Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem when his parents, Mary and Joseph, lived in Nazareth (Luke 2:39)?
The main reason why Jesus' birth took place in Bethlehem was to fulfill the prophecy given by the minor prophet Micah. He affirmed: "And you, Bethlehem Efrathah, being at least among the thousands of Judah, he (Jesus) will come (born) to Me, who will become Sovereign in Israel ..." (Micah 5: 2, HBFV in all).

One of the most fascinating facts about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is the way in which God used the powerful but sometimes brutal Roman empire, combined with a Jewish fixation on his ancestors, to fulfill a 700-year-old prophecy!

Before leaving Nazareth for Bethlehem, Mary was betrothed but had not consummated her conjugal relationship with Joseph. The couple had to go to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem because of Roman tax policies.

The Roman Empire, from time to time, conducted a census not only to count people, but also to find out what they owned. It was decreed in the year Jesus was born (5 BC) that such a Roman tax census would be taken in Judea (Luke 2: 1 - 4) and the surrounding area.

This information, however, poses a question. Why didn't the Romans carry out their census where people lived in Judea and the surrounding area as they did for the rest of the Empire? Why did they ask Jesus' parents to travel more than 80 miles (about 129 kilometers) from Nazareth to Bethlehem?

For Jews, especially those who lived in the land after returning from Babylonian captivity, tribal identification and descent line were quite important.

In the New Testament we find the lineage of Jesus dating back not only to Abraham (in Matthew 1) but also to Adam (Luke 3). The apostle Paul even wrote about his lineage (Romans 11: 1). Jewish Pharisees Jews used their physical lineage to boast of how spiritually superior they thought they were compared to others (John 8:33 - 39, Matthew 3: 9).

Roman law, in reference to Jewish customs and prejudices (in addition to the desire to peacefully collect taxes from a subjugated people), established that any census in Palestine would be conducted on the basis of the city to which a person's ancestral family belonged. In the case of Joseph, since he traced his lineage to David, who was born in Bethlehem (1Samuel 17:12), he has had to go to the city for the census.

At what time of year did the Roman census take place that forced the family of Jesus to go to Bethlehem? Was it in the middle of winter as it is depicted in many Christmas scenes?

The faithful version of the Holy Bible offers interesting insights into the time when this trip to Bethlehem occurred. He states: “The decree on the taxation and census of Caesar Augustus was implemented according to the Jewish custom which required that these taxes be collected after the autumn harvest. Therefore, Luke's documentation of this taxation reveals that the birth of Jesus took place during the fall "(Appendix E).

The Romans conducted censuses in Palestine during the fall so that they could maximize the amount of tax revenue they collected from people.

Barney Kasdan, in his book God Appointed Times, wrote about Rome taking censuses at a convenient time based on local customs. In short, it was better for the Romans and the Israelites to manage taxes in the fall of the year, when traveling (e.g. from Nazareth to Bethlehem) was easier than in mid-winter.

God used Rome's desire to collect all the tax revenues he could, together with the Jewish charm of their ancestors, to fulfill an impressive prophecy about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem!