When was Jesus born?

A lot of people wonder not only why we celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but when was Jesus actually born?  On a previous blog "Christmas Day", I went into the history of selecting the 25th of December as the traditional birthday of Jesus but there are indications in the scriptures that a good investgator could pick up that points to his birth in spring...around the season of Passover.  Actually close to the same time he was cruxified 32 years later.  First, the scriptures say their were "shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night".  The only time they had a night watch on the sheep was in the spring to protect the young spring lambs from wolves.  Also in referance to Jesus birth it was prophecized, "Oh Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me to be ruler in Israel" (Mic 5:2).  Ephratah is still just ouside Bethlehem.  It is a small pasture area that was used by the priests to care for the Passover lambs.  These shepherds were not ordinary shepherds but also levitical priests.  How appropriate that the Lamb of God would be born in the season of the Passover and revealed to the priest  shepherds watching the Passover lambs.  For this lamb would become the final sacrifice for the sins on not just the nation of Israel...but the whole world.