seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Merry Christmas....Only.... can I just post that I did some research and Jesus must have been born in March or April instead of December based on the fact, stated here, that the shepherds were in the fields with the flocks.
Elizabeth got pregnant; the timeline started. Mary didn't get pregnant until Elizabeth was already about 5 months. If Elizabeth got pregnant in late March or early April, John would have been born in late November or early December. If Mary was newly pregnant when Elizabeth was 5 months along, then Mary's baby would have been born about four months after Elizabeth, putting the date for the birth of Jesus sometime around late March or early April.
After the crop was harvested, poor people were allowed to harvest whatever was left behind. In the Book of Ruth we learned that farmers left part of the crop for them to harvest. After the crop was gleaned by the poor, then it had to be made ready for planting again. They didn't have John Deere tractors to till the land. They had sheep. After the gleaning, the shepherds would bring in the sheep to clean the field and fertilize it for the new growing season. Then when the sheep ate all the debris and fertilized the land, the new crop was planted, and it would start all over again.
Most of the pictures we have of the shepherds are also doctored. It was the kids who watched the sheep out in the field. Remember when David was about to be anointed? The older brothers were at home, the kid, David, was out watching the sheep. It was not a hard job. They just had to keep the sheep in the field. The dogs kept the wolves at bay.
The three kings haven't visited Jesus yet, so they aren't part of the manger story. I think everyone agrees with that now. I can remember when you would have been run out of Sunday School for questioning the appearance of the three kings at the manger that night.
Consider this. John was born in the dead of winter, a light to shine the way. Jesus was born in the spring when the ground was fertilized and ready for a new harvest.
Merry Christmas!
