Will your stories distort with time? By Brendan Conboy

Growing up as a child, I marvelled at the magic of Christmas, yet now, having been a Christian for nearly 40 years, I realise that the Nativity story has become distorted. The story is now a blend of Scripture with tradition, legend, and artistic imagination. Let’s break down some of the major ways the Christmas story has been distorted or mythologised:

1. The Setting: A Stable vs. a House

• Traditional image: Jesus was born in a stable with animals around Him.
• Historical/Scriptural reality: The Greek word used in Luke 2:7 is kataluma, often translated as “inn” but more accurately a guest room or upper room. Many scholars believe Jesus was likely born in a lower room or courtyard of a relative’s home in Bethlehem, where animals were kept on the ground floor—hence the “manger.” It wasn’t a separate barn in the middle of nowhere.
• Implication: The cosy, romanticised stable is likely more an artistic convention than a historical fact.

2. The Shepherds’ Visit

• Traditional image: Shepherds suddenly appear with glowing angels singing, arriving at the same time as the Wise Men.
• Reality: Luke 2:8–20 describes shepherds in the fields being told by angels of Jesus’ birth. There’s no mention of the Wise Men here—they were not part of this event.
• Implication: The conflation of shepherds and Magi in nativity scenes is purely for storytelling cohesion.

3. The Wise Men (Magi)

• Traditional image: Three kings arrive at the stable on the night of Jesus’ birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• Reality:
• Matthew 2:1–12 refers to “Magi from the East,” but does not say they arrived at the time of Jesus’ birth—some estimates suggest up to two years later, based on Herod’s decree to kill children two years old and under (Matthew 2:16).
• Their number is not specified; the idea of three comes from the three gifts.
• They were likely wealthy, scholarly travellers, not crowned kings.
• Implication: The familiar “three kings” kneeling at a manger is historically inaccurate.

4. The Timing of Events

• Traditional image: Everything happens on a single night—Jesus is born, shepherds visit, Wise Men arrive, angels sing.
• Reality: The Gospels suggest these events occurred over weeks or months, not all on one night. Jesus’ circumcision and presentation at the temple (Luke 2:21–24) happened eight days after birth, and the Magi visited later.
• Implication: Christmas pageants condense events for narrative simplicity, not historical accuracy.

5. Mary and Joseph’s Status

• Traditional image: Humble young couple, living in poverty.
• Reality: They were likely common but not destitute, observant Jews who followed the Law. The travel to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1–5) was for a census, and they probably stayed in a family home rather than a strange inn.
• Implication: The “poor and desperate couple” trope is partly a legend.

6. Angels and Star of Bethlehem

• Traditional image: Angels appear in dramatic heavenly glory; a star hovers over the stable.
• Reality: Angels in Luke appear to shepherds in the fields; the star in Matthew may have been a celestial event (comet, conjunction, etc.) and did not necessarily hover over a manger.
• Implication: Nativity art often adds visual flair that isn’t in the biblical text.

I could go on about the big red imposter, who now seems to take centre stage. I could mention that 25^th December is the wrong date, although it is rather convenient that it is a national holiday. (Now who’s twisting the truth?

Happy BOXING DAY, huh! Where did that come from?

Brendan Conboy aka Half Man Half Poet, is the author of 16 published books, including two fascinating autobiographies, The Golden Thread and I'm Still VALUED.  In 1986, Brendan invited Jesus into his life, and God blessed him with the gift of rhyming words.  He used that gift as a Christian Rap artist for 25 years and has written 6 poetry books, including the entire Book of Psalms in Rhyme.  He has 3 published novels - Issues, Invasion of the Mimics and Legacy of the Mimics.  He is the creator of Book Blest.