Background Information – Birth of Jesus – The Christmas Story

GOD’S GREATEST GIFT

By Jesma O’Hara

It is no accident that God introduces His greatest gift to us in the Gospel of Matthew through a very Jewish family tree. Matthew gives us his credentials as a son of Abraham, son of Judah, son of David. Jewish theologian Martin Buber wrote, “From my youth onwards, I have found in Jesus my great brother. That Christianity…does regard him as God and Savior has always appeared to me a fact of highest importance which, for his own sake and my own, I must endeavor to understand… my own fraternally open relationship with him has grown ever stronger and clearer, and today I see him more strongly and clearly than ever before. I am more certain that a great place belongs to him in Israel’s history of faith and that this place cannot be described by any of the usual categories.” Likewise, the late Professor David Flusser, an orthodox lecturer in New Testament studies at Hebrew University said, “Jesus was a Jew in every way. He was part and parcel of the world of the Jewish sages. He was no ignorant peasant and his acquaintance with the Written and Oral Torah was considerable.”

Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, lived in a tiny village of 150-200 people in the Galilean Hills. It was not far from the major Greek city of Sepphoris [Zippori in Hebrew] with its 30,000 inhabitants. The inhabitants of Nazareth were members of the tribe of Judah who had returned from the exile in Babylon some 150 years before Jesus was born. They named their little village Nazareth out of an expectation that Messiah would come from them [Isaiah 11:11].

Like other young couples of their day, Mary and Joseph [Miriam and Yosef], would probably have been in their early teens when their parents arranged their betrothal and marriage, although some Catholic theologians suggest that Joseph was an older widower with children. The betrothal [engagement] lasted about a year and during this period, they were regarded as kidushin [separated and sanctified], and erusin [bound]. The seriousness of this commitment was such that it required a rabbinic dispensation to break the engagement since the couple had made a covenant commitment to each other. It was during this period that the Gospel writers tell us that Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel Gabriel gave instruction that they were to call the baby Yeshua, meaning “Yahweh saves.” It was one of the most popular boy’s names in Judea during this period. Jesus is the Anglicized version of the Latin of the Greek Ieousus. The young couple made the 4-5 day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, probably traveling with some of their relatives who were also going back to their ancestral home in Bethlehem for the Roman census. The prophet Micah wrote, “But you, Bethlehem, near Efrat, so small amongst the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Israel, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.” [Micah 5:1] He was even more specific in 4:8, as he wrote, “You, Tower of the Flock [Migdol Eder], hill of the daughter of Zion, to you your former Sovereign will return, the royal power of the daughter of Jerusalem.” The Tower of the Flock was the shepherd’s field where all the little lambs destined to die as sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem, 7 kilometers up the road, were born and raised. God’s son was born to die as a sacrificial lamb to atone for the sins of the world so he also had to be born in the shadow of the Tower of the Flock in fulfillment of the prophecy. There were no fancy hotel or hospital reservations made for Jesus’ arrival. The Romans usually conducted their census during public holidays in the countries they occupied so Jesus would have been born during one of the Biblical Feasts. The inns and houses in Bethlehem would have been full with the overflow of the pilgrims who made their way to the Temple in Jerusalem about 7 kilometers away. Certainly the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, in September/October of our calendar, lines up with the date of John the Baptist’s birth at Passover in March/April as the most probable date of Jesus’ arrival. This date can be confirmed by the time of the Abijah division of service on the Temple roster fulfilled by John’s father Zechariah. One thing is certain and that is that Jesus was not born on December 25, as it is the middle of winter and the sheep and their shepherds would have been indoors to avoid the snow, rain and freezing conditions.

Most of the traditions surrounding Jesus’ birth have actually come down to us from a book written around AD200 called the Proto Evangelium of James. The author was not Jewish and had no understanding of Jewish culture, traditions or the geography of the land. It is very inaccurate but has influenced Christian understanding of Jesus’ birth till the present day. Joseph was of the lineage of King David, Israel’s royal family, and he was returning with his bride to his family’s ancestral home. Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary’s relatives, lived only a few kilometers away at Ein Kerem. The birth of a baby in all tribal cultures, especially Israel, is a time of great importance and celebration, and for an ancestor of King David being born in his ancestral town was a matter for even more care and celebration. The extending of hospitality is a matter of pride for the entire village, whose inhabitants were also related so it is unthinkable that no one would have made a space for the baby to be born. Luke 2:6 says, “While they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her first child, a son.” They were already settled with relatives in the town. The passage goes on to say, “She wrapped him in a cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no space for them in the guest room.” The word used here is the Greek “katalyma.” In every other place in the bible it is translated as guest room or place to stay. Only in this passage have the translators chosen to use the word inn.

