JUST THINKING: What About the Christmas Tree
I was just thinking about a topic that has been bantered about for years. Is it wrong for Christians to celebrate Christmas with Christmas Trees? All my life, I have heard this debate, and some adamantly oppose placing these ornament-bearing trees in the homes of believers. So, what about the Christmas Tree?
A Misconstruing of an Old Testament Passage
Some use Scripture to support their opposition to Christmas trees. They refer to Jer. 10:3-5 (NIV) — “For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”
The assertion is that this refers to the pagan practice of adorning trees. However, that is not what it speaks of at all. For many centuries, the custom of the Israelites was to worship the poles made from the trunks of trees. It may have referred to the ornate Asherah Poles, which skilled craftsmen sculpted as they formed a goddess to be worshiped. After the sculpting was completed, others (silversmiths and goldsmiths) would overlay the wooden form with the precious and costly silver and gold. Once completed, the pole no longer resembled a tree at all.
The Symbolism of the Evergreen Tree
While Christmas trees are often artificial in our modern era, most still look like evergreen trees. There was a reason that the evergreen tree was chosen to be brought into homes. Much symbolism relating to Jesus Christ is applied to the nature and beauty of the evergreen.
The beautiful branches represent everlasting life provided by God with His gift to mankind when Jesus was born in a stable and placed in a feeding trough. As families decorate their trees with lights (originally candles), the truth is projected that Jesus is the Light of the World. He is also the Word of God, and His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our paths.
Atop most trees is a very special ornament. For some, it is an angel, reminding us that the Christ child was surrounded by the angelic host praising God for the young Child’s birth. Others place a star atop their trees. The symbolism here reminds us that there are those who still seek Jesus. The Magi followed a star until they finally came to where the Lord Jesus was, even some two years after His birth.
Beneath the Christmas tree are usually gifts. These are to remind us of the inexpressible Gift of God to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. However, our giving is an admonition from God’s Word, and Paul expressed it during his ministry — “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).
The Tree is Symbolic; Not to be Worshiped
In Jeremiah 10, the trees were cut and sculpted into poles to enable the worship of idols — false gods. That is not the purpose of the Christmas tree, nor should people intend to do so. Christmas trees are symbols, like steeples on church buildings, and so are those beautifully decorated trees. They are there not to cause people to worship them but to remind those around us to worship the Son of God who died on the cross, rose from the tomb and promised to come for those who place their trust in Him.
Karen and I wish each of you a Merry Christmas. May the Prince of Peace rule and reign in your hearts at this very special time of the year.
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Dr. Tom Mitchell
Dr. Tom Mitchell pens a column titled, Just Thinking, in which he addresses many topics relative to the Baptist Missionary Association. His Trailblazers series provides biographies of many BMA trailblazers from the past.
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