Jesus’ Birthday? God Didn’t Say

It’s interesting that God did not tell us the day Jesus was born from the womb, but the day Jesus was born from the tomb—the first day of the week. Around 1450 B.C. God foretold the exact night the Lamb of God would be taken to be slain (Passover, the 14th day of the first Jewish month), and the Gospel accounts reveal the exact hours certain events occurred on the cross, but not even the month or year of Jesus’ birth. There must be a reason for this. It’s safe to say that God wants the death of His Son emphasized, not His birth. Jesus Himself commanded men to officially remember His death, not His birth. His death is what made our salvation possible, and He instituted a memorial to ensure that His suffering for us would never be forgotten! “The Lord’s Supper” was observed by the early church on the first day of every week (“The Lord’s Day,” the day Jesus was resurrected), and faithful Christians are still gathering weekly in memory of the Great Savior who died for us all. However, most who believe in Jesus celebrate His birth instead of commemorating His death as the Lord Himself commanded. Perhaps it’s good that so many are thinking about Jesus, but it’s better to actually do what He said and live for Jesus year-round, continually giving God the gift of faithful worship.

References: Exo. 12:1-28; Lev. 24:5-9; Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 15:25, 33, 34; 16:9; Lk. 9:23-26; 14:25-35; Jn. 4:23, 24; Acts 2:36-42; 13:30-34; 20:6, 7; 1 Cor. 11:18-34; 16:2; Col. 3:17; 2 Thess. 2:15; Heb. 2:9; 5:9; 10:23-31; 1 Pet. 4:11; Rev. 1:5, 10.