Bethlehem: The Entrance of the Savior

In today’s blog post, we’ll take a look at the little town of Bethlehem in our series, Where Jesus Walked. 

Bethlehem, the Little Town

Around 2,000 years ago, a tiny, somewhat insignificant town welcomed the birth of the precious baby that would change the world forever. Jesus Christ was born in the quiet town of Bethlehem (which means “house of bread”). Bethlehem was (and is) located on the outskirts of Jerusalem in Judea.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. (Luke 2:4-6)

Prior to the birth of Christ, Bethlehem only had one real claim to fame. The New Testament passage above tells us that it was the “city of David.” If we trace the genealogy of the famous Old Testament King David, as Luke and Matthew do in the New Testament, we find that David was the great-grandson of the Moabitess, Ruth, and her second husband, Boaz.

Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem… Ruth 4:11

King David was living in Bethlehem when Samuel came to anoint the young shepherd boy to be the next king after Saul.

So, as tiny as it was, it became important since it was King David’s hometown. (We see the same thing happen today with small towns that yield celebrities who “put the town on the map.”)

Bethlehem became even more significant when Joseph and a (likely) very pregnant Mary traveled there to be listed on the Roman census report. Mary’s baby, Jesus, was born after their arrival and was was laid in the ever-famous manger because there was no room in the inn.

A Picture of Bethlehem

Bethlehem. Can you imagine the sights, sounds, and smells of the ancient little town? Dirt roads (and dirty feet), braying donkeys, bleating sheep, smelly animal odors, laughing, working families, and playing children. Real life.  

I think a little of the quiet country community where my parents live— a community with no real “town.” It boasts of a small general store (yes, those do still exist), a post office, a gas station on the highway, and a little restaurant. That’s about all.

The people in my parents’ town are hard-working land owners — some with cattle or sheep. And most must travel to the nearby larger towns or to the city for work and necessities. It’s the way of life.

I imagine Bethlehem was similar.

At the time when Jesus was born, it is estimated by some that the population was likely to be around 1,000 people or less, though the town may have had an influx of people at the time of the nativity, due to the census being taken. Today, there are about 28,000 residents in this town

Bethlehem is situated high in the Judean Hills, almost 100 feet above Jerusalem, the town now would experienced hot summers and cool winter just as it did in Jesus’ day. It lies about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. Six miles isn’t far in a car but on foot at an average pace it can take about 2 hours to walk 6 miles.

This distance and separation is likely one that Jesus’ family felt as they passed Jerusalem to reach Bethlehem before He was born. (Jesus Himself likely felt the separation during the times He spent in Jerusalem. I wonder if He had family in the little village that He visited or often thought of. But I’m getting ahead of myself…)

How Long Was Jesus in Bethlehem?

Our series is titled Where Jesus Walked. The focus is the locations where Jesus made an impact on the world through His physical presence and ministry. But there’s a hint of irony here; we don’t know how much “walking” Jesus actually did in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem may very well be the first place Jesus ever set His feet to the ground, learning to toddle and walk. But because of its importance in Jesus’ birth (and therefore life and ministry), we’d be wrong to exclude it from our series.

By using the Massacre of the Innocents (see Matthew 2:16-18) as a way to gauge the passing of time, we can safely assume that Jesus must have been younger than about two years old when Joseph was warned in a dream to escape to Egypt. Jesus’ little family then fled to save our Savior’s life. (Matthew 2:13-15)

The Bible gives no indication that Jesus ever returned to Bethlehem after His birth. He may have, but if He did it is not recorded. We have no stories of famous sermons given in Bethlehem nor words recorded from encounters with the people who lived there.

Nothing.

Yet, this “house of bread” was the location God chose to send us the very Bread of Life.

Bethlehem: An expression of Christ’s Love

In two main ways, I think of Bethlehem as an expression of Christ’s love. First, it’s important for us to recognize that though He could have chosen a bustling city or the wealthiest trading town, He chose a poor, quiet village where shepherds watched flocks and grain was harvested.

This serves as a reminder that God sees and cares about what the world might deem insignificant or unimportant. No place nor person escapes His notice and love!

But not only does Bethlehem remind us that God loves even the insignificant or unimportant, we see that God loves the entire world. God Himself, in the second person of the Trinity (Jesus Christ), entered the world with the purpose of taking mankind’s sin upon Himself– to be the ultimate sacrifice! God welcomes into His family (and promises heaven to) any who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

Providing Bread for the Whole World

Patti wrote about Bethlehem and said, “The Hebrew for Bethlehem is two words – beth (house of) and lehem (bread.) Thus Bethlehem literally means ‘House of Bread.’ Jesus was born in the ‘house of bread’ – how fitting that He called Himself the bread of life!”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

God Provides. Just as God provided manna for the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years, He provides spiritual sustenance for Believers today. Jesus Christ is the true, everlasting Manna from Heaven. He is the eternal provision for our souls… of whom if we “eat” we will never hunger again.

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” (John 6:32)

As I wrote here about the manna and quail and how God Provides, “Ultimately, God provides Himself. And that, my friend, is our greatest need!”

Historicity

Cheli told us in the intro to this series, “The Gospel accounts are rooted in reality— real places, real people, and real time. The New Testament chronicles His [Jesus’] movement and provides details reinforced by archaeology. Ours is not a flimsy faith based on half-truths and fables; Christian faith is bolstered by its historicity.”

Parts of the earth itself cradled the (physical) feet of our Savior. What love! Jesus left His home in heaven to come into this world to die for us. His grace and mercy are unfathomable. Aren’t you thankful?!

What stands out to you most about Bethlehem as the entrance point of the Savior? Share your thoughts here in the comments or in our Facebook community.

Blessings!
Ali