Story of the birth of Jesus.
This story is not a “Christmas” story since it is not focused upon the holiday of Christmas. Rather it is an attempt to pinpoint with relative accuracy the actual story of the Birth of Yeshua. Christians have built fables surrounding the birth of Jesus which are heavily influenced by the Roman Mithra worship. Setting the record straight means that we have to ignore dates set for the Roman Sun God. The Sun god died on December 24th and he was reborn on December 25th. We will be looking at the scriptures and trying to decipher a relative timeline.
Conception of John the Baptist is key to understanding Jesus’ birthday.
Luke gives us explicit detail on the time that John the Baptist was conceived (Luke 1:5-25). His Father Zechariah was serving in the temple on the rotation of the division of priests of Abijah (Luke 1:5). The division of Abijah was the eight in rotation for serving in the temple (1 Chronicles 24:10). This is where things get very confusing. Since we know the time that Zechariah served in the Temple, we should be able to pinpoint with some accuracy the birth of John. Then count forward six months to the birth of Jesus. I wish it were that easy.
The problem that is encountered in counting is finding an accurate way to count the priestly service times. There were twenty-four rotations listed in Chronicles 24. It gets sticky when we try to determine if the rotations were for one week or two weeks. Another huge problem is when does the counting begin? Most of the many resources that I checked started the counting at the first of Nisan. This is the month that Passover is in, (Nisan 15).
There are several myths that are blown away by this counting. First, the myth of Jesus being born on December 25th simply will not work regardless how you count the times. This is counting the birth of Jesus backwards six months to the birth of John, then nine months back to the conception of John. It places his conception to be at the end of the counting regardless whether you count by one week or two weeks.
If we consider the birth of Jesus to land at Sukkot, which lands in the month of Tishri, it works a little better. This places the conception of Jesus to be at or shortly after Hanukkah. It places John the Baptist birth at Passover, Nissan 15, or close to it. Which places the conception of John during the month of Tammuz.
Now let’s consider the problem of counting the priestly offices. If you have two rotations of twenty-four divisions over a year, there is a discrepancy of four weeks. The explanation of this is that all the priests were on duty during Passover and other significant Jewish festivals. Normal rotation was suspended for the festival. I was unable to find an accurate calendar that says when the priests were working and when they were not working.
If we start counting by the week at Nisan 1, we have 14 weeks to Tammuz 15. Let’s consider that Passover, and the Feast of Unleavened bread will take up two weeks. Then consider Shavuot, we are reduced to ten weeks. The Tammuz 17 week was designated for a fast, which may or may not affect the counting.
UPDATED: There is also a two week delay from the time he receives the vision until the time he is able to have relations with his wife. This delay considers the one week that he finishes out his ministry in the temple (Luke 1:23) and an unspecified short amount of time that Elizabeth gets pregnant (Luke 1:24). This two-week delay could have taken a shorter amount of time or a longer one. The week of Tammuz 17 was probably in line with the conception of John the Baptist.
The human gestation period is 280 days. Which measures out to forty weeks. This is measured counting beginning one week after the woman’s last period. There are several unknowns that we are dealing with. We do not know if the babies were born at exactly 280 days. Most babies are not born “on time” since the gestation period is an average, not a hard rule. Some are born early, and some born late. Therefore, there is a margin of error that we must consider when setting the final birth date of Jesus.
The best guess that I can make due to the time that the division of Abijah most likely served places the birth of Jesus at Sukkot. This takes place during the months of September to October on the Gregorian calendar. Like I said, this is a guess. I made it considering a one week service for each division and cancelling out a few weeks when all the priests would be working and the two-week delay. Then considered a probable unknown variance due to lengths of gestation. The numbers look like they could be reasonably close.
Hanukkah, Sukkot, Simchat Torah
Let’s consider the timeline that I discussed briefly. Suppose Jesus was conceived during or at the end of the eight-day festival of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is the festival of miracles. It is also a festival where a servant candle lights each of the other seven candles. The picture of this festival is that of Jesus. He comes into the world to bring the miracle of salvation to all men.
Suppose also that Jesus was born during the festival of Sukkot (Booths). The Jewish people camp out in tents for this festival for a period of eight days. It is symbolic of the journey from Egypt where they dwelt in temporary dwellings. If Yeshua were to be born during this festival, we have a few things to consider. God took up the temporary dwelling of a human body to travel with men for a short time. The eight day of the festival is Simchat Torah. This day celebrates the end of the cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of the new cycle of Torah readings. If Jesus were to be born on the first day of Sukkot, he would have been circumcised on the eight day of Sukkot, or Simchat Torah. It would have symbolized the completion of the old covenant and the beginning of the New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34).
Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Fast of Tammuz 17
John the Baptist is a consideration as well. He was the forerunner of the Messiah. Suppose he were to be born on Passover week, (which includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread and The first Feast of First Fruits). We see John as one who spoke out against sin and removing sin from the lives of people. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is about removing sin and compromise from your life. His conception would have taken place somewhere around the Fast of Tammuz 17. This fast commemorated several dates. Moses broke the tablets when people were worshipping the golden calf. During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, sacrifices stopped due to a shortage of animals. This was also the date that Antiochus Epiphanes erected an idol in the temple. His conception during this time speaks of one who came to usher in change.
Conclusion
There are several problems that I encountered in preparing this study. First, no one agrees on how the counting of the divisions took place. Every resource I considered counted them differently. Secondly, I was not able to find any Jewish resource that supported or designated the schedule. Third, I assumed that the counting began on Nisan 1 since this was common to all the calendars that I found. This could be a huge error if the counting were to start at a different time. Fourth, I was unable to find any historical document which supported the counting of the divisions.
My conclusion on the birth time of Jesus is it looks like it took place at the festival of Sukkot. My reasoning is that it fits the timeline of Zechariah’s service fairly well. Then when you consider the meanings of the festivals, each time seems to be supported by a significant Jewish festival. In the end of all of this, I could be completely wrong. It’s an educated guess that seems to fit.
Other considerations about John the Baptist:
Luke 1:5-9
His father’s name is significant, Zachariah means “Jehovah has remembered”, his mother’s name Elizabeth means “God is my oath”. Imagine what devotion it took to keep Torah blamelessly. He lived out his life as a priest before God paying attention to the smallest details. Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron, which means that she came from the priestly line as well. Both of them were described in the same way as the patriarchs of old were described, in other words, there was no doubt of their righteousness:
Genesis 6:9 (NASB95)
9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
Genesis 17:1 (NASB95)
1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
Job 1:1 (NASB95)
1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. [3]
The point of this is that they were both righteous and still without children. A common belief of the time was that if a person did not keep the law, they would not have children. Check out this note:
“To be childless was economically and socially disastrous: economically, because parents had no one to support them in old age (cf. comment on 1 Tim 5:4, 8); socially, because in the law barrenness was sometimes a judgment for sin, and many people assumed the worst possible cause of a problem. Most people assumed that barrenness was a defect of the wife, and Jewish teachers generally insisted that a man divorce a childless wife so he could procreate. “Aged” may suggest that they were over sixty (Mishnah Abot 5:21); age itself conferred some social status and was sometimes listed among qualifications or virtues.
“Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, Zechariah and Elizabeth are clearly righteous (1:6; cf. Wisdom of Solomon 4:1), and the Jewish reader would immediately think of righteous Abraham and Sarah, who was also barren. The Lord also opened the wombs of other matriarchs, Rachel and Rebekah, and those of Hannah and Samson’s mother; yet Elizabeth is especially like Sarah, who was not only infertile but also too old to bear.”[1]
Another interesting fact from the time is that there were about 1700 priests that drew lot for the privilege to enter the temple for burning incense. Here is another note:
“Zechariah was chosen by lot (elache) to be the priest who offered the incense. Because of the large number of priests this would be the only time in Zechariah’s life when he was allowed to perform this task. As elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Es. 3:7), the sovereignty of God is stressed even in matters which seem like chance, as in the casting of a lot.”[2]
We could delve further into this story and examine the incredible prophesies and meanings that are involved. What is significant to this point is that we are looking at the story of John the Baptist. We are looking at the miracles that took place that set in motion the clock that helps us determine what season of the year that our Messiah was born in.
UPDATE December 18, 2018
Luke and conception of Jesus
Luke 1:24-37
We have already established that Yeshua was conceived at or near the end of Hanukkah. There are several reasons for this time of conception. Part of which is multi-faceted discussion of Hanukkah that we made during that festival. Yeshua is the light of the world. Hanukkah is the festival of lights. Yeshua performed many miracles including the miracle of salvation. Hanukkah is the festival of miracles. Yeshua is the one whom we are dedicated to. Hanukkah is the festival of dedications. Why is this important?
Hanukkah is a festival where hearts are examined and rededicated to God. It is a time of great feasting, a time where candles were lit in the homes to commemorate the rededication of the temple and the miracle of the oil. This was a time where people focused upon the God of miracles and the way that He lights up their lives with Torah. Mary was taking part in Hanukkah. Mary understood that God was real and she believed in Him.
More important it gives us a reminder of the days of Antiochus Epiphanes when he desecrated the temple and then when Judas Maccabeus restored the temple. The picture of Antiochus was one where the old was desecrated. Judas stepped in and tore down the pagan desecration to then rebuild the temple back to its original state. It was a time where the temple was rededicated. The same situation takes place in the birth and life of Yeshua. His conception was almost like when Mattathias led the revolt against Antiochus. This revolt set the stage for Judas, his son to ride in later to reclaim the temple. It also had disastrous results. When Mattathias revolted against Antiochus, one thousand innocent people were slaughtered (1 Maccabees 1:23-41). We will see a parallel situation when Herod attempts to kill Jesus. Understanding Hanukkah helps us to understand the significance of Yeshua being conceived on this date. For more information on Hanukkah, look at the Hanukkah study archived on this website.
When Gabriel visited with Mary to give her the marvelous news of her selection to bear the Messiah, it was consistent with the festival of Hanukkah. It was a miracle, I doubt seriously that Mary reflected on the meanings of Hanukkah and the significance of the conception at this time. Let’s look at Gabriel’s message for a moment.
Luke 1:26-38
Several things take place in this section. We find out that John the Baptist was conceived six months earlier. This makes John six months older than Jesus (Luke 1:24-26). Elizabeth hid from the public eye for these six months. She stayed at home in seclusion. It is likely that Mary did not know she was pregnant.
We find out that Mary was a virgin (Luke 1:27). She was betrothed to Joseph as his wife soon to be married. The betrothal period is a time where she was legally married to Joseph. The customs of the times sets Mary to be in her early teens. Joseph was probably older, some say as late as early twenties. This is because he was established and able to support a family. Part of the betrothal period was to build a house or an addition to his father’s house so that when the couple was married they had a place to live. It was likely that Mary and Joseph were not in close contact at this time.
Gabriel addressed Mary as “woman richly blessed, The Lord be with you”. (Taken from footnotes New American Standard Bible). This is significant because proper translation of this phrase eliminates error that has been made lately. The Mary was richly blessed by the Lord.
The blessing indicated that the Lord “be with” with you (Greek meta). This is a preposition in the Greek language:
- μετά metá; prep. governing the gen. and acc. Its primary meaning is mid, amid, in the midst, with, among, implying accompaniment and thus differing from sún (4862), together with, a conj. expressing union.[3]
This is significant because it specifies that Mary was not joined together with God. Mary was being accompanied by God. This is the reason that Mary was perplexed (Luke 1:29). This was a unique blessing that was a bit confusing to her. The idea of a regular blessing is that God will bless you in some way. This blessing said that God was going to walk with her as a companion. Do you see the difference?
Luke 1:37 The angel gave us another interesting line that is missed because of translations. He gave Mary the encouragement that preceded many warriors as they went of to battle, do not be afraid (Ex 20:20; Deut 31:6; Josh 1:6-7). This is to prepare her for the coming battle. She was in for a fight.
The second line of this verse is extremely interesting especially for those who buy into the Catholic idea of Mary. The Catholics teach that Mary was like a god, she was immaculately conceived and lived a sinless life. If that were the case, this verse is wrong. The angel said to Mary, “for you have found favor with God”. The word for favor in the Greek language is the word “charis” which is normally translated as “grace”. Grace comes from the Old Testament concept of “lovingkindness”. If we were to roughly translate the meaning into English, it indicates a gift that is given which is not deserved in any way. If Mary were to have lived a sinless life, she would not need “charis” because she would stand worthy. The Angel said she was not worthy and was receiving a gift she did not deserve.
I may have lost my Catholic readers at this point. I hope you stay with the study and keep an open mind. Learning the scriptures will challenge every person of every denomination. As we destroy the fables, we will be building truth. This transcends all denominations and challenges all of us.
Luke 1:31-33: Gabriel delivers the message. Mary will shortly become pregnant. She will name her child Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus). His Father will be the Most High God. He is the Messiah that will fill the throne of David. His Kingdom will never end. This is an extremely loaded section.
