When Jesus Was Born...
how to know the actual day, and why it is important.
This is part three of the serialization of Celebration of the Birth of Christ which is Chapter 7 of the book Friends With God. The previous posts can be found here <First Post, Second Post,>. Your comments and questions are, as always, welcome.
The second post identified that the most likely time for the birth of the very Son of God, would have been one of God’s appointed Holy Days. This post will give more detail on these Holy Days, and provide clear scriptural evidence for Jesus’ being born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
God’s Appointed Times
These appointed times for meeting with God, were revealed by God to Israel in detail through Moses, however they were most probably kept by many people of God prior to the time of Moses. (See Appendix 3: The Festivals Of God, Before Moses in the book Friends With God.)
The Holy Days were kept by Israel from the time of Moses, and continue to be kept today by most observant Jews. There are also many hundreds of thousands of Christians who observe these Holy Days, as they have come to appreciate their profound meaning in relation to New Testament scriptures.
Following is a summary of the eight Holy Days, with their northern hemisphere seasons and the month of the Hebrew Calendar when they are kept:
1. Passover (14th Day of the First Month of the Hebrew Calendar, early Spring)
2. The First day of Unleavened Bread (15th Day of the First Month)
3. The Last or seventh Day of Unleavened Bread (21st Day of the First Month)
4. The Feast of Pentecost (50 Days after Unleavened Bread- early Summer)
5. The Feast of Trumpets (1st day of the Seventh Month- Autumn)
6. The Day of Atonement (10th Day of the Seventh Month)
7. First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles (15th Day of the Seventh Month)
8. The Last Great Day (22nd Day of the Seventh Month)
Each Festival has more than one layer of meaning: a harvest timetable meaning, a memorial of an Old Testament event, and a memorial of a New Testament event. In addition to this, they also often have a prophetic meaning, such as the time for the return of Christ, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth. There is a lot of information symbolized in these Days!
God expects you to take time off work to celebrate the events that these Festivals picture. If, however, you do your usual work on God’s annual Sabbath Days, then you are acting like a slave, but not a slave of God, for all God’s slaves have a rest on his Holy Days. (Exo 20:10, Deut 16:11-12)
The following is a very short summary of the events we are to celebrate on these days. I have also included the Wave Sheaf offering in point 3, as it’s a very significant event directly associated with the Holy Days.
1. The first festival, which is the only festival that is not a time of no work, is the Passover, which was inaugurated at the time when God brought Israel out of Egypt. Jesus also inaugurated the New Covenant on the Passover evening, and he told us to keep this day in remembrance of him. (Matt 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:14-20, 1Cor 11:23-26)
2. The seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately follows Passover, and includes a Holy Day at its beginning and end. It represented the time Israel fled from Egypt, and did not have time to let their bread rise, and as such is a time to celebrate their freedom from slavery. This celebration of freedom is elevated in the New Testament to symbolize Christians having been saved by God from slavery under sin. (John 8:34-36, Rom 6:15-23) To eat unleavened bread at this feast represents partaking of Christ’s sinless life, such that we emulate his life in our daily relations with other people. (1Cor 5:7-8)
3. The Sunday after Passover marks the beginning of the seven weeks countdown from Passover till the next festival, which is the Day of Pentecost. This Sunday in Israel was not a Holy Day, but marked the beginning of the grain harvest, which lasted for seven weeks. The grain harvest was initiated by the priest cutting the first sheaf of barley and waving it in thanks before God. (Lev 23:9-15)
The resurrection of Christ also occurred on this Sunday, and can be seen as representative of the resurrected Christ ascending to God the Father. (John 20:17) It can also be seen as the beginning the great spiritual harvest of souls, as symbolized by the next seven harvest weeks, up to the next festival of Pentecost.
These seven weeks can also be seen as representing the span of life that all Christians have been allotted to overcome sin, by producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, before we die. (Matt 9:35-38)
4. The festival of the Day of Pentecost, in early summer, reminds us of the need for the Law of God given to Israel, and the Holy Spirit given to the Church, both of which were given on this day, yet thousands of years apart. (Exo 20:1-17, Acts 2:1-4) The link between these two events is that we need the Holy Spirit to understand and implement the intent and purpose of the Law of God. (Rom 8:8-9)
The final four festivals occur at the next harvest time in Israel, which is of fruit such as grapes and figs.
