Debunking Christmas

Mike Hosey, Elder

Every Christmas I'm reminded of how our view of the world can get out of whack if we don't examine that view to make sure it is accurate. This is because there are many things we believe about Christmas that just aint so. Churchworld for the other 11 months isn't much different. A good bit of how we practice our faith has more basis in tradition than it does in our scriptures. 

With that in mind consider this sampling of Christmas disparities that Berean-like Christians have noticed:

Christmas Is Our Chief Holiday. No, it isn't. The chief  holiday is actually Easter - which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. The Bible has no record of Christians celebrating Christmas.  It probably wasn't celebrated in any modern sense until almost 400 years after Christ. But the Lord's Supper (which honors the death, resurrection and future return of Jesus) likely was celebrated weekly. That celebration was commanded by Jesus (1 Cor. 11:24-25). Of course, there's nothing wrong with celebrating Jesus' birth as long as we keep Him at the center of that celebration.

Credit: Hans Olav Lien

Your Nativitiy Scene Is Probably Wrong. There weren't three wise men at the manger. They didn't make it in time for that. The Bible says that by the time they got to Jesus, He was a child, and not an infant (Matthew 2:11). In fact, He could have been as old as two (Matthew 2:16). And we don't know how many wise men there were. People assume there were three because there were three gifts given. Some scholars argue there was a host of wise men. But we simply don't know because the Bible doesn't say.

The Inn Probably Wasn't An Inn.  It was probably a relative's house. The Greek word for "inn" (Luke 2:7) in this portion of scripture is "kataluma" (Strongs G2646).  It means either lodging, or guest chamber.  The Bible doesn't mention (or even hint at) an inn keeper. The only other places in the Bible where kataluma is used are Luke 22:11 and Mark 14:14 to denote the room where Jesus chose to eat the Passover. Furthermore, Luke uses a different word, "pandocheion," (Strongs G3829) in Luke 10:34 to describe an inn or public lodging. That word better describes an "inn" as we would understand it. Bethlehem was a very small town, and likely wouldn't have had an inn. And since Bethlehem was his home town, Joseph likely wouldn't have needed one. The guest rooms of his friends and relatives could have been full due to the census, so Joseph and Mary would have been given the back room (often a cave below the house) where animals were kept.

All of this leads me to ask, "if we're missing all these facts on such a momentous event, what other facts are we missing?" And that leads me to encourage you all to join a small group or a Bible study class so that together we can strengthen our faith and practice it in spirit and in truth!