Let’s start with pregnancy. Mary was to become pregnant. Mary knew that she was a virgin and had no intention of giving up her virginity due to her betrothal to Joseph (Luke 1:34). This was a point that she was not willing to compromise on in any way.
The name of Yeshua is extremely important. We discussed Hanukkah earlier. One of the aspects of Hanukkah is that of salvation. This is the idea of delivering, rededicating, or making a holy life possible. Yeshua in the Hebrew means “salvation”. The name is simple and to the point. While Yeshua was on earth, we see Him act according to this name by delivering people from bondages to sin, sickness, death, and bondage. From the death, burial and resurrection, He provided salvation for any who will believe in Him.
The English word for Yeshua is Jesus. Many trip up on this. The easiest way to explain the difference is to discuss the way that names are translated through languages. Most names are never translated. My name for instance is Joseph. If it were to have been translated from Hebrew to English, my name would be translated as “adding”. This is a little boring. Instead of being “Yosep”, my name was transliterated as Joseph. The name Jesus was transliterated from a difficult Greek name “iesous” which was transliterated from the Hebrew name Yeshua. The transliteration took place from language to language to make it easier for the speakers to articulate. It is very rare for a name to revert back to the original language. In the end, the name Jesus is the same as the name Yeshua. Names are not translated, they are transliterated. In my opinion, if you feel more comfortable saying Jesus, or saying Yeshua, He knows His name.
The Messianic nature of His name is one that should cause every person, Jew and Gentile to pay attention. He is the promised Messiah. Once born, His kingdom will never end. This is the Messiah that the Jewish people have been watching for. This is the Messiah that brings in the New Covenant which is promised (Jer 31:31-34).
Luke 1:35: The picture of the verse is very intimate. God promised to create a baby in her womb. This baby carried the divine DNA and Mary’s DNA to create a God-man. How this worked is a miracle of God without human explanation.
Luke 1:36-39: Gabriel uses Elizabeth as an object lesson. The doubts that Mary may have been having was taken away by the revelation hat Elizabeth was pregnant. The impossible took place in her old age. Mary took this at face value and agreed to the message of Gabriel. She agreed to become the mother of Jesus.
Then Mary does an interesting thing. She leaves her home town. Mary travels to the hill country of Judea to spend three months with Elizabeth. This accomplishes two things. She seeks verification that Elizabeth is pregnant and she steps out of her community. Loose lips will not notice that this young girl is obviously in the first trimester of pregnancy.
December 20, 2018
Yeshua’s Genealogy
I am going to leave this up to you the reader to investigate. I wrote a few pages on this which is archived under the Matthew 1 study on the website (https://eztorah.com/matthew-1/). The line is made of kings good and bad, prostitutes, gentiles and adulterers. Yet, it traces back to David. The messiah was prophesied to come through the line of David. This prophecy was fulfilled through Jesus.
Mary’s secret comes to light
In the previous part of this story Mary went immediately to stay with Elizabeth after she had a visit with the angel. She spent three months with Elizabeth both hiding out and helping her. She was three months hiding so that those in her community would not find out that she was pregnant. The birth of John sent her back home.
I wonder if Zechariah and Elizabeth had to send her away. Once John was born, Zechariah unleashed a prophecy concerning his son as soon as he wrote on the paper John’s name. This prophecy was similar to that of Mary which declared that John would be a great man of God. He would draw people to know Salvation (Luke 1:77). If you were to use the Hebrew words in John’s prophecy, it would be that people would come to know Jesus (Yeshua, Salvation) and bring them to the forgiveness of their sins.
Mary stayed with them through the final months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. This was a safe place for a young girl that was pregnant out of wedlock. She could have stayed out her pregnancy with Zechariah and Elizabeth but this would have compounded the problem. They probably sent her home or she realized that it was time.
When Mary returned to Nazareth, tongues started wagging. Mary was certainly pregnant. Those who knew her were aware that she had been gone for a few months. They also knew that Joseph, her betrothed husband, was seen working as a carpenter around town the entire time. Joseph was excited about his new bride and was working hard to build a house that he could bring his bride to in the coming months. When Mary returned, she was obviously pregnant. She was entering her forth month and probably showing quite well. Word filtered its way back to Joseph, that both his betrothed wife had returned and that she had returned pregnant!
