Stop Twisting Jeremiah 10 Because It's Not About Christmas Trees
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- čas přidán 16. 12. 2018
- When we read Jeremiah 10 in context it is obvious that it is not about Christmas trees or anything like it. When you first read this passage it may seem like the Bible is banning Christmas trees but this is the result of making two big mistakes. First, the mistake of anachronism in acting like they had any concept of Christmas trees or anything like Christmas trees back then. Second, the even bigger mistake of not reading the passage in context. It is clearly about idols, not Christmas trees. Now, Christians don't NEED to go and get Christmas trees but I really hope that we will stop condemning each other over silly things and stick to the issues of the gospel, good doctrine, walking in love and being a light in the world. Let's stop flipping out over issues the Bible doesn't even speak to.
Correct me if I’m wrong. The Bible is a book of life, warnings, and promises. Although Jeremiah 10 is not specific it could be a representation of the type of things we should avoid because it could lead to idolization. One could argue that Lying to our kids about Santa Claus is us introducing our children to idolatry. Even if we mix the message of Jesus and Santa it creates a seed of distrust that may hunt us when we try to teach them the true God. Idol being anything we go to as a source other than God. I hear many teaching their kid that Santa is the source of their blessing, be good or bad. The tree we put up could be seen as an attachment to that. Santa puts the presents under the tree and we can not deny that the holiday can be vain.
I've been working my way through Jeremiah. When I read this chapter, particularly verse 4b, "They fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple," I immediately thought of the Philistine idol, Dagon, in 1 Samuel 5. When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and placed it beside Dagon, the next day they found the idol toppled over on the ground! They stood it up again, but again it toppled over, breaking in pieces! Gotta love it! God has a great sense of humor !
As a non-American I find very interesting that some Christian people over there are really quick to point out fingers and condemning customs and people following them even when the Bible clearly refute them, but HEY! ... don't touch their halloween! They would go to fascinating extremes to justify their beloved halloween ...
Pastor Mike, thanks for connecting Jeremiah with Psalm 115. That helps me in clarifying to people like Jehovah's Witnesses who misinterpret Jeremiah 10.
Christian Archaeologist here. Just wanting to say I have no idea how a decorated tree used in ancient pagan cults would have looked like - maybe I just have a knowledge gap. I encountered theories that trees were decorated in the Mithras Cult, but never in the academic context, always just online. I haven't found any reference to an ancient source, yet, for the tree specifically. All I know is that Sol Invictus was honored on 25th Dec due to the winter solstice.
I recently had a born-again believer tell me they do not celebrate Christmas as it is a pagan festival and more specifically that the bible says we should not have a decorated tree in the house. He quoted this verse and said it was about Christmas trees and the Christian is forbidden to do it! When I read the Scripture I thought it was all about worshipping the tree and not just having one in the house. So I got my little tree out of the box and decorated it. Some people are strange.
If the whole world is doing it....maybe God's "set apart" people shouldn't be.
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“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,”
Thank you so much! We never had candy canes or gifts under the tree or father Christmas or stockings. We had a tree with candles on it. Each one had a special place to sit with your gifts there. We read from Matthew and Luke about the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we sing Christian Christmas songs like Oh Come all ye faithful. We say thank you to everyone we got gifts from. Everything is all about Jesus. And I am so sick and tired of well meaning fellow believers that get all teary eyed when they see my Christmas tree, and send me messages about Hannukah as early as November and refuse to sell any Christmas merchandise even if it could be a great Evangelism tool. I got so sick of it, we first celebrated Hannukah and Christmas, but this year we don't even celebrate Hannukah! Well, thank you again and may God bless you abundantly!
It’s amazing it’s like half of the people in the comments didn’t even watch the video...
Mike I cannot tell you and thank you enough on how God has used you to help me through this subject. A few years ago I watched that video from truthunedited about christmas and instantly began crying and had anxiety attacks about that subject ever since. I was so confused and began to become judgmental towards people in my heart when I saw Christians celebrating anything to do with this. I found you on youtube a while ago and watched your teaching on Romans 14 almost instantly lifted the anxiety off of me that I had been praying to leave for so long. You are doing the work of God. Thank you sir.
I still need to do my research on this but thanks to you and IP for speaking on this issue. I also find it sad that a number of ppl in the comments are doing exactly what you warned us not do: demonizing our brothers and sisters in Christ who do not see Christmas as pagan and use it to glorify God. If you’re like me and don’t celebrate Christmas, that’s fine. If you do, do you. In either case, make sure you’re glorifying God with your family
Thank you so much.
The bigger question is why follow religious edicts of Roman Catholic Church?! Forget Jeremiah, all the practices of modern Christmas today can be traced back to Rome. Decorating evergreen, gift exchange, even singing carols were integral parts of Roman saturnalias, which ran from December 17 through December 24th. This is a no secret and a historical fact. Even little clay figurines in a shape of human called sigillaria is todays ginger bread man people decorate their trees with. By the way, human shaped sagitalia echoed the times of human sacrifice, a practice later banned to be performed during saturnalias. Nothing but paganism.
Oh brother Mike, I really wish I could sit and have a full on conversation with you about this 😔❤️ from the beginning when I first received the Holy Spirit He wrestled with my heart over these issues proving to me time and time again about these issues. They’re not salvation issues thankfully but releasing our inner pride and our hearts to God continually in these areas will help reveal the truth of how to truly worship Him.
I used to subscribe to the whole "Christmas/Easter is pagan and EVIL" ideology but I've come to realize there's literally nothing wrong with celebrating Christ at this time of year through Christmas. It's actually a really great opportunity to share the gospel! It is important that Christians that celebrate Christmas do not lose sight of Christ and turn to idolatry through it, which we ALL agree is common and easy to do (it is in all of life, really). I do believe that the Jewish feasts all foreshadow Christ in different ways and I personally believe they are the better ways to celebrate and as Christians, it's a good idea to learn of them and see Christ in them just in the same way we should the entire Old Testament. But it does not make Christmas or Easter WRONG. What's wrong is what we choose to worship at these times. And by all means, if you cannot be settled in your spirit about something you're doing, do not do it! But always seek the Lord in whatever you do, doing what you are convicted to do without condemning other believers to do what they are convicted of. Rather, we ought encourage one another to continue the race set before us. That's what the important matter really is. Then we can let the Holy Spirit do His job!
Just about anything can become an idol even coveting is idolatry so if something is coming before the Father and Christ it's probably idolatry
Thank you for the explanation! An elderly family member told me about why she doesn't decorate for Christmas and led me to read Jeremiah chaper 10. .I thought the same as your explanation. There's too many instances in the Bible where people takes passages literally. I agree that the passages are referring to making an idol out of something and not referring literally to a tree. As long as i don't idolize my Christmas tree, I think I'll be ok. For me, putting up decorations and putting up Merry Christmas signs and nativity scenes, show others that I'm celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and I'm a Christian. Thank you again.
I was trying to follow along in The Word while watching this. Curious what translation you are using? After going to the interlinear to check - I dont see anything about scarecrows or cucumber fields.