All my life, I have heard debates about whether it’s appropriate to celebrate Christmas during this time of year. Some argue it was actually in August or September, based on calculations involving the birth date of His relative, John the Baptist. Others reject the celebration on December 25th, asserting it has pagan roots from ancient festivals unrelated to Jesus.
Personally, I believe that the exact date is not what’s most important in these cases, but rather the correct and practical meaning of the things we do and celebrate. Since the true reason for Christmas is Jesus, I want to dedicate this space so we can enjoy the beautiful account from Luke 2 about the birth of Jesus Christ:
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:1–20 (NIV)
A Celebration in Heaven
The Word of God tells us that when Jesus was born, there was a great celebration of praise and worship by heavenly hosts who appeared to shepherds tending their flocks. They guided them on how and where to find the newborn King. The shepherds hurried and found Jesus wrapped in cloths—a scene we all would have wished to witness ourselves.
However, there’s something we don’t often consider about that moment and place: it was a manger! Mangers were places where animals were fed in stables. In that region, stables were commonly set up in grottoes or small caves in the rocks, making them generally damp, cold, and dark places. Let’s think for a moment about the smell. That manger didn’t smell like cedar! It was definitely a foul-smelling and undoubtedly dirty place.
Why spoil the classic image of the Christmas postcard? Bear with me a little further in the book of Luke, and I’ll explain why:
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Luke 15:1–7 (NIV)
This passage tells us how they celebrate in heaven: the greatest heavenly celebration occurs when Jesus Christ comes to be born in the life of a repentant sinner. The date and time don’t matter; every time the dark, dirty, and foul-smelling manger of the human heart inexplicably hosts the infinite, perfect, and all-powerful God, a true celebration takes place in heaven.
Many Jews believed that their Messiah would be born in a “golden cradle,” as it was written that He was a descendant of Judah, and therefore of kings. But He was born there, in the place that was left when there was no room elsewhere. The birth of Jesus symbolized one of the greatest mysteries and miracles of the universe: God wants to come and dwell in the manger of our hearts.
There’s something that many Christians don’t understand, just as those Pharisees didn’t. How is it that Jesus, so holy, was interested in “dirty sinners”? Clearly, none of them were present that glorious night in Bethlehem! They would know that He did not come for the healthy but for the sick. They would understand that His human status and comfort mattered little compared to the mission He carried. They would realize that sinners—including themselves—were the reason He did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. They would know that in Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
How can we say we are Christians when we forget those who still do not know Him? How can we claim to have the mind of Christ if we do not think and act according to what moved Him? If God Himself came to earth to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many, who are we to live for ourselves, marginalizing and being indifferent to those who differ from us only in that they are unaware of what we know abundantly?
This coming year will be different for me because I will celebrate many Christmases. It will be a year in which I will witness and participate in many births of Jesus in the hearts of men and women whose souls would die eternally if we do not act. It will be a year of many celebrations in heaven, every week in our small groups, and even out of season, in every opportunity we have to be light in the darkness. It will be a year of glorifying the Father with our fruit.
Jesus Didn’t Stay Lying in the Manger
Another thought that has stirred within me regarding Jesus being born in human mangers is that traditional Christmas exposes us to a potentially disastrous danger. Has anyone been to a typical family gathering where a splendid nativity scene is set up with angels, animals, the Holy Family, and all, yet everyone smokes, drinks alcohol, uses foul language, and indulges in things that do not please God?
I have always thought that the traditional concept of the “Divine Child” is highly counterproductive and harmful, in the sense that it’s easy for an adult to ignore a child. What adult refrains from sinning just out of respect for a baby? Many people believe that Jesus is a small, helpless child who only cries and wants to be with His mother. They ignore Him during Christmas celebrations, much like one might dismiss the cries of a newborn who cannot confront or admonish them about their actions. How easy it is to try to mock a small child! What a grave deception to make people believe that this is the Jesus of Christmas!
For those who hadn’t realized, Jesus is no longer a child. He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. He studied the Scriptures throughout His youth and likely worked alongside Joseph in the tasks of an adult man. One day, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and there He began His true mission: healing the sick, raising the dead, embracing lepers, enlightening the ignorant, rebuking hypocrites, and leaving His unsurpassed and eternally relevant teachings imprinted on history. He demonstrated the true essence of passion by fulfilling His calling regardless of the fatal consequences, allowing Himself to be killed by an enraged crowd whom He died forgiving. He rose on the third day to forever distinguish our faith from any superficial religion based only on philosophies, and He gave us the Holy Spirit to govern and guide our personal and communal lives.
How important it is to let Jesus also grow in our hearts! To once and for all stop underestimating what He did by coming to be born into this world, and to allow Him to mature in our lives. It is time to decrease so that He may increase. It is time to move beyond the idea of the “Child God” and realize that no one is greater than He, no one more powerful, no one more awe-inspiring. Seated on His throne, surrounded by light, with the entire universe revolving around Him, at the right hand of the Father, preparing a place for us, advocating for our innocence, readying His sword, saddling His warhorse, preparing to open seals, destroy armies, and claim His kingdom and His creation!
The Spanish singer-songwriter Marcos Vidal captured this contrast masterfully in his song “El Niño de Belén” (“The Child of Bethlehem”). In it, he reflects on how Jesus was born as a simple baby, unnoticed by many, destined to grow up and fulfill a mission that would change the world. He emphasizes how people didn’t realize that this child would die on the cross, bringing a new dawn of light and an opportunity to reach the Father once again. Vidal also points out how our world has forgotten about Jesus, replacing His victory with earthly pleasures, and warns that one day He will return in glory to judge all wickedness.
The Star of Bethlehem
I hope this reflection can inspire greater gratitude as we celebrate this Christmas, understanding that more than a two-millennia-old memory, the birth of Jesus relates to that unforgettable day when we decided to open our hearts for Him to enter.
But even more, it’s a time to remember and renew our commitment to make many more Christmases a reality, and to provoke all the celebrations in heaven that the Father still gives us time to organize. It’s time to be like that star that illuminated the way leading to the Son of God and to allow Him to use us to reach the world He so loved.