Christmas Mysteries

Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. Luke 2:4 (New Oxford Bible)

As children, we start to learn our Christian faith through the Bible stories we hear/read in Sunday school. As we grow in faith and accept the teaching of these stories, we see little things that make us wonder and we ask why.

As a senior citizen, I’ve heard the Christmas story multiple times and love it more each time I hear it and I accept it, questions, mysteries and all. However, I still keep wondering why Jesus had to be born in such a small town like Bethlehem.  Why did Mary bring swaddling bands with her? Was that the normal way to dress newborns back then?  My last question has always been who were those shepherds and how did they get there so fast? 

There seem to have been various answers to all my questions over the years, yet somehow these answers always left me wondering. Still, I accept the story - all of it. I just can’t resist the beauty and the mystery of the story of our newborn baby Jesus.   

What if I searched for answers to my questions from a new perspective? A friend gave me a copy of “The Book of Mysteries,” written by messianic Rabi Jonathan Cahn. Maybe a messianic rabbi who has read the writings of the ancient rabbis could shed some light on some of my questions and help solve some of the mysteries. 

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem (in Hebrew: Beit – house; lechem – bread)?  Where else would we expect to find “The Bread of Life” than in Bethlehem (Beitlechem) - the House of Bread?

Who were those shepherds, and how did they recognize the baby Jesus as God’s perfect sacrificial lamb? According to Rabbi Cahn, they weren’t just any shepherds. They were the shepherds that attend the birth and raise the perfect sacrificial lambs for the Temple in Jerusalem. Their flocks grazed in the hills outside of Bethlehem. How did the shepherds recognize Jesus as “The Perfect Lamb of God,” who takes away the sins of the world?

In the chaos of lambing season, these shepherds are responsible for separating the perfect sacrificial lambs from those with even the tiniest of blemishes. They wrap the perfect lambs in swaddling bands and place them in mangers. I’d never heard that before! 

Now what seemed to me to be random happenings surrounding the birth of the Christ child are revealed to be the meticulous plan of God Our Father for the perfect birth and recognition of His one and only beloved Son.

Is it any wonder we love this story so much?

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for this beautiful story of the birth of Your perfect gift to all of us – Your Son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  It’s in His holy name we pray.  Amen

Judy Welch