CHRISTMAS FAUX PAS

Forgive me for what I am about to do.

I don’t want to ruin anyone’s Christmas but, in the interest of accuracy, it is reasonable for Bible believing Christians to think about what the Bible actually does teach as opposed to what we think it teaches because we have heard and seen it so many times.

I am not opposed, by the way, to putting on a Christmas program that represents traditional ideas about the Christmas story.

I just think it is important for us to sort them through our mind so that we are true with the Bible.

*I. Jesus’ birth was miraculous

That’s a technical misstatement.

Jesus’s birth was normal.

·   He was delivered normally

·   He was wrapped in swaddling cloths – a normal act

·   He was laid in a manger – that’s pretty normal (at least it would be if it were a crib.

It was His conception that is miraculous

·   Mary was a virgin

·   He was conceived of the Holy Ghost

·   Making Him the Son of God

This is actually a pretty important distinction.

·   His was a normal birth because He is 100% man

·   His was a miraculous conception because he is 100% God

By the way, that is the message of Christmas in a nutshell.

*II. THE INNKEEPER TURNED THEM AWAY

It is very possible that the inn was nothing like we think of them these days.

We probably should not think of it like a motel as much as we do a highway rest stop.

You know what a rest stop is.

The government figured out that people need a place to pull over, use the restroom and stretch their legs.

It's a free safety station supported by our tax dollars.

My understanding of the culture of Christ’s day was that the towns were in the habit of erecting a simple structure to house travelers and their animals.

There is no real point in correcting this faux pas except to caution us that we often do these sorts of things with the Bible.

We interpret certain passages according to our own culture rather than the culture of the day in which it was written.

Good Bible study requires that we ask:

·   Who is writing? and

·   Who is he writing to? As well as

·   What is he saying?

The next faux pas

*iIi. JESUS WAS BORN IN A STABLE

The Bible doesn’t say Jesus was born in a stable.

It says Luke 2:7 (KJV)

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The word manger means a place to eat. I personally use a feed tub.

Last week someone came up to me and pointed out that, if anyone knew anything about a stable, they would understand just how dirty that would be.

Trust me ladies, you could not clean one enough to be happy delivering a baby there.

And you would get out as quickly as possible if you did.

On the other hand, given the times, we could easily picture cleaning out a feed trough, lining it with clean bedding, and placing the baby there.

*IV. THERE WAS A STAR THE NIGHT JESUS WAS BORN

When the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds watching their flocks by night they weren’t told to look for a star. 

They were given a completely different sign.

Luke 2:12 (KJV)

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

The star was given not to the shepherds but to the wise men, who arrive in Israel may 2 years after he was born.

They did not give their gifts to an infant but to a child[1] who was likely staying with some of Joseph’s family by this time.

*V. THERE WERE THREE WISE MEN

Matthew 2:1 (KJV)

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Though music, movies and artwork all depict three wise men (in some cases even giving them names) nowhere in the Bible does it specify how many wise men there were.

As I understand it, the concept of three wise men springs from the three gifts:

·   Gold

·   Frankincense and

·   Myrrh

But again, we are reading into it a bit of our own culture. We tend to give personal gifts and one at a time.

It is very possible that these were not given as individual presents but as a bundle of things the Spirit of God led them to know this child and his family would need.

I was asked last week what happened to the gifts.

The Bible does not tell us but it is reasonable to believe that Joseph and Mary sold them to pay for their flight into Egypt that happened as a direct result of the wise men speaking to Herod.

Conclusion

As I prepared for this I found where someone wrote that the things that are true about the birth of Christ are far more exciting that the fables people have made up about it.

·   His conception was miraculous

·   His mother was a virgin

·   He is 100% man and 100% God

·   He dwelt among men, being tempted like as we are yet without sin and

·   Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved

---

[1] Matthew 2:8 (KJV)

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.