SERMON: “Is Christmas Pagan?” (Jeremiah 10:2–5)

“Is Christmas Pagan?” (Jeremiah 10:2–5)

Series:               “Christmas Sermons” #3                Text:                 Jeremiah 10:2–5

By:                    Shaun Marksbury                         Date:                December 15, 2024

Venue:              Living Water Baptist Church            Occasion:             AM Service

 

I.              Introduction

For those who don’t know my background, I came from a very legalistic church.  It was a King James Version-Only, Independent, Fundamentalist, Baptist church.  It was a church that dictated what both men and women are allowed to wear and what places we were not allowed to go.

While my church didn’t explicitly condemn Christmas, I encountered teachings that did.  As such, early in my marriage, my wife and I refrained from celebrating Christmas.  I had read a book arguing that the holiday, along with Easter and other traditions, had pagan origins traceable through the Roman Catholic Church, to ancient Babylon, and to the Tower of Babel.  These arguments felt compelling at the time, so we avoided the holiday altogether.

Today, the Internet breathes new life into these kinds of things for a variety of groups.  There are still those coming from a more fundamentalist background, either Christian or an organization like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who claim that Christmas is a pagan holiday.  Atheists also claim it, as they believe that it evidences Christians “stole” their holidays, traditions, and beliefs from others.

This is a broad topic, so we can’t address every claim in a single sermon.  Yet, we must answer the question: Does the Bible condemn Christmas as pagan, or is it permissible for Christians to decorate and celebrate it?  To do that, we’re centrally looking at one passage Christians turn to “prove” that God condemns Christmas, a passage that seems to forbid Christmas trees.  We’ll first consider whether the Bible condemns Christmas here, then whether it condemns Christmas traditions, and finally, what it does condemn.

II.           Does the Bible Condemn Christmas?

This might seem like a silly question to some of you.  After all, the Bible describes the birth of Christ in both Matthew and Luke.  The Bible doesn’t call it Christmas, nor does it mention a commemoration of Christ’s incarnation.  So, how can it condemn it?

If there’s one thing that symbolizes Christmas, though, it’s the Christmas tree.  For many Christians glancing at this text, it seems to describe and condemn a decorated tree.  It’s cut from the forest, adorned with silver and gold, and secured so it won’t topple.  In the King James Version, v. 5 even says, “They are upright as the palm tree.”  So, perhaps there was an ancient pagan festival that utilized something very much like our Christmas trees, and God through Jeremiah is condemning it.

Of course, it’s possible that Christmas is a cultural practice that we’ve learned from our nation, a vain custom of the people.  Yet, as 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” To understand whether God is forbidding Christmas, then, we need more than a glance at the text. 

Remember, there’s exegesis and eisegesis.  Exegesis means to draw meaning out of the text, allowing God’s Word to speak for itself.  Eisegesis means reading meaning into the text, making God’s Word say what we think it’s saying.  As Christians who follow God, we want to know whether this text is teaching about Christmas trees, or if we are reading that interpretation into the text.

A.             This Text Is Not About Trees

First, look again at verse 3.  It describes the “wood cut from the forest" as “the work of the hands of a craftsman.”  The Hebrew term for “craftsman” describes those crafting fine images, either for the worship of God in the tabernacle or for idols (Exod. 28:11; 35:35; Deut. 27:15).  That’s something more than just merely chopping down a tree and dragging into your home.

A craftsman is working with wood he gets from the forest to create objects.  Verses 8 and 9 identify these crafted objects as idols — not ornamented trees.  The passage critiques idol-making, emphasizing that these creations are lifeless and powerless.

This parallels passages like Isaiah 44:9–15.  We read, “Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile…  The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm.”  He then takes some wood to make himself a fire, and he uses the rest to craft an idol to bow down to.  Isaiah mocks idolaters, and similarly, Jeremiah highlights the futility of idolatry.

This is not about seasonal decorations.  Still, you might ask about v. 5, which says in the KJV, “They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go.  Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”  However, that doesn’t have to describe a Christmas tree; an idol can be upright like a palm tree, and it has to be carried or borne.  So, just because a palm tree happens to be used here in some translations doesn’t mean that the text is condemning, say, balsam firs being used for Christmas trees; it can still be talking about making statues for worship. 

There’s a lot of divergence in the translation of this verse.  The NASB here and others have something about a scarecrow in a field instead of a palm tree.  The same Hebrew term can refer to shaping the metalwork (as it does in Numbers 8:4), and, in agricultural contexts, to a cucumber field (cf. Isa. 1:8)!  This simply demonstrates how difficult translation can be at times, and how an unexpected comparison (a scarecrow in a cucumber field in a passage about crafting idols) can throw off some translators.

The reality is that this is more likely referring to a kind of scarecrow in a field, which makes much more sense.  Usually, we would not need to be instructed to not fear an ornamented Christmas tree, but we might be tempted to wonder about a statue of some pagan deity standing before us.  But like a scarecrow, it doesn’t stand on its own (it had to be carried and fastened there), and it can’t speak or walk.  Remember, the comparison is to idols overlaid with silver or gold, which has nothing to do with Christmas festivities.

