Jesus' Birthday

[Nazarite]

This might be a topic best for the Messianic threads. However, I do not consider myself a messianic Jew. I am just a disciple of Jesus. Anyway, I do believe that there is nothing random about what is included in Scripture. As we approach the time known to Jews as the "High Holy Day" or Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement as it is called in Scripture and the Feast of Tabernacles which follows this day, I believe there is credible evidence from scripture to suggest this is the time of year that our Savior was born. Now I realize that such a suggestion is only my opinion and do not believe that it makes it more special than any other day.

5 One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it to the Lord. Whoever eats, eats to the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is to the Lord that he does not eat, yet he thanks God (Rom. 14:5-6).

So this is just for your consideration.

1) Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist. The story of his conception is recorded in Luke 1. In verse 5 we learn that Zechariah was of the priestly division of Abijah.

2) In 1 Chronicles 24:10 we learn that the priests from the line of Aaron were divided into divisions of which Abijah was the 8th division.

3) By tradition (the Mishnah) the priestly divisions of which there were 24 (as noted in 1 Chronicles 24), were to each serve for two weeks at the temple each year in a rotation. This meant that each division would serve a week then wait 23 weeks before their second rotation each year. The rotation began in the month of Nisan or Aviv which is the month in which the Israelites celebrate the Pasover (Pasach) and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

4) Also all priests were required to serve for two weeks during the three major feasts.

5) Now lets put this in perspective. Zechariah was in the eighth division. So from the beginning of the month of Nisan or Aviv, (modern March/April), add eight weeks. Also add two weeks of mandatory service for the Feast of Unleavend Bread. This means it was about 10 weeks after the beginning of the month of Nisan or Aviv in which Zechariah was completing his service in the temple (if this references his 1st rotation). This puts Zechariah's temple service around the time of May/June.

6) It is during this time of temple service in which Zechariah is told by the angel Gabriel that he will have a son. Scripture says that "...he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant..." (Luke 1:23-24).

7) Assuming Elizabeth became pregnant when Zechariah returned home in the month of June, then 9 months later would be March on our calander. Interestingly, the Jews looked forward according to their tradition to the second coming of Elijah during the Passover. Even today, as Jews celebrate Pasach they (sadly ) look for the coming of Elijah as part of the feast. Anyway this would place the birth of John the Baptist (Elijah) at the time of Passover that next year.

8) It would appear that Elizabeth was about 6 months pregnant when Mary the mother of Jesus became pregnant as we read in Luke 1:26, "In the sixth month..." The term sixth month seems to be the antecedent to the fifth month referenced in verse 24 referring to Elizabeth being five months pregnant.

9) If Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary became pregant we might have a pretty close approximation of the time of the conception. Interestingly, six months from June would be our December. Maybe there is something to the date in December after all. Not the date of birth but conception.

10) Now if Mary conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit in our December, then 9 months later would be September which is the time of Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles. This would make sense for several reasons that I will list.

11) The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of the wilderness wanderings. It was when God dwelt with Israel in the wilderness. Emmanuel means God with us or God tabernacling with us.

12) If the decree handed down to attend a census in your hometown had a window of time as most scholars suggest (the census was ordered to be taken over a period of several months) what would compel young Joseph the betrothed of Mary to take her on a journey to Bethlehem when she is so near delivery? Well as you know all men were commanded to come to Jerusalem 3 times annually for the feasts. Perhaps Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the census and then on to Jerusalem for the feast.

13) This would also shed some light on the manger. According to Jewish tradition (Mishnah) a stable or stall could be converted into a booth or tabernacle during the time of the feast of tabernacles. If so, then the stable in which our Savior was born was actually prepared as a tabernacle for the feast or tabernacles.

14) There are some compelling suggestions here. Give it some study.

Eric

 

[CharlesYTK]

Very good Eric.

We just had this discussion in General Theology I believe. You are very close. Tishri 15, which is the first day of Sukkot (tabernacles) can be shown to be the actual day of the birth. That day is Sept. 30th this year.

