Messiah: Born in Bethlehem

“But thou, Bethlehem, Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2. KJV). “And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6. KJV). “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David): To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:4-7. KJV).

I deliberately printed today’s Bible references on Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah from the King James Version of the Bible. You, as I, may have memorized these very verses when a child, reciting them in the church’s Christmas pageant, or at least in Sunday School. I love the poetic quality of this version for this announcement by the prophet, and its fulfillment noted by Matthew and Luke. But more than the poetic expression, I love the truth. Bethlehem. Birthplace of our Lord!

I had the privilege of going to the Holy Land in July, 1978 with my husband. We visited for a month with his sister, Estelle, who was a missionary to the Holy Land. We went to a store near the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem Square where the proprietor, an elderly Christian Jewish gentleman, Mr. Tabish, became our personal tour guide to the Church of the Nativity and then to Shepherd’s Fields outside Bethlehem. I treasure seeing this church dating back to the time of Emperor Constantine in the third century, a monument to his Christian faith and that of his mother, Helena. The church Constantine built was destroyed, but Emperor Justinian in the sixth century rebuilt the church and today it is a landmark, one of the most authentic sites in all of the Holy Land. As we went to the shrine set up deep within the lower regions of the church, Mr. Tabish invited: “Come with me. It was not an elaborate place like this where my Lord was born. I want to show you a cave that more nearly represents the stable where the Lord of glory came to earth.” And so we followed Mr. Tabish through what seemed like mazes, but which he knew, the grottoes deep within the recesses of the Church of the Nativity. There, before a rather dark and plain opening, near where Saint Jerome had hidden to translate portions of the Scripture, was a cave. “A place like this is where Jesus was born!”

We stood in awe with Mr. Tabish, Estelle’s Christian friend, a converted Jew. He, Estelle, Grover and I joined hands and thanked God that He broke through time and space to come to earth as our Redeemer Messiah. We experienced there a high and holy moment.

Following our tour through the church of the Nativity, Mr. Tabish went with us as we drove out to Shepherd’s Fields outside Jerusalem. There we could walk up on a hill and imagine the glory of the angel band, the awe of shepherds, and their haste to follow the angel’s bidding to go to Bethlehem to find the newborn King. We could see the outline of the buildings of Bethlehem in the distance, past Herodian (King Herod’s stronghold). We could easily imagine how the shepherds made their way with only stars and moon to give them light until they came to the place where Jesus lay. Then we thought about how the shepherds “went everywhere, telling what they had seen and heard.” Thus they became the first evangelicals!

Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” Jesus, who is the Bread of Life, was born in David’s hometown, the very name of which means bread. A fulfillment of prophecy was, indeed, an event in the fullness of time! How we love to sing Phillips Brooks’ lovely carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” There on Bethlehem’s hill that hot day in July, 1978, I sang in my heart the words that so genuinely express the spirit and wonder of the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem. Look at all the words to every stanza and absorb them in a new and meaningful way, paying special attention to stanza three:

“How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still The dear Christ enters in.”

Thank you God, for Jesus, the Bread of Life, born in Bethlehem, “house of Bread.” He is my Bread of Life, my all, my Messiah, my Savior! Amen.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, December 22, 2010