“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7
When I was a little boy, my mom would bake a birthday cake for Jesus. At Christmas, we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and have cake and ice cream to celebrate his birth. It was a fun tradition and memory, but as I got older and became a Christian, I learned that we really do not know when Jesus was born.
The Bible does not clearly tell us when Jesus was born. In Luke 2, the birth story of Jesus simply says that, at the time of Jesus’ birth, the flocks were in the fields. This likely means that Jesus was not born in December. Why? That time of year experiences a lot of rain and cold, which would cause a shepherd to keep their flock safe, and warm, and not roaming in the open fields. Those who defend the Christmas date as the potential time of Jesus’ birth respond by saying that there are often weeks during the winter when the weather warms up and allows sheep to roam freely in the fields.
Arguments against Jesus being born in December are many.
One, during the winter months, many roads are impassable, which would mean that the government would be unlikely to require citizens to travel to their city of family origin to register for a census at that time due to potential danger.
Two, the December 25th date for celebrating Jesus’ birthday is connected to the pagan Roman holiday of Saturnalia. History Magazine says, “Saturnalia, held in mid-December, is an ancient Roman pagan festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn. Because of when the holiday occurred—near the winter solstice—Saturnalia celebrations are the source of many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas, such as wreaths, candles, feasting, and gift-giving…” (1)
During the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine (A.D. 306-337), Christianity became legalized and supported. It seems that, during this time, Christians began celebrating Jesus’ birth during their days off to redeem the unholy day into a holiday. However, without a clear date for Jesus’ birth, it seems the early church simply took the opportunity that the pagan feast of Saturnalia provided. The feast celebrated the return of the sun after weeks of ever-increasing darkness, which parallels the biblical metaphor of Jesus illuminating our dark world. Furthermore, Saturnalia included the sharing of gifts, which correspond to the gifts given to Jesus by the Magi and the gift of salvation Jesus gives.
Even though we do not know the exact date of Jesus’ birth, we know that He was born and lived life alongside man. The exact date is a minute point compared to the plethora of evidence of Jesus’ time on earth through biblical prophecies being fulfilled and secular sources outside of the Bible confirming His life and miracles.
Take some time to praise and worship Jesus for humbly coming to earth to be among us and ultimately save us from our sins.
(1) https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/saturnalia
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