BETHLEHEM 2:

 

The little town of Bethlehem was historically known as a fertile region that grew ancient grain and provided bread for the whole of Judea including nearby Jerusalem. The town’s Hebrew name “Beit-Lechem” directly translates to “House of Bread”. Another symbolic significance of Christ’s birth for out of the House of Bread came The Bread of Life.

Through my research I discovered that unlike the genetically modified wheat today, ancient grain was a highly nutrient-rich superfood. It was higher in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It basically contained every nutrient to sustain life which makes it understandable why Jesus would have applied the title of The Bread of Life to himself (John 6:35; 48)

With the exception of the Atonement, there is no sadder time of Jesus’ mortal life than the time He declared Himself to be The Bread of Life. Up to that moment, the Saviour’s popularity amongst the common people was immense and people thronged Him everywhere He went (Matthew 8:1,15:30; Mark 3:8,7:24,8:1; Luke 6:17,12:1) but finding this doctrine too hard to ‘bear’, many of His disciples ‘walked no more with him’ (John 6:66). From the time of this sermon, He was headed for the cross.

The sermon on The Bread of Life came on the heels of five loaves and two fishes. By this extraordinary miracle the Saviour ignited the fire of the Messianic prophecy. Hungry for freedom from bondage and oppression suffered for over 700 years, the Jewish nation was ready for deliverance. They did not expect to be told to ‘eat’ His flesh and ‘drink’ His blood (John 6:32-35; 51-58).  And so even the baptised and most converted to the Saviour abandoned Him and thus began the rejection of the common people easily manipulated by the leadership to propel Him to the cross.

This is the sad point. The reality of ‘eating and drinking’ the Saviour’s flesh and blood which they questioned was far more easily understood than it appears: “The process of eating and drinking were figures in every-day use by the rabbis of that time. Their failure to comprehend the symbolism of Christ’s doctrine was an act of will, not the natural consequence of innocent ignorance. To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ was and is to believe in and accept Him as the literal Son of God and Saviour of the world, and to obey His commandments.” (James E. Talmage, “Jesus the Christ” p 342)

One cannot but wonder why the baptised and most converted were so easily swayed by the Jewish leadership to reject Christ as The Bread of Life. I think it’s a matter of being enlightened. Just as we eat bread on daily basis, we should be ‘eating’ Christ’s word every day to keep the fire of our conviction burning. That’s enlightenement. The spiritually enlightened will also see here the connection to the Sacrament.

The enlightened should see themselves in Peter’s response to Jesus when asked if the twelve will also go away: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”

Maybe Bethlehem didn’t give birth to The Bread of Life but to The Bread of Eternal Life…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Nativity by Eileen Whitehead)

BETHLEHEM

 

Bethlehem, the City of David, holds more importance symbolically than most of us know. That importance came through a noble woman named Ruth.

It is said by oral tradition that women in ancient Israel lived with a hope that the Messiah would come through their line. Ruth from Moab had no blood of Israel running through her veins.  She was a convert to the Lord, God of Israel ‘under whose wings she had come to trust’ (Ruth 2:12). When her Israelite husband died and left her with no children, Ruth became one of the lowliest of the earth, devoid of security or livelihood.

Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi also became destitute losing her husband and both of her sons. When Naomi encouraged her daughters-in-law to return to their kin and their ‘gods’, they wept. Orpah left but Ruth remained with these words on her tongue: “….whither thou goest, I will go; and whither thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” (Ruth 1:16) Makes you want to weep…..

Ruth and Naomi left Moab and returned to Judea….to a small town called Bethlehem, no less.  Once there, Ruth consented to a ‘levirate’  marriage with Naomi’s next of kin, as was the custom in Israel. Through a levirate marriage, the woman was provided with children and restored to security and society.

