December is finally here and that throws the Christmas Season into another level! Another level of joy, happiness, peace as we celebrate why Christmas is happening at all. The true meaning of it is to celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and it all started in a little town called Bethlehem. The main significance of Bethlehem is that it is known as the birth place of Jesus. But what is the actual meaning of Bethlehem?
In Hebrew, the name is pronounced “Beit-Lehem.” “Belt” means “house” and “Lechem” means “bread.” Put it together and you get “House of Bread.” Jesus references himself as being the bread of life in John 6:35;48. Also, He says in John 6:51, “I am the manna that came down out of Heaven.” He broke bread and gave to His disciples, saying “Take, eat; this is My body.” So as you can see throughout the Bible, bread/house of bread/Bethlehem have a lot of symbolic ties to Jesus.
Bethlehem is also known as the City of David. It’s an extremely old city and was first mentioned in the book of Genesis. It is where David was born and the place where he was crowned King. It is through King David’s lineage that Jesus was born. Under the leadership of King David, Bethlehem became a dynasty. After his rule, the importance of Bethlehem began to diminish. By the time of the New Testament, it was no more than a village, still remaining more relevant than all other biblical cities because it was the place where Jesus was born.
So why was Jesus born in Bethlehem anyway? Well, shortly before it was time for Jesus to be born, the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, ordered a census to be taken and the law required every citizen to return to their hometown to register. The earthly father of Jesus, Joseph, belonged to the line of David, so he and Mary had to return to Bethlehem to be a part of the census. They returned to Bethlehem and when Mary was ready to give birth, they couldn’t find a place to stay and ended up in a manger, and the rest is history. So, this Christmas, please remember the little town of Bethlehem and the REAL reason for the season…JESUS…the “Bread Of Life,” born so that we can hunger no more….something to chew on.
With Agape Love,
Willie Mae