: (1.) he gave the Christians a festival of their own; (2.) he appeased those worshippers of Saturnus who were such a large part of his constituency; and, (3.) he was able also to allow the many Babylonian immigrants to the empire to celebrate their festival as well, worshipping their own god. It certainly must’ve seemed like the perfect political ploy to Constantine. Had he truly been converted, his brand of Christianity would not have tolerated the pagan gods at all. One of the customs in the celebration of Saturnalia was the cutting down of trees, evergreens, and decking them with candles and other bright objects.

The Greeks also had their winter solstice festival, in which they worshipped their god Kronos. So also did the Persians worship their god Mithras on the winter solstice.

The fact is, almost every respected theologian, historian, cosmologist and scientist agrees that Jesus was very likely not born at any time near the end of December, being born either in the spring or in the fall of the year. The celebration of Christmas began as a thinly veiled attempt to appease those other gods and their followers.

While it seems almost sacrilegious for Christians to celebrate Christmas in light of all this, it is not improper for us to do so. We know that those other gods are not gods at all, and can do neither harm nor good. Celebrating Christmas is merely a matter of an ambassador participating in the customs of the land he is assigned to. Voting is another matter altogether. Does the American Ambassador vote in the lands to which he is assigned? No way. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are bound to represent its government, but not to be “of” the world.

Mid-East Update

The turmoil continues. The violence continues as well. The world seems to hold Israel responsible for the level of violence, since they use bullets while the Palestinians use mostly rocks. But that does not paint an entirely accurate picture of the real situation there. While there have been many more Palestinians killed than Israelis during “Intifada II,” it is almost always the Palestinians who initiate the violence. Yasser Arafat has been seen recently carrying a machine gun, which only serves to incite a higher level of violence on the part of his constituents. Israel uses force to defend herself. Whenever she does not, the attacks against her escalate. Both sides probably need to let the situation settle down a bit and then reenter the negotiating room, but Israel must hold to a stricter line concerning Jerusalem, as well as all the other lands promised to Abraham under the Abrahamic Covenant.

Israel faces new elections within sixty days according to the Jerusalem Post (12/10/00). The leading contenders for the post of Prime Minister are Ehud Barak, the most liberal of the lot, Benjamin Netanyahu, somewhat more conservative, and Ariel Sharon, rather hawkish. As of the date of this writing, it appears that if he is able to effect some sort of treaty with the PA, Barak may be returned to office. If not, there is a burgeoning groundswell of approval for Netanyahu. Many Jews feel that, though they want security, Sharon may prove to be such a hostile force that the chances of war will increase rather than diminish. The world awaits breathlessly.

Fruit of the Vine

It is a season of great joy, Christmas. During these holidays, Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Christ. Many have asked how one might use the birth of Christ in their efforts to evangelize those to whom they are sent. Truth be told, it is impossible to adequately celebrate the birth of the Christ Child without adequately referring to His death. His birth only served to accomplish two purposes, to give flesh to the Word of God, and to make His death possible. Celebrating His birth without celebrating His death is a fruitless endeavor. The devil wants us to think of Jesus as a baby, not as a Savior, but it is His death that saves, and all evangelism begins at the foot of the cross. While a celebration of the birth of Christ is not improper, every Christian witness must remember that it is the message of the shed blood that brings unbelievers to the faith. It is right that we should celebrate His nativity, but every discussion of Christmas with an unbeliever should gravitate quickly to the bloody sands of Calvary. For, without the death of the Messiah, His birth would have little meaning indeed. Christmas is the best time of the year for evangelism, for everyone is already thinking of Jesus.

Christmas or Xmas?

It seems like a question with an obvious answer. But it isn’t. Most Christians recoil when they see Jesus’ title of “Christ” left off the word, being replaced by an X. And in truth, many people write Xmas rather than Christmas for the simple reason that they do not like to write His name. Others write it that way because they are too lazy to spend the extra second or two that would be necessary for them to write the additional four letters that are found in the longer version of the word.

