The birth of the Lord Jesus was a supernatural event. To deny this is to deny the virgin birth. The star that led the wise men to Mary, Joseph and Jesus has been explained by various natural methods; stars, comets, convergence of stars, et cetera. The dates of these natural events never seem to quite fit the facts that we are given.

Because of incomplete information when it was made, our calendar is a few years off. I personally believe that the “star” the wise men saw was also supernatural, and I believe it appeared about 5 B.C. Following are some reasons why.

On his deathbed, Jacob gave a prophecy about the Messiah. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. . .” (Genesis 49:10) “Shiloh” (Strong’s H7886) is interpreted as tranquility or peace. Some believe that it speaks of the Prince of Peace. All agree that Shiloh is another name for the Messiah. Even wicked Balaam prophesied about “a scepter out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17)

The only narrative in the life of Jesus before He began His ministry is the occasion when Mary and Joseph “lost” Him during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. (Luke 2:41-49) We know that He was twelve years old at the time. There is an interesting coincidental event that occurred in 7 A.D. The Romans, fed up with Jewish rebellion, eliminated the authority of capital punishment from the Sanhedrin. The Talmud reports that the Jewish leaders were distraught because the “scepter” that had been given to them was taken away, and the Messiah had not come. If Jesus was born in 5 B.C., then He was in the Temple in 7 A.D. to claim the figurative Messianic scepter.

Jesus began His ministry at age thirty. (Luke 3:23) It is believed that Jesus began during the Fall Feasts. At the time of the following Passover Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it again.” The Jews replied that the Temple had been under construction for forty-six years. (John 2:19-21) History tells us that Herod began the remodeling of the Temple in 20 B.C. That would make the date of this passage the spring of 26 A.D. If Jesus was born in 5 B.C., that means that Jesus began His ministry in the fall of 25 A.D.

All of the above would make the date of the Crucifixion of Jesus to be Passover 29 A.D. Our Gregorian Calendar is clearly off. The date that the Romans revoked the Jewish authority of capital punishment could be off by a year, or more. The date when Herod began remodeling the Temple, as given by history, could be a year off. Therefore, my dating could be off, but the glorious fact remains; Jesus, God in the form of man, came to this world to bring us Salvation. His name, in Hebrew, means salvation. Praise His name!

Praise the Lord for His wonderful plan, which was in place before the formation of this world! (First Peter 1:20) Praise Him, always and ever!