Jesus Was Born In Bethlehem

-December 23, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“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 going forth are of old, from everlasting.”

(Micah 5:2).

Bethlehem was the biggest small town in the world. What it lacked in size it more than made up for in significance. It was the birthplace of Naomi, Boaz, King David, and most notably Jesus, the Son of God.

All the Jews knew from the Scriptures that Messiah would be born there—they had God’s word on it. When the wisemen arrived in Jerusalem they went to King Herod inquiring of where the King of the Jews had been born. Herod was no biblical scholar, far from it, so he called in the priests and scribes to inquire of them where the Messiah was to be born.

These religious leaders responded in Matthew 2:5,6, “So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’” They quoted directly from Micah 5:2.

Most small towns are famous for one or more people who were born there. They sometimes place signs, “The birthplace of…” For example President Abraham Lincoln was born in Springfield, Illinois. Bethlehem of Judah will forever be known as the birthplace of Jesus.

Our Savior was born in Bethlehem, in a manger, because there was no room for Him in the Inn. But really it was God’s will, and the rest is history. Jesus changed the world forever by coming down from heaven to take on human form, growing up to die on the cross for our sins and then to rise again from the dead. The two greatest miracles of all time are the Virgin Birth and the resurrection.

Though one’s birthplace can certainly be important, and how one dies is noteworthy, but how we live our lives is what really counts. We can’t control how or where or to whom we were born, but we can control how we live.

In Jesus’ day, most people didn’t even know that He was born in Bethlehem. They associated him with His residence in Nazareth. Speaking of cities, Nazareth had a very bad reputation and connotation.

For us, what is important is that Jesus was born at just the right time, in just the right place, to just the right young virgin, Mary, by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fulness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

The hymn writer Phillips Brooks wrote, “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark street shineth the Everlasting Light: the hope and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Have a blessed day preparing for Christmas, which is only two days away. Stay safe and healthy.

Bethlehem was the birthplace of Christ in a manger; my heart is His residence and throne forever.

Dean