Christmas Truths

The Christmas story is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. After all it is about the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. The genealogy listed in the 1st chapter of Matthew in the New Testament gives many names in Jesus’ ancestry. So often we like to relate to the elite in our family backgrounds. Some might wonder that there were only the elite in Jesus’ genealogy. Well, let’s take a look and see.

1. Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew includes some notorious outcasts and sinners.

   1. David committed adultery with Bathsheba (Matthew 1:6 … her that had been the wife of Urias)

   2. David murdered Urias

   3. Rahab was a harlot (Joshua 2:1)

   4. Judah fathered Perez (Pharez) and Zerah by having sex with his daughter-in-law. See Genesis 38:8-30.

2. There are no recorded words in the Bible as spoken by Mary’s husband Joseph.

3. The Magi did not visit Joseph in the manger. The nativity scene usually includes them along with the shepherds, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. However according to Matthew 2:8-11, Jesus was a young child in the house when the magi appeared.

4. The angels did not sing to herald in Jesus’ birth. See Luke 2:13-14 which records that they were praising God and saying… (not singing).

5. Matthew 2:1,2,11 The Bible does not say there were 3 wise men. The actual number is not recorded. They brought three types of gifts, i.e., gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

6. The Bible does not say that Mary rode on a donkey… only that she went to Bethlehem with Joseph and she was great with child. It also does not record that the innkeeper turned them away.

7. See Jeremiah 10:1-5 and the references to the tree and its decorations which is a scripture that some use to say that Christmas trees are anti-biblical. Please read the entire passage in context and you will see it is about worshipping idol gods that neither see nor speak. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.

8. Mary was a virgin and Joseph did not have sexual relations with her, his wife, until after Jesus was born. Matthew 1:24,25

9. Mary was not a perpetual virgin. She had other children. See Matthew 13:55-56 for the names of their other children James, Joses, Simon, Judas and note that there were also daughters.

10. Jesus did not do any miracles in his boyhood. See John 2:1-11 specifically verse 11. This “beginning” of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee.

11. Jesus was the only person who was born King. See Matthew 2:1,2 and John 18:37. In this world babies are born who may ascend to the throne but Jesus was born King.

12. Ruth was a Moabite. According to Genesis 19 the Moabites were descended from the incestuous relationship of Lot with his eldest daughter. According to Deuteronomy 23:3 an Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord even to their tenth generation. Nehemiah 13:1… shall not come into the congregation of the Lord… because they met not the children of Israel with bread and water but hired Balaam against them.