We’ve all watched so many Christmas movies, endured so many children’s Christmas plays, sang so many Christmas carols, and seen so many nativity sets. But are you able to separate the biblical Christmas story from a fictionalized version?
Here’s how the story is commonly told:
“On December 25 in the year 0000, a very pregnant young woman rode into Bethlehem on a donkey. Because the inns were full of travelers, Mary was forced to give birth to Jesus surrounded by animals in a barn. She wrapped her very quiet baby in cloths and laid him in a manger while the angels sang to the shepherds. Later that night, the shepherds joined the three wise men to worship the newborn king and post a picture on Instagram.”
How many myths do you spot in this story? I see at least eight.
We don’t know the day, month, or year Jesus was born. However, the Bible gives us some clues. The first clue is that Caesar Augustus was the Roman Emperor who called the census that sent Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, where Joseph was from (Luke 2:1). Augustus ruled from 27 BC to 4 AD. But we can narrow the date even further based on King Herod’s death in 4 BC. We know that Herod was alive when Jesus was less than 2 years old (Matthew 2:16). This leads most scholars to say that Jesus was born between 4-6 BC.
It wasn’t until around 525 AD when the Catholic monk Dionysius Exiguus laid the foundation for the BC/AD system.
As far as the day is concerned, it’s highly unlikely Jesus was born on December 25. For starters, shepherds don’t take their flock into the fields in the heart of winter. In addition, censuses in the Roman Empire were usually taken in the fall (September/October).
The Bible is far more concerned with where Jesus was born (Bethlehem) than when he was born:
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
Micah 5:2
The familiar story is more dramatic: Mary barely makes it to Bethlehem before her water breaks, she goes into labor and gives birth. But the coming of the Messiah is enough drama for Luke. He doesn’t need to exaggerate to gin up more.
He tells us, “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son” (Luke 2:6-7). Joseph and Mary had enough common sense to plan ahead and get to Bethlehem in plenty of time to get settled before the due date.
We don’t know how Mary made the 80-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. She might have ridden a donkey, or she might’ve ridden on a camel, on a horse, or in a horse-drawn cart. It’s likely that she and Joseph traveled with a group that offered protection from robbers and wild animals (see Luke 2:41-44).
When we think of an inn, we think of a hotel. But Jesus wasn’t born in Motel 6, much less the Ritz Carlton. The Greek word translated “inn” can also be translated as “guest room.”
It was common for people to live in two-story homes with the first floor used by animals and the top floor reserved for people. Other homes were one level with the rooms for animals and people separated by a wall. Either way, there wasn’t room for Joseph and Mary in the part of the house where people stayed, so they stayed with the animals. This is why Jesus was placed in a manger or feeding trough.
This myth comes from the beautiful carol “Away in a Manger.” (“The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.”).
Did Jesus cry? Of course he did!
Jesus was fully God but he was also fully human. He got tired (Mark 6:31), hungry (Mark 11:2), and cried. It’s good news that Jesus was fully human because that means he was tempted like me but unlike me he never sinned.
Luke tells us, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
No music is mentioned, But I guess singing angels make for better parts in children’s plays.
It’s easy to see how this myth developed—the wise men presented Jesus with three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But the Bible never says how many wise men arrived in Bethlehem. All we know with certainty is that there were enough of them that all Jerusalem was troubled by their presence (Matthew 2:3) and that they followed the star to worship the newborn king.
The wise men (or magi) were from the east and likely traveled more than 800 miles to see Jesus. In the first century, that trip would’ve taken quite a while. Not only that, but when they arrived in Bethlehem, they went to meet Jesus in a house (Matthew 2:11) not the “guest room” he was delivered in. And when Herod realized that he’d been tricked by the wise men, he had every boy in Bethlehem under 2 killed.
Putting all this together, the wise men weren’t at the birth of Jesus.
Does any of this matter?
Is there a problem believing the fictional version of the Christmas story? Or is it harmless?
It’s a fair question—after all, none of these myths affect significant doctrines or even really change the point of the story. But the fact that these myths are widely believed reveals how little we read our Bible or pay attention to sermons. It shows that we are more likely to get the Christmas story from popular culture than the gospels. And that sign of biblical illiteracy does matter. For a Christian, knowing God’s word is essential to following and loving him. When you study the Bible, learning what these important stories actually say, you become able to discern fact from fiction for yourself.
Learning what the Bible really says doesn’t have to feel like a massive undertaking. You can start with just ten minutes a day. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a podcast that helps you apply the Bible to your life with short daily devotionals.
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