Christmas Quiz

Issues2 – December 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Christmas Quiz

December is the month when the Christmas story is celebrated. The card business, entertainment industry and well-meaning Christians have provided a nativity account that has embellished the details surrounding this most sacred event. But what are the actual facts related to the incarnation story?

Here are a few statements for your consideration to test your knowledge about the birth of the Lord Jesus. Please, do not return this to the publisher as it is not intended for that purpose. Which statements below are true and which ones are false?

1. Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem while Joseph led the animal.
2. The Lord Jesus was born on December 25.
3. The Lord’s birth occurred in a cave or a backyard stable.
4. The angels sang as a heavenly choir above the fields of Bethlehem.
5. Mary wrapped her baby in cloths and laid Him in a feeding trough.
6. The star led the wise men to the stable where the Christ was born.
7. There were three wise men bringing gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.

Answers and a few thoughts related to these seven statements are below.

The Essence Of The Christmas Story

So it was, that while they were there [in Bethlehem], the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. —Luke 2:6-7 NKJV

The answers to our statements on the previous page are drawn from Luke 2:6-20 and Matthew 2:1-11. We encourage you to read those passages.

1. This was a trick question, for it is possibly true or possibly false. Although such a scene is depicted in many cards and re-enactments, we do not have any indication in Scripture as to how Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem.

2. False. The Bible does not give a date. Celebrations of the Lord’s nativity are not mentioned in the Gospels, the Acts or any of the Epistles, and the date of His birth is not given.1 The biblical reference to shepherds tending their flocks at night most likely suggests a date in the fall season or possibly the spring lambing season. In the cold month of December sheep might well have been kept corralled rather than being out in the fields.

3. Likely false. The word “inn” comes from the Greek word katalyma.2 This word is translated once in the New Testament as “inn” (Lk. 2:7) and twice as “guest room” (Mk. 14:14; Lk. 22:11). Nowhere does it suggest that the couple checked many inns, for “the inn” in the verse suggests only one.

Because Bethlehem was extremely crowded due to the census, there was no room in the inn or the guest room. Therefore, the couple were provided accommodation in the portion of the dwelling where animals were normally kept, likely where the farmhands slept. This was part of the home structure, often having a window between the living quarters and the area for livestock. Such multi-purpose accommodations are called a “house-barn,” common in those days and still in use in some places in the world.3

4. False. The angels praised God and were saying, “Glory to God in the highest” (2:14). While the angels may have sung at the creation of the universe (consider Job 38:7), there is no reference in the Bible of them ever singing again. In God’s Word, singing is an activity of the redeemed.

5. True. A manger is a feeding trough.

6. False. The wise men, also known as maji, were led to “the house” where “they saw the young Child” some time after His birth (Mt. 2:11). Note the words in that verse: “house” and “young child,” not “the inn” and “Babe.” Their visit could easily have been months or a year after the Lord’s birth. That is why Herod had all the male children, two years old and under, killed in the area of Bethlehem, according to the time he had inquired of the wise men as to when the star first appeared (v.16).

7. False. There is no biblical record of the number. Some early church traditions say there were 12, and many people today believe three, because of the number of gifts offered. It is very unlikely that only three individuals with valuable gifts would travel a thousand miles or so through areas full of robbers.

These thoughts are presented only to remind us that we must be careful not to add to – or take away from – the Word of God. One should not be concerned with non-biblical additions or trappings; we should consider Him only. He is Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” His name is Jesus, meaning “Savior.”

On another note, the Bible does not suggest that we should celebrate Christ’s birth on any particular day, but we are to commemorate His death (1 Cor. 11:23-26). However, while the world is trying to remove Christ from Christmas, we should be thankful that it can be an ideal time to proclaim the true gospel. May we use the opportunities we have, for His glory!

ENDNOTES
1. Christmas was unknown to the early church. The festival of Christ’s birth wasn’t invented until 312 A.D., and not by a follower of Christ but by a military leader, the Roman Emperor Constantine.
2. The word “inn” used in Luke 10:34 (where the good Samaritan brought the wounded Jew) comes from the Greek word pandocheion translated as “public lodging place.”
3. Housebarns were built beginning in prehistoric times after people discovered that the body heat of animals helps to warm human living areas. One style is a building where the barn portion shares a wall with the house portion. Sometimes the house portion will extend into part of the loft on the second floor of the barn portion.

By G. H. B.