The truth is, most people use Xmas today as a means of leaving out His title, but it did not start out that way. Originally, the X represented the Saint Andrew’s cross, a Christian symbol whose origins are in Western Europe. Andrew, of course, was one of the original twelve apostles. It was Andrew who led his brother Peter to the Lord, and thus was indirectly responsible for the conversion of three thousand souls in one day on the feast of Pentecost. He was the “founder” of personal evangelism. Andrew was proud to have been the lesser of the two brothers. He led many to the Lord, but he was personally called by the Lord Himself. He has been called the disciple of the private life, the apostle of the hearth.

The Saint Andrews cross has represented Christianity for many, many centuries, and has long been associated with the holiday that we call Christmas.

While there are many today who write “Xmas” with the idea of leaving God out, it was originally intended to honor both Christ and His first disciple, Andrew. It is certainly more appropriate to use the full word, “Christmas” today, but we ought not be too quick to judge that which we do not understand. Faithful saints have also written “Xmas.”

The Nativity of Christ

We’ve all seen them, the nativity scenes erected in front of churches and on the lawns of Christian homes all over the world every year at this time. It is always such a pastoral setting, with a cow and a donkey, and perhaps a camel and a lamb standing above the manger observing the Baby Jesus, with the wise men standing off to one side with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The baby is often portrayed as lying on his back, arms extended, as if reaching up to embrace those who view him. The straw is clean and fresh, and the enclosure for the manger is usually made of rough-cut logs. The idea is to make the presentation seem humble, but clean and, well, nice.

The nativity scenes that society has come to honor have little resemblance to the actual place of Jesus’ birth. The same phenomenon is also true of crucifixion scenes. In these, Jesus has a small trickle of blood from His side, a small trickle from the crown of thorns on His forehead, a small flow of blood from the nails in His hands and feet. He is seen to be holding Himself up by pressing His feet against the block of wood at his feet, and He is always portrayed as wearing a loincloth of some sort. In fact, that antiseptic portrayal of the crucifixion is intended to diminish the offense of the cross. Scalp wounds bleed profusely. If you’ve ever had one, you know. The crown of thorns was made of acacia branches. The thorns of the acacia are between an inch and a half and two inches long, about the thickness of a number two pencil, and extremely sharp. They would have ripped His scalp in many places, causing such an effusion of blood as to cover Him completely from head to toe. It is interesting that when God cursed Adam (Gen 3:18), one of the chief elements of the curse was that the earth should bring forth thorns. When Jesus died on the cross, not only did He bear the curse of the Law of Moses, but He bore the full curse that God placed on the earth in the fall of man. Jesus is almost always portrayed very neatly in our imagery of the crucifixion, but it was a very bloody affair. Indeed, He shed all His blood in order to effect our salvation, not just the tiny trickles that we see portrayed. Furthermore, he was not wearing a loincloth. A key element of that form of punishment was the utter and abject humiliation that the condemned were subjected to. He hung there naked, covered with blood. It was not pretty at all. His bones were out of joint, so that He looked almost inhuman. The devil likes the more antiseptic imagery because it reduces the offense of the cross.

The nativity scenes are presented in pretty much the same way. In the tender letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi (2:5-8), we learn that Jesus set aside His preincarnate glory and humbled Himself in becoming a man and being obedient even to the point of the cross. We don’t like to think of the nativity scene as it truly appeared. Most Christians are not at all aware that the scenes we erect at Christmas differ in any particular from the actual event. The baby Jesus is snug and warm in His clean swaddling clothes, lying on a bed of fresh straw, surrounded by adoring people and animals.

