12-21-03
KEEP THE X IN XMAS
People often criticize those who write “Christmas” as “Xmas.” They shouldn’t. It’s one of the highest compliments you can pay to Jesus.
You’ve heard the saying that the people who have really arrived are those who are known by one name. Like Elvis or Cher or Waylon or Willie or DeGaulle or Lincoln. Well, Jesus came to be known by one letter!
In the Aramaic language -- the language Jesus spoke and the language the New Testament was written in – the symbol for “Ch” is “X.” In the first few hundred years after Jesus lived and did His works, people began to honor him by using just one letter for His name. That letter was :”X,” meaning “Ch.”
When Christians were being persecuted and were giving their lives up for their loyalty to Jesus, they often had to hide out in caves and tombs. They would scratch “X” on the walls as their final testimony for Him.
Yes, there are some who use “Xmas” who may do it to disparage Jesus, not knowing they are actually complimenting Him. Accept the humor. Even in trying to dishonor Him they unknowingly honor Him more!
There’s an old saying, “X marks the spot.” I like to imagine people who follow Jesus as having a big X on their hearts.
“X” is also the way we check off things on a list of important things to do. So when you look at that list of chores with your Xs in front of them, see them as being blessed by the Christ. You have done them and released them to God.
If you want to check me out, you can get a good Greek-English lexicon at most religious book stores. It will shed great light on Biblical passages. You don’t have to learn to speak the language to use it as a study tool. I took two years of Aramaic Greek as my foreign language in college and it increased my understanding of the Bible.
If you buy a lexicon look at the Aramaic alphabet symbols in the front and you will see in the alphabet that “Ch” is “X.”
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Write Dalton at DownhomeP@aol.com or DaltonRoberts@Comcast.net or access his website at www.daltonroberts.com. His writings are gathered at www.IPSFeatures.com.
