Opinion
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr., 12-15-24
A great light has come into the world! The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2. That is God’s perspective on Christmas. The birth of Jesus, the Messiah, was the greatest event in all of human history. God came down to the world in human flesh. According to the Bible, Jesus is literally the Word of God. John 1:1. So, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! John 1:14. His birth in Bethlehem also fulfilled many Old Testament prophesies. The prophet Micah said the Messiah would be born in the little town of Bethlehem. Micah 5:2. The prophet Isaiah said “For unto us a child is born, a son is given to us, and the government will rest upon His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6. Isaiah also said that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14.
God said in Genesis 12:3 that a descendent of Abraham, a Jew, would bless all people; and Jesus was Jewish. And the prophet Jeremiah said that the Messiah “our Savior” would come from the House of David. Jeremiah 23:5-6. David was an ancestor of Jesus. And, the prophet Hosea said that the Messiah would be “called out of Egypt.” Hosea 11:1. Jesus was taken to Egypt by Mary and Joseph as a baby to escape the threats of Herod to kill him, and he returned to Nazareth from Egypt after Herod died. Yeshua Hamashiach is truly the Savior of the World. Jesus even defines our very calendars: His birth split history between B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, “in the Year of the Lord”).
Actually, the Bible does not tell us to celebrate Christmas. That is a church tradition that began in the 3rd century. The Bible tells us to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord. See Leviticus 23. December 25 is also certainly not the day that Jesus was born. That date was chosen by the church to override a pagan Roman holiday of feasting. Jesus was probably born in the fall (September or October), during the Feast of Tabernacles, because He came to “tabernacle with us.” See Leviticus 23:33-44. But it is still wonderful to celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas!
Mary wrapped the baby Jesus tightly in swaddling clothes for a prophetic reason. Swaddling clothes were used in that day to wrap a baby sacrificial lamb. Jesus was the ultimate sacrificial lamb for the whole world. Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29.
The tradition of gift giving came from the 3 wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus – gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold stood for his kingship. Frankincense (an incense) stood for his deity, and Myrrh (an embalming oil) stood for his death and burial.
The name Santa Claus came from a Catholic monk and bishop, Nicholas, who lived in Turkey in the 3rd Century. Saint Nicholas was a generous man with a spirit of giving who traveled the country helping the poor and sick. One day, Saint Nicholas took pity on a poor man who did not have the money to pay the dowery to marry off his three daughters. So he threw some money down the man’s chimney, and the money landed on the stockings of the daughters, that were drying out on the man’s hearth. Thus arose the tradition of Santa Claus coming down the chimney and stockings being hung by the fireplace.
The song “O Holy Night” has a great back story. The song was first a poem written by a French winemaker in the 1700’s. He asked a Jewish friend to put the poem to music. The friend did that, and renamed the song O Holy Night. The song became very popular quickly. However, when the Catholic church found out that a Jewish man had written the music, they banned the song from all churches! However, the song was taken to America in the 1800’s and an abolitionist took a liking to the song due to the lyrics which said: “Truly He (Jesus) taught us to love one another. His law is love and His Gospel is Peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother. And in His name, all oppression shall cease”. He used the song in his campaign to end slavery. And O Holy Night became one of the most popular and famous Christmas carols of all time!
The song “The Twelve days of Christmas” has a secret, Christian meaning for each gift. It was written as an English Christmas carol in 1588. Roman Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith openly. So, they wrote this song as a catechism song to perpetuate the Christmas tradition, with hidden codewords with secret meanings. “My true love” is not a human lover but is Jesus Christ because true love was born on Christmas day. The “partridge in a pear tree” on the first day also stands for Jesus because a partridge bird is willing to sacrifice its life to protect its young by feigning injury. The two turtle doves are the Old and New Testament. The three French hens stand for faith, hope and love. The four calling birds are the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The 5 Golden rings are the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) which describe man falling into sin and the need for a Saviour. The 6 geese a-laying stand for the 6 days of Creation. Seven swans a-swimming stand for the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit (Wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord). The 8 maids a-milking are the 8 Beatitudes Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount. The 9 Ladies dancing are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control). The 10 Lords a-leaping are the 10 Commandments. The 11 Pipers piping are the 11 faithful Apostles. And the 12 drummers drumming are the 12 points of belief in the Apostle’s Creed.
The Christmas wreath stands for eternal life because it is circular with no beginning and no end. It stands for the eternal life that we receive as a great gift through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christmas is filled with many traditions. But the real meaning of Christmas is that God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. The love of God is amazing. He loved us so much that He devised a plan to save the human race from sin and restore us to full communion and perfect relationship with Him. Jesus Christ (the Messiah) aka Yeshua Hamashiach is truly the Savior of the World. Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh, and came to earth to give us the pathway to eternal and everlasting life with God Almighty to all those who will believe in Him, and make Him Lord of their life. That is the true meaning of Christmas!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR- JUDGE JOHN MARSHALL MEISBURG JR.
Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr., was a U.S. Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration for 26 years in Jacksonville, Florida. He retired as a judge in 2021 and is now practicing law in Fernandina Beach. He has been married for 44 years to Dr. Denise Meisburg, a Christian counselor. They have six children and 11 grandchildren. Prior to being a judge, he was a lawyer with the Federal government for 23 years, serving in all three branches of the government, with the U.S. District Court, EEOC, Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Special Counsel and FDIC. He was in the private law practice one year in Washington, D.C. and filed the lawsuit that became the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case on sexual harassment. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Kentucky, and a Juris Doctor law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is a member of the Bar of Florida and Kentucky. He is a lifelong Christian, being raised in the Baptist faith in Louisville, Kentucky. He was an Elder at New Life Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville where he taught Sunday School, the Jewish Roots of the Faith and the Christian Heritage of America. He was a leader of both the National Day of Prayer and the House of Prayer in Jacksonville for over ten years. He has published 12 books relating to Christian and legal issues. He is now a member of Living Waters World Outreach Center in Fernandina Beach, where he serves in the prayer and home group ministry, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Faith Christian Academy. He is now an Honored Listee in the Marquis Who’s Who in America.
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida
