Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, Art Thou an Idol?

There has been a notion for a long time now that the Christian observance and celebration of the birth of Christ known as Christmas is in fact pagan and was put in place to counteract the pagan observances during that time of year, and the main decoration that millions of Christians put up in their homes is an idol.

The Christmas tree has many fond memories attached to it, decorating it with many objects from popcorn to even apples. The soft glow of its warm lights as we await the time to open the gifts we got for one another. Yet, some have gotten this idea that the Christmas tree is an idol. Where did this idea come from, well it is claimed to be from Scripture, Jeremiah mentions idols that sound like Christmas trees and how the pagans who made it did detestable things in worship to it. They will use these verses to make that point: "for the customs of the people are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move." (Jeremiah 10:3-4). Then they usually leave you there with that good old chestnut and stare at you with the expectation for you to exclaim in a flippant manner then want to tear down that ugly idol you once enjoyed decorating with your mother.

Looking ahead for this coming Christmas that is fast approaching I thought it would be good for us to go over some of these claims from Scripture that the Word of God discourages the practice of putting a tree in your home and decorating however you may have grown up doing so, whether it be tinsel, popcorn, plastic ordainments, apples, or that annoying chirping ordainment that I would have most likely have put in a difficult spot to reach in the tree. To each their own. We might find that that most recent sentence may ring truer after this topic.

When it comes to reading Scripture, it would be wise of us to read more than just a couple of verses in the middle of a chapter in the middle of a book. It would be better and far wiser and pleasing to God if we searched His Word to see what His whole counsel is. So, let us do just that, we will spend some time in Jeremiah 10.

It may have been noticed that the most common verses used by those who see Christmas trees as being described by Jeremiah are just two out of twenty-five. We will start at the beginning. Jeremiah was the prophet that called upon Israel to repent and turn back to Yahweh, but they often did not listen to him but to other prophets who had soothing messages to the ear that scratched their itchiness. Jeremiah had warned for his entire ministry about the judgement that would come to Israel, but not one person heeded him. When that judgement finally came as Jeremiah had said it would, he was proven by Yahweh’s standard as the true prophet and giver of Yahweh’s actual words. That judgement for those who may not know was the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon and Israel’s exile.

Jeremiah starts out his giving of Yahweh’s words as any prophet would, “Hear the word that Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says Yahweh…” (Jeremiah 10:1-2a). Then we have Yahweh’s words and He tells Israel to, “learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them,” (v.2) This is what Israel was always meant to do, they were set apart to be different from the nations around them and from the nations that previously inhabited the land of Canaan. They often failed spectacularly at this. Verses three and four are what is used to say: “See it is clearly describing a Christmas tree.”

Yet, is it? Does Jeremiah specifically say that this is a Christmas tree, does he give any description of what the tree that was cut down and then carved by an axe and decorated with silver and gold looks like? He does in the very next verse, “Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field” (v.5a). Quick thought before your regular programming…do trees look like scarecrows? They do not, that is because these pagan nations did not decorate a tree, they chopped down a tree and then carved it into a humanoid figure; which is what an idol usually looked like in pagan cultures as they would sell them for money, it was a trade for them. We hear of such a practice in Acts 19:23-28. Continuing with Jeremiah’s description of these idols that were decorated with silver and gold. “And they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” (v.5). What is happening here is the honesty of what an idol is, it is just an object that can do nothing and is in of itself nothing. There has never been an idol that could walk or speak out of its wooden or stone mouth, nor could they transport themselves to the sacred spaces. Everything that they could not do had to be done by the people that had also created them.

The whole point of Jeremiah 10 is this: these idols are nothing and they can do nothing, do not be dismayed as these nations are dismayed they worship a carved block of wood that they themselves made. You of Israel are meant to worship Yahweh who is nothing like these idols. “There is none like you, O Yahweh; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due: for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.” (vv.6-7). Jeremiah continues with, “They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood!” (v.8). These idols were not only carved by a craftsman from wood they are also decorated with metal that was shaped by craftsmen in Tarshish and Uphaz; they are nothing but the work of skilled men.

“But Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.” (v.10). The Psalmist writes about why do nations rage and try to shake off their bonds from Yahweh, who only laughs then says this to them, “Now therefore, O Kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:10-12). The work of man is wicked and will not last, it is only the work of God that will be everlasting. Jeremiah tells Israel what they should say to these pagan nations who worship these wooden objects. “Thus shall you say to them: “the gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” (v.11).

This is the notable pause in Jeremiah 10 that leads to the prophet giving true discourse on Yahweh and His deeds and abilities and of His own suffering. God suffers far more than we finite creatures could ever truly think of. God is not pleased by anyone’s practice of idolatry and it pains Him to see what humans do in their sinfulness throughout all time in all of history. All the work that humans do with their idolatry will perish and amount to nothing. “Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish.” (vv.14-15). Then Jeremiah continues on detailing how Israel had been consumed by their idolatrous neighbors and that even Yahweh’s children have left Him and do not put up His tent and offer Him true worship and so they are going to be punished by an enemy from the north (Babylon) and then Jeremiah calls upon Yahweh to judge every nation and people that do not know Him for what they had done to Israel.