B.             The Bible Doesn’t Talk About Christmas Trees

Some might agree so far but still believe the Bible condemns Christmas trees elsewhere.  The Old Testament does condemn the use of Asherah poles or sacred groves in pagan worship (e.g., 2 Chron. 19:3; 1 Kgs. 16:33).  These trees or wooden objects represented the Canaanite goddess of fertility.  However, the focus was not on the tree’s branches but its role in pagan rites.  In fact, in many cases, the trees would stripped of branches, leaving a phallic symbol.  Sometimes, these would even be a stone shaft.  These were often in “high places” and included an altar (cf. 2 Kgs 23:6, 15).

Despite claims to the contrary, Christmasy kinds of trees simply didn’t exist in Babylon, Canaan, or anywhere else.  This historical context evidences this.  Unless someone worships a Christmas tree as an idol or believes it represents God, the tree itself does not violate biblical commands.

We haven’t addressed every point, but some might recognize that Christmas trees and rites didn’t exist in the Old Testament.  Their argument might be that that Christmas traditions are still pagan, though, and our practice of them might be learning “the way of the nations” and the “customs of the peoples.”  So, what about Christmas traditions?

III.        Does the Bible Condemn Christmas Traditions?

It’s important for us to think through what we do.  We definitely want to see whether there is something we’re doing incorrectly.  We don’t want to be giving false worship if we can help it.  So, let’s look at a few questions to see the origins of some Christmas traditions.  Again, we don’t have time to look at everything people do, but we’ll answer some of the bigger ones.  We’ll revisit Christmas trees, then other decorations, Santa Claus, and finally, December 25^th itself.

A.             Do Christmas Trees come from a pagan source?

We’ll start with this one again because of Jeremiah 10.  The claim can still be made that Christmas trees originate in European pagan worship and, therefore, Christians should avoid them.  However, this claim lacks historical support — there isn’t any evidence that they were used in this way, and pagan worship in Europe had largely ceased hundreds of years by the time Christmas trees first appeared in the 16^th century.

Even if we found some evidence of this, however, that doesn’t mean that we are accidentally worshipping Thor or Odin, because we are decorating for a completely different reason and are not worshipping the tree itself.  Moreover, we engage in all kinds of activities that pagans did just by existing; we can’t “accidentally” engage in idolatry because we’re doing something similar to them.  Unless God has said there is something wrong with it, we don’t want to make a law where God has not.

A key figure in this tradition is the monk Boniface, a missionary to the Thor-worshiping Germanic peoples in the 8th century.  He wasn’t having much success preaching the gospel and was about to be driven from town.  That’s when he had the idea to cut down Thor’s tree as a demonstration of God’s power over this pagan deity.  With no lightning or fate befalling Boniface for toppling the oak, Boniface stood atop the stump and preached Christ.  He pointed to the small fir tree and told the people to let that remind them of life in Christ — pointing upward and evergreen, like the everlasting life they could have in Him.

Now, that wasn’t exactly a Christmas tradition.  Legend has it that later, a German monk by the name of Martin Luther brought in the fir tree and added candles to tree branches, symbolizing the light of Christ.  Maybe he also did this because of creation plays that took place around the same time, where fir trees were sometimes decorated with fruit to symbolize the tree in the Garden of Eden, so the Christmas tree also became a symbol in the winter months of the Eden that God would one day restore.  Either way, German immigrants to the United States brought their decorated Christmas trees with them.

Gabriel Hughes, in his book 25 Christmas Myths, writes, “Critics of Christmas trees will say it’s a pagan artifact that symbolizes the worship of false gods.  On the contrary, the tradition of the Christmas tree symbolizes that we used to worship false gods, but now the Christian worships Jesus who fills every believer's home” (160).  We don’t have to fear the fir tree.

B.             Do other Christmas decorations come from a pagan source?

I’ve already briefly mentioned lights, which don’t need to symbolize spirits.  I had also heard that wreaths were used by pagans as “spirit portals,” so it’s dangerous to hang them at Christmas time.  Even if pagans used them as such, though, that doesn't mean that’s what they are, or that we have to fear!

They are simple decorations made from available foliage, which is why they are used everywhere.  We even use them at weddings and funerals.  Interestingly, no one complains that they are pagan there!  So, we can use them without concern with what they might have meant to people long ago.

C.             Does Santa Claus come from a pagan source?

This is one that divides Christians, and I almost didn’t include it.  Some have said that the name “Santa” is an anagram of “Satan!”  Far from being demonic or pagan, it comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, which means “Saint Nicolas.”  Nicholas was an actual 4^th-century bishop, notable for slapping the heretic Arius for denying the deity of Jesus Christ.  He was most known for his generosity and giving gifts to unfortunate children.

Even with the Protestant Reformation, Nicholas remained beloved, and Saint Nicholas Day would continue to be celebrated by many on December 6^th.  Men like Washington Irving in the nineteenth century, reconnecting to their Dutch roots, wove “Santa Claus” in the American imagination.  They Americanized Nicholas, making him look less like a Catholic Saint.

As Michael Jones over at Inspiring Philosophy noted, because Christmas had become more of a drunken revelry in nineteenth century America, writers used Santa Claus to make the holiday more family-friendly.  Santa would come on Christmas Eve instead of December 6^th.  This doesn’t mean that we as Christians need to use the image of Santa Claus like our culture currently does, almost as a pseudo-Christ, but the truth of his origins are very Christian.

D.            Does December 25^th come from a pagan source?

Some might agree with everything here but still argue that December 25^th was chosen to “Christianize” pagan festivals.  Some even claim that Christians “stole” the holiday.  For instance, some say it was Sol Invictus, but there’s no mention of its date of celebration until the fourth century.  Another claim is that it replaced Saturnalia, but Macrobius, living in the early fifth century, put the date of that celebration on December 17^th and noted it would last only three days.  People have tried to link the birth of Jesus to other pagan deities, like Mithra and Horus, but those descriptions also date to after the fourth century — it’s more likely that all these pagans borrowed from the Christian religion, which had the influence at the times.

The actual evidence suggests Christians celebrated this date well before it was associated with pagan holidays.  Christians before Emperor Constantine believed Jesus was conceived on the same date as His crucifixion (March 25th), placing His birth nine months later.  Right or wrong, the date is based on Jesus, not pagans.

Just because pagans did something doesn’t mean that we can’t.  For instance, Scripture calls Jesus “King of Kings” (Rev. 17:14; 19:16), but Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. 26:7; Dan. 2:37) and Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:12) also used this title.  We don’t complain about the Jews celebrating the Sabbath on Saturday, saying they are secretly worshiping Saturn, and on Sundays, we aren’t afraid that we are accidentally worshiping an orange orb of burning gas in the sky.  If God is in control, then we need not fear days and festivities.

The Bible neither commands nor forbids the celebration of Christmas or Christmas traditions, making it a matter of conscience.  Romans 14:5–6 reminds us not to judge others who observe or abstain from certain days. Paul also writes, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to the one who thinks something is unclean, to that person it is unclean” (Rom 14:14).  Those who celebrate Christmas should do so to glorify God, while those who abstain should also honor Him by not making it a law for everyone else.

IV.        What Does the Bible Condemn, Then?

Since Jeremiah 10 still bears relevance today, and it isn’t talking about Christmas, how should we interpret it?  It does caution against adopting pagan practices.  Let’s consider several quick points:

1. Idolatry at Christmas is Vanity
   Replacing Christ with objects or entertainment diminishes the season’s meaning.  Some even pray to Father Christmas or Santa Claus (incidentally, the true Nicholas would have been appalled to see what Christians are doing in his name.)  Others just get sucked into an entertainment vacuum.  Philippians 4:8 calls believers to dwell on what is true, honorable, and praiseworthy.  We want to engage in thoughtful traditions like family worship, Scripture readings, or acts of service.
2. Secularization of Christmas is Vanity
   Transforming Christmas into a mere cultural holiday robs it of its worshipful focus on Christ.  Romans 1:25 warns against exchanging the truth of God for a lie and worshiping the creature rather than the Creator.  Keep Christ central in your family traditions and avoid worldly redefinitions of the holiday.
3. Materialism at Christmas is Vanity
   Overindulgence in gifts and spending distracts from Christ’s incarnation.  First Timothy 6:10 warns “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil,” and that many wander from the faith because of it.  Our culture often prioritizes extravagant spending, overindulgence, and the pursuit of material possessions, but let us be focused on the heart of Christmas — celebrating Christ's incarnation.  Enjoy good things as gifts from God without letting them dominate or distract from godly living.
4. Superstition at Christmas is Vanity
   Avoid practices rooted in mysticism.  Some customs borrow from pagan or mystical roots, such as astrology, luck-based practices, or other superstitious traditions (e.g., “manifesting” a holiday wish, leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus, etc.).  Deuteronomy 18:10–12 strictly forbids divination or engaging with spiritual practices outside God's commands.  Use discernment in your holiday practices and keep a Christ-centered focus.

V.           Conclusion

There are true pagan and worldly things we want to avoid, but let us do this in truth and not believe vain speculations.  The celebration of Christmas, including its decorations and traditions, can glorify God when done with the right heart.  Christians need not fear pagan associations, especially where none exist, but should ensure that their celebrations honor Christ above all.  

The Lord redeems people from sin in Jesus Christ, even pagans; He can also redeem practices and even dates for His purposes.  Whether you decorate a tree, give gifts, or abstain from holiday traditions, let your actions point to the Savior who came to bring light and life to the world.  Whether you decorate at home or not, keep Christ as your focus this season.

And Merry Christmas!