Christmas and the Cross
None of this would matter if Jesus were not real, of course. So how do we convince an incorrigible world of the truth? There are a few quick things we can point to as we tell people about the hope that is within us this season.
While doing research on the word Christmas, I found out that in Greek, Christ is Christos, and in the original written script is Χριστός (the “X” is called a “chi”). It is fascinating to come to the realization that “Xmas” is actually an accurate way to denote Christmas. Of course, some Christians (including myself) have made a big deal to “not cross out Christ” and to write out “Christmas” or be sure to use it in our season’s greetings (as opposed to just “Happy Holidays”). In some weird, roundabout way, I found this a cool, if not silly, little anecdote on how even when you try to blot out Christ, He is still present.
The word “Christmas” comes from the Middle-English word “Christmasse” or Mass of Christ, that is, the celebration of Christ. Generally such a service would include the Lord’s supper (communion). Taking part in communion is a beautiful practice for believers as we look forward to the purpose for Christ’s coming, which was the cross. Christmas and Easter are inextricably linked, for the Messiah was coming for the atonement of His people in His sacrifice.
None of this would matter if Jesus were not real, of course. So how do we convince an incorrigible world of the truth? There are a few quick things we can point to as we tell people about the hope that is within us this season.
Christmas and Easter are inextricably linked, for the Messiah was coming for the atonement of His people in His sacrifice.
Christmas is a celebration of a historic event. The Old Testament and New Testament documents hold up to the same scrutiny as other documents that have informed our knowledge of history from a scholarly level. In his book, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, Frank Turek dedicates large portions of the book on the reliability and historical accuracy of the New Testament. Here are a few compelling reasons (Turek details many) to believe that the writers were recording history as opposed to inventing a narrative to support the creation of a new religion:
The embarrassing details that are included in the New Testament about the writers themselves, including looking stupid, cowardly, and doubting.
Events about the resurrection that would not be made up, like the fact that women, who would not be considered reliable witnesses in the first century, were the first to witness it (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20), or the conversion of priests who were counted among the Pharisees, a lie that could have been easily exposed during the time Luke wrote of those accounts in Acts (6:7).
All the disciples except John went to their death attesting to the risen Christ. It is one thing to die for a sincerely held belief; it is a whole other thing to be beheaded, crucified, tortured to death, stoned, or burned alive for a lie. There is debate about history vs tradition on how the apostles died, but the fact is that they were martyred, and this is evidential to the resurrection as cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace explains in this video.
The accounts of Jesus are consistent throughout the earliest findings of scripture. The documents of the Bible withstand textual criticism of the highest standards. Textual Criticism is the study of ancient texts, which would include the works of Plato, Homer, Aristotle, and even Shakespeare, as Alisa Childers explains in her book, Another Gospel? In short, scholars agree that there are many more copies (5,000 at least) of the New Testament in the language in which it was written (Greek) and that they are dated closer to the events they speak of (within 50-100 years), more than any other historic document. And though there may be what would be considered “differences'' in each of these copies, they are vastly insignificant, such as spelling errors. The fundamental point is that the Bible has been consistently the same from the earliest copy to the leather-bound Bible you may be carrying today.
Fulfilled prophecy points to the faithfulness of God. The statistical impossibility of any one person fulfilling only 8 prophecies about a coming Messiah is 10¹⁷. When you consider 48, that statistic jumps to 10¹⁵⁷. This number is so staggeringly improbable that it is effectively impossible if you look at the over 300 prophecies. See my previous blog post on this, The Mathematical Impossibility of Christmas.
Christmas looks forward to Easter. Christ's birth is only worth celebrating because of what it meant for the world. The world so easily gets caught up in the season of gifts, parties, vacations, and loved ones gathering. These are all good things, but none of these are the thing. Jesus is the reason for the season, and it is so much more than His birth. We are celebrating the coming of the Messiah, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, foretold from centuries past by prophets spanning across time. Jesus came so that He could be the sacrificial Lamb, to be the propitiation of our sins, to clothe us in His righteousness. He came to show us mercy and grace, to shower us with love and peace, all of which would not be possible without the cross. We celebrate Christmas because it made Easter possible.
Christmas reminds us of childlike faith. Jesus said if we were not like children, we could not enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:3-6). Part of what makes Christmas so wonderful for many is the nostalgia it brings, taking us back to our own childhoods with traditions that we carry on this time of year. Even though it can also be a difficult time for many, there is a sense of joy in the air. It is that joyfulness that is so childlike – that despite all circumstances, we might have hope. And what better hope is there than the Savior of the World, coming to save His people, with no merit of our own to offer Him? In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens writes, “It is good to be a child sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty founder was a child himself.” This time of year, we remember that Christ became a child, and we can become like children too, as we celebrate what He has done for us.
Christ's birth is only worth celebrating because of what it meant for the world. The world so easily gets caught up in the season of gifts, parties, vacations, and loved ones gathering. These are all good things, but none of these are the thing. Jesus is the reason for the season, and it is so much more than His birth.