A knowledge of Jewish laws and customs is necessary to see this in the scriptures.

A man enteing a ministry must be at least 30 years old.
Yeshua was anxious to begin his ministry and would do so a s soon as he turned 30.
He was baptised as part of the initiation of this ministry, by John the Baptizer. (So that all righteousness might be fulfilled)
Notice John had been preaching the customary sermon of the season of Teshuvah that preceded Tabernacles. (The day of the lord is coming, make straight parths for him...)
After Yeshua is baptised he goes into the wilderness for 40 days.
When he returns he goes to his home town and is honored by being asked to come forward to read and comment from the scrolls. This is done for special occassions, such as the begining of a ministry or a mans birthday.

The scripture he reads is Isaiah 61 which is the prescribed reading for the Sabbath 40 days after Tabernacles.

In the year Yeshua was born Tabernacles was a Sabbath, which means that Mary labored the days and hours before and then delivered Yeshua and rested from her labor as Sabbath began.

Other inormation:

At the time of the birth Shepherds were in the fields tending their sheep. This is not done in the winter, but IS done when large numbers of sheep are brought to the towns for Taberacles. There is no room for Mary in the inn's so she is offered a place to stay in a "Manger", which in Greek is really stall. The word for stall is also used for a booth. Tabernacles is know as the feast of booths, because the jews live in Booth (temorary shelters or tabernacles) for 7 days.

 

[RVincent]

Very good you guys. I think more and more people are becoming aware of this.

Dates of "The Begetting" and The Nativity.

"The Course of Abia".

 

[CharlesYTK]

I like the fact that even people who do not understand this, when they decorate the house for "Christmas" they many time will have the "Manger Scene" on the lawn or in the house. And that Manger scene is almost always a Sukka, a little temporary shelter made with a wooden frame covered with leafy brances. Some of them will even have little pieces of fruit hanging in them.It's just that they do it in December instead of Sept-Oct when this festival really takes place. The entire meaning of Sukkot (Tabernacles) points to the birth of Messiah and his dwelling with us, both his first coming and in the millennial Kingdom. You can almost say that if Yeshua was not born during Taberncales, then he could not have been the Messiah.

 

[CharlesYTK]

Very good you guys. I think more and more people are becoming aware of this.

Dates of "The Begetting" and The Nativity.

"The Course of Abia".

Yes and there is yet another way to calculate this. Yeshua would not be able to start his ministry until age 30. We know that he was very anxious to begin this earthly ministry and would have done so as soon as he turned 30 years old. He ministered 3 1/2 years and was killed on the Passover. If we simply count back 3 1/2 years you will be sitting at Tabernacles (Sukkot) on the Jewish calendar.

 

[CharlesYTK]

Bumping this up because the first day of Tabernacles is coming soon. Sept 30th. Have you thought about building a small Sukka? It is really a blessing to stay in it a day or a week if you can, and remember that the Israelites lived in the wilderness 38 years with Gods presence living with them, and then Yeshua the Messiah was born in a Sukka as once again Gods presence comes to dwell with us. He was born in Bethlehem, which really a transliteration of the name Biet Lechem House of bread, and Yeshua is the Manna (bread) of life that came down out of heaven.

 

[Nazarite]

While I have gained great appreciation for the feasts delivered to the Israelites as is evidenced by my studies and previous comments, I believe that Scripture is teaching us to focus on Jesus. As a partial-preterist I believe an adequate understanding of Jesus must start with OT Scriptures. However, I do not believe that these feasts are binding on us today.


When we turn from the book of Leviticus to Acts there is qute a contrast in the approach of God's people to His presence. In Leviticus, the worshippers had to wear special garments, take baths to purify themselves, and go through several mysterious rituals in approaching God. In Acts, believers are meeting in homes and calling God, "Abba, Father." The rituals of OT Scripture have been fulfilled in Jesus. The book of Hebrews does a tremendous job of explaining this.

We need no more smoke screens to hide His presence and no more rituals or ceremonies through which to approach Him. For now, He is in us. I do not share these things to denigrate those with a different perception but as a matter of discourse and to encourage further study on this matter.

 

[Lee Fey]

Wow, there are a lot of different ways you can compute this.

I was also wondering, I had heard years ago, that the reason why Jesus "got lost" or at least got left behind in Jerusalem was because it was around the time of his birthday. That, around thirteen, in the Jewish culture, a boy is considered a man. And while travelling, men travel together, and women and children travel together. And the reason why it took so long for Mary and Joseph to figure out Jesus wasn't around was because each thought he was with the other, since it was around the transition time. Let me know if this has anything to do with anything, this subject is rather interesting.

 

[Tavita]

While I have gained great appreciation for the feasts delivered to the Israelites as is evidenced by my studies and previous comments, I believe that Scripture is teaching us to focus on Jesus. As a partial-preterist I believe an adequate understanding of Jesus must start with OT Scriptures. However, I do not believe that these feasts are binding on us today.


When we turn from the book of Leviticus to Acts there is qute a contrast in the approach of God's people to His presence. In Leviticus, the worshippers had to wear special garments, take baths to purify themselves, and go through several mysterious rituals in approaching God. In Acts, believers are meeting in homes and calling God, "Abba, Father." The rituals of OT Scripture have been fulfilled in Jesus. The book of Hebrews does a tremendous job of explaining this.

We need no more smoke screens to hide His presence and no more rituals or ceremonies through which to approach Him. For now, He is in us. I do not share these things to denigrate those with a different perception but as a matter of discourse and to encourage further study on this matter.

While it is true that we need no more smoke screens to hide His presence, I do believe that one can do the feasts without it becoming 'binding'. Much the same as children in Sunday School rehearsing the nativity for christmas, or anything else for that matter. In fact, I find doing the feasts has much more meaning than doing christmas or easter, and helps me to centre in on the meaning of who He is and why He came. It doesn't need to become a ritual, if it's kept alive by prayer and the leading of Holy Spirit.

Blessings
Tavita

 

[Tavita]

By the way, I also believe that the first day of Tabernacles is Yeshua's birthday, but that Tabernacles isn't to be celebrated that way. I'm not a messianic either.... just love His Hebrew name of Yeshua.

 

[Sephania]

While I have gained great appreciation for the feasts delivered to the Israelites as is evidenced by my studies and previous comments, I believe that Scripture is teaching us to focus on Jesus. As a partial-preterist I believe an adequate understanding of Jesus must start with OT Scriptures. However, I do not believe that these feasts are binding on us today.

Yeshua, or Jesus can be found throughout the whole book or else it wouldn't be written in Luke: And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all scriptures the things concerning himself.
And in John: "Phillip findeth Nathanael and said to him, We have found him , of whom Moses in the Torah, and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

And "For had you believed Moses you would have believed me for he wrote of me" 5:46

When we turn from the book of Leviticus to Acts there is qute a contrast in the approach of God's people to His presence. In Leviticus, the worshippers had to wear special garments, take baths to purify themselves, and go through several mysterious rituals in approaching God. In Acts, believers are meeting in homes and calling God, "Abba, Father." The rituals of OT Scripture have been fulfilled in Jesus. The book of Hebrews does a tremendous job of explaining this.

Umm, where did you get that Idea? go to Matt 5:16 where Jesus declares to his men to "let their light shine to glorify their father who is in heaven". And there are many other places. He is referred to as Father, a King, Salvation, many things. These were not "rituals" that is of mens making, what they were doing is following what the L-RD G-d TOLD them to do, and in obedience they did it in service to him, when it did become a ritual he rebuked tthem and punished them for it, but that was not the original intention. These things you call rituals are the plan of G-d for his salvation for mankind.

