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Before the name “Christmas” was invented, December 25th was celebrated as “The Great Miracle”. But they were not celebrating the birth of JESUS. The one thing about the First Corning of our Messiah that is not miraculous was His birth. His birth was just like yours and mine. What our forefathers were celebrating was the Great Miracle of His Conception, which was not a bit like mine or yours! So the first riddle to unscramble is the “nine-months-out” one.
But surely, we celebrate the Lord's conception on March 25th, calling it the “Annunciation” because of Gabriel’s announcement to Mary. Yes, traditionally we do, which raises the question, ‘who is right? Us or Them?’
The answer can be detected in Dr. Luke's book. He is the Sherlock Holmes of the Gospel, having “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” so as to give us “an orderly account” —Luke 1:3.
There’s nothing like starting at the beginning, so he investigates the Reverend Zechariah’s run-in with the archangel Gabriel. Straightway he discovers a date — very useful things, dates. As one of many priests in those days, you might only get one shot at ministering in the Temple. Each year you would wonder if your name would come up. The only thing you knew for certain was the fortnight in the year when your “division” was on call.
It was King David who ordered the organizing of the priests into twenty-four fortnightly tours of duty, according to their family-groups, through the months of the Jewish Year (1.Chron. 24:6-19). Zechariah was of the 8th Division of Abijah —Luke 1:5, and according to the Jewish calendar this falls in the month of “Tammuz”. By our calendar this is around the end of June and beginning of July.
So it was that the LORD GOD made His first move to fulfill His promise to save us, and here we discover something wonderful. The name Zechariah means “to remember” and his wife’s name, Elizabeth, means “God’s Promise” --their joined names: “God remembers His Promise”! Alleluia!
You know the story of Zechariah being struck dumb in the middle of Evensong —Luke 1:8-22. You don’t argue with archangels, you say “Yes, sir.” Gabriel had told this old man to go home and have a word with his wife and start a baby, at their time of life an act of faith and a daunting prospect!
So now we have our first date-clue: Elizabeth became pregnant with John-the-Baptist sometime in July that year! Then Dr. Luke tells us that when she was six months pregnant, Gabriel visits Mary with the offer of the ultimate Spiritual Gift, to conceive, carry and give birth to JESUS, the SON OF GOD.
Already we have another all-important date —that it was December, according to our calendar, when Elizabeth was “in her sixth month”, when JESUS was conceived —Luke 1 :26-38. This tells us that the birth of JESUS was at the end of September, during the Jewish Feast of “Tabernacles”.
Now here is another of those wonderful things: according to the Prophet Zechariah (same name, different bloke, happy coincidence!) the LORD’s Second Coming also seems to be at the Feast of Tabernacles, and will be celebrated thereafter, every year, at that Feast —Zechariah chapter 14.
But we must return to Bethlehem and do some sleuthing. Luke immediately gets into the story-line, but Matthew, whose Gospel was always set first in the New Testament, appears to be incredibly boring. He begins with one of those family-trees which we are tempted to think could have been left out. How wrong we are to think so.
There are two clues in Matthew’s list that are vital for Christians in any generation to know. First, it was outrageous of him to include women’s names -- not done in Jewish practice. But when you realize that all were Gentiles, of whom the first was guilty of incest, the second a prostitute, the third a decent lass but a Gentile nonetheless, and the fourth the unmentionable Bathsheba! -- then you begin to see that Matthew was stirring the pot. He is warning that this family-tree is a nonstarter.
The clincher comes in verses 11 and 12, with the mention of King Jeconiah, also known as Coniah and Jehoiachin; probably the wickedest king Israel had. If you take your magnifying- glass and scrutinize Jeremiah 22:24-30, you will discover that none of this wretched king’s descendants would be allowed to succeed to the throne of David. Now the Messiah must be “of David’s line.” What Matthew is doing is proving the Virgin Birth: that Joseph could not have been the father of JESUS, the Messiah —for this is Joseph’s family tree. Joseph himself adds his personal testimony to the virginity of Mary, and that he was not the father of JESUS. Say ‘thank You’ for Joseph. Luke’s family-tree is Mary’s line, which is A-OK —Luke 3:23-38.
There is an easily missed clue in what the angels said to the shepherds, “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Our God speaks clearly and very often confirms His word. So, it’s not every day that you find a baby lying in an animals’ feeding-trough. That alone would have done it for those shepherds. Where do you find a manger in a town? In a stable, of course. So check the stables first. But just in case there should be another baby lying in a manger in Bethlehem, the LORD provides a second clue: “ wrapped in cloths..”
That we are up against here is the old ‘‘chicken or egg” question. The great King James version says, “wrapped in swaddling-clothes.” Now almost all cultures wrap-up babies in cloths of some kind, both for warmth and to simulate the sense of security they have had in the womb. “Swaddling-clothes,” therefore, have become identified in English with ‘what you wrap a newborn baby in’. But there’s something wrong here!
The angels said that “a baby wrapped in cloths” was part of the sign to enable the shepherds to identify the Messiah. It would hardly have been a sign if JESUS had been wrapped-up in the usual way. So, my dear Watson, it follows that “wrapped in cloths” means something unusual!
Christian Jewish scholars are often more familiar with the expressions current in the days of the First Coming. The Greek expression used is “having been swathed.” Actually, we hardly need the scholars, we have another ancient English term which says it all, “winding-sheets.” Before the days of undertakers, families usually kept some strips of linen with which to wrap those who had died for burial. What the shepherds were looking for was a baby in a shroud!
If this sounds too bizarre, consider: “No room at the inn;” sudden birth in a stable; and all kinds of help required, including something to wrap the baby in. It makes sense to realize that the innkeepers would have some winding-sheets available “just in case!” Whatever the cloths were like in those days, they were clearly distinctive enough for those shepherds to know that this was the baby they had been told about. Not only was his cradle unusual, but his wrappings were notably different.
What is God up to in all this? By the stable and manger He is prophesying the rejection of His SON; and by the winding-cloths His death. As T.S.Elliot puts into the mouth of Thomas Becket, in “Murder in the Cathedral” —“The Cross is never far from Christmas Day!” Becket was murdered on December 29th.
Our detective-story has another truth to uncover. The ‘traditional Christmas’ wants everyone on stage! Winged- angels, even though they don’t have any!, numerous animals, the Holy Family of course, the shepherds, complete with a Welsh sheepdog, and those Wise Men, who actually arrived at least a year later. It is the timing of the Wise Men’s visit that is the clue as to what year Christ was born, and we are greatly aided here by the renowned historian of those times, Josephus.
Herod the Great (so-called for rebuilding the Temple) died in 4 BC The decree for the census, which brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, was issued in 8 BC Jospehus records two vital facts: during the year 8 BC Herod was away fighting a war; and for a year before he died, 5 BC, he had left Jerusalem and remained at his home in Jericho.
The Wise Men (astrologers) visited Herod in Jerusalem when JESUS was a child. The Greek word used for “child” indicates a toddler, not an infant, so we are looking at about 15 months after His birth. When you piece all these together we can date the birth of JESUS in 7 BC, and the visit of the Wise Men at the end of 6 BC, or the beginning of 5 BC, with reasonable accuracy.
Perhaps the most fascinating Christmas detective story concerns the identity of these Astrologers, as the Bible describes them. It is a real pity that we have ignored the Scriptures and settled for the fiction that one was African, one was Chinese and the third European. So rally round, you Sherlocks, and be amazed!
First, how many were there? Answer: we don’t know. At least two, could be many more. We imagine three because of the three gifts. Despite the stories which tell of “Caspar, Melchior and Balthazzar” etc., we don’t know their names. So what do we know about them?
They came from the “east” and, as we shall see, this means Iraq, or Babylon as it was then. They came because they “saw a great light”— which is a better translation than “star”. Why can we say that? Because neither stars, planets, asteroids nor comets behave like this “great light” did. Our planet-earth would have been in deep trouble if it had been one of those! In any case we have already been told about this “great light”. It had appeared to the shepherds, where it is described as “the glory of the LORD.” The Bible is full of references to this “glory”. It is known as the “Shekinah-Glory” — the visible Presence of God dwelling with His people. The best known examples are the “burning bush” and the “pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night”; and from the Gospel “JESUS was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light!” Such a Great Light can move around and even appear over a house, as it did for our Wise Men.
So we find a group of astrologers in Babylon seeing this Light in the direction of Jerusalem, at the time of Christ’s birth. Then, about fifteen months later, they arrive in Jerusalem, and ask, “Where is the One who has been born ‘King of the Jews’?” This faces us with three questions: Why are Babylonian astrologers concerned with the birth of a Jewish King? Why do they associate this event with the Light they have seen? And where are they getting their information from?
If you give this a little thought, you will probably remember that the Jews had spent seventy years in exile in Babylon, about 500 years before. Also, we have a Book in the Bible that was written in Babylon at that time, the Book of Daniel. We know that Daniel and his companions were forced to associate with the School of Babylonian Astrology, though they never compromised their own faith in the God of Israel. Astrology was the sort-of-religion practiced in Babylon, and had been for centuries.
Daniel, by interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, was able to save the lives of those astrologers who had been unable to do so. He and his companions became highly esteemed in Babylon. We know that God thinks of everything: so when we learn that the Book of Daniel was written in Aramaic, instead of Hebrew, so that the Babylonian astrologers could read it, then we know that God is up to something! We can be sure that the Book of Daniel was kept among their sacred writings.
In Daniel chapter 9:20-24 the Coming of the Messiah is prophesied for 490 years hence. Being astrologers, with a great love of numbers, they would have been half-expecting something to happen. But why were they so sure that the Bright Light was the sign to look for?
The Babylonian astrologers had information about this Light in their ancient records —just as the Jews had in the Old Testament. Come, detectives-all, to the Book of Numbers and the days of Israel’s desert-wanderings. Do you recall that the King of Moab wanted to do the dirty on Israel? He knew of an astrologer-cum-prophet of great reputation, a certain “Balaam, son of Beor.” He must have been well known, far and wide, because in the Book of Numbers, chapter 22:5, we are told that he lived at Pethor, near the River Euphrates in Babylon! The king of Moab sent all that way for him to come and curse Israel. We remember the story of how God prevented Balaam from doing this, even though he wanted the money! God revealed to him that Israel was a Chosen People with a particular destiny. The story is traced in Numbers, chapters 22 to 24. In 24:17-19 Balaam utters these momentous words,
“I see Him — but not now!
I behold Him — but not near!
A star will come out of Jacob;
A sceptre will arise out of Israel.
A ruler will come out of Jacob..”
I wonder how long it took them to discover the clues and put the pieces together. But when they had, they set out to discover what the God of Israel — acknowledged by Balaam; the God of Daniel — had planned for them.
Keeping our Sherlock Holmes’ deerstalker hat firmly on our heads, ask yourselves what kind of ‘arrival’ in Jerusalem could have stirred-up so much concern: “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” It is only one opinion, but I believe that it must have been a whole company of senior astrologers, probably with a Babylonian dignitary and a caravan of servants, that descended on Jerusalem and put a cat among the pigeons!
A word about Herod: he should be called Herod-the-Paranoid! He was convinced that someone was out to get him. Various historical records reveal that this led him to kill his favourite wife, Meriomni, and no fewer than four of his sons! Caesar Augustus joked about him and said, “It is safer to be Herod’s pig than his son!” Little wonder that he ordered the slaughter of all the boys up to two years old in the whole Bethlehem area. This also tells us how long before it had been that the astrologers and seen the Great Light.
So we have the answer to the question, why did Joseph and Mary stay so long in Bethlehem instead of getting back to Nazareth? Allowing that the census business would probably take ages to deal with, surely the LORD was ensuring that they were in the south and on the route to Egypt — providing for their getaway. In the meantime Joseph, as we would expect, had rented a house for them, and it was there, led by the Glory-Light, that the astrologers found them.
There is something heart-stopping about the picture of that little Boy tottering towards those gifts — handling the gold that would pay for their years in Egypt, the incense of priesthood, and the myrrh of death.
So has it been worth it, this detective journey to the truths about Christmas? Knowing this, is there anything we should do? Ought we to embrace a new calendar, and leave the world to its Father Christmas extravaganza, its sentimental children’s festival that gives presents, but fails to understand their meaning, a festival which has no cross and has no crown?
8 BC July, say the 25th Zechariah & Elizabeth conceive John-the-Baptist;
8 BC December 25th Mary conceives JESUS by the HOLY SPIRIT “The Great Miracle” celebrated by the early Church;
7 BC March, say 25th John-the-Baptist is born and Zechariah is healed;
7 BC September say 25th JESUS is born in Bethlehem during the Feast of Tabernacles;
5 BC January 6th The Astrologers arrive in Jerusalem, and enquire about the birthplace of the Messiah; they visit the Child Messiah and offer their gifts; this is the Feast of Epiphany, ”The Light of Christ”.
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