The Birth of Jesus: When the Church & the Bible Disagree

Introduction

I am so excited for today’s post because this is something I’ve always knew, but didn’t think deeply about until I heard it mentioned in a book. If you grew up in the church, then you are probably pretty familiar with the birth of Jesus. Ya know, that guy Christians just can’t seem to get enough of. Yeah. Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus probably wasn’t even born in December and nowhere does it say that there were only three shepherds.

Two Different Stories of the Birth of Jesus

The Church

Generally, I find that most famous retellings of the birth of Jesus (at least for children and in nativity scenes) combine the two different versions in Matthew and Luke to make one seamless story. As always with the bible, this is not actually the case.

The Bible

Matthew and Luke seem to disagree with a lot of the things that occur during the birth of Jesus. In Matthew 1:18-2:23, the birth of Jesus story, Mary gave birth in an undisclosed location AKA there was no manger involved, an undisclosed number of magicians and sorcerers tell King Herod about the star and use it to find Jesus, they worship Him and bring Him gifts, and they don’t tell King Herod how to find the Messiah.

In Luke 2:1-21, there is no guest room for Mary Joseph so Mary places Jesus in a manger after giving birth, shepherds from the nearby fields saw an angel and a bunch of heavenly beings that told them how to find Jesus, the shepherds told others and worshiped Jesus, and there were no gifts or King Herod involved.

The Manger

The Church

Jesus is always in a manger in every single nativity scene that I’ve ever seen but this only occurs in Luke.

The Bible

I don’t think the description of a manger is a significant concept because mangers are still used as cribs, today. However, the birth of Jesus, the son of God and all that, happening and then being laid into an animal trough or old fashioned crib is pretty humbling.

The “Wise Men”

The Church

Never once have I heard the church, call the wise men anything other than that. However, this is another poor English translation that I think should really be addressed.

The Bible

In the original Greek in Matthew, the word, magoi, meaning Zoroastrian priests, magicians, or sorcerers, is translated to wise men in most English translations. I think this more accurate translation brings about a beautiful message for Christians who practice witchcraft, as well as reminds us how God always speaks through the unexpected.

One other note I want to make clear is that Matthew also mentions that these magoi are from the east and this is especially powerful today when we have the “west is best” movement going on. This is a whole entire layer of meaning and holiday magic that we usually miss out on, but not this year! Additionally, we mustn’t forget that they are only mentioned in one story of the birth of Jesus and shepherds take their place in the other.

King Herod

The Church

The birth of Jesus always occurs while Mary and Joseph are watching their backs from King Herod. However, this part of the story is only present in Matthew.

The Bible

First, I’d like to explain some cultural notes on the Roman Empire. Herod Antipas was the ruler of Judea when Jesus was born. In the Roman Empire, emperors viewed themselves as actual gods. The fact that people were worshiping a baby as a god was not only embarrassing for him, but also against the law. This is why it was such a big deal.

The Gifts

The Church

In the traditional nativity scene, there are only three gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh from the wise men.

The Bible

In Matthew, the number of magoi and their gifts are never specified. Additionally, Matthew may only mention those three specific gifts in the birth of Jesus because they seem more fit for a king. Also, frankincense and myrrh are thought to have been used in eastern folklore, medicine, and magic.

Conclusion

While some of these differences may seem small, I think it’s still really important to acknowledge the differences between the traditional church and nativity scene and the bible. If we don’t do that, then we are likely to miss out on the amazing truths and inclusivity of the bible and Jesus’ message. If you’re interested in learning about more misunderstood bible stories and biblical people, check out my posts on Mary Magdalene and gender non-conforming people in the bible.