Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?

Answer 1

• Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Octavian made all Jewish people go back to Bethlehem for a census (count of how many Jewish people there were)

Another perspective: Jesus was born in Bethlehem so that prophecy would be fulfilled. Micah 5:2 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." [NKJV]
Because God so decided it and thus it was prophesied in Mcah 5.2

Answer 2

In Matthew's Gospel, it appears that Jesus was born in Bethlehem because that was the home town of Joseph and Mary. After their flight to Egypt, they started to return home, but turned aside to go to Galilee - a destination they clearly did not have in mind before the warning was received.

In Luke's Gospel, it appears that Nazareth was the home town of Joseph and Mary. Jesus was born in Bethlehem because the Syrian governor Quirinius undertook a census and required all Jews to return to their ancestoral home town. On this, scholars say there never was a census of the whole Empire underAugustus and that the census of Judea (not of Galilee) under Quirinius took place in 6-7 CE, probably at least ten years too late for the birth of Jesus. Raymond E Brown (An Introduction to the New Testament) explains, "The best explanation is that, although Luke likes to set his Christian drama in the context of well-known events from antiquity, sometimes he does so inaccurately."

In either case, it was seen as important for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem in order to fulfil a widespread Jewish expectation that a Messiah would be born there.