Share with your friends!
Have you looked at your nativity scene lately? Have you ever thought if it matches up to what scripture says? In this Nativity Object Lesson take a fun and in depth look at what scripture really says happened the night Jesus was born.
Scripture Focus: Luke 2:1-20 and Mathew 2:1-12
Materials:
- Your baby picture;
- Empty picture frame;
- Nativity scene with shepherds, angels, animals, wise men, and family
Geography: Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem
Background: The law had been given. The Old Testament was over. The Romans were in charge of the world. Roads had been built and most people spoke a common language. The time was perfect for a baby to be born.
Object Lesson for the Nativity:
{Show the baby picture, but don’t tell the children who it is. Have the children list different fun, and not so fun, things about having a newborn baby. Explain that you have another baby picture to show as well. Only show the back of the frame.}
When Adam and Eve had the first baby, that baby was born into sin. Every baby born since then has a sin problem, or a sin nature.
The baby shown in this next frame LOVES the baby who is in the first picture. In fact, this second baby was born to save the first baby.
{Turn the empty frame around. Ask:}
- Who is the baby that was born to save this first baby? [Jesus]
- Why is there no picture of Baby Jesus? [There are no pictures of baby Jesus that exist. In fact, there is no real likeness of Him at any stage of life.]
We don’t know what Jesus looked like, but we know that He was God in human flesh. God put on a costume. God isn’t human. Jesus, who is God, took off His glory and left it in heaven and put on the flesh of man. He chose to be human to fix our sin problem. You might chose a costume to wear and pretend to be something you really aren’t. But the neat thing about Jesus is that His costume was real. Jesus really was human. He was God AND He was human.
The first chapter of John tells us that Jesus was with God when He created the world. And then verse 14 tells us that Jesus became a man and lived on the earth.
Bible Lesson for the Nativity:
{Use the nativity scene to set up the events of Jesus’ birth as you read them. Read the scriptures and then ask the questions: Luke 2:1-20 and then Mathew 2:1-12.}
There are many traditions that Christians talk about, act out, and assume during Christmas. And many times the traditions ADD to scripture, which can be dangerous. We want to know what God’s Word says, not assume we know what it says.
{Ask:}
- Was Jesus born the first night Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem? [No, he was born while they were there.]
- Did Mary ride a donkey? [Scripture does not say, but many people traveled by donkey during biblical times.]
- Was Jesus born is a stable? or a cave? [Scripture does not say, but there was a manger, and Jesus was laid in it.]
- Did the inn keeper help Mary and Joseph? [Scripture does not say, only that there was no room in the inn.]
- Did the shepherds visit at day or night? [The angels appeared at night, so they went to town after the angels left them.]
- Was Jesus born during the day or night? [Scripture does not say.]
- Was Jesus born just outside of Bethlehem? [No, in town because the angels said in the city of David and the shepherds went to town.]
- Did the multitude of angels sing? [Scripture says they praised God and “said”, not sing.]
- How many people did the shepherds tell about the baby? [The shepherds told many people about the baby because they made it widely known.]
- Were the wise men there the same night as the shepherds? [No, because scripture says “after Jesus was born” and they “saw the Child,” not a baby.]
- Did the wise men really “follow” a star? [A star appeared in the sky. We are not told about it moving until it reappeared after the wise men saw Herod.]
- How many wise men were there? [Scripture does not say.]
- Did the wise men ride on camels? [Scripture does not say, but people in the east probably did ride camels.]
- Who was troubled by the wise men? [King Herod]
- Where were Joseph, Mary and Jesus living? [A house]
- How old was Jesus? [Scripture calls Jesus a Child and not a baby, so he may have been two or three years old.]
- How many gifts did the wise men give? [Only three are listed.]
- How do you think the nativity scene should be set up? [Allow for answers.]
- What would you do differently? [Allow for answers.]
- Would you add or take away characters? [Allow for answers.]
{In my house, the wise men are traveling and placed away from the baby Jesus.}
- I wonder how many Christmas television shows will have the biblical story correct this season? [Allow for answers.]
- Can you think of Christmas plays, or shows, or songs, that say something incorrect about the Christmas story? [Allow for answers.]
Life Application of the Christmas Story:
Many times we think we know everything about a Bible story because it is familiar to us. But once you start to really read God’s Word, you realize that there is so much you never knew.
The world would LOVE for us to get our facts wrong. Satan would LOVE for us to not know the story of Jesus. But God wants us to be smart Christians. He wants us to read His words and think about them. Meditate on them.
When you hear someone talk about a historical narrative from the Bible be sure to read your own Bible. When you are in Sunday School, take and read your Bible. When you are in church, don’t read the screen, read your Bible! Don’t take anyone’s word, but God’s word.
{Show the children the first baby picture again.}
This is my baby picture. I’m the baby who was born into sin.
{Show the empty frame.}
I needed a Savior, someone who could fix my sin problem. I chose to believe that Jesus could fix my sin problem and because I believe Jesus lived on earth, died, and rose again in three days, my sin problem is fixed. I can have a relationship with God the Father. The only reason I can go to heaven for eternity is because God chose to wear a costume and be born as a human baby.
What can we learn from the Christmas Story? It is important to read the Bible and know the facts about God and Jesus. Jesus is God and took the form of man. He lived on the earth and saved us from our sins.
Save