Amos Ministries

Throughout my ministry, I have befriended many Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are all wonderful people to discuss religious matters with. While their openness to talk and discuss their beliefs was an absolute pleasure for me, they are however misguided in their beliefs about celebration and other things.

Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe in celebrating Christmas, birthdays, or Easter, but they do believe in celebrating wedding anniversaries and graduations.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses point to the uncertainty of the exact date of Jesus’ birth, as the reason why they do not celebrate the birth and arrival of the Messiah. They also believe in unsubstantiated claims that the celebration falls on the date of a former pagan festival. If their wedding anniversary or graduation fell on a pagan festival date, they would still celebrate it because although it may be on the same date, they understand that they would be celebrating a totally different occasion.

The Jehovah’s Witness’ argument for not celebrating the birth of the Messiah is not compelling nor does it have any specific biblical scripture to support their assertion.

Jehovah’s Witnesses also claim that there is no scripture where Jesus says to celebrate his birthday. Although this may be true, Jesus did not state to celebrate graduations and wedding anniversaries either. I do not think that resting our beliefs on things Jesus did not say is healthy. We should only be following the things Jesus actually prohibited. Anything else would be an added burden.

Jesus did tell us to remember/celebrate his death and resurrection with communion (although the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in celebrating Easter). He also celebrated Passover every year as was his custom, and he ate the Passover meal.

Luke 22:15 –  And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Luke 22:19-20 – And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luke 2:41 –  Every year, Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.

Upon visiting the Jehovah’s Witness’ website, jw.org, I discovered that they commemorate Jesus’ death but not his resurrection. This also does not coincide with the early disciples of Jesus, as they certainly did celebrate in his resurrection. The following scriptures show that it was the resurrection and not the death of Jesus, that was celebrated:

Acts 4:33 – With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.

1 Peter 1:3 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:21 – For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.

Romans 6:8-9 – Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

Romans 8:34 – Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Acts 3:15 – You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Identifying the exact date does not warrant not celebrating the birth, death and most importantly, the resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe that celebrating birthdays are sinful. However, there is absolutely no mention of this in the Bible. In fact, the Jewish people specifically celebrate a 13 year old boy’s Bar Mitzvah and a 12-13 year old girl’s Bat Mitzvah (depending on the Jewish denomination). This ceremony is usually held on the first Sabbath after a boy’s thirteenth birthday and a girl’s twelfth birthday. 

A Bar Mitzvah celebrates the age in which a Jewish boy can begin to read and comment on the Torah (the Biblical scriptures). This is why we see in the scriptures when Jesus is around this age, he was found in the Temple, both asking and answering questions with the priests.

Luke 2:41-52 – Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Alternatively, Jehovah’s Witnesses do believe in celebrating wedding anniversaries and graduation ceremonies. However, neither of these celebrations are mentioned in the Bible. It seems a bit hypocritical to celebrate something as worldly as a graduation (the knowledge of the world), and not the birth of the Messiah (the wisdom from above).

Jesus also went to festivals, celebrations and wedding feasts (not anniversary celebrations, not that this is mentioned in the bible as being wrong).

We know from scripture that Jesus did celebrate festivals and wedding celebrations.

John 5:1 – Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.

John 2:13 Weymouth new testament – But the Jewish Passover was approaching, and for this Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

John 2:23 – Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

John 7:10 NLT – But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view.

John 2:2 – and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

The 3 wise men are also mentioned celebrating the birth of the Messiah. And it was God that led them to celebrate the birth of the Messiah as well as the shepherds.

Matthew 2:1-2 – After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:9-11 – After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Luke 2:8-12 – And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The angels celebrated the birth of the Messiah too.

Luke 2:13-15 & 20 – Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

I do not believe in the Jehovah’s Witness view of not celebrating Christmas and do not see sufficient evidence to support their position. Paul states:

Colossians 2:16 – Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses should not be judging us for choosing to celebrate Christmas and we should not be judging them for choosing not to celebrate it.

The Apostle Paul tells us how we should treat those who abstain from certain foods or consider one day more sacred than another:

Romans 14:1-23 – Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

The Apostle Paul is stating that we should not judge the Jehovah’s Witnesses for not celebrating Christmas but also that they should not judge those who choose to celebrate Christmas.

Although I don’t believe celebrating Christmas is wrong, I do believe the way we celebrate Christmas is wrong. The danger in our current model of celebrating Christmas, is doing so in the conventional worldly manner with its deeply unbiblical traditions. Nonetheless, the solution is not to disregard celebrating the birth of the Messiah as a whole. The sole focus of Christmas should be completely on the arrival of the Messiah and his teachings. The importance of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus’ birth and purpose and his importance in our lives. Christmas should be time to become introspective and meditate on the Messiah’s teachings. Ask yourself what the purpose of Jesus’ life  and message was. 

Another danger about the Christmas season is its temporary nature. This temporary spirit of giving causes us to believe that you only need to be generous, compassionate and forgiving during this time of the year. 

Instead of doing away with the whole idea of celebrating the birth of the Messiah, we should review how this holiday (holy days) should be celebrated. We should ask ourselves how we can become more sincere in our celebration of the birth of the Messiah, Jesus, and less about commercialism.

Secondly, we should clearly understand that we should not engage in a temporary attitude of generosity, compassion and forgiveness. Rather, we should adopt a permanent attitude that is actively generous and forgiving all year round. 

The subtle danger of the Christmas season is that it allows us to think of these types of loving attitudes as temporary. This causes us to sin the rest of the year through the ignorance of our ways.

The Holy Spirit is 24/7/365. The Christmas spirit is only 25 days long. We should focus on maintaining the Holy Spirit which is an everlasting spirit of love, kindness, generosity and forgiveness.

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