FOUR CHRISTMAS MISCONCEPTIONS

The Story of Jesus’ birth has developed as a synthesis of two separate accounts: One from the Gospel of Matthew and the other, the Gospel of Luke. Over the centuries misconceptions have developed about exactly what happened that first Christmas. Most of these misconceptions have come from assumptions, embellishments, or semantic errors made of the Scripture text. Here are four that are common.

1. Mary and Joseph were not married when Jesus was born

Joseph and Mary were betrothed to be married when Mary discovered that she was pregnant (Mt. 1:18). But, they were officially married before Jesus was born (Mt. 1:24).

Betrothal was a legally binding relationship that promised a young maiden to a man. The betrothed maiden was considered a wife to the one she was promised to. 1In two Scripture passages the betrothed woman is directly designated as “wife” (2 Sam. 3:14, “my wife whom I have betrothed,” and Deut. 12:24, where the betrothed is designated as “the wife of his neighbor”). So, the rabbinical law declares that the betrothal is equivalent to an actual marriage and only to be dissolved by a formal divorce. Breaking the betrothal contract required an official divorce. 2Several Biblical passages refer to the negotiations requisite for the arranging of a marriage (Gen. 2; Song of Songs 8:8; Judges 14:2-7), which were conducted by members of the two families involved, and required the consent of the prospective bride (if over the age of twelve); but when the agreement had been entered into, it was definite and binding on both groom and bride, who were considered as man and wife in all legal and religious aspects, except that of actual cohabitation.

When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, he was going to quietly divorce her (Mt. 1:19). God intervened explaining to Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy was from God. Joseph immediately married Mary. Months later Jesus was born. Although Joseph did not physically consummate the marriage with Mary until after Jesus was born – Joseph and Mary were officially married months before Jesus’ birth (Mt. 1:24-25).

2. Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn.

Not likely. There were no “inns” in Bethlehem in the first century. At least, not in the traditional sense.

The word that the King James Version of the Bible translates as “inn,” is the Greek word, “kataluma.” It comes from two Greek words, “kata” which means “down from,” and “luo” which means “to unfasten, or loosen.” It can mean a number of things, depending on the context, but when used of travelers it means to stop the journey to find lodging. 3It comes from the idea that to put up for the night, the straps and packs of the beasts of burden are loosened and taken off; or, more correctly from the fact that the traveler’s garments, tied up when he is on the journey, are unloosed when he stops to rest. So, the “inn” was any house where a traveler stopped his journey for awhile.

Most travelers stayed in the homes of friends or family members, or anyone who had the extra space. First-Century Mediterranean hospitality mores required that the alien or stranger be taken in and housed. 4Lev. 25:35  Hospitality was a major value for the culture. To refuse lodging to a traveler was a shameful betrayal of the cultural expectations. 5See Gen. 18-19; the story of Abraham, Lot, and the men of Sodom and Gomorrah was told to highlight the righteousness of Abraham and Lot compared to the barbaric and violent nature of Sodom and Gomorrah. That difference was revealed in the way Abraham and Lot were willing to care for and host the stranger (who were angels disguised as men), compared to the horrific and violent treatment the strangers received from the men of Sodom. This highlights the supreme importance of hospitality as a sign of righteousness Since both Joseph and Mary were from the House of David they certainly would have had relatives living in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David.

The Biblical story is describing a common situation – the house of the relative was full (most likely with other visiting relatives) so a makeshift bed was created in an adjacent “room” where the animals were often kept. It was a space where the family’s animals (most likely a lamb or goat) would be brought in at night to be protected from the cold winds. There was often a feeding trough (sometimes built into the wall) for feeding the animals.

So Jesus was most likely born in the home of his Bethlehem relatives. He was wrapped in a rough burlap cloth and placed in the manger because it was the ideal makeshift bed, the inner house being packed with other visitors.

3. The “Immaculate Conception” means that Jesus was divinely conceived by God.

The immaculate conception has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. It is a Roman Catholic doctrine about the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

According to the doctrine, Mary was born free from original sin by a special work of God due to her future role as the mother of the Son of God. It does not specifically say that she lived a sinless life. However, the doctrine eventually led to the belief that Mary was sinless personally, “free from all sin, original or personal.”6Encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi, 110, Encyclical of Pope Pius XII, 1943

Although the belief that Mary was sinless, or conceived without original sin, has been widely held since late antiquity, the doctrine was not officially defined until 1854, by Pope Pius IX. 7Catechism of the Catholic Church, 490-493. So, it is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church by virtue of several papal decrees. The Bible tells us nothing about Mary’s birth, except that she was of the house of David (Lk. 1:27).

The Virgin Birth, on the other hand, is the belief that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary through the Holy Spirit without the agency of a human father and born while Mary was still a virgin. This concept is addressed explicitly in the Bible. 8See Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38.

4. Four Christmas Characters that are NOT in the Biblical story.

The Innkeeper.

No innkeeper. There wasn’t even an inn (see #2 above).

The Animals.

There is no mention of animals in the story. There was a manger (animal feeding trough). The assumption, then, is that where this is a manger, there would be animals. Which, of course, is not necessarily true. If there were animals in the room they would have been few and fairly small – a lamb or a goat.

The Three Wise Men.

There are no “Wise Men” in the story. There was an unidentified number of “Magi” who traveled from the eastern lands (most likely Mesopotamia) to see Jesus. They were probably near-eastern spiritualist, practitioners of magic, which may have included astrology, alchemy and other forms of esoteric knowledge.  They would not have been considered “wise” to Jesus’ family — in fact, they would have been viewed as ignorant, pagan Gentiles to Joseph who was a righteous Jew (Mt. 1:19).9Joseph was labeled a righteous Jew, which meant he faithfully kept the Mosaic Law. As such he would not have wanted anything to do with the practices of “Magi.” See Deut. 18:10; Ezek. 13:18-20.

It is assumed there were three only because there are three gifts mentioned.

The Choir of Singing Angels.

There are no singing angels. An angel appeared to the shepherds to deliver the message of Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:9-10). The angel was then joined by a large number of “heavenly hosts” who were praising God and “saying” (not singing), “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Lk. 2:14). No mention of singing, and no clue as to the nature of “heavenly hosts.”

Well, there they are — four things about Christmas that people often get wrong. I hope this gives you a little more insight into the most important story in human history!