J. Dwight Pentecost, in his remarkable book, “The Words and Works of Jesus Christ,” gives us this picture of the nativity scene:

When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, they found the village crowded with other travelers who had come to be enrolled in the Roman census. They sought some place to stay, since it was obvious they would have to remain in Bethlehem for some time. Farrar describes the inn:

The khan (or caravanserai) of a Syrian village, at that day, was probably identical, in its appearance and accommodation, with those which still exist in modern Palestine. A Khan is a low structure, built of rough stones, and generally only a single story in height. It consists for the most part of a square enclosure, in which the cattle can be tied up in safety for the night, and an arched recess for the accommodation of travellers. The leewan, or paved floor of the recess, is raised a foot or two above the level of the courtyard. A large khan — such, for instance, as that of which the ruins may still be seen at Khan Minyeh, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee — might contain a series of such recesses, which are, in fact, low small rooms with no front wall to them. The are, of course, perfectly public; every thing that takes place in them is visible to every person in the khan. They are also totally devoid of even the most ordinary furniture. The traveller may bring his own carpet if he likes, may sit cross-legged upon it for his meals, and may lie upon it at night. As a rule, too, he must bring his own food, attend to his own cattle, and draw his own water from the neighboring spring. He would neither expect nor require attendance, and would pay only the merest trifle for the advantage of shelter, safety, and a floor on which to lie. But if he chanced to arrive late, and the leewans were all occupied by earlier guests, he would have no choice but to be content with such accommodation as he could find in the courtyard below, and secure for himself and his family such small amount of cleanliness and decency as are compatible with an unoccupied corner on the filthy area, which must be shared with horses, mules, and camels. The litter, the closeness, the unpleasant smell of the crowded animals, the unwelcome intrusion of the pariah dogs, the necessary society of the very lowest hangers-on of the caravanserai, are adjuncts to such a position which can only be realised by any traveller in the East who happens to have been placed in similar circumstances.

In Palestine it not infrequently happens that the entire khan, or at any rate the portion of it in which animals are housed, is one of those innumerable caves which abound in the limestone rocks of its central hills. Such seems to have been the case at the little town of Bethlehem-Ephratah, in the land of Judah.

It was here that Joseph found refuge, such as it was, for his wife who soon was to deliver. With simplicity Luke recorded the fact of the advent of Christ. He stated: While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son” (Lk 2:6-7).

Only the simplest provision could be made for this Babe. She wrapped Him in strips of cloth. These strips of cloth or swaddling bands have been described:

“To swaddle” and “to swathe” are really the same word, both forms going back to an AS form swethel, “a bandage,” but swaddle has become the technical term for the wrapping of an infant in the Orient or elsewhere. The oriental swaddling clothes consist of a square of cloth and two or more bandages. The child is laid on the cloth diagonally and the corners are folded over the feet and body and under the head, the bandages then being tied so as to hold the cloth in position. This device forms the clothing of the child until it is about a year old, and its omission (Ezek. 16:4) would be a token that the child had been abandoned…

A second interpretation is possible. These strips may have been narrow strips of cloth that would be wrapped around the child much as a mummy was wrapped for burial. Such seems to have been a custom among Jews on occasion. This was done to straighten the body from its fetal position. There were no trappings of royalty, no purple robes, and no signs of wealth or of position, even though this One was born to be King of kings and Lord of lords. A manger became His cradle and the King of glory condescended to be cradled in the manger that was to hold food for cattle. He who had come to provide heaven’s bread descended to a manger.

That great God who created the heavens and the earth, that omniscient and all-powerful God who has each saved person engraved on the palms of His hands (Isa 49:16), and whose glory is so bright that no fallen man could stand in its presence; this great God set aside all His heavenly glory and came to earth in the lowliest fashion imaginable. The manger was not raised far from the floor as it is often portrayed, but was a simple wooden box that sat directly on the floor of the khan. Mary gave birth to Jesus, not lying in the manger, but lying upon the feces-strewn and urine-stained floor of the common courtyard, slipping that Child out into the world in the most humbling filth into which He might have come. The Son of God, the Word of God, might have descended in those purple robes that Dr. Pentecost spoke of, but He chose to come into the world in the same way that the most humble of servants might have been born. His poor mother went through the anguish of labor and delivery in the sight of ruffians, travelers on the way who probably looked on the entire birth as disgusting.

