How well do you know the Christmas story?

How well do you know the true story of Christmas?

Did Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem to pay taxes? Did Mary ride on a donkey because it was too difficult for her to walk? Did an inn keeper tell Joseph and Mary that there was no room for them in the inn? Did they spend Christmas night in a stable surrounded by animals? Did angels sing about the glory of God in the night time sky for a group of shepherds? Did noisy cattle wake up the sleeping baby Jesus who did not cry? Did three wise men come to the stable and see Christ lying in a manger? Did a little drummer boy play his drum for Jesus because he had no other gift to give?

You may be surprised at some of the answers to these questions. They can be found in the Bible in the second chapters of the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. You may also find that you are wrong in your knowledge of certain minor details of the Christmas account. Even some of the traditional Christmas carols we sing are not completely accurate. And that’s OK.

However, please don’t be wrong about the reasons for why Jesus Christ came into the world. That would be a major mistake with eternal consequences. The Bible makes it very clear that knowing and believing why Jesus came will determine where you spend eternity after your life on earth. It’s the most important detail of the Christmas story.

The simple truth about why Jesus came to our world is found in his own words. The Gospel of Luke tells us that Christ once said, “… the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” In other words, Jesus came to save spiritually lost people from their sins. That is exactly what an angel told Joseph about the coming birth of Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew the angel said to Joseph, “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

So even if you don’t have all of the minor details right about Jesus’ birth, make sure you know without a doubt why he came. He came to save you and me from our sins that have separated us from God. He came to die in order to pay the price for our sin. He came to give the gift of eternal life to all who will believe in him by faith.

Perhaps the Gospel of John says it best. Here is why Jesus came: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Doug Birky

Evangelical Free Church