Peasant’s homes in Jesus’ day had two rooms. One was exclusively for guests [as in 1 Kings:17-19], and the other was the family room where the family ate, cooked and slept. At the end of this room was an area where the animals could be brought in at night and it had mangers cut into the floor at one end, an ideal cosy bed for a new baby to be put to sleep while the new mother was being cared for by the women after she had given birth.

While this wonderful event in the history of God’s plan of redemption certainly did not take place on December 25, the time of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, and the “birthday” of the sun god, the Son of God would most likely have been conceived around the time of the Feast of Hannukah or festival of lights – on the 25^th of Kislev, in December of our calendar, giving us much to celebrate at this time of year.

December 25 was not set apart as Yeshua’s birthday until the fourth century CE when the Winter Solstice Celebration {The sun god’s birthday} became the Son of God’s birthday in western Christianity. Middle Eastern Orthodox churches
celebrate the birth in January.

The date is less important that the knowledge that the Creator of the world chose to send His Son as a tiny helpless baby, to redeem humankind and show us how to live as members of God’s family.

“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6-7.

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Winter snow, cold and rain made travel nearly impossible in December.
Also read Matthew 2:8-10 the child in the house.
The Magi saw a baby in a house which was between 9 months to 2 years old.
The Magi found a paidion (Greek) a child older than a new born baby but still under 2 years old.
The Angels and Shepherds found Jesus as a newly-born baby Greek brephos.
From the first sighting of Jesus by the shepherds to the coming of the Magi from the East there could have been a gap of about two years.
Some say Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and The Book of Acts for Paul’s defense in Rome in front of the Ceaser, who was Nero Claudius Caesaras, required by Roman law.]

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Jesma O’Hara E-Teaching December 2015

For Unto Us a Child Is Born… [Isaiah 9:6-7]

As we turn out hearts and attention to the greatest gift the world has ever received, we are reminded of the simplicity of the story of the time when God became man and dwelt among us.

Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, were from a tiny village in the Galilean hills which had a population of about 200 people. It was not far from the major Greek polis or city of Sepphoris (Zippori in Hebrew), a city of about 30,000 people. The inhabitants of Nazareth were members of the tribe of Judah who had returned from the exile in Babylon some 150 years before the birth of Jesus. They named their little village Nazareth, in view of their expectation that the Messiah would be one of their number (Isaiah: 11:11).

Like other young couples of their day, Mary and Joseph would probably have been in their early teens when they were betrothed to each other, although some Catholic and Orthodox traditions suggest that Joseph was an older widower with
children when he became betrothed to Mary. They suggest that Mary and her family were members of the Essene sect, and that she had taken a vow of chastity which Joseph respected. There is no biblical proof for this assumption.

The betrothal [engagement] lasted about a year, and the couple were regarded as kidushin [sanctified or separated to each other] and erusin [bound to each other]. The seriousness of this commitment was such that it required a rabbinic
ruling to break the engagement. This shows us the importance of cutting covenant in biblical times. Even separating during the betrothal period was seen as a divorce since the couple had made covenant vows to each other.

It was during this period that the Gospel writers tell us that Mary discovered she was expecting a baby. The angel Gabriel told Joseph that they were to call the baby Yeshua, meaning “Yahweh saves”. Yeshua was the second most popular boys’ name in Judea during this period. Jesus is the Latin version of the Greek “Ieosus”. In the first module of the Mustard Seed, we learn’t that names in Hebraic understanding are extremely important. They represent the very “essence” of the person, their calling, character and prophetic destiny.

The young couple made the four to five day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, or Beit Lechem, (the House of Bread), a little village of around 150 people situated in the Judean Hills about seven kilometers south of Jerusalem. Judah {or Yâ’hudah} means “Praise to Yahweh” so it was fitting that God’s Son ”the Bread of Life” should be born in the House of Bread in the Hills of Praise to the God of Grace.

They went to be counted in a Roman census but they were probably pleased to escape the small town gossip concerning Mary’s pregnancy – gossip that was to follow Yeshua all His life [John 8:40]. How careful we should all be about passing judgment on others. This couple, probably in their early teens, were right in the center of God’s will for them and they had submitted themselves to His purposes. However the people around them were not privy to God’s plan of redemption being played out in the lives of these two ordinary people and so they endured the whispers and condemnation of those around them.

The prophet Micah had written, “But you, Bethlehem, near Efrat, so small among
the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of
Israel, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times” [5:1]. He
had been even more specific in chapter 4, verse 8, as he wrote, “You, tower
of the flock [Hebrew – migdol eder] hill of the daughter of Zion, to you your
former sovereign will return, the royal power of the daughter of Jerusalem.”

