On December 24, 1865 at the age of thirty Phillips Brooks’ life would be changed forever by a Christmas Eve service that lasted nearly five hours. The service took place at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Brooks wrote, “I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the wonderful night of the Savior’s birth.” The full impact of his Bethlehem experience would become evident as he prepared for the Christmas season in 1868.
Brooks wanted to compose an original Christmas hymn for the children of his congregation to sing during their annual Christmas program. Memories of that life changing experience in Bethlehem flooded his mind and he wrote a hymn of five stanzas and handed the words to his organist Lewis Redner saying, “Lewis, why not write a new tune for my poem.” Redner struggled with the task of putting Brooks’ words to music. Finally, on the night before the Christmas program, he awoke with the music filling his soul. He wrote down the melody and then went back to sleep. The next day, a group of six Sunday School teachers and thirty-six children sang “O’ Little Town of Bethlehem.”
Brooks was thrilled with Redner’s melody and named the song St. Lewis in honor of him. Redner claimed the melody to be a gift from God. The song became an instant favorite of adults and children alike. The song would finally be published for the first time in 1874.
Just as Brooks’ life was changed by one night in Bethlehem ours is as well. Christmas is a celebration of our own Bethlehem experience. Today, I would like us to discover the insights that we can learn from this particular Christmas carol.
I. Bethlehem was quite the unexpected place for a King to be born.
A. A historical overview of Bethlehem.
1. The earliest historical reference that we have about Bethlehem is from the 14th century BC.
2. Bethlehem was located five miles south of Jerusalem within the boundaries of the land that was allotted to the tribe of Judah.
a. The name Bethlehem means “House of Bread.”
b. It is 2,550 feet above sea level which is a 100 feet higher than Jerusalem.
c. The population of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth would have been less than 300.
3. Bethlehem was located just off the north/south highway that linked Jerusalem to Hebron.
4. In 327 AD the Roman emperor Constantine commissioned the building of a church over the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
5. The Church of the Nativity is considered to be the oldest continuously operating Christian Church in the world.
B. A Biblical overview of Bethlehem.
1. We are told that Caleb’s son Salma was known as the father of Bethlehem. (1 Chronicles 2:51)
2. Jacob buried his beloved wife Rachel there when she died during a difficult birth. (Genesis 35:16-19)
3. David was born in Bethlehem as well as many of his ancestors.
a. His great-grandfather Boaz was from Bethlehem.
b. David’s grandfather Obed was born there.
c. David’s father Jesse was born in Bethlehem.
4. It was the scene of a daring exploit by three of David’s mighty men; they broke through the Philistine lines when they were occupying Bethlehem to bring David water from the well (or cistern) “near the city gate” of his hometown. (2 Samuel 23:14–17)
5. Even in his prophecy about Bethlehem being the birthplace of the Messiah, Micah basically speaks of this village as being viewed as insignificant.
II. A quiet night in a small village would literally turn the world upside down.
A. The Jewish people had been waiting patiently for the birth of their new King and the news turned Jerusalem upside down.
1. Matthew continues to use prophecy to make the case that Jesus was truly the Messiah that the prophets foretold.
2. The Magi would have undoubtedly arrived with a caravan that was quite large and would have attracted a lot of attention. The inquiring of the Magi cause some puzzling reactions.
3. The curious thing is if they had been waiting for this event why would they have been disturbed? The Greek word used here means extreme agitation or fearfulness.
a. It is understandable that Herod would be disturbed because this would be a threat to his power and dynasty.
b. It is puzzling that the Jewish people would fear the arrival of their Messiah.
4. The most logical explanation for the fears of the Jewish people is that they expected that the arrival of their king would cause the paranoid Herod to inflict even more cruelty upon them.
5. Consulting the Jewish religious leaders Herod quickly discovers that the Messiah would be born in the small village of Bethlehem.
B. The birth of Jesus would transform the little village of Bethlehem.
1. Bethlehem would go from being a relatively insignificant place to a place that some would view as being more significant than Jerusalem.
2. Matthew’s quotation of Micah not only answers the question asked by Herod and the Magi it shows that this small village that was once looked down upon would be held up with great honor.
3. Matthew skillfully leads his readers to realize several important things.
a. The birth of Jesus had a worldwide impact.
b. The Messiah that came through Israel would be a gift to all nations.
c. Those that anticipated the Messiah’s birth received it with indifference while the Gentiles would receive it with great joy.
4. Bethlehem’s honor would rest in the fact that it was there where a great turning point in human history took place.
C. The birth of Jesus would literally turn the people of Israel upside down which would ultimately lead to a great blessing for the entire world.
1. How could the very people anticipating the birth of the Messiah not recognize Him when He arrived?
2. The Jewish people were expecting a political Messiah that would overthrow the enemies of Israel. This would also explain Herod’s great distress.
3. As Matthew’s narrative unfolds we see people grouping together that still represent attitudes of people toward Jesus today.
a. Herod: hatred and hostility.
b. The Jewish religious leaders: indifference.
c. The Magi: adoring worship.
4. The Magi gives the reader their first clue that the Messiah’s impact would go well beyond the boundaries of Israel.
III. Bethlehem would be the place where the creation would meet its Creator face to face.
A. In Bethlehem we came face to face with our Creator, no longer would He be far off, He was now with us.
1. The most significant event in human history happened as this one child was born and called Immanuel.
2. This new King would not be another Herod, frantically clutching His throne at any cost, but a shepherd loving His sheep, protecting His people.
3. This King would not dwell in a far off palace; He would actually walk and interact with His people. In fact if you did not look closely you would not know that He was the King.
4. Bethlehem would present mankind with one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
5. How could the Creator actually become part of His creation? The answer to this question is actually beyond our ability to understand.
B. This quiet night in the obscure village of Bethlehem would forever change man’s relationship with God.
1. Unlike earthly kings who would risk their lives on the battlefield for glory and questionable reasons. This King would lay His life down for the sake of His people so that they might be free.
2. No longer would man be just a subject of the king, this King would make it possible for each person to be adopted into His family.
3. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:15-17—NIV 2011)
4. The child born in this little town of Bethlehem would give mankind the greatest gift that we could forever be given, hope, forgiveness and a new start.
Closing:
A family was out vacationing at the lake one summer. Dad had been puttering out by the boat house. Two of his sons, a 12-year old and a 3-year old were down playing along the dock. The 12 year old was supposed to be watching his little brother, but he got distracted. The 3 year old, little Billy, thought that would be a good time to check out the shiny aluminum fishing boat tied up at the end of the dock. So he went to the dock and put one foot on the boat, and one foot on the dock. He lost his balance and fell into the water, which was about 5 or 6 ft deep.
The splash alerted the 12-yr old who let out a piercing scream. Dad came running from the boat house, jumped into the water, swam down, but unable to see anything, came up for air. Sick with panic, he went right back down into this murky water, and began to feel everywhere around the bottom. He couldn’t feel anything. Finally, on his way up, he felt little Billy's arms locked in a death grip on one of the posts of the dock, about 4 ft under water. Prying the boy's fingers loose, they burst up together thru the surface to fill their lungs with life giving air.
Finally when the adrenaline had stopped surging, and nerves had calmed down a little bit, the Father asked his son, “What on earth were you doing down there hanging onto the post so far under the water? And little Billy’s answer was a classic, laced with the wisdom only a toddler could give. He said, "I was just waiting for you dad. Just waiting for you."
