An Encouraging Word: Christmas questions

Tom Cash
·3 min read

This is the time of year we are overwhelmed with everything Christmas. We’ve been told and re-told of the birth of Jesus. Do you think you know the story? Or do you only know how others have told the account? Take the following quiz about the first Christmas. The answers are below.

According to the Bible:

1) How did Mary travel to Bethlehem?

2) How much older was Joseph than Mary?

3) What did the innkeeper offer to do?

4) In what type of building was Jesus born?

5) What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?

6) What was the weather like when Jesus was born?

7) How many people visited Jesus that night?

8) How did the shepherds locate Jesus?

9) What song did the angels sing?

10) How did the Wise Men travel to Bethlehem?

11) How many wise men were there?

12) What is the date of Jesus’ birth?

Here are the answers: Out of the Bible’s 66 books, only Matthew chapters 1 and 2 and Luke chapters 1 and 2 record the actual story of the birth of Jesus. There are many Old Testament prophesies of His coming; there are many New Testament explanations of His advent. But with more than 1,100 chapters in the Bible, only four tell us of Jesus’ actual birth. And in those four chapters, the short answer to every single one of these 12 questions is that THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY!

There is no reference to any animals besides sheep. No indication of Joseph's age. An innkeeper is never brought up. No stable is mentioned; only that a feed trough (manger) was used as a cradle. We are not told if the angels sang at all; we are told they proclaimed, or said, their praise. The only hint of weather conditions came from the fact that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night. It was likely a warm evening.

We don’t know how the shepherds found the newborn child. The star in the story guided the Wise Men, not the shepherds. We don’t know how many Wise Men there were; only that they had three gifts. The date of Jesus’ birth is not stated at all in the Biblical account.

For some people, this might be disappointing. We envision Mary riding a lowly donkey to Bethlehem and a benevolent Innkeeper allowing Joseph to use his barn for the birthplace of Christ. We think there were Three Kings named Balthasar; Melchior; and Gaspar who showed up the evening of the Lord’s birth. Some even think a drummer boy was present that holy night!

Shouldn’t we get back to the basics of Christmas? After seeing everyone he knew swallowing the commercialization of Christmas hook, line, and sinker, Charlie Brown shouted out, “Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” His friend Linus stood up and recited the original story, as told in Luke 2. To enjoy a meaningful Christmas, let’s return to the original story!

I have one last question. What does God want for Christmas? When we come to the manger, it’s not about how a newborn makes us feel. It’s not about what God has done for us. It’s about our response to Him. The only thing we have to offer the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Prince of Peace is ourselves. And that’s really the only thing He has ever wanted.

Tom Cash is the senior minister at First Church of Christ in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He also serves as Chaplain for Hospice of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. On Facebook he is known as Yooper Pastor and Yooper Pasty.

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: An Encouraging Word: Christmas questions