03.03. Beginning in Bethlehem

Beginning in Bethlehem At the centre of Christian faith is the fact that in Jesus Christ the eternal God became a human being. Once we grasp this miracle, we shall not be surprised that the way it came about also involved a miracle – the supernatural work of God in the body of the virgin Mary, so that the child born to her, though having no human father, was fully human.¹

Mary and her husband Joseph came from Nazareth in Galilee, the northern part of Palestine, but because of a census requirement, they had to move temporarily to their ancestral town of Bethlehem, which was in Judea, the southern part of Palestine. But the town was so over-crowded that the only accommodation Joseph and Mary could find was the stable of an inn. There, in a dirty, smelly animal shelter, Jesus was born.² No matter how disheartened Mary and Joseph may have felt about their circumstances, they were no doubt cheered when some shepherds arrived to greet the birth of the baby. They had received a revelation that this new-born child was the promised Saviour, Christ the Lord.³ As for the people nearby – the guests sleeping, eating or revelling in the comfort of the inn – none seemed to realize what had happened. The eternal God had just arrived on the planet and they had not the slightest idea. In spite of having Scriptures that spoke of the Saviour’s coming, people had no way of foreseeing exactly how it would happen; and when it did happen, few recognized it.⁴ But that is not surprising. God has often worked through the humblest of people and the most unlikely of circumstances. He still does. Followers of Jesus may at times share his obscurity, but they also share his sense of fulfilment of God’s purposes. God chooses what appears as nothing special to shame what the world sees as something great.⁵ 1. Matthew 1:18-25 2. Luke 2:1-7. For map see page 38.

3. Luke 2:8-18 4. Also among the few were Simeon and Anna; Luke 2:22-38 5. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Street near Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem