Do Messianic Jews celebrate Christmas?

Someone asked my pastor in Israel why he didn’t do anything special for Christmas, and he simply said that as an Israeli and a Jew it simply never been part of his life and he never gave it much thought. However, he was amenable to allowing gentile believers to prepare a Christmas program.

There is no tradition in Judaism of celebrating birthdays as holidays, otherwise we would expect holidays for the birthdays of Moses and Abraham, among others, but there is no such thing. The Bible does not even record their birthdays, just as the New Testament does not record the date of Yeshua’s birth, or even indicate the season. The New Testament does not mandate or even describe any annual celebration of the nativity. The various Christian groups around the world have different dates. Roman Catholics and Protestants (who broke off from the Roman Catholics) use December 25, but the Eastern Orthodox use Jan. 6, and the Armenians have yet another date about a month later.

Personally, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with celebrating Christmas. Some people object to Christmas on the basis of its alleged pagan origins, but this argument ignores the fact the Jewish holidays also coincide with ancient pagan festivals. Even if certain traditions do date back to pagan practice, what of it? I think this is similar to the controversy about “food sacrificed to idols” that Paul discusses in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 14. First century believers were concerned that if they ate food which had been offered to an idol that they might be guilty of participating in idolatry. Paul assured them that such is not the case. "The idol is nothing" and there is nothing to worry about except what is in your own mind. If it is significant and edificacious to you, then go for it.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31