We need no more smoke screens to hide His presence and no more rituals or ceremonies through which to approach Him. For now, He is in us. I do not share these things to denigrate those with a different perception but as a matter of discourse and to encourage further study on this matter.

Yes, I agree , futher study is indicated. The L-RD's feasts are not a "smoke screen", and in the state you or I am in now we still "see through a glass darkly".

Shalom

 

[By Grace]

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but I had a quick question for those more knowledgeable than I. I basically agree with the timeline given here, but I've also heard that Zechariah was given his message from G-d on the Day of Atonement b/c he was in the Holy of Holies at the time and that's the only day that anyone enters the Holy of Holies. If that's the case, that would throw everything off by several months. However, based on what I've read just recently, I don't think Zechariah was the High Priest (so he wouldn't have been the one to go into the Holy of Holies anyway), and he was given the message while burning incense at the altar of incense, not while in the Holy of Holies. Is this correct?

Thanks,

 

[Nazarite]

I believe you just answered your own question Jill. And the High Priest resided in Jerusalem. It would have also made John the Baptist the next in line to be High Priest. And we know for a fact that John was not the next High Priest.

 

[By Grace]

Thank you!

 

[Trench777]

Woot! Another great and insightful study.

You are quickly becoming a favorite for my forum trolling, Nazarite!



T777

 

[visionary]

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

King David on God's instructions (1 Chr 28:11-13) had divided the sons of Aaron into 24 groups (1 Chr 24:1-4), to setup a schedule by which the Temple of the Lord could be staffed with priests all year round in an orderly manner. After the 24 groups of priests were established, lots were drawn to determine the sequence in which each group would serve in the Temple. (1 Chr 24: 7-19). That sequence is as follows:

1 Chr 24:7 1. Jehoiarib 2. Jedaiah
1 Chr 24:8 3. Harim 4. Seorim
1 Chr 24:9 5. Malchijah 6. Mijamin
1 Chr 24:10 7. Hakkoz 8. Abijah
1 Chr 24:11 9. Jeshuah 10. Shecaniah
1 Chr 24:12 11. Eliashib 12. Jakim
1 Chr 24:13 13. Huppah 14. Jeshebeab
1 Chr 24:14 15. Bilgah 16. Immer
1 Chr 24:15 17. Hezir 18. Aphses
1 Chr 24:16 19. Pethahiah 20. Jehezekel
1 Chr 24:17 21. Jachim 22. Gamul
1 Chr 24:18 23. Delaiah 24. Maaziah

1 Chr 24:19 These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

Now each one of the 24 "courses" of priests would begin and end their service in the Temple on the Sabbath, a tour of duty being for one week (2 Chr 23:8, 1 Chr 9:25). On three occasions during the year, all the men of Israel were required to travel to Jerusalem for festivals of the Lord, so on those occasions all the priests would be needed in the Temple to accommodate the crowds. Those three festivals were Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deut 16:16).

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, ...

Beginning with the first month, Nisan, in the spring (March-April), the schedule of the priest's courses would result with Zacharias serving during the 10th week of the year. This is because he was a member of the course of Abia (Abijah), the 8th course, and both the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15-21 Nisan) and Pentecost (6 Sivan) would have occurred before his scheduled duty. This places Zacharias' administration in the Temple as beginning on the second Sabbath of the third month, Sivan (May-June).

1st Month 2nd Month 3rd Month
Abib - Nisan (March - April) Zif - Iyyar(April - May) Sivan(May - June)

1st Wk Jehoiarib (1) Seorim (4) All Priests (Pentecost)
2nd Wk Jedaiah (2) Malchijah (5) Abijah (8)
3rd Wk All Priests (Feast of Unleavened Bread) Mijamin (6) Jeshuah (9)
4th Wk Harim (3) Hakkoz (7) Shecaniah (10)

Having completed his Temple service on the third Sabbath of Sivan, Zacharias returned home and soon conceived his son John. So John the Baptist was probably conceived shortly after the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan.