Does The Bible Say When Jesus Was Actually Born?

Last updated on: November 26, 2015 at 8:28 pm by Jack Wellman

Does The Bible Say When Jesus Was Actually Born? 2015-11-26T20:28:02-06:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Does the Bible actually say when Jesus was born? Can we use the Bible to help determine when He was?

The Fullness of Time

I don’t know when Jesus was born. Bible scholars can only surmise from biblical text about what time of year it was when He was born. Some believe it was in the autumn since the shepherds were still abiding in the field (Luke 2:8) and shepherds are not normally “in the fields” and at night on December 25th. Others think it was around the spring Jewish festivals, perhaps even Passover, but nobody knows precisely when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Here is all we know for sure about when Jesus was born; “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). That means it was the perfect time as far as God is concerned and that’s ultimately all that matters.

The Time Has Come

The very first words of Jesus ministry were “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15) so “when the fullness of time had come” the “time [was] fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [was] at hand.” What does Jesus recommend? He tells us to “repent and believer in the gospel” meaning repent and turn away and forsake your sin and believe in Jesus Christ. That’s how you receive eternal life (John 3:16). The time has come for all who have yet to repent and trust in Him to do so. Nobody knows when the day of their death is and that’s important because after death, then comes the judgment (Heb 9:27). Jesus came in the fullness of time but in plenty of time to save you if you’re not already born again.

Not When But Since

I don’t like to get hung up on dates so since we don’t know when Jesus was born, it’s not really important to know because if it were, God would have included it in the Bible. Perhaps that’s why God didn’t reveal the date because we might try to almost worship the day and not Christ. It’s not so much when he was born but the fact that He was born that’s the main point. When couples celebrate their anniversary, they don’t celebrate a date on a calendar, they celebrate each other! It is the people who make the occasion, not a date because a date for without the occasion is meaningless.

The Year Jesus Was Born

The Apostle John writes about Jesus as being with God and being God as the Word (John 1:1) and “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Bible only tells us that this happened during the reign of King Herod (Matt 2:1) and historians show that King Herod ruled from 27 B.C. to A.D. 14. It was also just before Caesar Augustus said“that all the world should be registered” (Luke 2:1-2) and the date of that would be around 6-5 B.C. so Jesus was likely born around 5-6 B.C.

Conclusion

We don’t have to know with precision the date of Jesus’ birth. The date’s not important. Jesus Christ’s arrival is. We should focus on Him and not on dates, times, and seasons. Let everyone be convinced in his or her own mind. If Paul was around today and saw the controversy over the date of Jesus’ birth and how some snipe at one another over whether they should observe it or not, maybe he’d quote part of his letter to the Romans where he said “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Rom 14:5-6) so “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10) and there only room for one person in the judgment seat and it’s not me!

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

November 26, 2015

What Is The True Meaning Of Christmas?

Next Post

November 26, 2015 What Is Advent?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What church leader is called "the Bishop of Rome"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Archbishop of Canterbury The Pope The Patriarch The General Superintendent