birth or light festival?

Originally posted on December 25, 2008 – by Andre Piet

Christmas is the festival in which traditionally the birth of Jesus is celebrated. “In the midst of the winter night heaven opened…” and “despite winter, snow and ice, all trees are blooming.” Sweet-sounding songs celebrate Jesus’ birth in December… wrongly. For we read of Jesus that he turned twelve shortly before the Jewish Passover (> the literal reading of Luke 2:42). In the spring, therefore. This brings us to the day on which in Israel a lamb was taken into the house (10 Aviv/Nisan; Ex.12), to be slaughtered a few days later. A splendid type of the Lamb of God who made His entrance into “the house of Israel” in order to… be slaughtered. This also means that His circumcision on the eighth day (17 Nisan) coincides with the date on which He would later rise! How striking, for circumcision is nothing other than a picture (rightly a ‘member-sign’) of God’s promise to Abraham, to bring forth life out of death.

OK, late December is not the appropriate time to celebrate Jesus’ birth. It is the appropriate time to celebrate the festival of Light. After all, after the shortest day darkness must give way to light. Light drives out darkness. This darkest time of the year reminds us of that. The ancient Germanic peoples celebrated the midwinter festival with the thought of the victory of Light. Sour Christian commentators who want to take away from us the evergreen tree and the lights because these attributes would ‘paganize’ Jesus’ birth celebration, make fools of themselves. For it is not the evergreen tree or the lights that are unbiblical, but the timing of Jesus’ birth celebration and the many fabrications surrounding it (the nativity scene, the ox and the donkey, the three kings, etc.)!

The festival of light is (whether one is aware of it or not) a reference to the Good Message. GOD who causes the Light of His promise and its fulfillment to shine in a dark world. “The true light which is enlightening every man” (John 1:9). Elsewhere this is called “the light of life,” for light in Scripture is synonymous with life. With a clear conscience, place a conifer in your home and do not be stingy with the lights. For while all trees shed their leaves (image of death), this tree is an emblem of Life that is stronger than death. And that “Life is the light of men”!
And so the designation ‘Christmas tree’ (=Christ tree) is not so strange after all…

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link:
Jesus born shortly before Passover

Delen: