When was Jesus born? This question has been debated by theologians for centuries. There is no one answer that is universally accepted. However, there are a number of clues in the Bible that can help us to determine when Jesus was born. In this blog post, we will take a look at those clues and try to come up with an answer that is as close to the truth as possible.
Clues for When Jesus was Born
One of the clues that we can look at is the timing of Christ’s death. According to the Bible, Jesus died on Passover (John 19:14). Passover occurs in the springtime, which means that Jesus had to have been born before Passover. Another clue is found in Luke’s gospel. In Luke chapter two, we find that there was a census taken when Jesus was born. This census also occurred in the springtime (Luke chapter two, verse one).
The gospel of Matthew gives us another clue as well. In Matthew chapter twenty-one, we read about Herod trying to kill baby Jesus by sending out soldiers to Bethlehem with orders to murder all the children who were two years old and younger. Why would Herod wait until Jesus was two years old before trying to kill Him? The most likely answer is that Jesus was born in the fall, shortly after Herod’s death.
Putting all of these clues together, we can come up with a pretty good estimation for when Jesus was born. We know that He died on Passover, which means He was born before then. We also know that there was a census taken at this time, and we can find out from other historical sources the date of this particular census. Based on these clues, it seems like Jesus was born in the fall (sometime between September and December).
While we may not be able to know the exact date of Jesus’ birth, we can be sure that it was sometime before Passover and after Herod’s death. This puts His birth somewhere in the fall season. Praise God for sending His Son into the world! Amen.
