Bethlehem

By Anna Startseva, Kiev, Ukraine

Micah 5:2

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

 Matthew 2:1-6

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

From ancient times, the prophets have foretold that the son of God, the King of the Jews, would be born from the lineage of David in the small town of Bethlehem.

Our God is amazing – he takes something small and insignificant to human eyes and turns it into something extraordinary and incredible.

As we know, Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem because a census of the people had been ordered by the emperor. Joseph, being of the line of David, had to travel to Bethlehem with Mary to register. There they found no place to lay down and spend the night. They took refuge in a barn, and there our Lord was born.

We can only imagine how Mary must have felt at that time, but certainly we can get an idea of the kind of humility and trust in God she must have had, as we read the Scriptures.

From Philippians 2:8 we know that Jesus humbled himself even to the point of death on the cross, but his humility was evident from the very beginning, in his decision to come to earth and be born in a manger in a small place like Bethlehem.

There is a majestic church building in Bethlehem, constructed on the spot which is traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Jesus. Built into the wall of this church is a small, narrow door called the Door of Humility. If the person desiring to enter lacks the humility to bow their head and bend over, they show themselves unworthy to enter into the humble place of the birth of Christ.

Jesus said: “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

The birth of Jesus – it’s a sign of humility and a tremendous example for us at this time of Advent, a time of preparing our hearts for Christmas. Humility is an essential ingredient as we come to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

• Under what circumstances do you find it hard to bow your head and be humble? What do you think makes it hard in those moments to be humble?
• What might we do to prepare our hearts to meaningfully celebrate Christmas this year?

Photo credit: https://usml.edu/pilgrimage/the-door-of-humility-2/