As we see, Jeremiah 10 is not about Christmas trees, nor does it describe Christmas trees with any accurate description. Jeremiah spoke to a real people, at a real time, about a real problem and the consequences for those problems. Isaiah 44 also does a similar description of the foolishness of man who cuts down a tree, burns it to cook food, then uses other parts of it to make an idol and worship and give it thanks for giving him food. He calls the object that Yahweh created god when in reality Yahweh created the tree so that the man could use it to make shelter, build a fire to have a good meal and warmth from the elements to provide him what he needs and the man does the ultimate shame by giving thanks to the creation and not the creator.

So, if the Bible doesn’t give a description of Christmas trees then where did the tradition of putting up a tree and decorating it come from for the Christmas season? Well it did not come from pagans, it actually came from Christians. Christmas and Christmas trees are thoroughly Christian practices, the holiday in of itself is celebrating the birth of the Messiah that even the angels celebrated, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:13-14). We too celebrate that the Messiah had come and along with the angels give glory to God who is in heaven and to the Son who had come in the flesh to the earth and gave us peace (Shalom) with God by His sinless life and perfect work on the cross.

My goal here is not to convince you to put up a Christmas tree or even to celebrate Christmas. We have freedom in Christ to do those things as Paul says, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean… The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:14, 22-23).

There is no evidence of any pagan religion decorating a special holiday tree for their mid-winter festivals. Romans did celebrate the winter solstice with a festival called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They would decorate their homes with greenery and lights and exchange gifts. What is important to note is that this is in the third century so the 200’s, Christianity was still a persecuted religion in the Roman Empire. Also, the Roman Emperor Aurelian made up a celebration of Sol Invictus, which came about in A.D. 274 as a political statement against Roman Christians as he hated Christianity. In history the pagan celebration Saturnalia took place on December 17th and may have lasted a week, ending on the 24th of December and Sol Invictus dates itself as post-Christianity and a response to it. So, in reality when it comes to history, the pagans made a holiday to counteract the Christian one that had already existed.

The Christmas tree wasn’t a thing until the 16th century when German and Scandinavian Christians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming Spring. Martin Luther is credited for popularizing decorating the evergreen tree with lights in his day it would have been candles. Our modern Christmas trees are a blending of two Christian symbols found in homes for the season. The first being what was called the ‘Paradise Tree’, it was an evergreen which was hung with apples which represented the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and of course seen in Revelation 22 in the New Jerusalem as a focal point near the River of Life that flows from the Throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1-5). The second symbol was the ‘Christmas Pyramid’, it was a triangular shelf holding Christmas figurines and decorated at the top with a star. The Christmas tree is a Christian symbol and we need not feel guilty for having or not having one in our homes; and it serves as a great talking point for friends and family during Christmas Eve dinner about the faithfulness of God and of the work of Christ.

We should all be convinced of these things in our own minds, but it is also not good whenever we look down on a brother or a sister for having a Christmas tree in their home (Or any other Christian freedom for that matter, such as wanting to observe a Jewish feast). The Lord is grieved when this occurs as this comes from spiritual pride, when we see ourselves on a higher spiritual plain than others we are sinning and misusing our freedom in Christ. We are to live for Christ and give glory to God in everything we do. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are of the body of Christ and we are one body, let us not make divisions in the body of Christ and say if you do that you are no Christian or if you do that you forsake Christ. When it comes to the Christian faith and life we are called to put on the new self. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:12-14).

What then of those who do judge one another for celebrating Christmas or putting up a Christmas tree, how should we respond. With love, we should pray for them and also reason with them from the Scriptures about what idols are and what freedom we have in Christ. We have been bombarded with half-truths and straight up falsehoods about our Christian practices. We should respect someone’s wishes if they do not want to celebrate Christmas or put up a tree, yet we should also see if they are doing so for the right reasons. We do not want our brothers and sisters to be uninformed or misinformed about the things of God, but help them come to an understanding and to let them make their decision. “Therefore let no one pass judgement on you in questions of food or drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” (Colossians 2:16). In regard to our own personal walk and faith in Christ, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17).

I hope you go into this coming Christmas season as those who value and seek truth and above all love one another as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

Resources for Further Study:

https://youtu.be/NOFaHPsXFeA (Short video by Red Pen Logic on Jeremiah 10 and Christmas trees).

http://asbereansdid.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-nimrod-and-christmas-trees-part-iii.html (More info on the history of Christmas Trees).

https://rb.gy/r7wzro (General info on Christmas in general, brief overviews).