“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18
We’re told nobody knows when Christ was born. Not true. God, of course, knows...as do Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Since they aren’t talking I’m guessing that, in their minds, it doesn’t really matter. Even so, lots of speculation surrounds December 25th, offering fodder for the skeptics to claim the Christ Story is just a myth.
“Au contraire, mon ami!”
While the Bible does not directly answer the question, ‘When was Jesus born?’ it does describe two events surrounding his birth that lead many to conclude that he was not born on December 25. First, Luke 2:1-3 tells us “Caesar Augustus issued a decree ordering all the inhabited earth to be registered.” And, “Everyone had to register in “his own city.” We’re told Caesar would likely not have provoked his subjects by making them travel during the winter.
Sure...governments never provoke their citizenry.
Second, Luke 2:8 says “there were shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks.” Apparently, flocks only lived outside between March and November. This could be, but the Bible doesn’t actually say they “were living outside..” What Luke 2:8 does say is...”in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.” The Greek text says “ἀγραυλοῦντες”, which means “lodging in the fields.”
If that’s outside...don’t stay at Econolodge...
So...Why is Christmas on December 25th since there is no evidence that the birth of Jesus Christ occurred on this date? The Encyclopædia Britannica says that church leaders probably chose it “to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the ‘birthday of the unconquered sun,’” at the time of the winter solstice. According to The Encyclopedia Americana, many scholars believe that this was done “in order to make Christianity more meaningful to pagan converts.”
Because God is intimidated by pagans, right?
Everybody has an opinion so...here’s mine. If we begin with the year 4BC, which seems to be the generally accepted year of Christ’s birth, Passover was March 27th on our calendar. That’s 273 days before Christmas. The average human gestation time is 280 days. It can vary + or - up to 14 days. Coincidence? With our Biblical text so rich in symbolism, I doubt it. I suggest Jesus was conceived, by the Holy Spirit, on Passover. This would place His birthday on December 25th...spot on.
Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. In Hebrew it is known as Pesach (which means “to pass over”), because God passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve. Moses and Aaron had warned Pharaoh that the LORD would destroy the first-born of every house in the land of Egypt if Pharaoh didn’t let the Israelites leave Egypt...but all Hebrew families were instructed to kill a lamb and put blood on the door posts of their homes. God told Moses, “when I see the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, I will “Pass over” that house and the firstborn will not be slain.”
We recall, when John baptized Jesus, John saw him approaching and told the crowd “behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” ( John 1:29). How profoundly rich is the symbolism of Jesus, the “Lamb of God” being conceived on Passover...the very day that God chose to “pass over” the homes with Lambs blood on the door posts...delivering the inhabitants from death!
When God acts, I doubt he is concerned how governments and pagans will respond to His plans. If He harbors any agenda, I suggest it is the enrichment of His people. So, how about being content with December 25...the birth of a Lamb who was born to die. That’s about as good as it gets.
Live boldly out there today...
