Is Christmas for Christians?

Millions of people around the world believe that the Christmas tradition is the birthday celebration of Jesus Christ.  However, have you ever considered whether first-century Christians, those closest to Jesus, celebrated Christmas?  Have you ever read the Bible yourself? Are you aware of what the Bible ( Note: Jehovah's words) has to say about birthdays? Finding answers to these questions can help us determine if Christmas is for Christians. 

First, the Bible does not mention birthday celebrations for Jesus or any other faithful worshipper of  God.  The Scriptures refer only to two individuals who celebrated their birthday.  Neither of them was a worshipper of Jehovah, the God of the Bible, and their birthday celebrations were cast in a negative light.  (Genesis 40:20; Mark 6:21) According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the early Christians opposed the "pagan custom (Note: Not a Christian thing )  of celebrating birthdays."

The Bible does not say exactly when Jesus was born.  "The day of Christ's birth cannot be ascertained from the [New] T[estament] or, indeed from any other source," states McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia.  Surely, if Jesus wanted his followers to celebrate his birthday, he would have made certain that they knew the date of his birth. 

Next time: Continue with Is Christmas for Christians 

From the jw.org publications