Reimagining the Nativity

By Bethel Grove

Did the birth of Jesus look anything like we imagine it today?

 

Nativity scenes are an iconic and beloved tradition of the Christmas season. However, most Christians don't realize how much the real story of Jesus' birth  doesn't match up with the story we tell in our decorations and plays every year at Christmas time. Knowing this can make it hard for us to discern biblical fact from fiction. That's why in Reimagining the Nativity, you will:

• Explore several fictionalized elements of the nativity story that are not mentioned in the Bible and how some don't match up with the biblical narrative at all
• Examine what the Scripture tells us happened during the events surrounding Jesus' birth
• Look at biblical research to see what was likely to have occurred over two thousand years ago versus what is traditionally assumed

Now including a study guide for individual use or group discussion, this short biblical study will inspire you to dismiss fictional facts so you can shift your focus to the real reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus - the miracle of His incarnation. Understanding the reality of this miracle should cause us to celebrate, not just on Christmas day, but all year long.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bethel Grove
• Release date: Dec 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9798201171841

Book preview

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Introduction

I love traditions. During the holiday season, many wonderful traditions of gatherings with family and friends are revisited. From the games to the food to the movies, we love our holiday traditions and never get tired of them. We get comfortable with the way that we have always known things to be. We would never call these traditions into question and hope that they will never change. For those of us that are Christians, many of our favorite traditions revolve around the nativity story.

Most of us probably think we have a pretty good idea of what this story looked like. However, if you take a serious look at how the Bible describes the birth of Jesus, and compare it to how we portray it in our decorations, plays, and films, it becomes apparent that the details don’t all match up. You make be surprised to hear this because you are so used to the nativity story most of us know today. But this version of story, in many ways, came about like a large game of Telephone.

When it came to the details that the Bible doesn’t explain about Jesus’ birth, many generations of Christians before us filled in the gaps of the story with ideas to make the story work in their own minds. Many of these added elements were based on either their misunderstanding of biblical culture or assumptions they made from their cultural context. Some parts are even based on writings known as the gnostic gospels, which were written hundreds of years after Christ and therefore considered to be inaccurate and heretical. These ideas were passed down through generations to follow and eventually became embedded into the story most of us know today.

These factors can make the fictionalized parts of the story hard to spot if you don’t study the Scriptures carefully. When I realized this, I began to do my own research to determine the known facts about Jesus’ birth versus what was added to the story later. What I found was surprising and enlightening, and I think it will be for you too.

Before we begin this journey, I want to state that I do not claim to have all the answers. There are some