Why Christmas?

Yearly about this time, the society bubbles with the celebration of Christmas generally regarded as the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. People do a lot of things (including things contrary to His teachings) to celebrate or remember His birth.

Notable is the high level of commerce associated with the celebration. Commercialisation of Christmas celebration plays out within and without the church; while some churches use the period to raise funds for its programmes, people outside the church use the period to maximize profit either through increases in prizes of goods or by introduction of new products to the market. The media appear not to be excluded from the hustle and bustle of the celebration as some media houses organise programmes (sometimes jointly with churches) for children and adults involving various displays and competitions. Apart from the commerce associated with the celebration of Christmas, people also use the period to foster many ungodly habits e.g. drinking/drunkenness, immorality, theft/robbery, greed etc. which are collectively referred to in Scripture as the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).

The intention is not to discuss these modes of celebrations but the attempt in this write up is to bring to the forefront or to consider the very important question: Why was there the need for a Christmas day in the history of mankind? In answering this question, recourse or reference must be made to Biblical records or Biblical history. As recorded in the Bible, God created the heavens and the earth and made man (woman inclusive) to be in charge of His creation but with a commandment not to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). Man disobeyed this command through the influence of satan personified in the serpent. (Genesis 3:1-7). This disobedience was followed by God’s pronouncement of judgment upon the serpent, the woman and the man (Genesis 3:14-19). A part of the pronouncement on satan reads “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15). This was the first and only reference in human history to a man whose birth will not involve any man but born by a woman and who would undo what satan had done to separate man from his Creator. Subsequently there were other biblical prophecies alluding to this pronouncement by God e.g. it is stated in Isaiah 7:14 “… Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.” Who then is the seed of the woman?

The fulfillment of this prophecy began when an angel appeared to Mary and told her explicitly “And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus (Luke 1:31). Mary was known to be a virgin. She indeed conceived by the power of The Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus. Thus The Lord Jesus was born without any man being involved in His birth. Therefore He is the One who can aptly be described as the seed of the woman. The day He was born was the first Christmas day in history. What was the purpose of His birth? God’s aim as stated earlier was to reconcile man to Himself and undo what satan had done. Man could not effect that reconciliation because he had sinned. There was therefore need for someone without sin but born by a woman. God Himself took the initiative and came into the world being born of a virgin; a woman who has had no sexual encounter with any human being. The Lord Jesus lived a sinless life while on this earth. His sinless life was attested to by all including Pontius Pilate and Herod, the Centurion, (Luke 23:14-15, 47); the thief on the Cross (Luke 23:40-43) etc. The Lord Jesus was indeed born to bring redemption to man and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

It is important therefore that as we celebrate Christmas, the reason/purpose for Christmas must be borne in mind by all. It therefore makes a lot of sense for an individual to have a personal “Christmas day”; that is the day The Lord Jesus is born into an individual’s life. Such an experience is described in The Holy Bible as “New Birth” or “Born Again” experience. (John 3:1-7). An individual who has experienced the New birth (or who is Born again) is one who has repented of his sins, accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour and has parted with his old way of sinful life and allows the teachings of The Lord Jesus Christ to order/guide his daily life. This makes Christmas celebration meaningful to an individual and the society. If our society were full of such people, we will have less crime, the society will be better and the law enforcement agents will have minimal work to do.

• Ogboghodo is professor of Soil Microbiology, Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City.