What do we understand by the first Passover of John 2:13, as mentioned in the SIGNS of October 27, relating to Christ's birth? According to Dan. 9:24-27, Christ came at the end of the sixty-nine weeks. He was to confirm the covenant with His people for one week, but in the midst of that week He was to be cut off. That week began with His baptism and closed with the exclusive ministry of His disciples to the Jews. His baptism took place in A.D. 27. See the margin of Matt. 4:1. He is supposed to have attended four Passovers, John 2:13; 5:1; 6:4; and 13:1, the time that He was crucified. At the time of His baptism Jesus was about thirty years of age. After the baptism He went into the wilderness for forty days. He spent some time in His ministry and in choosing disciples previous to the first Passover, probably about six months. His ministry closed at the time of the last Passover, making three years between the Passovers, and six months previous to the first Passover. As He began His ministry when He was thirty years of age, according to the law of the Jewish priesthood, His birthday must have been about six months removed from the Passover, because He began His ministry six months before the Passover; the Passover occurred in the spring, in April. Six months from April would be October. As the time of the Passover varied between the last of March and the first of April, it may have been the last of September or the first of October. That is the best light that we have to indicate the time of Christ's birthday. It certainly was not in the month of December.