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"Is the Christmas tree pagan?" — Some Christians have thought that Jeremiah 10:2-4 condemns the Christmas tree. But they have not understood the context. 3.2 minutes. |
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Some Christians have thought that Jeremiah 10:2-4 condemns the Christmas tree. As a result, they’ve avoided Christmas trees, believing that to have one in their home would be a sin.
In the King James Version, Jeremiah 10:2-4 reads like this: “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen.... For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”
On the surface it might seem that Jeremiah is describing Christmas trees. But like so many mistaken impressions about the Bible, that conclusion ignores the context. Verses 2 through 4 of Jeremiah 10 are part of the larger context of verses 1 through 16, a condemnation not of the Christmas tree or trees of any kind, but of idols, which were typically carved from trees.
Notice verse 5: Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, 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." Jeremiah is not talking about Christmas trees. He is condemning idolatry. The trees in Jeremiah 10 are cut down so that they can be carved into idols and decorated with gold and silver to worship heathen gods.
Jeremiah 10 condemns idols, not Christmas trees. And no Christian worships their Christmas tree. They worship the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, three in one, the only true God. Let me read to you some thoughts a friend wrote about the significance the Christmas tree can have for Christians:
The tree ever green, e’en in winter’s cold dark
speaks of God ever true -- faithful -- forever the same.
The lights on the tree proclaim our Savior Jesus Christ,
his life the Light of all people,
shining in the darkness enlightening everyone.
Ornaments bespeak the gracious gifts and provision
of God for his people.
Red bows remind us of the Savior’s shed blood,
and our sins washed away.
The splendor of the Christmas tree,
its lights and color and beauty,
testify to our restored and reconciled state by the grace of God.
Regardless of whether a Christian decides to put up a Christmas tree, there is no need to labor under the false impression that Christmas trees are condemned in Jeremiah 10 or any other part of the Bible.
For Christians, the Christmas tree is not an object of veneration. It’s only a reminder of the good things of God.
I’m Joseph Tkach, speaking of LIFE.
Copyright 2008 Grace Communion International
