From John’s Conception to the Birth of Jesus the Christ
Dearly beloved of God, let’s briefly review the order of events concerning John's conception to the birth of Jesus, the Christ, God’s only begotten Son. They are documented in Luke 1, Matthew 1, and Luke 2. The Scriptures build up to give us a complete record of these events.
In May of 4 B.C. Zacharias, of the course of Abia, served in the Temple, and the angel Gabriel appeared to him, and told him that Elizabeth would have a son.
Zacharias finished his course of service in the Temple the end of May, and he returned to his home in Judea.
In early June after he returned home, barren Elizabeth conceived in her old age.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, which is December on our calendar, Gabriel appeared to Mary, and she conceived by divine conception. Luke 1:26 reveals the timing of this event, and 1:36 confirms it a second time.
Mary hastily left her home in Nazareth in Galilee, and traveled to Judea to visit Elizabeth her cousin [kinswoman,] and she abode with her for three months. Three months from December is March.
Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist in March of 3 B.C.
Mary and Joseph complete their wedding ceremony, and the time for them to come together arrived.
Before Mary and Joseph came together to consummate their marriage by having sexual intercourse, Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant by divine conception. She was more than three months pregnant.
The angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph and told him to take unto him Mary his wife, which means to have intercourse with her, and consummate their marriage because that which was conceived in her was of God; so he did.
The registration by Caesar Augustus, which was empire wide, required everyone to return to their home to enroll in this registration to show their allegiance to Augustus. This registration was the first registration Cyrenius (Quirinius) oversaw while on special assignment in Syria. He oversaw a second one in 6/7 A.D.
Both Joseph and Mary were of the house and linage of David so they left Nazareth of Galilee and traveled to the city of David in Judea, which is called Bethlehem.
While they were in Bethlehem Mary gave birth to Jesus, her firstborn son, and God’s only begotten Son.
Since Mary conceived in December of 4 B.C., she gave birth to Jesus nine months later in September of 3 B. C. She wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger in the rear of the inn because there were not any rooms available to them when they arrived in Bethlehem.
There were shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night. Farmers would hire shepherds to bring their flocks into their fields and fertilize them with their manure. Shepherds only performed this service of manuring farmer’s fields after the harvest in late summer or early fall.
The angel of the LORD stood by the shepherds, and the glory of the LORD shone round about them, and suddenly the evening became brilliantly bright.
God invited these shepherds to the swaddling ceremony of His only begotten Son, the Savior, Christ the Lord. He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. The shepherds arrived during the brief swaddling ceremony of the newly born baby.