When we portray the birth of Christ in our imagery, we ought to portray it in such a way that the manger is not thought to be either comfortable or clean. There was probably water with which to wash the Infant, but it would have been very cold water indeed, coming from deep underground, so that they might not have cleaned Him up until they could do so inside. His hair would have dried matted to His head, and His tiny head probably remained misshapen for several days, so that His birth was a foreshadowing of the humiliation of His death. We have become too “clean” in our thinking, not realizing the full extent of the kenosis, or emptying of Himself of glory, that the second Person of the Trinity engaged in in His ministry of humiliation. We consider an accurate portrayal of Christ’s first Advent to be somehow beneath us, as though we were more civilized today than men and women of His generation were. This, with our partial birth abortions and murderous Middle East. We are offended to think that “our” Jesus might’ve lain in camel dung or been brought into the world in a pool of dog urine. Yet, that is precisely the way it was. And what does the Apostle Paul have to say about Jesus emptying Himself of all of His preincarnate glory? He says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Phil 2:5) My friends, when we erect our nativity scenes or portray the crucifixion, we ought to present a more realistic picture to the world of the lost. Too shocking? Perhaps, but then, it was shocking, and folks ought to be as shocked to know the real truth today as they were in Jesus’ day. We all ought to appreciate the measure of His sacrifice, and not at the cross alone. He was born and He lived as He also died, humbly.

Humiliation and Glory

The center issue of this edition of Christian Chronicles details the humble beginnings of Jesus’ earthly incarnation. Born, not in an royal palace, but on the floor of a stable, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Even there, however, did men see the glory of God. Wise men, men accustomed to silken robes and the very finest of accommodations, came to tiny Bethlehem to honor and give gifts to this singular Child. Even wrapped from head to toe in the binding cloths that relieved the fetal curl of His body, men knew that this was no mere child of humanity. He had set aside His earthly glory for a time, making Himself lower than the angels, whom He had created with a word, but men still knew that this One was worthy of honor.

Yet, men did not revere Him as He deserved. He grew up poor, Son of a carpenter, a carpenter Himself. He, who owned the world and all the heavens, could not afford to build Himself a home. Not here. Not then. Toiling in the desert heat of the Middle East, He built the homes and furniture of those more highly placed than Himself.

When He began to minister to others the wonderful things of God, men reviled Him, persecuted Him, and sought in every way to trip Him up in the things He said. Scorned by everyone who was anyone, mocked and openly hated, He loved and ministered. The Word of God appeared before the eyes of men, healing the sick, raising the dead and giving sight to the blind. Yet, he was hated more than any other.

This kind and loving God did cruel man take and hang upon the tree until the very life blood flowed from His torn Body and poured onto the ground at the foot of the cross. He had come into the world as humbly as a man can be born, lived humbly all His earthly days, having nowhere to lay His head, and then died the lowliest death that a man could die, naked and bleeding before the eyes of those who mocked Him. The First Advent of Christ was the time of His humiliation. He was buried in a borrowed grave. Even in death He had nowhere to lay His head.

He who raised the dead of friends and loved ones now lay dead Himself. For a time. A brief time. Then, with no one present to raise Him from the dead, He raised Himself. Cold dead flesh, yet did this great God will the life to return to His body, now dead for three days. And thus it did. He walked out of the grave.

A lesser man might’ve gone immediately to seek revenge on those who had killed him. Not this Jesus. He began to do what He had done from the first, to minister. Thus did He do for forty days, at the end of which time He spoke to His disciples and then, in their sight, slowly and grandly arose into the heavens, where the clouds received Him.

In heaven has He been ever since. Our Carpenter now is building Himself a house, a house into which he shall shortly bring His bride, the Church. No humble abode, this. It is a home worthy of the King of kings and Lord of lords, a home worthy of His bride, Queen of Heaven, the Church of the living and resurrected Savior. When our home is completed (He is surely touching up the final painting details already!), He will return to the skies above the earth to call out His bride, that she may join Him in the home He has been two thousand years preparing for her. Can you imagine, my friends, what sort of architectural wonder this home will be, built by the Master Carpenter with His own hands? No, our minds cannot even conceive of the things that He is even now preparing for us. Yet shall we see them.