5. The first of these festivals is the Day of Trumpets, in which we remember his promise to return “at the last Trumpet”- when all those dead in Christ are made immortal, at the First Resurrection. (1Cor 15:52, Rev 20:4-5) This is also the Holy Day when the first Temple in Israel, built by Solomon, was dedicated. The events surrounding the Temple dedication are similar to what is prophesied to occur at the return of Christ. (For more detail see Appendix 15, in Friends With God.)
6. In the sixth festival of Atonement, God commanded Israel to fast- to draw near to him and confess their sins, so that the entire nation would have forgiveness of sins once a year. (Lev 16:1-34) In the New Covenant, Atonement is seen to represent the victory that Christ has when he removes Satan from influencing all people on Earth. (Rev 20:10, 1John 3:8)
7. The seventh festival is the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles (meaning tents or temporary dwellings). It represents Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, living in tents, for 40 years. (Lev 23:39-43) In the New Covenant, it reminds us of our physical temporary life, like living in a tent rather than a permanent building. (2Cor 5:1-5) It also is seen to represent the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, after his return. (Rev 20:4)
8. The eighth festival, simply called The Last Day, follows immediately after the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. There is no event identified in the Old Covenant as what is to be commemorated on this day. However, what Jesus did on this day may give us some clues: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38) This may refer to the New Heaven and New Earth, where God the Father will dwell with all those who have been granted the gift of eternal life. (Rev 21:1-27) Then will flow a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. This Last Great Day is also seen as representing the second resurrection of all people who have ever lived, which also follows the 1,000 year reign of Christ. (Rev 20:11-15)
As we can see, God’s Holy Days provide an important Biblically based overview of the long-term plan of God, providing clear annual reminders of the most significant events that have occurred, or will happen in the future.
Unfortunately, most modern-day Christians ignore these days, yet Jesus, and the Apostles, kept them, and in doing so, taught new and important spiritual dimensions to their observance. Given the significance of the birth of Jesus, and of these Holy Days, it seems reasonable to assume that Christ would have been born on one of them. But, which Holy Day, and can we prove it?
The Record Of The Birth Of The Messiah
The book of Luke provides the only record of the conception and birth of both Christ and John the Baptist. John’s role was to prepare Israel to turn to God, prior to the Messiah’s coming to the Earth. (Luke 1:15-17) Jesus said that John was the greatest prophet that ever lived. (Luke 7:28, Matt 11:11) Luke gives us a detailed account of John’s birth, from which we can see how it correlates with the birth of Jesus.
The lineages of John and Jesus are also pertinent to the meaning of their births, because John was from the Priestly tribe of Levi, and Jesus from the Kingly Tribe of David. It was often the role of the priests and prophets to anoint the Kings. (1Sam 16:12, 1Kings 1:34) John, in his role as priest, pointed to and proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God, and Christ- the coming King of Israel. (John 1:19-34) And in baptising Jesus, he also figuratively anointed him as the King of Israel. (Matt 3:13-17) Thus John formed a link between the Old Covenant and the New.
Despite these two births being linked in prophecy and practice, they were orchestrated very differently by God, and consequently were understood quite differently by the people of Israel at the time.
It seems few people were informed by Mary of her conception with Jesus, and those who were told seemed to have had trouble believing her story. Even Joseph, her betrothed, was so troubled because she was pregnant (as any engaged man would be) that he was going to put her away quietly. (Matt 1:16-24) It was only when Joseph had a dream from God, telling him that the child she was carrying was of God, that he was willing to take her as his wife.
