Have a blessed Christmas, everyone!

The Birth of Jesus.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

source: Luke 2: 1:14

Some FYI because we live in crazy, revisionist times….

1. Was Jesus a Jew? 

Yes. This is like asking if water is wet.

Jesus was a Jew. His family was Jewish. His mother was Jewish. He went to Jewish synagogues on Sabbath. He observed Jewish rituals like the Passover.  He read the Jewish holy book, the Torah, and preached it. He said that he didn’t come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them.

2. Where is this Judea? 

I’m going to cite what’s taught in elementary school here in the US.

Judea: The Birthplace of Christianity

The birthplace of Christianity [Christianity: the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus] was a remote territory at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. According to the New Testament, Jesus [Jesus: the founder of Christianity upon whose life and teachings the religion is based], the founder of Christianity, was born in this region. The Romans called it Judea. It had once been part of the ancient kingdom of Israel ruled by kings David and Solomon.

Judea, where the New Testament says Jesus was born, was located in the present-day Middle East.

The Jews of the region were devoted to their homeland and to their belief in a single God. This belief, together with their religious customs, set them apart from their neighbors in the ancient world.

Once an independent kingdom, Judea came under Roman rule in 63 B.C.E. The Romans tried to govern the country by putting in charge Jewish rulers who agreed with Roman rule. But several times, groups of Jews rebelled against Roman control.

In 37 B.C.E., Rome appointed a man named Herod to be the king of Judea. Although Herod was not Jewish by birth, he practiced the Jewish religion and rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem. However, many Jews distrusted him. They saw him as a puppet of the Romans.

When Herod died in 4 B.C.E., his kingdom was divided among his three sons.

Once again, unrest broke out. Finally, Rome sent soldiers to Judea to take control. They replaced Herod’s sons with a military governor.

The military governor kept order and made sure Judeans paid taxes to Rome. But he usually left local affairs to the Jews themselves. For example, a council of Jewish leaders ruled the holy city of Jerusalem. The council was headed by a high, or chief, priest.

Judea was outwardly peaceful. But many Jews hated the Romans. In their sacred writings, they saw prophecies that one day God would send a savior to restore the glorious kingdom of David. This savior was called the Messiah [Messiah: a savior who many Jews believe had been promised to them by God], or “anointed one.” Anointed means “blessed with oil.” More generally, it means specially chosen by God.

source: https://www.cbsd.org

3. Why is it called “Christmas”?

I know people nowadays think of Christmas as one big gift-giving event, but Christians are actually supposed to celebrate Jesus’ birthday with a mass. Christmas is “Christ’s Mass.”

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word Christmas originates from the phrase “Cristes Maesse”, first recorded in 1038, which means the Mass of Christ or Christ’s Mass. The word mass is the English version of the Latin word missa, a celebration of the Eucharist, done in memory of Jesus Christ, where Christians eat bread and drink wine. But not all is Latin; in fact, the word Christ comes from the Greek word Khristos, translated from the Hebrew term messiah, which means anointed.

source: https://www.stillmantranslations.com