December 22, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Friday, December 22.
What day was Jesus born in Bethlehem? December 25th, right? Wrong! The Bible doesn’t pinpoint the date for 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, and road building are still being used today, two thousand years later. Luke Chapter Two begins by telling us of a census that the Romans were taking of their empire. The last thing they would have done would be to schedule that census - which would require people to travel to their ancestral homes - during winter, when storms and temperatures would have made 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 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 that there was no room in the inn.
So, does any of this really matter? Does it change anything?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That doesn’t change. And that’s what really matters.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our loyal Daily Devotion readers. Meet you back here on Tuesday, January 2.
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