Joseph was a kind man. He knew that he had not gotten Mary pregnant because he had not had sexual relations with her (Matt 1:18). Joseph was also faced with a dilemma. The time of John’s birth was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This festival was about removing sin, the suggestion of sin, and all compromise from one’s life. Joseph was faced with a bride that was pregnant, and not of his doing. You can only imagine what went through his brain. There are many who understand the emotions that Joseph was dealing with. His wife went away for a few months and returned pregnant. He was faced with a festival that demanded holiness. Joseph was betrayed by some unknown person. He was betrayed by his betrothed wife. I would imagine that betrayal, anger, hurt, and outright disgust probably had him spinning as he wrestled with the news of her pregnancy. It was time to divorce Mary in order to end the betrothal (Matt 1:19). This required a letter of divorce. Joseph was going to handle this divorce quietly so that Mary would not be dragged into the public eye any more than she already was.
Joseph’s Dream
Joseph was a remarkable man. His sense of mercy and compassion goes beyond the normal. Joseph had set his heart to divorce Mary and had went to sleep considering the problem. He had the plan in place but had not acted upon it yet. The way that one was considered righteous in his day was simple (Matt 1:19). One had to be Torah observant to be considered righteous. That meant that Joseph was present at all the feasts and festivals of the Jews. He was a regular attender and was involved in the local synagogue. Joseph was a man who knew and followed God closely.
He was also delaying action to start the divorce process. This could have been due to the many activities that surrounded the Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Feast of First Fruits that were all taking place in his life during this season. He was also busy with counting the Omer, expectantly waiting for the fiftieth day where God would give him a special gift because of walking in a life of righteousness. When you put yourself in his shoes, you become quickly aware that his life had turned upside down. His wonderful betrothed wife was pregnant. How could he go through the festivals of righteousness and face others? No one would blame him for divorcing his wife since he was not involved… We do not know how long he deliberated his decision.
Joseph was pondering the problem one night and went to sleep. An angel appeared to him in a dream (Matt 1:20-23). The angel informed Joseph that Mary was with Child by the hand of the Holy Spirit. His name would be Salvation (Jesus, Yeshua). His job would be to save people from their sins. Isaiah had prophesied that a virgin would have a child, His name would be Immanuel. Which translated means “God with us” (Matt 1:23; Isa 7:14-15).
There is no record of Joseph questioning the angel, debating the problem, or seeking counsel of any kind. Joseph understood that the message was from God. Joseph recognized the truth in the message. Joseph acted on the message. His answer was simple. He believed God rather than the rumors of man.
Hebrew marriages were initiated with the betrothal period. At this time they were legally married. The husband did not collect the wife to consummate the marriage until he had a house built. Then they started dwelling together as husband and wife. We see a unique thing take place in Joseph’s life.
He took Mary to be his wife immediately. It appears that the wedding feast and other associated ceremonies were either insignificant to the story or skipped altogether. I believe that Joseph took Mary as his wife immediately. He sought to minimize the disgrace that she was facing by bringing her into his home. He was not going to allow His wife to suffer wagging tongues any longer. The final six months of her pregnancy was spent in his house as his wife. Joseph was a man who stood above the rest. He acted upon God’s crazy revelation and moved on what he believed to be true. Joseph was a man who took God’s word and acted upon it. Joseph was a true man of faith.
Joseph kept his wife a virgin until she bore the child. I can only imagine that Joseph lived his life in awe that God had gotten his wife pregnant (Matt 1:25). Was this verified? We do not know if Joseph sought help when the baby was born or delivered the Son himself. I tend to lean toward help being given to Joseph as his wife delivered the child. This person verified that Mary was certainly a virgin when the child was born. It was a significant enough fact that Matthew recorded the detail of her virginity till birth in his Gospel. Joseph agreed to name the Child “Salvation”, or as it has been transliterated “Jesus”. Hebrew for the name of Yeshua.
December 21, 2018
Luke 2:1-20
I encourage you to read through the passage. I am going to make a few comments, and leave reading the story up to you.
Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem because of the census of Quirinius. Records of this census have been lost. No Roman records of the census have been found. The records that are available do not seem to fit the Luke narrative.
Matthew indicated that Joseph took Mary as his wife, we see a little more information in Luke. The marriage had not been consummated yet. Mary was still considered to be his betrothed wife (Luke 2:5). The marriage between Mary and Joseph was not valid until they consummated the marriage. It is believed that due to some of the sensitive information that Luke shares in his Gospel, much of it was derived from interviewing people. When he interviewed Mary, he understood that she was still considered to be betrothed at the time of the census.
