LEARNING DAILY

 

Luke 2:6, So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

 

The drive from Nazareth to Bethlehem took about an hour and a half. That is so different from the journey Joseph and a very pregnant Mary took to get to Bethlehem to be registered in Joseph’s ancestorial city. The emperor had issued an edict for a census to be taken – for the purpose of taxation and recruitment.  By the way, this journey was to fulfill the prophecy found in Micah 5:2. The journey by bus was around 100 miles; For Joseph and Mary, it may have been around 90 miles; it is estimated to take them about a week to make the trip.

 

When they finally got to Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay except with the animals – in a cave. We have been taught so much for so long about a “barn-like structure” where the animals were kept at night. However, the animals were kept in a much different setting than our stories have taught us. The animals were kept in a “cave” with their owners living above them. The greatest event in history, the miracle that took place in Bethlehem, occurred in the most humbling of circumstances. Jesus, who is described in The Revelation as the “King of kings” was not born nor did He live like a king in this life. No, He was born into and lived a humble and simple life. Bethlehem means “house of bread”. Isn’t it interesting that this town is where God’s Son became flesh. In John 6:33, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” Jesus is the sustenance that nourishes our spiritual life.

 

He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. As we were told the shepherds that the angels appeared to, were in charge of raising and keeping the sacrificial lambs in the temple safe and without blemish. They would wrap the legs of the lambs in swaddling cloths to prevent them from being hurt or marked when they laid down at night (more on the shepherds tomorrow). When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, swaddling cloths were used to wrap Him to keep Him warm and protected, and to keep Him secure. Don’t miss the significance of this! New born lambs would also be wrapped in swaddling cloths to be sure they were without any blemish or infirmities.  The shepherds protected the sacrificial lambs with swaddling cloths and the baby who would be the sacrificial Lamb of God for you and me was kept safe and secure by those same swaddling cloths. The temple lambs had to be without blemish; the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of all who would come to Him had to be without fault as well.

 

The newborn temple lambs wrapped in swaddling cloths would then be placed in a trough, away from the other sheep; that was the Jewish law. Where was the baby Jesus placed? Yes, in a feeding trough that we call a manger.

 

The “traditional” location of the birth of Christ has a church over it; every traditional place having any significance to the life of Jesus has had a church built over or beside it. “The Church of the Nativity is Bethlehem’s most famous site and one of the most important churches for the Christian world” (from our guidebook). To say there was a lot of people there is an understatement! We were rushed through the church, rushed down to and through what was to be the cave the Lord was born in because of the people waiting to see it. The manger was also there. My pictures came out blurry, but there was not too much to really see. It would have been nice to be able to take in the real significance of what we were seeing. We found this to be true at many places we saw.

 

Sunday night, we returned to this church as the pastor of Community Bible Church, Ed Newton became the first American to preach at the lighting of Bethlehem’s Christmas tree. I am not sure I will never sing or hear Christmas songs mentioning Bethlehem as the birth of Christ the same. Jesus was preached where there are those who do not want to hear about. The world has changed! I found it interesting that the Bethlehem’s mayor (who is a Christian) thanked Pastor Ed for “bringing Jesus back to Bethlehem”!

 

“Oh, little town of Bethlehem ….”