John’s conception was also miraculous, but not in the same way. The Father of Christ was God, but John’s father was Zechariah, a priest. (Luke1:5) Zechariah was performing one of his twice-yearly periods of service in the Temple, which included burning the daily incense, when the Angel Gabriel suddenly stood next to him. He was greatly alarmed, yet Gabriel told him not to worry- for he had come to give him the great news that Zechariah was to be a father of a most remarkable child:
And he (John) shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he (John) shall go before Him (the Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:16-17)
Zechariah had great difficulty believing Gabriel’s message, no doubt because both he and his wife were very old. Gabriel therefore performed a miracle to demonstrate that the prophecy would indeed happen: Zechariah would be unable to speak for the next nine months! The irony being, that by not speaking he would be proclaiming the message of God! Zechariah was delayed inside the sanctuary of the Temple by Gabriel, and many people outside praying at the hour of incense were wondering what had delayed him. (Luke1:10) Therefore this message from Gabriel was well known, and all Israel wondered what sort of child he was to be. (Luke 1:65-66) Nine months later, when John was circumcised and named, Zechariah was again able to speak, and prophesied that John would prepare the way for the coming Messiah. (Luke 1:64-80)
Given these prophecies surrounding John’s miraculous birth, many would have watched him closely as he grew to manhood. In comparison, the conception of Jesus was virtually unknown, except to his immediate family. Yet, due to the embarrassment of Mary’s being pregnant before marriage, it seems they kept it as quiet as possible. No doubt malicious gossip about Mary’s ‘situation’ would also have been rife in Nazareth, and could well be the foundation for the rejection of Jesus by the Nazarene townsfolk, some 30 years later. (Luke 4:16-30)
The Timing Of The Birth Of Christ In 4 BC
A primary clue in determining when Jesus was born, is given in the story of when John the Baptist was born. Zechariah was a priest “of the course of Abia” who performed the priest's office before God, in the order of his course. (Luke 1:5-8) What does this ‘course’ mean? At the three seasonal festival times of Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles, all available priests were required to be on hand to conduct the many animal sacrifices and other duties of the festivals.
Temple work outside of the time of the feasts was minimal by comparison, and was divided between all the family groups, called ‘courses’, of priests. (1Chonicles 24:6-30) Each course of priests was scheduled to serve for one week twice a year. Even though no Temple exists today, the times that these groups of priests served is well known.
It is now calculated by scholars that Jesus was born in 4BC, so his and John’s conception’s would have been in 5BC. According to Bullinger, (Appendix 179) the dates for the course of Abia in 5BC would have been for the weeks of the 6-12th Dec and the 13-19th June. We therefore can calculate the birth of John from the time when Zechariah had seen Gabriel, based on either June or December.
If Zechariah was at the Temple in June, then after he had finished his ministry and gone home to his wife Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s conception would have taken place about June 23rd. Nine months later, John would have been born on about the 25th of March 4BC- which was the Passover for that year.
To calculate the birth of Christ, we find that Gabriel told Mary: your cousin Elizabeth also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. (Luke 1:36-37)
The conception of Christ was therefore six months after John’s conception, which would make it about the 25th of December (yes- a very interesting date!). Because John was born at Passover, Jesus would have been born six months later, which coincides with the 15th of the seventh month, being the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, or September 29th 4BC.
Conception and Birth of John and Jesus in 4-5BC
Conception of John: 24th June 5BC
Conception of Christ: 25th Dec 5BC
Birth of John: Passover 28th March 4BC
Birth of Christ: Tabernacles 29th Sept. 4BC
The above calculations are for Zechariah serving in the Temple from the 13-19th June. However, if the dates of the conception of Jesus and John are calculated as if Zechariah had been at the Temple during the week of the 6-12th December, then the births would fall on no particularly important days relative to God’s Festivals: 17th of Sept Birth of John and March 18th Birth of Jesus.
So, from the scriptures we can see that either John the Baptist and Jesus were born on Passover and Tabernacles respectively, or they were born six months apart, but on no specific Holy Days.
Bullinger’s 1922 Companion Bible provides further detailed historical evidence (dates of Kings’ reigns etc.) as to why it would actually have been in June rather than December (Companion Bible, Appendix 179). I have not repeated Bullinger’s evidence, as it’s simply too complex, involving a lot of historical records, for which I have seen long conflicting discussions. I feel that it quite reasonable to assume that God would ordain both these momentous occasions to occur at the time of His appointed feasts, rather than just any old day of the year.
In the next four posts I will provide many other scriptural insights, which demonstrate the importance of knowing the actual day Jesus was born, and support the assumption that Jesus and John were born on these Holy Days. We will also address some of the apparent contradictions in scripture, raised in the first post in this series.
Wow Martin. Very interesting. I’ve been saved almost 43 years and have never considered or heard what you just posited here. Will have to study it out a little more.