The Real
Story Of Jesus’
Birth
Video Link
Power Point Link
Text Matthew 2,
Luke 2
Read
Luke 2 and Matthew 2 and then answer the following questions
Where
was Jesus born?
Bethlehem
of Judea
Why
was he born her when His earthly parents lived in Nazareth?
A
taxing was order by the emperor and all had to return to their hometowns to be
counted.
Who
announced his birth?
Angels
Who
did they announce it to?
They
announced it to the Shepherds.
Where
were they told to look for the baby?
They
were only that the baby would be lying in a manger, which meant the family were
staying with animals, could have been a shallow cave, or a stable.
In
Matthew 2 where did Joseph and
Mary live when the wise men arrived?
In
a house, no longer with the animals, but probably a rented house.
How
many wise men were there?
We
are not told, only that there were three gifts. This has lead to the idea of
three wise men but all we really know is
that there was more than one.
Why
did Herod have all the children murdered?
Why 2 years old and down?
This
was dating back from the time the star appeared.
So
how old then was Jesus when the wise men visited?
The
wise men’s visit is around 2 years after Jesus was born. Jesus is no longer a
babe but a young child, a toddler, as Matthew points out.
THE
PLACE:
Mary and Joseph returned to Bethlehem
because of a census ordered by Augustus and carried out by Cyrenius/ Quirinius, governor (Legat) of Syria. Quirinius was legat
of Syria in 6 AD. Many bible historians hold the opinion he was in office 13
years earlier and newer research found there was a census ordered by Rome in 12 BC, which was
concluded after 8 or 7 BC.
Orders spread out over an entire empire took time, Syria was at the eastern edge
of the Roman Empire.
THE YEAR:
Jesus was born during the reign of
King Herod. Herod the Great ruled from 39BC to his death in 4 BC. Mary and Joseph
fled with Jesus to Egypt after the visit of the wise men. In those days no
weekend trip and it is assumed they stayed one winter before they heard of
Herod's death and returned to Nazareth. So, taking in consideration the census
that ended in 7 BC and the death of Herod in 4 BC. Jesus would have to be born
between 12 and 5 BC. Today most place his birth at 7-5 BC.
THE MONTH:
Luke 2,8:
"That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village guarding
their flocks of sheep"... During winter nights sheep were normally held in
stables. They were only left in the fields during warmer spring or summer
nights.
The Real Wise Men
History of the Magi
According to Herodotus, which lists the names of the
six tribes or castes of the Medes, the Magi were a hereditary caste of priests.
They were highly influential in Median society until the unification of the
Median and Persian Empires in 550 BC, after which their power was curtailed by
Cyrus the Great and by Cyrus' son Cambyses II. The Magi revolted against
Cambyses and set up a rival claimant to the throne, one of their own, who took
the name of Smerdis. Smerdis and his forces were defeated by the Persians under
Darius I. The Magi continued to exist in unified Persia, but their influence was
limited after this and other political setbacks, and it was not until the
Sassanid era (AD 226–650) that they would again achieve prominence.
The Book of Jeremiah (39:3, 39:13) gives a title rab
mag "chief magus" to the head of the Magi, Nergal Sharezar. It's
also believed by some Christians that the Jewish prophet Daniel was "rab
mag" and entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a
"star") to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment
(Daniel 4:9; 5: 11). - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi
How did the Magi Know about the Messiah?
The above article is right in that
Daniel left a message but wrong in that is was secret. The message was
prophetic and would become clear when the time was fulfilled.
The prophetic passage is found in
Daniel Chapter 9, the 70 Weeks Prophecy and is the key to all Biblical prophecy
and give the exact date when the Messiah would be born.
What
is the purpose of the seventy weeks?
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks
are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Temple) 70 x 7 =
490 years
How
does 2 Chronicles 36:20 fit in
with Daniel 9?
2 Chronicles 36:20 And them that
had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants
to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21To fulfill the word of the LORD by the
mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she
lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years (70).
How
long is the “week” in Daniel 9?
From
Hebrew word shabuwa, meaning seven, or a period of seven (days or years),
heptad, week.
How
many years then are we actually looking at?
70
weeks x 7 years = 490 years
When
event begin the 70 weeks?
Daniel
9:25 Know therefore and understand,
that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem
unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
When
would Messiah be revealed?
At
the 69th week.
Now
how do you suppose the appearance of the star brought the Magi to the prophecy
given over 400 years before?
They
saw the star and went back to the prophecies they had recorded. They found the
prophecy by Daniel and going backward from the 69th week knew they
would be looking for the baby.
Restoration of Israel
538-424 BC
From command
to rebuild
Neh
2:1-8
445 BC
|
7
Weeks
to rebuild the wall
|
Nehemiah receives
permission to rebuild the wall.
