The Biblical Evidence For Santa

It is that remarkable and wonderful time of year when millions of Christians around the globe anticipate the celebration of the birth of the Savior,Yeshua, Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that time when the community of believers has the opportunity to find new and old ways to disagree and separate one from another. The time to celebrate "Peace on earth and good will toward men" can be replaced with judgemental attitudes and divisions over traditions and questions of worship. Believers vary from those who immerse themselves in virtually every tradition to those who piously proclaim that they will have no part in a celebration that was once based in paganism. "To tree or not to tree, that is the question." What of lights and wreaths and stockings and presents?  And what of the big guy in the red suit. What should be done about the Santa Question? Wouldn't it be nice to have some clear Biblical guidelines to clarify these questions? What if I told you that you could find some Biblical answers to the Santa question and some other sticky issues Christians face? Interested? Then keep reading.

The Santa question is answered in Zechariah 2:6, "Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD." This has to be the clearest Scriptural evidence to prove the existence of Santa Clause you could ever find. Who else goes "Ho, ho" and flees to the north? Who else is spread abroad the four winds of heaven bringing gifts to all the good boys and girls? Seems pretty convincing to me. And if you really want that expensive gift like a sports car or motor cycle, remember Isaiah 58:14, "then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land". I am not sure if the Triumph is a motor cycle or a sports car but I am sure they did find joy in the Lord cruising around on the heights of the land. If not a Triumph you could probably find joy in a Harley as well. While we are at it we should deal with the health issue of Santa's pipe. Lots of Christians think smoking is wrong. However, Genesis 24:64 says, "And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel." It appears Rebekah was so nervous when she saw Isaac she needed a smoke to calm her nerves. There seems to be little difference between lighting up a Camel and lighting up a pipe so maybe we have been a little too critical of Santa's smoking habit.

I do hope that you, my readers, recognize that this is all said in jest. Though, I must make a bit of a confession. For those who do not know me I have a pretty full and very white beard. I wear wire rimmed glasses from time to time and also wear a red sort of puffy coat on chilly days. I honestly get some pretty wide eyed looks from small children at the shopping malls. One day I could not resist when a little boy stared at me as we rode in an elevator. I held the door for him and his mom and leaned down to look him in the eye and asked, "Have you been good?" His eyes got really wide as he nodded yes. I winked at him and went on my way realizing, as I walked, that I had just embedded the reality of Santa in the heart of a three year old. The verse in Zechariah 2 has nothing to do with Santa. Isaiah does not refer to motor cycles nor does Genesis 24:6 justify putting dry tobacco leaves in your mouth and setting them on fire. It is obvious that these verses were taken out of context and made to say something other than what God intended. It is like saying Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” has anything to do with prayer or worship. We all know that is taken out of context and does not represent what Jesus intended. Right? Not so sure? Let's check out the context.

Jesus, the Jewish Rabbi, is talking to His Jewish disciples and a Jewish crowd about relationships. The passage is about forgiveness and restoration, Matthew 18:15, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother." The Lord then goes on to give instruction should the brother not receive your instruction. “But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established" (Matthew 18:16). The italicized portion is a quote for Deuteronomy 19:15. The Jewish audience would recognized this instruction from Torah. The issue here is a violation of God's Law. The grievance is not because someone took their spot at the synagogue or that they said they had seen a high school girls' soccer team play better football than the Jets. It was understood that these petty things would be quickly forgiven and forgotten. The matter here is a sin that puts the brother at odds with God's Word and thus with God Himself. The next step is in verse 17, "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." One needed correction here. There is no church when Yeshua is speaking. The word is simply assembly referring to the Jewish community not a group of Gentile followers of Jesus. This is spoken to Jews who immediately thought of the passage in Deuteronomy. Failure to repent in the face of clear evidence confirmed by three or more witnesses of a clear violation of God's Law would compel the Jewish Community to treat their Jewish brother like a Gentile or tax collector. They would have to exclude the errant brother from the feasts, table fellowship, some business dealings, social events like weddings and bar mitzvah celebrations. It would be a crushing separation designed to bring the guilty brother to repentance and restoration. This is no easy thing and never to be taken lightly. However, if the procedures are followed, those who are leaders in the community and synagogue have assurance from Deuteronomy 19 that when two or three are gathered for the purpose of disciplining and restoring a sinning brother, the Lord, Himself is in their midst. They are not taking such an imposing action on their own. God's Word must be honored and God's community must be pure. There is nothing in Matthew 18 or Deuteronomy 19 that promises us that Jesus will be with us when two or three gather to pray or when we gather to worship. He is always with us and He inhabits the praises of His people. Right thought. Wrong verse.

Just a closing thought about the Christmas season.There is really no doubt that the birth of the babe, spoken of in Luke chapter 2, was born in the spring or fall. This winter birth date is highly unlikely. It is rare to find a Christian that thinks of druids when they see a Christmas tree, but believe me they are out there. I, for one, am fully convinced that the birth of the Savior was not on December 25th. We do not know when his birth occurred. However, I find it hard to find fault with setting aside time to worship the Lord and celebrate His arrival to live among humanity with the purpose of rescuing us from death. It seems any day is a good day to worship God's Son and to celebrate His love and grace poured out upon us. So, I wish you and yours a very blessed Christmas.