Often in the story of the birth of Jesus we see Mary riding a donkey and Joseph walking along with her. They do not have any luggage! Imagine that. Mary was full-term traveling on a donkey and they did not take any supplies? Joseph was a carpenter. He most likely had a cart and a donkey. I am certain that they took supplies along in case the birth happened in route. Most nativity scenes make the birth look like a surprise.
We established earlier that the birth most likely took place during Sukkot or the Feast of Booths. This utilizes the festival to draw a different meaning on it. Sukkot was a time where the Jewish people both remembered the giving of Torah and celebrated the journey from Egypt. Living in tents brought to mind living in temporary shelters as they traveled across the desert.
Jesus was celebrating the feast of Booths (Sukkot) when He made a revealing statement (John 7:2). John recorded:
John 7:28–29 (NET)
28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You both know me and know where I come from! And I have not come on my own initiative, but the one who sent me is true. You do not know him,29 but I know him, because I have come from him and he sent me.”
If you read the passage with the idea that Jesus’ birthday was taking place at the same time, the statements that He makes about Himself take on a deeper meaning. He speaks of being sent from the Father to do the will of the Father (John 7:16-17). Then keeping with the festival, He teaches that Moses gave Torah, and condemned the crowd for not following Torah.
During the Millennial Reign, those nations who refuse or neglect to take part in the Feast of Booths will have dire consequences. They will suffer drought and plague (Zech 14:16-21). Why is this festival so important? Why is it associated with the birth of Jesus the Messiah? Let’s look at it for a brief moment.
Jesus was born in a stable. This was a temporary dwelling. He was laid in a manger which was a temporary bed. This is where things get very interesting. The shepherds who were in the fields responded to the message of the angels as they declared that the Savior and Messiah has been born. Sukkot is a time where Torah is revealed, revisited, and pondered over. Torah is essentially “born” again as the people embrace it and often read through the Torah during this season by biblical instructions.
Jesus, who is God, took up temporary residence on Earth during the feast of booths (Sukkot). He actually set up tabernacle among men. Living as a man and ministering as a man. This temporary life started during the feast of Booths. It fits the festival. We discussed the eighth day of the festival earlier. It stands to reason that He was circumcised on the eight day of the festival. This fulfills that festival as well. It symbolized that the way that God deals with man has suddenly changed. Instead of a list of instructions which are passed from man to man. God deals with man in a new way. God deals directly with man writing Torah directly on their hearts (Jer 31:31-34).
One last thought on this section. Mary and Joseph were not allowed to stay in the Inn. We do not have any indication that anyone else is treated in this manner. One possible reason for this was the stigma that went along with Mary being pregnant before their wedding was completed. The scriptures indicate that it was well-known that Jesus was not Joseph’s son (John 8:41). The harsh reaction of Jesus to their statement validates the accusation of fornication. The inn keepers did not want an unmarried couple who was involved in fornication to stay in their inn.
Virgin Mary?
The scriptures do not record the marriage ceremony between Mary and Joseph. The result of the marriage is later found out with Jesus having several brothers and sisters. His half-brothers and sisters were listed in the scriptures as Jacob (James), Joses, Judas, Simon and Salome (Mark 6:3; 15:40, 47; Matt 13:56; 16:1). Only one of his sisters is named. This is important because consummation or completion of the marriage vows involved having sexual intercourse. I make note of this to dispel the fable that Mary was a perpetual virgin. This doctrine was born by Epiphanius in the forth century.
Mary stayed a virgin until the birth of Jesus. Once the marriage was consummated, she was no longer the “virgin” Mary. She is still considered to be his betrothed wife at the census, so until that time it is clear that Joseph did not complete the marriage vows. I believe that according to the Matthew passage, he took Mary into his house for the appearance of marriage. He then waited until after the birth of Jesus to consummate and finalize his marriage vows.
The scriptures dispel this fable by referring to Jesus as the “firstborn” son (Luke 2:7). If there were no other children, Jesus would have only been referred to as her “son”. Since there were other children, He was the “firstborn”. The argument sounds silly, but it has a profound impact on many fables that are circulated today.
December 23, 2018
Circumcision at Simchat Torah: Luke 2:21
There are very few people who acknowledge these two witnesses. Their testimony is very significant for two reasons. First, it was given on Simchat Torah, the eighth day of Sukkot. Jesus did not receive His name officially until the circumcision on the eighth day (Luke 2:21). Secondly, it was personalized prophecy that spoke of Yeshua as the Messiah.
We discussed that Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day of Sukkot (Feast of Booths). This day was significant because it was the day of restarting Torah readings. It was a day when the old Torah readings were completed and the new Torah readings began. The Jewish people have a long standing tradition of studying through Torah. Each week there is a reading given which allows the Jews to read through Torah in a single year. This is called a “parashat”. This tradition continues today.
We spoke of this a few times in this short study. Yeshua (Jesus) stands for the written Torah reaching its fullest effectiveness. This is made fully effective through the impartation of the living Torah through Yeshua Himself. The Word (torah) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
Luke 2:22-24 Consecration of the firstborn and cleansing of Mary.
These verses took place at least forty days after birth (Lev 12:1-4). This was the length of time that was devoted to purification of the woman. The firstborn male had to be redeemed according to Torah. Traditionally this is at thirty days of age. This was to recognize that the firstborn male belonged to the Lord (Ex 13:2-16). The firstborn male was to be redeemed for five shekels at one month of age (Num 18:16). Joseph and Mary delayed the redemption until her purification period ended.
We are given a little insight into the financial standing of Mary and Joseph in this passage. Joseph was a carpenter, but apparently not a wealthy carpenter. Those who were wealthy were to offer a lamb when the child becomes circumcised. Joseph and Mary could only afford two turtledoves (Lev 12:8). The offer of the sacrifice was not for the child! This sacrifice was for the uncleanness and sin of the woman. This is another fable killer for those who believe that Mary was sinless. One turtle dove was for the ritual uncleanness, and the second one was for a sin offering. If Mary was sinless, she would only have to offer one turtledove.
Simeon: Luke 2:25-35
Simeon was a righteous man and devout. This statement simply meant that he was Torah observant. Simeon lived according to the instructions found in Torah to the best of his ability. His declaration was powerful. It stated that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah (Christ) and validated this by referring to the theme of Isaiah (Isaiah 40-66). His statement indicated that Yeshua was the very consolation of Israel. The promised salvation that was to come to Jew and Gentile (Luke 2:31-32; Isa 40:1; 49:13; 52:9)[1]
He prophesied regarding not only who Jesus was as a man. He also prophesied concerning the impact of his life through all time. Simeon speaks of the office of the Messiah. The “fall and rise” is poorly worded. It should be the “fall and resurrection” (Luke 2:34). Falling is metaphorical for two things. It could mean the demise or failure of someone. Secondly it is a Jewish way of saying to fall down in worship. Yeshua then will be worshipped by the Jew and Gentile. He will also be responsible for the resurrection of many.
Anna: Luke 2:36-39
We are not given a lot of information about Anna. She is a prophetess from the lost tribe of Asher. The significance of her prophecy is huge. Yeshua was being redeemed as a firstborn son at this time. Anna stated that He was the redemption of Jerusalem. Since she was from the lost tribes, her prophecy carried a larger significance that looked to the ultimate redemption of all men.
Two years later: Arrival of the Wise Men: Matt 2:1-12
Rather than re-invent the wheel, I am going to give a link again: https://eztorah.com/matthew-2/. I did a detailed study on the wise men. They are not who you think they are. They also arrived two years after Yeshua was born at the “house” of Mary and Joseph. Their arrival caused quite a stir with Herod. Their gifts financed a sudden and unexpected flight to Egypt. This study is worth reading. It develops the drama of the early years of Jesus.
Thank you for reading and considering my random thoughts on the Birth of Jesus. As you can see from the body of the discussion the “Christmas Story” botches up the real story. The real story of the Messiah is laced with intrigue and constant danger. It is also built and centered around the feast and festivals of the Jews. I do not believe we can truly understand the significance of the Birth of Jesus unless we understand the way that the festivals work.
His story is built to communicate the redemption and salvation of mankind. Every aspect of His life was built around making the instructions of God easy for everyone to have in their lives. He was the torah (instructions of God) who became flesh and lived among us (John 1). Now, He continues to live in the body of flesh waiting for His second coming.
Thanks for reading.
Joe Turner.
[1] Thanks to David Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary for notes on these verses.
[1] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Lk 1:7.
[2] John A. Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 203.
conj (conjunction, conjunctive)
[3] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).
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