Myths About Christmas
9 Common Myths
Christians Believe at Christmas
God kept His promises from the Old Testament to send a
Messiah to rescue His people from their sins. Many myths have been added to the
greatest story ever told. We really don’t know when Jesus’ actual birthday was.
The Bible doesn’t tell us an exact date. We don’t really know when Jesus was
born, however, two things are certain – Jesus was born of a virgin, and the
Bible doesn’t give us an exact date. Celebrating the birth of Jesus definitely
makes it a holy day. Thankfully, because of the birth, death, and resurrection
of Jesus; everyday can be a happy holy-day. To the believer, Christmas
shouldn’t be a one-day celebration, but rather, a lifestyle of celebrating the
truth that Jesus is Immanuel – God with us.
SHANE PRUITT
Christmas truly is the most wonderful time
of the year, because it calls our attention to one of the most beautiful
teachings of Scripture – the Incarnation of Christ.
When you realize the incredible truths
behind the reality that God came and dwelt among us, it can’t help but impact
the way you live.
Plus, it’s an awesome reminder that God
kept His promises from the Old Testament to send a Messiah to rescue His people
from their sins.
However, since that time, many myths have
been added to the greatest story ever told.
Here are nine common myths Christians
believe at Christmas:
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT JESUS WAS BORN ON
DECEMBER 25TH
It’s the age-old
question, “Is December 25th Jesus’ birthday?”
The answer is that we really don’t know
when His actual birthday was. The Bible doesn’t tell us an exact date.
So, it begs the
question, “How did Christmas land on December 25th”?
Some historians believe that it was a
Christian reaction to a Roman pagan holiday, while others believe the date is a
response to the traditional date of Jesus’ crucifixion in March.
Honestly, we don’t really know when Jesus
was born, however, two things are certain – Jesus was born of a virgin, and the
Bible doesn’t give us an exact date.
THE BIBLE SAYS MARY RODE INTO BETHLEHEM ON
A DONKEY
An extremely pregnant Mary riding into town
on a donkey is definitely a common myth most Christians believe is in the
Bible.
Now, she very well could have made the
65-mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a donkey.
Nevertheless, the account of this story, in
Luke 2:1–6, does not specifically teach this.
Nevertheless, we all should consider how
tough Mary was to make this trip while being pregnant, because most of us men
can’t get out of bed if we have the common cold.
THE BIBLE SAYS THERE WERE 3 WISEMEN
One of the most popular Christmas carols,
“We Three Kings,” shows the commonality of this particular myth.
The Gospel of Matthew describes these men
as magi or wise men.
People commonly think there were three in
number, because the Bible details the fact that they brought three gifts –
gold, frankincense and myrrh.
But this doesn’t mean there were three
magi; there could just as easily have been four, eight, or 10.
Also, one could ascertain that these guys
were the very first Essential Oils dealers.
THE BIBLE SAYS A STAR HOVERED OVER THE
MANGER
You’d be hard-pressed to find a nativity
scene that doesn’t include a bright shining star hovering above it.
It’s definitely a nice sentiment and
symbol. The problem is there’s no reference to this in Gospels.
The magi were given a star that first lead
them to Jerusalem (Matthew
2:1–2),
then on to Bethlehem (verses
9-10)
where they found the child.
In jealousy, King Herod gave a command that
all babies in the region younger than 2-years-old to be killed (verse 16).
This suggests that Jesus had been in
Bethlehem for some time at this point, so neither the wise men nor the star,
were hovering over the manger the night Jesus was born.
THE BIBLE SAYS JESUS WAS BORN IN A BARN OR
STABLE
Just about every nativity set places the
baby Jesus in a barn, surrounded by animals.
Once again, this is an assumption because
the Bible does not specify this.
The Scriptures
actually say, (Luke 2:7).
It’s easy to assume that Jesus was born in
a barn or stable, because of the manger mention.
A manger is a feeding trough for animals.
However, these feeding troughs were also
commonly used inside homes, because families would sleep upstairs while small
animals were kept downstairs on cold nights.
THE BIBLE SAYS THERE WAS A LITTLE DRUMMER
BOY
A little drummer boy playing his drum – pum
pum pum pum. That’s what all first-time parents want, right?
Mary and Joseph haven’t had any sleep. The
birthing arrangements and location haven’t been ideal, but yes, please come
play your drum for my newborn baby boy.
Just make sure you play it as loud as
humanly possible. It doesn’t make much sense, and there is no account of this
ever happening.
THE BIBLE SAYS JESUS WAS BORN IN 0 A.D.
“B. C.” stands for “before Christ”, and “A.
D.” stands for a Latin phrase anno domini; which means “in the year of the
Lord.”
However, according to Matthew 2:1, Jesus
was born during the days of Herod the king.
Most historians place Herod’s death at 4 B.
C.
With Herod ordering all boys 2-years old
and younger in the area to be killed before his own death.
It seems as though a more proper estimate
of Jesus birth would have sometime between 4 B. C. and 6 B. C.
SAYING MERRY X-MAS IS “TAKING CHRIST OUT OF
CHRISTMAS”
Over the last decade or so, many Christians
have felt like there is a “War on Christmas”.
Some believers see the phrase, “Merry
Xmas”, as an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas.
Although, some people may be deliberate in
their attempts, the statement by itself is not offensive.
The first letter in the Greek word for
“Christ” is chi.
In the Roman alphabet, chi is
represented by the symbol – X. Therefore, Xians don’t have to be
flustered by hearing or seeing, “Merry Xmas!”
SAYING HAPPY HOLIDAYS IS “TAKING CHRIST
OUT OF CHRISTMAS”
This statement may be an attempt at being
“politically correct”.
However, holiday literally means, “holy
day”.
Celebrating the birth of Jesus definitely
makes it a holy day.
Thankfully, because of the birth, death,
and resurrection of Jesus; everyday can be a happy holy-day.
To the believer, Christmas shouldn’t be a
one-day celebration, but rather, a lifestyle of celebrating the truth that
Jesus is Immanuel – God with us.
Husband, Father, Director of Missions for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Writer & Communicator. www.shanepruitt.com Instagram and Twitter: @shane_pruitt78
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