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Messiah's Incarnation

A Different Christmas Story

Introduction

When we think of the incarnation of Jesus, our Messiah, we typically think of Him being born in Bethlehem in a barn and being laid in feeding trough for animals(manger) wrapped in swaddling clothes(strips of cloth).

Questions:

  1. What does "incarnation" mean? Answer: It was the moment at which the "only-born Son of God( Jn1:14;3:16 )" became human, the "son of man" - a phrase Jesus used many times, in reference to Himself.
  2. Was Messiah's incarnation at His birth or at His conception? Answer: Human life begins at conception, according to the following texts =>
    1. Jehovah said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” ( Jeremiah 1:5 )
    2. Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit;
    3. A list of these and other similar texts, supporting the idea of human life beginning at conception => Genesis 25:22-23; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah1:5; Psalm139:13-16; Luke1:41-44; Exodus21:22-25

This study is a mainly focused on the incarnation of our Messiah, which would have been about 9 months prior to His birth. We also consider the Christmas holiday and it's connection.

Jesus - Light of the World

John 1:1-14 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. ... 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. ... 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ... 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

The Feast of Lights

This feast or festival, as it is also referred to, is commonly known as Hanukkah, which is a celebration of the successful Maccabean revolt, which gave Israel freedom from the oppression of Greece in 164 BC. More about that later in this study... I also have a study about the events leading up to 164 BC => https://sidnash.org/docs/2300Days.html

There are similarities between Christmas and Hanukkah:

  1. Both come on the 25th day of the month:
    • Christmas on the 25th day of the month of December
    • Hanukkah on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar
  2. Sometimes, the 8 days of Hanukkah overlap with Dec 25, as it does this year (2025).

But, what does the Feast of Lights have to do with Jesus as the Light of the World? More about that later in this study...

When was Jesus Incarnated as the Light?

I don't think it possible that we can pin-point the exact day that Jesus was conceived as a human. However, we do have evidence as to the approximate time, based on the Bible and historical evidence.

Here is the first clue to the timing of the incarnation: From the following passage, we see that Jesus was conceived six months after John the Baptist was conceived of Zacharias and Elisabeth:

So, How does Jesus being born six months after John help us to know the date that Jesus was conceived? For a detailed understanding, see this article on the Abide Network by Richard M. Davidson. But, I will attempt to summarize...

From Luke 1:1-80, and 1 Chronicles 24:1-31, with additional evidence from other Jewish writings, we can see at what time of the year Zechariah was serving in the temple and when he would have gone back home to his wife Elisabeth which is likely the time that John the Baptist was conceived. This, according to Davidson's research, was likely "toward the end of June". Further details can be found by clicking on the link above.

Since we have already seen from Luke 1 that Jesus was conceived 6 months after John, that would mean that Jesus was conceived toward the end of December. And that is Christmastime! And it aligns with Hanukkah!

The Light - Hanukkah Connection

Quoting from Davidson:

"Long before it became a Roman pagan winter-solstice festival in the first century AD, Christmas time already constituted a well-established Hebrew holiday: the Feast of Lights, otherwise known as Hanukkah (“Dedication”). On the 25th day of the Jewish month Chislev, the darkest day of the calendar year, in the year 168/7 BC, the Selucid king Antiochus Epiphanes (the “Illustrious,” but nick-named “Epimanes”–the “Madman”) conquered Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple, stopping the regular ceremonies and offering swine’s flesh on the altar of burnt offering, and sprinkled its blood in the Most Holy Place. But exactly three years later, on the 25 th of Chislev in 165/4 BC, Judas Maccabees (“The Hammer”), having won a stunning victory over the much larger Selucid army, came to Jerusalem, and reconsecrated the Temple, restoring the services of the holy place (See 1 Macc 4).

In that year, 165/4 BC, on the darkest day of the year (25 Chislev), at the darkest time of Jewish history, came the Miracle of the Light. As the story goes, only one bottle of the consecrated lamp oil was found to light the Temple Menorah, and the oil from this one bottle, which normally lasted only a single day, continued to burn for eight days until more oil could be manufactured and consecrated. Hence, the Feast of Hanukkah (Dedication) also became known as the Feast of Lights."

More from Davidson => "Some 160 years later, at the darkest time of human history, and at this very same time of year, probably during the Feast of lights, came the Greatest Miracle of Light. Picture it: in the words of Psalm 40:6-8, as [exponded on] in Hebrews 10, the pre-existent Christ, ... calls out from His heavenly abode, just as He is about to “come into the world” ( Heb 10:5 ): “Lo, I come!” And ... He who had created countless galaxies and nebulae, becomes flesh, a single cell in Mary’s womb, the light of the world! John 1:9,14 captures this light connection, by indicating that the One coming into the World, the One becoming flesh, was the Light of the World."

Jesus speaking of His incarnation => John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes on me should not abide in darkness.

The Hanukkah - Christmas Connection

"We can calculate the exact date in our calendar when the temple was rededicated on the 25 th day of Chislev in 165 BC. it was December 24—Christmas eve!

Furthermore, in the year 5/4 BC, the most probable year for Jesus’ incarnation, the first day of Hanukkah (when calculated according to the astronomical new moon that month), came exactly on December 25! Hence in the year of Jesus’ incarnation, Hanukkah and December 25 precisely converge on the same day! This rarely happens in the Hebrew calendar" (ibid)

Conclusion

Let us invite the Light of the world to dispel the shadows and bring spiritual Light and life into our homes today.

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light;
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.




Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah ( Deut8:3; Matt4:4 )


-Sid Nash: 12/20/2025. Latest version: https://sidnash.org/docs/MessiahIncarnation.html