Jess and I sent out Christmas cards yesterday. When I got the stamps from Kroger, I asked for the holiday edition. The only holiday stamp they had was called "Christmas Magi," and it featured a single star silhouetting three camel-riding magi. Obviously, this stamp is referencing the wise men that visited the child Christ. In hindsight I should have passed on those stamps and gone to the Post Office to get some with reindeer, gingerbread men, trees, or whatever, but I was too busy to do that. I settled for the "wise men" stamps, but I immediately thought it would be a good intro to my next blog post.
So what's the problem with these wise men stamps? For me personally, I think it sends the wrong message. It kind of sends the message that my family celebrates Christmas as a religious holiday. So what's wrong with that, you ask? To put it simply, the Bible does not authorize us to remember Christ's birth in religious celebrations or commemorations. Some churches will conduct special worship services where they have things like carols, tree lightings, and nativity reenactments. The Bible definitely instructs us to observe the Lord's Supper every first day of the week (Acts 20:7), but nowhere does it instruct us to remember Christ's birth during worship. Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful for the birth of Jesus, and there is nothing wrong with reflecting on it, but you have to draw the line when it comes to introducing things into worship that God has not authorized.
John 4:24 tells us that "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth." Acting out the nativity probably satisfies the spirit requirement, but it doesn't meet the truth requirement; therefore, it is vain and unacceptable worship. God has established a certain pattern for worship, nothing less and nothing more. He commands first day of the week worship to include prayer, singing, preaching, observance of communion, and giving. Anything else is not authorized.
Here's another problem I have with the wise men stamp. It's associated with many Christmas myths. You know the story: On December 25th, Joseph and Mary are sent out to the barn with the animals because there is no room at the inn; Jesus is born and placed in the manger, and shepherds, angels, three wise men, and a star are all present. This account, that is proudly displayed in nativity scenes across the world, is false.
Here's a run down of common Christmas myths (the account of what really happened can be found in the gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John):
- Jesus was born on December 25th
The Bible does not specify the date Jesus was born [possibly because God didn't want man to make a religious holiday out of it]. There was no indication he was born on December 25th, and most, if not all, scholars agree that his birth didn't occur in December at all.
- There was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary
There was no inn, as in motel. Mary and Joseph weren't trying to get a room at a local motel. In actuality, there was no room in the upper room of the house (likely the house of a relative) they were staying in because the yearly census was being conducted, and everyone was in town. Therefore, they had to stay in the animal stable on the lower level of the house. The animals were probably vacated at this time to accommodate the extra guests. The greek word for "inn" is "kataluma," which by context and by other uses in the Bible, refers to an "upper room."
- Joseph and Mary had to stay in the barn out back.
There was no barn. As mentioned, they were in the lower level of the house where the animals were kept.
- Three wise men visited baby Jesus.
The number of wise men is unknown. There were three gifts brought to Jesus, but that doesn't mean there were three wise men. The Bible doesn't specify the number.
- The wise men rode into town on camels.
The Bible doesn't comment on their mode of transportation.
- The wise men visited Jesus on the night he was born.
The wise men didn't visit Jesus at the time of his birth. By the time they arrived, they visited Jesus at a house, not while he was in the manger. At the time of their visit, the Bible describes Jesus as a child, using a word that is different from the word used for a newborn.
-The Star of Bethlehem guided the wise men to the manger.
The star guided the wise men to Christ's location (likely Nazareth) many days or months later. The Bible simply refers to this star as "His star," and it did not appear over the manger at the time of His birth. An angel guided the shepherds, not the wise men, to the manger on the night of His birth.
These common misconceptions may seem like no big deal, but I think it's that mentality of not being concerned about exactly what the Bible says that has led to the thousands of different denominations in existence today. Anyway, the next time you see a nativity scene this holiday season, maybe it will inspire you to read the Bible's account of Christ's birth. After all, it was His birth that lead to an even greater event - His death on the cross.