The tower of the flock, or Migdol Eder, was the shepherd’s field outside
Bethlehem where all the little lambs who were destined to die at the Temple
were born and raised. God’s Son was born to die as a sacrificial lamb to
atone for the sins of the people. He also had to be born in Bethlehem,
David’s village.

It is ironic that Yeshua, Jacob’s descendant, was born in Bethlehem, not far
from the great Herodian built by King Herod, Esau’s greatest descendant. In
Jewish understanding, Esau and his descendants represented the Kingdom of
Darkness, while Jacob and his descendants represented the Kingdom of Light.
Herod tried to kill Yeshua and destroy God’s plan of redemption, and within a
few years had died a horrible death from syphilis. Yeshua, on the other hand,
went on to fulfill God’s plan to bring redemption to the world.

No fancy hotel or hospital bed was reserved for the baby and His family. The
Romans usually conducted their census during the public holidays of the
countries they occupied so Yeshua would have been born during one of the
biblical feasts, or God’s Appointed Times, all of which are prophetic
pictures of His life and ministry. {See my book the Biblical Feasts of Israel,
and also The Mustard Seed Module 1 for more details}. The inns in Bethlehem
would have been full with the overflow of all the pilgrims who had made their
way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast at the Temple.

John 1 tells us that “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us”,
perhaps giving us a hint that Yeshua’s birthday occurred during the Feast of
Tabernacles. Certainly this date, in the month of Tishri {September/October of
our calendar}, lines up with the date of John the Baptist’s birth at
Passover, following his conception after his father had completed the course of
his duties as a member of the Abijah division of the Temple priesthood. It is
certain that Yeshua was not born on December 25, as this is the middle of
winter in Bethlehem and all flocks are kept indoors from November to the end of
February.

It is instructive to us that God chose to announce His son’s birth to a group
of humble shepherds. Shepherds were looked down upon in Bible Days [Genesis
46:31-36]. They were generally the youngest sons [1 Samuel 16:11] or daughters
[Genesis 29:9; Exodus 2:15-16] of the family and not regarded as being very
important. Jesse didn’t even think to invite David to lunch with the Prophet
Samuel when Samuel arrived to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king of Israel.
God is no respecter of persons, and is not impressed with outward show or
seeming importance. He identifies with the lowest, poorest person in the
world’s eyes, choosing rather to look at our hearts [1 Samuel 16:7]
Most of the traditions which surround Jesus’ birth have actually come down to
the church from a book written around AD200, called “The Proto Evangelium of
James”. The author was not Jewish and had no understanding of Jewish culture,
tradition or geography. It has no basis in Scripture but it has influenced
Christian understanding of Jesus’ birth to the present day.

Joseph was of the lineage of King David, Israel’s royal family and he was
returning to his ancestral family home. To suggest that no one would give him
and his pregnant wife a place to give birth to her first child shows ignorance
of Middle Eastern hospitality and the importance of family. Zechariah and
Elizabeth, Mary’s relatives and parents of John the Baptist, only lived a few
kilometers from Bethlehem at En Karem and would also have given shelter to the
couple if there was a problem.

Luke 2:6 says, “While they were there, the time came for her to give birth;
and she gave birth to her first child, a son.” They were already settled in
the town, not rushing in at the last minute and being turned away by callous
villagers who also happened to be their relatives! There is no sense that the
baby came unexpectedly, taking Mary and Joseph by surprise.

The passage goes on to say, “She wrapped him in a cloth and laid him down in a
feeding trough, because there was no space for them in the living quarters.”

Homes in Jesus’ day had two rooms. One was exclusively for guests, and was the
place where synagogue services, and later church services were held, as well as
providing a place for visitors to stay (1 Kings 17:19). The other room was a
family room where the family ate, slept and lived. At the end of that room was
an area lower than the rest of the house where the animals were housed at night
and in bad weather. At the end of the family room were some mangers which would
hold food for the animals or, in our story, Mary and Joseph’ new baby. Mary
would have been attended by the women in the house, in line with the customs of
people groups all over the world.

This is the only passage in the New Testament where the word “Katalyma” is
translated “inn”. “Katalyma” is simply a “place to stay” in Greek
“ as in the guest room, which was already full of guests because of the
census and the celebrations taking place at the Temple just 7 kilometres up the
road in Jerusalem.

None of the Gospels actually say that Jesus was born in a stable. That is an
oral tradition that grew out of the verse that says the baby was laid in a
manger, a stone feeding trough for animals. It would have made a cosy cradle
for the new baby, an ideal temporary receptacle found for the new arrival. Many
homes in bible times were actually extensions of cave complexes which provided
rooms for the family, their guests and the animals. We have visited Bedouin
houses like this in Israel.


Other slides in this module: