Micah 5:2 The Small Village, Bethlehem
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf” (NLT).
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
A little village about six miles from Jerusalem, the capital, in a stable, not even a closed room, was the birth place of the most important man ever born, Jesus. God chose this town and this space, the only one left in the town, to send His Son, Jesus, as the Savior of mankind. Jesus was with God in the beginning, and it was known by both Father God and Jesus, that Jesus would need to come to earth as a human to provide a sure manner by which any man or woman could secure a guarantee of eternal life with God.
The only fanfare this Savior of mankind got was sung by an angel choir, not to a large gathering in a synagogue or even a large arena, but to a small group of shepherds in fields outside of town. The shepherds came to the village, saw Jesus, worshipped Him, and left. We are told in Luke 2:17,18; “When they had seen him, they spread the word what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (NIV). Their message had been somewhat forgotten, because in a few years a group of kings “from the east” came to see the one who was born “King of the Jews.” When the “Kings from the East” asked King Herod where they could find Him, King Herod seemed surprised, and he asked the Kings to let him know when they found him. I imagine that if the King had known that someone who was known as the Messiah had been born as “King of the Jews,” he would have been searching for him. (I’ve always wondered why “Kings from the East” were the ones to make the birth of the “King of the Jews” known to the ruler of Israel.)
Was God purposely keeping the birth of the Messiah low key? Those of the time who searched the Scriptures had many prophecies about the birth of Jesus. But they had no reason to think that the prophecies had been fulfilled until thirty years passed, and Jesus began His ministry. Then it was all public. Jesus, Himself, announced on several occasions that He was the Messiah, the one sent from God. The message that Jesus brought, that God loved them, that forgiveness of sins was possible, and that each person had the possibility of eternal life was to be the thing that brought men and women to God. People had to believe or not believe on the basis of Jesus’ ministry—nothing else. An open mind and mostly an open heart was needed to grasp this message of God’s eternal love.
We are drawn to Christ and salvation in the same manner. Unless we believe and accept the teachings of Jesus, we will not spend eternity with Him. The size of the church, the impressiveness of the church building, the degrees held by the pastors, and even the great oratory of some pastors are not the reasons for salvation. The only thing required is belief in Jesus Christ and acceptance of Him as Lord. The trappings don’t really matter except when they are involved in drawing us to Jesus. That is their whole purpose. So, whatever the reason you came to Christ, be thankful for it and for anyone who helped you to find Him, but mostly be thankful for and to Jesus for His sacrifice that atones for your sin.