Our Christmas narrative is filled with assumptions. We have totally reconstructed the Christmas story with our traditions. What really happened is often a far cry from what we see portrayed in Christmas pageants and plays. The way we tell the story does not always line up with what the Bible tells us.
Here is one example. The Bible does not tell us there was a stable. We make the assumption that there was a stable because the Baby Jesus was laid in a manger. The truth is that would have been hard to find a stable in Bethlehem. But what would a Nativity scene be without the stable?
Check out this video as it gives some other tidbits that we have created around the Christmas story.
The point here is to check your assumptions. How many things do we think we know, but don’t know? We make assumptions about what the Bible says. We make assumptions about God. We make assumptions about other people. How many things do we speak about out of ignorance?
Assumptions About What the Bible Says
A few years back I had a church member bring me an article that was given to them by a skeptic. This paper pointed out the “contradictions of the Bible.” This church member was concerned and did not know how to respond to the skeptic. It was not hard to figure out that this paper was printed off the Internet. The person who originally supplied the paper to my church member had done nothing more than Google to find it. The skeptic had not actually read the Bible for themselves. The assumption was that it was on Google, so it must be true. I told my church member to go back and tell the person to read the Bible for themselves and not to rely on Google to prove their assumptions.
We can easily see the assumptions of the skeptic, but at the same time there are assumptions made by those of us who have sat in church pews for years. Something was told to us by a Sunday School teacher or a pastor that we have carried with us as the word of truth. Or there is something that we read in a book that sounded like it must be true. How many unBiblical beliefs do we carry around with us? I did a series a few months back called True or False that exposed some of these assumptions.
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11, ESV)
Assumptions About God
Some of the most interesting conversations I have had is when someone has told me that they have heard from God. I always ask how they know they have heard from God. Don’t assume a prompting in your heart is from God. Test it! I have seen believers at odds with each other because of a disagreement. Both parties assume that God is on their side. But if you have to do something unethical or ungodly to get your way, then you can be assured that God is not on your side. You cannot assume God is on your side because you think you are in the right.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, ESV)
Assumptions About Other People
I am continually amazed at how we make assumptions about the motivations of others. We hear about the athletes and the big contracts they receive. Then we make comments that they are only about the money. Or as we observe the presidential race, and we listen to the sound bites that are played on the news. We then construct our entire view of that candidates based on that 15-second clip.
It is said that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but that is what we do. We assume to know what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes. This is not to say don’t make judgments. We make judgments every day. The idea of not judging others is trite and oversimplified. But when you make your judgments, check your assumptions at the door.
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16, ESV)
Questions for Reflections
- What are some assumptions you have made about the Christmas story?
- How do we check our assumptions?
- How do assumptions hinder God’s kingdom in our lives?
- Share your comments.
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