Christmas Eve
Dear friends in Christ. Today we are in Bethlehem, as it were, standing before the manger of the Baby Jesus. What do we see? We would see the same that the people that first Christmas did—a Baby Boy. But what makes Christmas special, what makes it vital, is who it was that was born that first Christmas. But who it is who was born then, no one can know unless it is revealed to them; unless God reveals it to them. That’s what He did with the shepherds that we heard about. They wouldn’t know on their own that for them and for all people, a Savior who is Christ the Lord was born. They would have remained blissfully unaware that night unless the angels had told them first; unless God’s word had first come to them. Only then, could they and did they go and worship the newborn Savior. Many years later, after Peter [Mt. 16. 16] had given a beautiful confession of faith of who Jesus is: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus… said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven”. The right and true knowledge of Who Jesus is, is not something that we come upon ourselves. It must be revealed to us by God—and He does so in His word.
We saw the same thing with the wise men that we also read about. Somehow the word had spread to them—perhaps through the OT prophet Daniel who was in Babylon centuries before and was of the class of Magi, wise men—of the special star that would announce the birth of the Savior of the world. They [Mt. 2.2] come to Jerusalem asking: Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him. So what happens next? The scribes go back to the prophecy of our text—the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. Even here the wise men who are seeking Christ are first directed to Holy Scripture.
The same thing applies to us this Christmas and every day—the only way we know who Jesus is and what He has done and does for our salvation is from God’s Word. Christianity is not a philosophy, a nebulous collection of thoughts/ ideas. Our Christian faith has a definite object—One in Whom we put our trust/ confidence for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus Christ, the One who was born that first Christmas. How do we come to know Jesus? How do we know that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world? My Savior? We know the same way that the wise men knew—from Scripture; God reveals it to us in His holy Word.
This Christmas, it does us well to ponder this prophecy the Lord spoke through the prophet Micah. In it, not only do we have the prophecy of the birthplace of the Savior—Bethlehem in Judea, but it also teaches us Who Jesus is, that He is both true God and true man, and about the work of Jesus.
1. Our text begins: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall come forth to Me One to be Ruler over Israel. The birth place of the Messiah is here announced—Bethlehem, which means in Hebrew “House of Bread”, and how fitting it is that Jesus “the Bread of Life” is born here. Not only the scribes in Herod’s day but also the common people of Jesus’ day knew this prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, as some of them said [Jn 7.42]: Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was. So yes, our text is a beautiful, crystal clear prophecy of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, out of you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, shall come forth. If that were all our text meant/ was about, it would be a treasure. But it also tells us much more besides.
As we ponder the fact that the Savior is born in that little town of Bethlehem, we come to a deeper understanding. The crowds/ the common people in Jesus day said: the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was. Bethlehem was the hometown of the family of David. Caesar Augustus, at God’s will, ordered that with his census that all should be registered at the town where the family stems from. That’s how Mary and Joseph from the north in Galilee ended up in Bethlehem, in the south of Palestine.
But what does it mean that Jesus is then born in Bethlehem? It means that David’s line lost the throne; otherwise the Messiah, a descendant of David, would have been born in Jerusalem, where the capital would be. It means that since David’s family is no longer ruling, some foreigner, some enemy, would be ruling the land—at Jesus’ time it was the Romans using their puppet king, Herod. That’s exactly what the Lord in our text said He would do—depose the line of David and in judgment for their sin subject the people of Judah to the enemy: Therefore He shall give them up. Lowly Bethlehem is made even lowlier.
So, yes, Bethlehem is an insignificant town; it is that “little town” “lying still” of Christmas carol fame. It is little among the thousands of Judah, and yet precisely in this little town that the silent stars go by is born the Savior of the world. What a huge contrast between the “littleness” and significance of the town with the greatness/ significance of the One who comes forth from it! And isn’t that the way God always works—so opposite our way of thinking/ doing! That is His grace at work—even in having Christ born in Bethlehem. He doesn’t have Jesus born in the great mighty capital city of Jerusalem, where we’d expect; someplace that might have something to boast about. God doesn’t look at outward grandeur. What a glorious picture of the Scriptural truth the Holy Spirit had St. Paul write [1 Co 1.28]: the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing, the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. The point here is simply this—with Christ born in lowly Bethlehem, God’s grace is at work. What a comfort to us—He chooses us poor lowly sinners to be His dear Christians! There is no merit or worthiness in us, nothing we can point to in us but yet in our hearts, dear Christian, Christ has been born! Let us take great comfort that Jesus was born in Bethlehem for there is a reminder to us of God’s grace to us; there is the reminder that Jesus doesn’t despise the lowly and humble things like word, water, bread and wine but comes to us in them to make His home in us! In Bethlehem’s insignificance and lowliness is hidden the almighty God Himself.
