O Little Town Of Bethlehem

The three wise men came to the manger with gifts for baby Jesus. They brought gold and frankincense. But wait, there's myrrh! Here’s how Matthew tells the story.

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

The little town of Bethlehem was . . . and still is . . . located 6 to 7 miles south of Jerusalem in the hill country of Judea. The current population is about 25,000, thriving mostly on tourism. But when Matthew wrote his gospel it was little more than a village. It was truly a “little town.” The name, Bethlehem, literally means “House of Bread.” It was also known as Ephratha which means “fruitful.” Clearly this was a farming community. In the Old Testament Bethlehem appears in several notable events. The first concerns the death of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. She died as they passed through Bethlehem as she was giving birth to Benjamin. She was buried at Bethlehem, and to this day a tomb still stands alongside the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem that is identified as her burial-place. One of the “minor-judges” was from here . . . Ibzan . . . who had thirty sons and thirty daughters and who judged Israel for seven years. (Judges 12:8-9) Almost all of the events in the Book of Ruth took place in and around Bethlehem . . . all but those that occurred in Moab. One of the Bible’s most interesting ironies unfolded here but is easily missed. The narrative of Ruth begins with a crisis . . . “There was a famine in the land.” In other words, there was no bread in The House of Bread. This forced Elimelech to flee to the land of Moab where the conditions were not so dire along with his wife and two sons. Later, after all three of the men of the family died, his wife, Naomi, returned to her hometown with one of her two Moabite daughters-in-law . . . Ruth. There Ruth met and married a rich gentleman-famer named Boaz. To them was born Obed who eventually became the father of Jesse. It was here that David, Ruth and Boaz’s great-grandson, was born and raised. This led to the designation of the town as “the City of David.” After that history is basically silent about Bethlehem except for some passing mentions . . . and this obscure passage in the prophecies in Micah.

But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.

The Quest Of The Magi (verses 1-2)

It’s because of this prophecy that the Magi came to Bethlehem on a quest. Initially, they came, not to Bethlehem, but to Jerusalem, the capital city. Magi transliterates the Greek word magoi and refers to astrologer-priests of some non-Jewish religion from somewhere east of Israel. Where, specifically, they originated from is uncertain. Matthew simply says that they “came from the east.” They may have hailed from as far away as Persia, which would constitute a very long journey. Or they may have come from as nearby as Nabataea, just across the Dead Sea. Magi often served in the courts of rulers and provided them with spiritual counsel. Traditionally, they are called “wise men.” And these men were wise indeed. There are numerous legends surrounding them, none of which has any real historical basis. Most Christmas cards and nativity scenes depict three of them . . . probably because of the three gifts they brought for the child. Some, however, suggest that there were twelve of them in all. The truth is, we don’t know how many there were. That they were “kings” is unsupported as well but is probably based on Psalm 72:11 where a prayer in behalf of the Davidic king reads, “May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.” But they were certainly not kings . . . despite the line, “We Three Kings Of Orient Are.” Another legend, dating to the 6th Century A.D., even gives them names . . . Melchoir, Gaspar and Balthassar. But let’s stick with what is more likely. Where did they get their information that a child had been born to become “king of the Jews?” As priests they were probably familiar with Hebrew prophecies of a coming descendant of David who would rule over Israel. Such ancient historians as Tacitus and Josephus suggest that there was an almost universal expectation that a world-ruler would come out of Judah about this time. As astrologers, they studied the stars. And an unusual phenomenon occurred about this time, alerting them that a special event was about to take place or had occurred already. They said, “We saw his star when it rose.” (verse 2) Whether it was an actual star in the literal sense or only appeared to human eyes as a star is an open question. Some guess that it was an appearance of Halley’s Comet. Others suggest what is more likely . . . a conjunction of the planets Saturn and Jupiter. This would have given the appearance of a special star. This occurred on three dates about the appropriate time. Regardless of what the astronomical event was, to them it was an omen that a new day for the world was dawning . . . that a king had been born. Why they came is not open to much question. They were “wise” for starters. And in their own words, they came “to worship him.” (verse 2) That is, they travelled to Judea to pay homage to the new-born king by offering him gifts. The gifts are interesting and may be significant. Gold was a gift fit for a king . . . one who rules. Incense, used in temple-worship, was a gift appropriate for a priest . . . one who represents people in relation to God. And myrrh was used in the burial of the dead. This priest-king would eventually die to complete his divine task. These wise men, guided by prophecy, astronomy and wisdom came to Judea to honor Israel’s new king.