The Truth Will Set You Free; But You Have To Know It!

One Christmas Eve at church, a brother and sister were singing the closing song as the candles were lit. The boy loudly finished the first verse of "Silent Night" with the words, "Sleep in heavenly beans." "No, silly," his sister corrected, "not beans! Peas!"

There is a great deal of Christmas misinformation floating around our culture. In a tongue-in-cheek effort to correct some of it, several years ago I came up with a Christmas Quiz, which became a regular feature of Advent at our church. Various editions of the quiz have between 20 and 25 questions, and the first year I gave it, only one person got more than half right. Here are three samples from the quiz, along with the correct answers and the scripture references

1. When the angels came to the shepherds, what were they singing?

A. "Glory to God in the highest"

B. "Peace on earth, good will to men"

C. "White Christmas"

D. "Fear not, I bring you good tidings"

E. "The Hallelujah Chorus"

F. None of the above

answer: F; Luke 2:13 (The key word is "singing." The Bible doesn’t say they “sang.”)

2. When the shepherds finished their visit to Jesus, what did they do?

A. They settled down for a long winter's nap.

B. They met the little drummer boy going to play for Jesus.

C. They asked Herod for further information.

D. They saw three ships come sailing in.

E. They had a praise and worship session.

F. None of the above

answer: E; Luke 2:16-20

3. The wise men brought their gifts to Jesus while He was in a . . .

A. manger.

B. stable.

C. house.

D. Holiday Inn.

E. good mood.

F. none of the above.

answer: C; Matthew 2:11a

It’s important to get it right. The truth will set you free, Jesus said, but only when you actually know the truth. It’s also important to answer the other crucial questions right about Christmas. Questions like this one, which Jesus Himself raised during His ministry: “Who is He, really?”

Buddhists say He was a great teacher.

Muslims say He was a prophet, almost as great as Muhammad, but not quite.

Many in our culture see Him as a religious leader.

They are all wrong.

The truth is that He is the only Son of God. He lived in eternity past with the Father, became a human being through the miracle of the virgin birth, lived perfectly and taught the will of God fully, died as a ransom for your sins and mine, then literally came back to life and rose from the tomb in which He as buried.

Any other understanding of Jesus is incomplete. Jesus asked His first followers this crucial question, “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

Today, He continues to ask the same question, and the answer determines eternity for your soul: “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus Himself is waiting for your answer.