Posts tagged Bethlehem
Faith Lessons: Bethlehem, Shepherds’ Field
Dec 4th
Birth Announcement to the Shepherds
Luke 2:10, “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.’”
Sheep frighten rather easily; that’s why they need shepherds. A rabbit, a snake, any wild animal or even a stranger can create sudden panic. But this day it would be the shepherds themselves who would need reassurance following a scare.
Not far from the walled city of Bethlehem a group of shepherds and a flock of sheep slept under a typical, Judean, night sky. One shepherd, keeping his usual two-hour watch, passed the time with musings and counted sheep to stay awake just as the young David would have done on these very same limestone hills one millennium earlier. Figs, wine, milk and honey surrounded him on three sides; the desert loomed to the east, making him wish he had been born in the watered hills of the Galilee, but drier nights meant fewer ticks, flies, mosquitoes and mites, and in that he found comfort. His hands, calloused from clearing the pasture of rocks, roots and stumps by day, loosely gripped his rod by night, ready in an instant to arouse the others in defense of the sheep. His mind retraced its steps to the days of David and then further back to the stories of Moses, who too had known the daily duties of shepherd life, though many miles southwest of Bethlehem in the rocky crags of Midian. God chose the clumsy-talking Moses to deliver his countrymen from slavery and also exalted David to the throne of Jerusalem. How marvelous that God could use shepherds—outcasts of society like himself—to serve such a heavenly purpose!
Suddenly the brave shepherd swallowed his thoughts and melted with fear as the darkness erupted with light. His awakened companions likewise froze at the sight of an angel with tidings to share. Reassured by the angel’s words and eager to meet their newborn Savior, they searched throughout Bethlehem until they found him. Banned from worship in the temple for being ceremonially unclean, the shepherds now freely worshipped on their knees beside a manger in a stable. Beside the Good Shepherd. Their fear replaced by joy.
Today in the shallow soil of a small Arab village just east of Bethlehem town, two churches stand where shepherds once stood—one Greek Orthodox and one Roman Catholic—but both a memorial to the events that took place in “The Shepherds’ Field” so long ago.
Sheep frighten rather easily; that’s why they need shepherds. We too frighten easily; that’s why we need a Shepherd, but whether you fear the future, known or unknown; rejection and loneliness; growing up; growing old; financial ruin; or a fear that you cannot find words to describe; remember the words spoken in a shepherds’ field, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
Further Reading: Luke 2:8-20
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity
Dec 4th
Birth of Jesus
Luke 2:7, “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
That last contraction reminded Mary of other famous births on these same fertile hills. One millennium earlier Jesse’s bride had given birth here to the great King David. The harlot Rahab too had married and settled down here, giving birth to Boaz and later rejoicing in her son’s marriage to the beautiful Moabitess, Ruth. Sadly Jacob’s wife, Rachel, died here while giving birth to Joseph of “the coat of many colors” fame.
Just ahead, the little town of Bethlehem soaked up the fading rays of windy sunlight streaming in from Mary’s right as another Joseph—her Joseph—tirelessly guided their sure-footed donkey with Mary aboard over the few remaining hills that separated them from the hope of a restful night’s sleep and a hot meal. Just to her left lay the hot, yellow sands of the Judean Desert that routinely invaded the “House of Bread,” forcing Bethlehemite farmers to abandon their wheat and barley crops for a day and to sit in the shade of the city’s walls, whittling olive wood and wondering when their Messiah would come. Ten miles to Mary’s left and almost 3000 feet straight down lapped the lifeless blue waters of the Dead Sea, but ahead Bethlehem buzzed with activity as descendents of David thronged through its gates to register in obedience to Caesar’s decree.
The contractions pounded ever closer now as Mary and Joseph arrived to find no vacancies anywhere in town, but God had already done the impossible in Mary’s life when the betrothed virgin conceived a child of the Holy Spirit. Finding a resting-place for a weary couple posed no problem for God. One innkeeper, picking up on the Galilean accent of the couple, realizing that they had traveled far, noting Mary’s obvious need for shelter, and obeying the prompting of God in his heart, offered Mary and Joseph the use of his stable, cut into the rock-hill behind his inn. Mary and Joseph had traveled days to find their needed rest in that small stable-cave and to give birth to one who later promised all those who made their way to him, “You will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29).
Today, marked by a fourteen-point star in a small Greek Orthodox grotto inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the traditional site of the birthplace of Jesus serves as a memorial to Mary’s firstborn Son and Savior. Wrapped in strips of cloth to give warmth and comfort to the little King and lying in a manger, typically used for feeding cattle, the birth of the Bread of Life changed human history or as Philips Brooks beautifully stated in his classic Bethlehem carol, “Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light—the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
If this day you too are weary and worn from a long journey of your own, remember that God is your resting-place. When all other doors are shut tight to your needs, look to the stable. Look to the one who offers rest for your soul.
Further Reading: Luke 2:1-7
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.