I have received emails from four different people this month (so far), all of whom argue that December is not the right month to celebrate the birth of Christ. I always get a couple such emails each December.
Interestingly, however, these people "who know" never agree with each other as to the correct timing of Christ's birth. Yet, they are adamant that they are correct and everyone else is wrong. Well, they can't all be right. One person even said that all Christians should celebrate the birth of Christ in the same month that he does, and if they don't, they are in sin.
I normally just reply to the person who emails me. However, with more and more emails coming in on this topic, I think it would be easier just to be able to reply to them with a link to a Coffee Talk.
So, the style of this CT is a response letter to those who have written to me on this topic this year . . .
Dear Friend,
Yes . . . I am aware of the time-of-Christ's-birth debates. For some people this is an issue. For others, it is not.
I do think that it is important for me and all Christians to recognize the birth of Christ and what that means for us and our salvation. Actually, I recognize the birth of Christ more than annually anyway; it is just formalized on a certain date, December 25th. However, the exact time of Christ's birth, for this believer, is simply an academic issue. In fact, I find it humorous when people say that they know the correct date for the birth of Christ.
Dr. Daniel B. Wallace*, arguably one of the brightest scholars alive today, says:
Was Jesus really born on December 25th? Virtually every month on the calendar has been proposed by biblical scholars.
Furthermore, after discussing some of the arguments that modern scholars use to discredit a December birth for Christ, Dr. Wallace states:
Some scholars feel that the sheep were usually brought under cover from November to March; as well, they were not normally in the field at night. But there is no hard evidence for this. In fact, early Jewish sources suggest that the sheep around Bethlehem were outside year-round. So you can see, December 25th fits both tradition and the biblical narrative well. There is no sound objection to it.
My Dad’s Birthday
As I recall, my father was born on February 29, on a leap year. So, we celebrated his birthday on the wrong day of March 1st, otherwise he would have had a birthday only once every 4 years. If my father were still alive, according to the strict calendar of his real birth date, he'd be about 21. That's a pretty good trick for a man whose youngest child (of six) is more than 50 years old.
Believe me, I'd love to be able to have my father here in the flesh to celebrate his birthday with family and friends on the wrong day of his birth. I'd even settle for the wrong month of his birth just to have him here in the flesh. I'd be delighted to do so. But I can't. He's dead.
Jesus, however, is not dead, and I'm delighted to be able to celebrate His birthday with family and friends, and to do so on the wrong day and perhaps the wrong month, without debating the "real date."
Why labor and fight over the minor issue of the timing of His birth when the real issue is that Jesus became flesh?
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14, NASB).
I truly believe that had the time of Christ's birth been such an important issue, God would have given us the date in the Scriptures.
You see, the important issue is that, "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." That is what we celebrate, not the timing of it, but that it happened.
December Celebrants
I have noted that we December Celebrants don't demand that all Christians celebrate the birth of Christ in December. To seriously make this an issue and demand that others celebrate the birth of Christ on the day or in the month that you have determined is correct is—in my humble estimation—to miss the point, and to act more like the Pharisees than the repentant sinners that we are.
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." . . . Then he [Jesus] turned toward the woman and said Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." (Luke 7:36-39, 44-48, New International Version)
What Matters
To me, it did not matter that my dad was born on February 29th or March 1st. What mattered was that we got together as a family and celebrated his birthday every year. The fact of his birth was more important than the day (or even month!) of his birth. So it is with Christ. (You do realize, don't you, that even the exact year of Christ's birth is debated.)
The fact is that no one really knows the date of Christ’s birth, not even you. So, to me, my friend, it's just not an issue. The issue for me is the fact that Jesus became incarnate for our good, died on our behalf, and rose from the grave, and I celebrate all of that.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:8-11, New International Version)
For a very enjoyable rendition of the verse above, see, the Linus Christmas Monologue
May God grant you His richest blessings,
and may you have a very Merry Christmas,
and a Happy and Healthy New year.
In His grace ,
Ric Walston, PhD
NOTE: * To read Dr. Wallace’s full article, see The Birth of Jesus Christ
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It's a little amazing how many people have been resopnding to this CT. Here are a few (some edited for length).
From Readers:
Good job! It's (at best) a Romans 14 issue. It's amazing to me that people make "essentials" out of the non-essentials. Oh, well. P.S. The illustration about your dad was super.—WBN
Good article. I'm with you. It's pretty much an academic question. It just seems like I've seen more articles this year than most on the subject. Anyway, Merry Christmas—Bob
I read your new Coffee Talk article on "The Date Debate . . ." and I agree with you that the important issue is that we do recognize, and celebrate, Christ's birth. God bless you and your family during this "Christ"-mas season.—Kirk
Interesting CT. My message for Candlelight service this year will focus on the fact that, while December 25th is probably not correct chorological (at best, the odds are 365:1), it is very accurate symbolically: December 25th was initially the solstice, the darkest day of the year, and Jesus came to us in the darkest day of humanity, and his light has grown increasingly every since.—Josh
Good CT. However, I still say Sukkot is where it's at . . . baby!—Adrian
Thank you for this good CT and the link to Wallace’s article.—Russ
