Sunday December 2, 2018
A Little Slice of Heaven
During a trip to the Holy Land in 1865, Phillips Brooks went to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and worshiped there. He was deeply moved by this experience. Three years later, while pastoring the Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, Brooks desired to have a special carol for the children to sing in their Sunday school Christmas program. Recalling the peaceful scene in the little town of Bethlehem, Brooks completed the writing of the text in just one evening. He gave a copy of the words to his organist, Lewis R. Redner, and requested him to compose a melody that would be easy for the children to sing. On the evening just before the program was to be given, Redner awakened suddenly from his sleep with the present melody in his mind – and he quickly wrote it out. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” has been a favorite with children and adults around the world since that time.
What do we know about Bethlehem beyond the Christmas story? Bethlehem, a tiny village about eight miles south of Jerusalem just off the main road from Hebron to Egypt, was a quiet place of chaste beauty surrounded by rich pasture land that nourished large flocks of sheep. It was the home of Boaz, Jesse, and David (Ruth 4:18-22). It was the place the Creator of the universe (Col.1:16-17) chose to enter His creation (Mic.5:2). Bethlehem is an interesting choice for the place to make manifest the Seed of the Woman, the promised Messiah (Is.9:6-7).
The fields surrounding Bethlehem were filled with large flocks of sheep that provided the sacrifices offered at the Temple in Jerusalem. Sheep from Bethlehem were led by shepherds to the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, and from there by priests to the Temple, to be sacrificed for the sins of the people. The sheep in Bethlehem were, of course, tended by shepherds. David was one of those shepherds.
The name Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” Bread is the basic substance of life. Physical bread is used to fill the void and satisfy something within. It also nourishes, sustains, empowers and strengthens the body. Eating physical bread causes us to take it in and it becomes part of us. Our body uses the food to draw nourishment from it to fuel the body.
Likewise, when we take in Christ we are strengthened by Him, nourished by His words, and empowered by His Holy Spirit. From the “House of Bread” on earth would come the “Bread of Life” from heaven.
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (Jn.6:35)
What was so significant about the Bread of Life being born in the House of Bread? Was I missing some understanding and revelation of this truth? Well, I took a journey through the scriptures and discovered it was all about the Bread.
Let’s start with the manna. What exactly is manna? The very word itself comes from the Hebrew man hu which literally means “what is it?” because the Hebrews did not know what it was. God explained to them through Moses that the manna was their daily provision of food that was sent down from the Lord. Manna was a supernatural gift that had to be gathered by each person/family. Manna had to be gathered daily and eaten daily. Hmm…daily bread. (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper meaning of provision)
Give us this day our daily bread. (Matt.6:11)
However, unlike the manna which only temporarily satisfied the hunger of the Israelites, those who partake of Christ will never be hungry again because the life He grants and sustains is eternal life. Christ’s sustenance is not to be doubted. All who come to Christ in faith will never be cast out.
In addition, bread was used as an offering to God. It was used in the tabernacle and the Temple to symbolize the presence of God. God told Moses to have the table for the bread of the Presence built for the tabernacle and stacked with twelve loaves as a way to remind Israel of His gracious provision for all their needs (Ex.25:23-30). Yet whoever ate this bread found that while it could sustain life for a time, it could not make anyone live forever. Israel needed a different type of food to find eternal life.
As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. (Jn.6:57)
Jews in that day believed the Messiah would miraculously bring manna when He came, and Jesus does not dispute this assumption; He only says that their idea of life-giving manna is woefully inadequate. He is the real manna — the bread of God who satisfies the true hunger of the soul.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. (Jn.6:51)
The phrase “bread of God” was another name for the bread of the Presence (Lev.21:6, 8), so Jesus is saying that He is the fulfillment of the bread of the Presence under the old covenant. Christ is far better than the former bread, for anyone, priest or not, can dine on the true Bread by faith; that is, all who are willing may trust in Him alone for eternal sustenance and receive life that can never be taken away.
I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. (Jn.6:48-51)
So, when we think of Bethlehem this Christmas, remember that the Bread of Life came to the House of Bread that we might be saved to eternal life with Him. If you’ll excuse the pun, Bethlehem is a little “slice” of Heaven!