December 23, 2024 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, December 23.
What day was Jesus born in Bethlehem? December 25th, right? Probably not. The Bible doesn’t pinpoint the date of the nativity, but several biblical passages point us to a different part of the calendar. Let’s take a quick look.
The Romans were nothing if not efficient. Their innovations in the areas of urban planning, water systems, road building, etc. are still being used today, two thousand years later. Luke 2 begins by telling us of a census that the Romans were taking. The last thing they would have done would be to schedule that census - which would require people to travel - during the winter, when storms and temperatures would make travel very difficult.
The shepherds are a beloved part of the nativity cast of characters. Traditionally, shepherds would have their flocks in open fields only from April to October. During the rugged weather of late December, those sheep - and those shepherds - would have been safely tucked away in protected camps. The angels in the skies outside Bethlehem would have been proclaiming the good news to empty fields.
Many biblical scholars believe that the birth actually happened in the early fall, perhaps in September, a time of festival in Jerusalem, when multitudes of pilgrims would have been traveling to the area, an area that included Bethlehem. Perhaps that’s the reason there was no room in the inn.
So does any of this really matter? Does it change anything? No. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” That doesn’t change. And that’s what really matters.
Meet you back here tomorrow - for the final devotion in our series “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
