Where Was Jesus Born in the Ancient World?

Snapshot: 

  • Jesus was born in Bethlehem (currently West Bank of Palestine)
  • Birth year is 5 or 6 BC
  • Jesus is from the lineage of King David which fulfills Old Testament Scripture. 
  • Joseph and Mary are his parents. 

 

When was Jesus born and why in Bethlehem? Jesus was born in 5 or 6 BCE under his parents Mary and Joseph. Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph but before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:18-25). Joseph planned on divorcing Mary quietly after she gave birth to the child as he believed, at first, that she was unfaithful. An angel arrived and informed Joseph that the baby is from God and Joseph decides to stay with Mary. Because of a census during the time of the Roman emperor Augustus, Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem where she gave birth in a manger (Luke 2:1-7). Joseph was a descendant of King David and the ancient home of David was Bethlehem. According to Micah, Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah (Micah 5:2) and thus prophecy was fulfilled. Joseph and Mary were living in Nazareth, to the North, and traveled to Bethlehem for the Census. If one looks on the map below, Bethlehem is close to Jerusalem which makes Jesus’s circumcision easily accessible as that happened in Jerusalem when he was 8 days old. The second photo is zoomed out for one to see where this all fits in the larger territory. 

Copyright Faithlife / Logos Bible Software (https://www.logos.com)
Copyright Faithlife / Logos Bible Software (https://www.logos.com)

So What Now?

What life circumstances are you in that God is trying to work through? Write a journal or phone reminder of how God has worked in the past through your life circumstances. Reflect on how God used others to direct the birth of Jesus. How is God using others to potentially direct you? Reflect on what it means that Jesus is the Son of David and what does it teach us about Jesus?