49 years
|
Start of God's Countdown
|
Unto Messiah Zech 9:9
Mt
21:1-12,14-17 Mr
11:1-11
Lu 19:29-44
Joh 12:12-19
30 AD
|
62
Weeks
|
434 years
Jesus born
450 years
Jesus Revealed
483 years
|
Four
Centuries
Between
Testaments
|
Messiah cut off after 69th
week
Mt
27; Mr 15;
Lu 23; Joh 19
City Destroyed 70AD
Matthew
24:1-2
|
Jesus
Crucified
|
Church
Age
|
|
He shall confirm the
covenant for 1 week Daniel 9:27
|
1
Week
|
Begin of Tribulation
7 Years
|
Great
|
Oblation to cease, The
abomination of desolation
Daniel
9:27
Matthew
24:15
|
Midpoint
3 1/2 years
|
Tribulation
|
|
Jesus Returns
|
Second Coming
|
The Real Star
Probably
the star was a miracle from God, rather than a natural event, still if God
chose to use a natural event like a comet or a nova there are some interesting
historical events that could fit the description of a star as given in Matthews
account.
Defining
the word star used by Matthew in chapter 2:2 “Saying, Where is he that is born
King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to
worship him.”
The
word star in the original Greek is …
Aster.
It is a general term for any kind of heavenly body, i.e. a star, a planet, an
asteroid, a comet, or a meteor.
Possible celestial events
In
12 BC Halley’s Comet was charted by the Chinese started on Sept 10th
and continuing for the next 56 days.
In
7 BC the Babylonian astronomers recorded a triple conjunction of the
planets Jupiter and Saturn, an event that only occurs once every 900 years.
In
5 BC Chinese and Korean astronomers recorded a “broom” or “bushy” star
which appeared from March 10th to April 7th. The term
“broom” or “bushy” star referred to a celestial event that was not a regular
star or planet like a comet or nova. Later in the same year the Chinese
recorded another “broom” star this one definitely a comet with an observable
tail.
Another
conjunction of planets moving though the Zodiac took place in 3 BC which
the astrologers of the time would look upon as signaling great changes in the
world.
Strengths and Weaknesses
· Halley’s Comet of 12 BC
The
time is before most would say the birth Christ could have occurred. Also, the
comet that year was barely brighter than a normal star and would have not
attracted much attention from the magi of Babylon whose records would noted it
years before.
· The 7 BC conjunction of the planets
In
this conjunction the planets Jupiter and Saturn would have moved within two
diameters of the moon from each other three times, on late May, then in
September and finally in early December. Jupiter was considered the King of the
planets and Saturn was the protector of the Jews by the astrologers of the day.
The
problem with this event is the plural conjunctions of the “stars” rather than a
singular “star.” Had the planets moved closer together so that they appeared as
a single star to the naked eye the language would fit closer that used by the
magi when they asked Herod for directions to the Messiah’s birth.
· The 5 BC “Stars” of the Chinese and Koreans
The
star that appeared from March to April was not a comet for it did not move. The
best explanation was that it was a nova which would make it brighter than the
normal stars and would appear and even reappear as the sun that created the
nova could have multiple explosions separated by months or years.
If
this event has a weakness it is in the novae themselves. The magi, Chinese and
other astronomer/astrologers of the time would probably not think a nova a
major portend of great change since they appear about every ten years somewhere
in the sky.
· The conjunctions of 3 BC
To
those familiar with astrology the movement of the planets during this time
would signal great change and depending on the interpretation of the signs
could point to a new world ruler.
The
problem with this view is the need for astrology and its very careful
interpretation. Astrology by its very
definition must be understood through the interpretation of the astrologer.
This would vary greatly between astrologers of Rome
and the magi of Babylon.
There is not much evidence that the magi used such astrological interpretation
to look for the Messiah of the Jews. It would be much more likely that any
great events foretold by the stars through astrology would be interpreted with
the Roman Emperor Augustus in view rather than anyone from the conquered and
inconsequential nation of Israel.
The
other problem with this view is the lateness of the date. Most historians
believe Herod died in 4 BC and since the birth of Jesus had to occur before
Herod’s death any “star” event in 3 BC would be too late.
Conclusion
I
am more than content to believe that the “Star of Bethlehem” was a miracle of
God, especially when you consider the second reappearance that led the magi to
the stable.
If,
however God used a natural celestial event in conjunction with the birth of
Jesus I would lean towards the 5 BC star and the later appearance in that same
year or the next of a comet with it’s tail pointing directly down toward the
stable.
However,
what is paramount in the real story of Jesus birth is not the exact date or
time, but the historical reality of the event. Jesus came into the world as
foretold thousands of years before and by multiple 100s of scripture. Jesus was
truly born, lived and died and that same historical reality give us more
confidence in the scripture and in the other prophecies that are still to be
fulfilled.