[King
Herod] called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of
religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be
born?”
“In
Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet
wrote: ‘And
you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling
cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the
shepherd for my people Israel.’” Matthew
2:4-6
Bethlehem,
the birthplace of king David becomes the birthplace of the Christ,
Israel's promised king and shepherd. When the reigning king, Herod,
receives confirmation of the Messiah's birth, he seeks to harm the
vulnerable, humble child of Bethlehem. An angelic warning sends Mary
and Joseph fleeing from Bethlehem to Egypt as refugees until
word of the dubious king's death brings them back to Israel and the
city of Nazareth. From here, the one born in the “house of bread”
grows up under the care of his earthly parents until he is ready to
go out into the world, offer himself, and feed hungry souls.
Jesus
said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from
heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from
heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,”
they said, “give us that bread every day.” John
6:32-34
Intrigued
by the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, the crowd desires to
perform the works of God, too. Instead, Jesus calls them to believe.
Still the crowd demands a miraculous sign, after all, even Moses gave
them bread in the wilderness. Yet, unbeknownst to them, bread from
heaven has already descended again from the Father's hand in the form
of his Son, Jesus; the true bread from heaven. The bread that gives
life to the world. “Give us that bread,” the crowd demands. And
so Jesus does.
He
took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in
pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is
my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke
22:19
From
the “house of bread” to the Last Supper and beyond the true bread
from heaven gives life to those who receive. As we remember the babe
born in Bethlehem this holiday season, let's venture out into the
world, offer ourselves, and generously share the bread of life with a
hungry world.
Wishing
you joy and peace, always.
Stuart
& Wendy Brown
