This morning Dale LaFrance preached about the timing of Christ’s birth.  I found it very interesting and thought I’d share it with you.

First of all, the reason we celebrate Christmas on December 25th is not because that was when he was born.  As Christians were trying to proselytize the pagans, they found they had a hard time getting them to give up their holidays, such as the celebration of the sun returning after the shortest day of the year (December 21st).  As the days began to lengthen the pagans celebrated the return of the sun.  It seemed fitting to the Christians to convert this holiday into the coming of the Son.

Dale pointed out that most of the big events of Christ’s life happened around Jewish holy days.  He believes God timed things that way, but there was no major Jewish holy day in December.  The Jews use a lunar calendar which loses about eleven days per year and every two or three years there’s a month added to make up the time.  The first month of the Jewish calendar is Nisan (Exodus 12:1-2).  Nisan means “New Beginning”.  Nisan 1 falls on March 20th of our calendar.

In the lunar cycle, a new moon signifies birth and a full moon signifies fulfillment.  Dale said that Jesus died on a full moon, so it stands to reason that He was born on a new moon.

Dale referred to the Talmudic writings which kept accurate dates of the priestly houses that served in the temple.  Looking there it is possible to find when Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was serving in the temple and had his encounter with the angel who told him he was going to have a son in his old age.  Elizabeth was pregnant about three months before Mary was.

The Herod to whom the Magi came to enquire about the birth of the King of the Jews gives us another clue.  Herod died in 4 BC not long after Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus and fled to Egypt.  We know that he killed all boys two years of age and younger based on the information he got from the Magi about the time when the royal birth star first appeared in the sky.  That would seem to indicate that Jesus was born on March 20, 6 BC.

Bethlehem literally means “House of Bread”.  Jesus called Himself the Bread of John 6:32-35).

Bethlehem was also significant because of a place called Migdal Eder, known as the Tower of the Flock.  This was a place where lambs that were destined for the Temple were born and raised.  Every unblemished first-born male lamb was set aside and destined for sacrifice a year later in Jerusalem.  The shepherds that were out watching their flocks by night were temple shepherds.  Sheep naturally bear their lambs in the spring, around March and April, so that there is fresh grass for the new lambs and a full summer to get strong before having to face the winter.  Jesus was referred to as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

In Exodus 40:1-2, the Tabernacle took nine months to build and was erected for the first time on Nisan 1.  The Tabernacle represented a place where people could go to commune with God.  Mary bore Jesus for nine months so there’s another reason Dale believes Jesus was born on Nisan 1, or March 20th.  Through Jesus we are able to commune with God.

When we got home this afternoon I began decorating for Christmas.  We aren’t going to put our tree up this year because we’ll be moving again right before Christmas, but I got out our Advent candles and a few other Christmas touches.  After dinner tonight we lit the first Advent candle and read the Old Testament Messianic prophecies.  If you aren’t familiar with them, here is what we read:  Isaiah 7:14 (a virgin shall bear a son); Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 9 (a child shall be born unto us); Isaiah 40:3-5 (a prediction of John the Baptist’s birth); Isaiah 60:1-6 (kings will come from afar, camels will bring gold and frankincense) ; Jeremiah 23:5-6 (the Branch of David); Jeremiah 31:15 (Rachel is weeping for her children); Micah 5:2-5a (from you, O Bethlehem…); Zechariah 9:9-10 (your king will come mounted on the colt of a donkey); Malachi 3:1-2 (I am sending My messenger to clear the way before Me).  Until Jesus actually arrived and fulfilled these prophesies, they must have seemed so confusing to the Jews.  What do we find confusing today about the meaning of scripture as it pertains to Christ?