The Beauty of Bethlehem.
I've been studying Bethlehem and reading all I can about this little blip on the map that held nothing but outcasts. Why did God choose this place to birth the Savior of the world?
As I was reading and studying, it became more and more apparent that it had to be Bethlehem.
He wasn't born in Rome, the center of politics & power in His day. He wasn't born in Athens where intellect reigned, and men like Plato and Aristotle debated. He wasn't born in Jerusalem, which embodied Israel's religion, history, and heritage.
He wasn't born in any significant city, town, country, or province.
He was born in Bethlehem and if you follow with us, you will see that this place tells us about Jesus’ mission and His character.
LEARN THE WORD
Bethlehem sat five miles outside of Jerusalem and was home to a community of shepherds. While glorified in our Christmas nativities, shepherds were outcasts. Because they were always watching the sheep, they could not take place in the ceremonial cleansing in the temple and were considered dirty and inferior by the religious elite. (Remember back in the Book of Samuel? David was a shepherd and was forgotten by his family when Samuel came to anoint the next king. See 1 Samuel 16:1-3)
"And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." (Micah 5:2)
God foreordained, through the prophet Micah, this insignificant and forgotten place because it resembled the character of His Son.
BETHLEHEM REVEALS THE CHARACTER OF JESUS
He was born in a place that revealed His character. "I am lowly and humble in heart." (Matthew 11:29) Isaiah said there was no beauty that we should desire Him. (Isaiah 53:2) Such was Bethlehem.
He wouldn't have been born in the grandeur and glory of Rome, because He was despised and rejected by men. He wouldn't have been born under the intellectual superiority of Athens, because this Rabbi spoke in simple parables so all the people could understand. He wouldn't have been born in Jerusalem with their burdensome religious tradition and ceremony, because His "yoke is easy and burden light." (Matthew 11:30)
It had to be Bethlehem because He is Bethlehem, and so are we.
APPLY THE WORD
We are not Rome, neither powerful or famous.
We are not Athens; highly esteemed or intellectual giants.
We are not Jerusalem; we will never be ceremoniously pure.
We are Bethlehem . . .
The place where outcasts live.
The place no one desires.
The place of insignificance.
But because we are Bethlehem, He can be born in us.
The proud and powerful don't want Him. The intellectual giants can't wrap their heads around Him. The religious have deceived themselves into thinking they know Him, but their hearts are closed up to His presence.
But "Bethlehem"...
He can do something with them. He can work through Bethlehem-people. He can go inside and do the work of transformation in a Bethlehem-heart. He can take the insignificant, the outcast, and the forgotten and give them purpose. He can reveal Himself to Bethlehem-lives because their cry is to embrace Him, worship Him, and love Him for who He is.
He can speak to a Bethlehem-life because they will hear and obey the words, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” - Luke 2:10-11
LIVE THE WORD
We all have moments where we feel insignificant, inferior, and just not good enough. In those moments, remember that you are Bethlehem and God chose to reside inside of you. Can you wrap your head around that? The God of all creation, the Alpha and Omega, has CHOSEN to live inside of you!
The humility of a Bethlehem-life is where God does His most excellent work. God opposes the proud, but to the humble, He gives much grace. (Proverbs 3:34) It had to be a Bethlehem, My Friend because we are Bethlehem, and I am honored to be the place where He abides.
