I never think of Christmas any more without contemplating and desiring the naivety of the Nativity. What a wonderful, true naivety we view when we take the time to stoop down to look into the Manger of the Lord Jesus. There are at least eight striking situations which we would set forth as the Naiveties of the Nativity. These center around six persons and two groups: Zacharias, Elisabeth, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the Shepherds, and the Wise Men. It is refreshing to view our Christmas Story with the artless, natural, ingenuous, and unaffected simplicity of these personalities. 


Zacharias accepted both the simple conversation with the angel Gabriel, as well as the dumbness of his imposed question (cf. Luke 1:11–13 & 18–20). We see him naturally and quite simply talking with an angel, and at the same time “showing a lack of informed judgment.” He saw nothing unusual in talking with the angel, yet he, in ignorance of how two old people could have a child, blurted out an unsanctified question. Should we expect this godly man (Luke 1:1, 2) to possess absolute perfection in all of these things? I think not. The naivety of the creature would forbid it. We are all inborn as a creature; we are born babies. Although we will grow up and mature, we will only be mature children. Sometimes the spit and polish of our professional approach to life destroys the fruit of time. In Zacharias we see the naivety of age. 


Elizabeth was marvelously naive in a number of things. She conceived her child, John the Baptist, hid herself five months in a naive way, and rejoiced that her “reproach among men” was taken away (Luke 1:24, 25). What was her “reproach among men” in the sense in which she meant it? Very few scholars write on this matter. Evidently, very few of us know how to appreciate a sanctified naivety. Was it because Elisabeth was keenly aware of and felt a Jewish reproach for her husband who wanted an heir? Did she want a child because of the hope of Messiah in her own heart? Or, was it simply because she was a woman, first, and in her bosom longed for a child? The matter was clear. First, Elisabeth would bear a child in old age; later, it was revealed that Mary would bring forth the Messiah. Once again, she simply accepts the Miracle with utter simplicity and trust. Does this not signify a true naivety of the heart? In Elisabeth we see the naivety of faith.


Mary is unique in her naivety; she experiences the greatest possible misunderstanding a woman could ever know. She would birth a child without a human father. Yet, she received the announcement of this virgin birth without doubt. She asked the very same question Zacharias asked (cf. Luke 1:18 & 34), but her heart and attitude were different. Without questioning the possibility and the fact, she only inquires about its glory. She goes to the “hill country” (Luke 1:39) for several reasons. One reason could have been to allow Joseph, to whom she was betrothed, to consider severance from their relationship of love and life. Yet, she trusted God implicitly. In Mary we see the naivety of wonder.


Joseph contemplated, prior to his own understanding of these things, putting Mary away from their engagement to marriage in a private and courteous way so as to avoid embarrassment and injury to her reputation. How naive can you get? “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20, 21). We should carefully note that to Joseph was given the honor of naming the Son of God—JESUS! Without question, “showing some lack of informed judgment,” Joseph responded and saved an otherwise tragedy of his marriage. He proceeded to fulfill a great word of God. In Joseph we see the naivety of trust.


Simeon was led of the Holy Spirit in the Temple at the very moment of the coming of the parents with Jesus to fulfill the Law. His Nunc Dimittis reveals that his life’s longing was finally satisfied. Yes, all of these Christmas personalities enjoyed special revelation concerning this great Miracle. Yet, we must not forget that a certain trust and faith exercised itself in the soil of utter simplicity and true naivety. In Simeon we see the naivety of hope.


Anna, a prophetess, likewise, entered the Temple at the precise moment to testify to “all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). She, undoubtedly, heard Simeon’s wonderful words and her own words acted as a footnote. “Anna was evidently deeply moved and repeated her thanksgiving and kept speaking to all them that were looking for redemption” (Robertson). There was evidently a group of such spirits who gathered in the Temple either around her and Simeon, or whom she met from time to time. This might indicate that when Christ did appear at that first Christmastime, a nucleus of old saints in Jerusalem was prepared for the coming of the Messiah. Zacharias, who had sung of redemption for Israel (cf. Luke 1:68 & Isa. 40:2), and Simeon, who had been looking for the consolation of Israel (Luke 2:25), were now to be enlarged by this widow. In Anna we see the naivety of devotion.


The Shepherds were naive about their occupation. Undoubtedly, they were Jewish shepherds and they had been faithfully “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). After receiving the glorious revelation and announcement of the birth of Jesus, with a very unpretentious sign of the “babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger,” they made haste to see Him (Luke 2:16). Did they simply abandon their flock? The Record is not detailed, but we would assume they left their flock under supervision by someone or ones. Still, there is a certain naivety present. It is filled with holy adventure with a kind of abandonment away from their ordinary lives. In the Shepherds we see the naivety of spontaneity.


The Wise Men followed a Star in a most peculiar way. Today, even astronomers following a star would seem comical to us. By the way, how do you follow a star? But this situation is magnified by the simplistic manner in which they trusted their approach to King Herod seeking information concerning the birth of Jesus. Their exact words were: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2)? Would they not have considered the possibility of King Herod’s becoming jealous of King Jesus? If God had not warned them of danger in their return to Herod (Matt. 2:12), we know not what would have been the end of the Wise Men as well as the infants. In the Wise Men we see the naivety of inquisition. . . .


The first sin I remember committing was at the age of six years. I took from the dining room table a box of crayons containing two dimes which belonged to my oldest sister. With a frightened heart, I proceeded to the local candy store and purchased thirty “Mary Janes” (three for a penny) and ten pieces of bubble gum. I went to what was known in those days as the woodshed, sat on an orange crate, and endeavored to consume these forty comestibles as fast as possible. In the final analysis, guilt of sin hindered me from enjoying the escapade at all. Being a preacher’s child and having been taught to believe the Bible, I imagined, as I looked through one of the cracks in the woodshed, that my Heavenly Father was in the process of sending an angel to my mother in the kitchen to inform her that her only son was out in the woodshed eating candy purchased by stolen money. In what would be called a rather naive way, I could see the judgment of the Lord falling upon me in the form of a spanking administered by my earthly father. Possibly, I would even be sent to bed without supper. None of that happened, and I was able to get by that sin without the detection of it by my parents, although later on I confessed it to them in naive repentance. That was something of the naivety of my nativity-life. I have often wondered, across the years, if it would not be very important to pray for the retention of such a conscience without jeopardy to my manhood in Christ. I want to continue remembering there are angels watching me under the all-seeing Eye of God Almighty. If in the growing and maturing of the later life of saints we do not maintain this sanctified naivety, how will we arrive in heaven without the brashness of our worldly-wise ways? Are we mature because we are worldly-wise, clever, and smooth? Somehow or other I believe this age is bent on destroying not only our souls but our childlikeness in Christ as well. Then, one day, we will realize too late that hypocrisy has replaced our naivety.