“The Birth of Jesus was as Follows…”

At this time of the year, more will be said about the birth of Jesus than at any other time of the year.  Yet, each year I can’t help but be a bit disturbed by all the biblical ignorance and inaccuracies associated with the birth of our Savior.  When it comes to one of the most fundamental tenants of Christianity, the incarnation of Jesus, and one of the most pivotal historical events that ever occurred, I find that many cannot discern between fact and faction.  As fundamental as the birth of Jesus is, people do not really know the account of his birth as well as one might think.

Doubt me?  Then give the following “True/False” quiz a shot and see how well you do?

-True or False The angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph to inform him that Mary was with child.
-True or False The Bible says that three wise men came to to the manger to worship and give gifts to Jesus.
-True or False The Bible says that an unknown number of wise men came to the manger to worship Jesus.
-True or False The wise men were kings from the Orient.
-True or False A bright star appeared in the sky and led the shepherds to the manger.
-True or False A bright star appeared in the sky and led the wise men to the manger.
-True or False The shepherds and the wise men were present on the night of Jesus’ birth.
-True or False The translation of the word, “Immanuel” is “Savior.”
-True or False Jesus was born in Jerusalem.
-True or False An innkeeper told Mary and Joseph that there was no room in the inn, thus Jesus was born in a manger.

Okay, so how did you do?  Did anyone get them all right?  Did you get a passing grade?  Well, if you answered any of the questions with a “True,” you were mistaken.  Every statement is false for one reason or another.  Open your Bible and check it for yourself.

What I have discovered through the years is that it is surprisingly easy for us to believe as fact, what is in reality, fiction.  Furthermore, this “fiction” is sometimes propagated by religion.  How many church lawns and “Christmas” re-enactments will portray a nativity scene which inaccurately portrays the biblical account?

But now here’s my point:  If we can be misinformed about something as fundamental as the birth of Jesus, what’s to make us think we cannot be misled regarding other religious matters?

Friends, make sure your faith is not based on what others have told you is true, but rather make sure your faith is based on what you know to be true from your own personal study.  Let the “fiction” you see perpetuated on church lawns and in church pageants this holiday season be a reminder and a warning to you to do your own Bible study, and to never be content with what others say.

“Prove all things; Hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

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Comments 6

  • […] Besides, there are many misconceptions regarding his birth; take this quiz to get a peek: Click here for a Christmas Quiz. […]

  • Great tool to introduce the bible to non-christians especially around seasonal times of the year, including Christmas as well as Easter. Thanks keep up the great work.

  • To be fair, questions 1 and 4 cannot be answered with either T or F with confidence. The others are clearly false, but those two (as worded) are uncertain or doubtful, but not necessarily false.

    🙂

  • Hello Nick,
    Thanks for your comments, but I disagree with you unless I’m missing something (which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility).

    The two questions you said are uncertain were:

    True or False The angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph to inform him that Mary was with child.
    True or False The wise men were kings from the Orient.

    These questions are to be answered based on the information given in the Bible. So with that understanding, the answers to both questions are false.

    I’m not asking what could have been, but what does the Bible say. For instance…
    • Could it have been Gabriel who spoke to Joseph. Yes. But that’s not what the Bible says.
    • Could the wise men have been kings from the Orient. Yes. But that’s not what the Bible says.

    And if that’s the way we’re going to read these T/F questions, then why only have trouble with those two questions. For instance,
    • Could the wise men have been present on the night of Jesus’ birth? The Bible doesn’t say anything about their being there, but could they have been, then left, and then later returned a second time? They could have, but that isn’t what the Bible records.
    • Could an innkeeper have told Mary and Joseph there is no room in the inn? That’s not what the Bible says, but it could have happened that way.

    I think you’re missing the nature of these true/false question. The answers are to be based on “what the Bible says,” not what could have been.

    Hope this helps.

    Steve

  • Good job Steve. It just shows what we THINK the bible says. All the more reason to be ready to give an answer (I Peter 3:15).

  • Hi Steve, this is not the first year I’ve shared this article. You are so right, it is overwhelming that most of what people are taught about Christmas is not even what the Bible says. I even missed a couple of the questions, initially. But, I have come to the conclusion that most people are not primarily concerned about what the scriptures say because it interferes with their traditions, or contradicts what their parents or church taught them. They see no harm in teaching fiction, or at least not teaching what the Bible actually says, provided it helps grow their church and makes people happy. I appreciate you taking the time to encourage everyone to challenge the man-made teachings by studying the one resource we should all be referring to…our Bible.

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