After seven years in His presence in our heavenly home, we shall return with Jesus to the earth, where He will come, not in His humiliation again, but in His great and abiding glory, not to be slain, but to reign for a thousand years. The curse will be lifted from the earth in that Day, and the glory of God will emanate from every flower and stone. It will shine in brightness everywhere, and the goodness of God will finally be seen by all on the earth. Jesus came once in humiliation, but He is coming again, this time in all His heavenly splendor. Look up! The time is drawing near.

Matters of Life and Death

We celebrate His birth, more often than not, without any thought of His death. Yet, if he had not died as He did, His birth would have no meaning to us at all. It is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that causes us to celebrate His birth. To celebrate Christmas without dwelling more fully on His death than His birth is just what the devil wants.

When Jesus died on that cross at Calvary, He bore in His body every sin that every human being ever had or ever would commit. He died for my sins and for yours. Sweating great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus looked into that terrible cup. In it was not the death of the cross, but sins. Every sin. Not collectively, in some sort of “soup” of sins, but single sins, each one of everyone. These did He take into His own Body, that He might bear the full penalty of every one of them. No one goes to hell today for being a sinner, but because they have not accepted the payment that Jesus made on their behalf for their own individual sins. When He shed His precious blood on Calvary, He paid the full penalty of the Law on behalf of every sinner of all time. All that is necessary today in order to be saved is to trust that His death did indeed pay for your sins.

Jesus came into the world in the first place in order to die. He was born in Bethlehem so that He could die at Calvary. To celebrate His birth without also and foremost celebrating His death is to deny His very purpose for coming into the world. As we speak of the birth of the Christ Child this Christmas, let us tell everyone of His death as well.

The Greatest Gift of All

This is the time of year when goodwill abounds all over the face of the whole earth. It is the season of love, the time when we remember friends and loved ones warmly, and seek to make them remember us just as warmly by giving them gifts that we hope will be especially appreciated, that we hope will remind them of our tender love for them every time they use those gifts throughout the year.

Most Christians suppose that the giving of gifts is a custom that began with the celebration of Christmas, but it is not. It is part and parcel of the celebration of Saturnalia (see the center article). Indeed, it was the custom among the pagan religions to exchange gifts during the festivals that celebrated the winter solstice.

Everyone says that it is not the gift that counts, but the love that prompts the gift. Do not believe it. Everyone wants a gift that has value, that has a great significance. We appreciate humble gifts for the thoughts, but we appreciate fine gifts much, much more. We don’t love less if the gift is humble, nor more if it is grand, but the joy over the gift is always commensurate with its value. We give gifts hoping to receive gifts, whether we acknowledge that or not.

The greatest gift of all time is also the most expensive gift ever given. It was given by One who received nothing in return. For no one had aught to give this Giver of gifts. When Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, He gave to every believer the complete and free access into heaven, to petition before the throne of the great God Himself. His gift came at the cost of His very life blood, which He shed for everyone. He gave up His very life itself in order to redeem a fallen and lost race of men — men who deserved, not gifts, but condemnation.

Jesus received nothing in return for His gift, but he gave it with the purest love that any of us will ever know. It cost Him everything He ever had. We grudgingly give of our material resources to express our love and appreciation for friends and family. He paid for our Gift with His very blood, and all of it at that. No one has ever given a more precious gift than the gift of eternal salvation, purchased at Calvary for all mankind.

What About That Christmas Tree?

Does it really represent the Light of the World? What does the Bible say? Jeremiah writes (10:3-5), “For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.” It is a silly custom, but it does no harm, a harmless vanity. Yet, the devil has surely arranged for us to bow down before that tree in order to receive its blessings. Do we not have to bend over to retrieve the gifts from beneath it? Hmm...

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