The Lord also tells us in our text: Therefore He shall give them up until the time that she who is in labor has given birth. Here Micah refers to the prophecy of the Virgin birth given by Isaiah [7.14]: Behold the virgin conceived and is bearing a Son. This is the Blessed Virgin Mary prophesied in our text and elsewhere; Jesus’ is the one and only conception and birth by a virgin. All revolves around His coming. He is the one true King. And He is the one born of the virgin in Bethlehem. How do we know that Jesus is the long awaited Savior? He fulfilled the prophecies—including being born of the Virgin and in Bethlehem. So the very fact that Jesus was born of a real woman in a real town means what? –He is a real human being. He is true man. That’s something that all there that day—Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and later the wise men—could easily see; that’s something that everyone could easily see. So the first part of the prophecy is really not seemingly all that spectacular/ miraculous—a true person is born in Bethlehem: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall come forth...
But there is an inkling that there is more to it when we read: out of you shall come forth to Me One to be Ruler over Israel. The One to be born in Bethlehem is a Ruler, a King. But He is not just any king, He is the almighty King, the Ruler of heaven and earth—the almighty God Himself! Listen to what our text says: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall come forth to Me One to be Ruler over Israel. David was king over Israel, but of this one who is to be born the Lord says: whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Here’s the Christmas miracle—God became man. Jesus is true man, born in the line of David, born in Bethlehem; but He is also the true almighty eternal God who also took on human flesh and blood—was made man—and was born of the virgin in Bethlehem. In Psalm 2 we read: The Lord has said to Me, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”. “Today”—that’s the eternal “today”. The Son of God did not first begin to exist on Christmas—He was eternally begotten; but He did take on human flesh and blood, become also true man, at a certain point in human history—when Caesar Augustus was ruling—and now into all eternity He is the God-man. Here, in the same verse, side by side, we see that Jesus is both true man out of you [Bethlehem] shall come forth to Me and true God whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. In Christ heaven and earth, the divine and the human, the Creator and the creature are united. What a glorious mystery, the Christmas mystery/ miracle!
2. The coming of the Son of God, being born also a true man in Bethlehem, has a purpose/ reason. God in Jesus didn’t become also true man “just because.” Instead, as we confess in the Creed, He did it for us men and for our salvation.
Our text: And He shall stand and shepherd in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth. And this One will be peace. That’s why God became man that first Christmas—to be and to bring about peace between sinful humanity and the holy God. In Christ Jesus, who was born that first Christmas, God and man are reconciled. Our sins that separate us from God, that earn us nothing but His wrath and condemnation Jesus took upon Himself to the cross and suffered all of God’s wrath and punishment for us. Because Jesus is true God, His suffering and death/ His sacrifice on the cross for us has value for all people. He, the true God who became also true man, as our Substitute, placed Himself under God’s holy law in order to keep it/ obey it perfectly for us. Our sins have been paid for; and the holiness and righteousness we lack but that God demands of us, Jesus gives us. We are in Christ reconciled to God; we sinners have peace with the holy God. That’s the peace the angels sang about. So sure/ certain was it that Jesus would successfully carry out His saving work that already at His birth the angels could sing: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace!”
Since He is true God Jesus was born already King and He set up His kingdom as He carried out His work to save us and was enthroned on the cross. Now He gathers people into His kingdom, the Church. By His work in word and sacrament, He has gathered you and me, dear Christian, and our prayer is that He continue to gather many more into His Church. Once we are in His kingdom/ the Church, part of His flock He stands and shepherds us. He is watching over us ruling and guiding all this for our spiritual good and for the good of His Church. The glorious thing is that in Jesus are combined the love of a shepherd and the power of God. He is the [Is 9.6] Mighty God…Prince of Peace. Now, we, His dear Christian enjoy perfect peace as we now dwell in perfect peace under His forgiveness and protection. We know that we are safe in His almighty divine hands, who that first Christmas clung to His mother. What glory Scripture reveals as it proclaims to us the Everlasting Light shining in Bethlehem’s darkness. Merry Christmas.