Here is where things become interesting. The Hebrew word for a man who would step up to this responsibility was GO’EL. The King James Version of the Bible translates it as simply ‘kinsman’ but the proper and literal meaning of GO’EL is ‘redeemer’ (Rasmussen, “Introduction to the Old Testament”, 1:157)

This is how Ruth, a lowly woman of Moab became the symbol of Christ’s redemption: Her GO’EL was Boaz, an Israelite kinsman of Naomi. Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer and restorer of all she had lost. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, who was a progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ……

This is why the importance of Bethlehem…..and righteous Ruth through whose line came Christ the King. Consider for a moment how Christ redeems us from our fallen state and restores us to the presence of the Father, AND grants us eternal posterity through His power of exaltation. The Saviour himself affirms His role as the GO’EL when He refers to himself as the bridegroom and us, Israel, as the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; D&C 33:17; 65:3; 88:92; 133:10).

He is the greatest GO’EL of all….. the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Hope of Israel, the Rock of our Salvation, the Son of God who will one day sit on the throne of His ‘father’ David (Luke 1:32).

And it all started in a little town called Bethlehem…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Birth by Dan Burr)

A SHEPHERD AND A LAMB

 

How very fitting it is that the birth of the One who would proclaim himself to be both a Shepherd and the Sacrificial Lamb would grace the green pastures of a little town called Bethlehem.

But not only sheep were cared for in Bethlehem but also special blemish free lambs ‘because they were destined for sacrifice on the great altar in the Lord’s House, in similitude of the eternal sacrifice of Him who would atone for the sins of the world. (see Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, 347).

And so the greatest lamb without blemish was born as the sheep grazed and the shepherds watched in the stillness of that Meridian night. It was as if He had come among His own.

When Jesus was born, an angel appeared to these shepherds and announced the birth of the Saviour ‘which is Christ the Lord’. He told them they would find ‘the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:9-12). This the shepherds would understand for they had lovingly wrapped many lambs in swaddling cloths and placed them in a manger until they were taken to the Temple for sacrifice. They knew that the baby they would find in there would be the perfect Lamb of God.

There are many teachings and scriptural references to the Saviour’s role as our Shepherd. What is worthy of notice here is this. Every lamb has a shepherd…..a lamb cannot survive without the care of a shepherd. The Saviour is called the Lamb of God because God the Father is His Shepherd and has been from the beginning of time.

The Father is the perfect Shepherd and the Son is the spotless lamb who follows. He does this in perfect obedience because He is the perfect Son (John 8:29; 10:17-18). Where did the Saviour learn to be a shepherd? He learnt it from His Shepherd because ‘He does nothing but what He has seen the Father do’ (John 8:26,28,38)

The Saviour made 163 references to the Father during His visit to the Americas and 15 references of His obedience to Him, the greatest being ‘the cross’ to which the Father sent Him that He might draw all men unto Him….so that all His sheep might follow…..(3 Nephi 27:14)

Be still my soul

And know that He leads you

By the voice of His heart.

He beckons and He calls

Your spirit to ignite

To truth and godly path.

 

His love will find you,

He will lead you and save your soul,

He is the Shepherd

Who will answer your call.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Sweet Sleep In the Manger Lowly by Greg Collins)

FORERUNNERS PART 2:

 

I am always amazed at Mary, the mother of Christ. Girls in the meridian of time married young so historians claim that according to the traditions of the day, Mary was a young girl of 15 when she gave birth to Jesus. To take on such a responsibility of raising the child of so much importance would make many of us retreat.

The stigma of pregnancy outside marriage would have been unbearable in Mary’s day. It reminds me of the Jews who spat His birth into the Saviour’s face by calling Him ‘a child of fornication’ (John 8:41). What an incredible insult to the purity of a woman who put her very reputation on the line to enable the salvation of the very people who would crucify the fruit of her womb! Mary would have to be the greatest forerunner of Christ because she gave Him life.

What amazes me even more is what kind of a valiant and righteous spirit she must have been in the beginning to be chosen to be the mother of Christ. I stand in awe of that. Alma called Mary ‘a precious and chosen vessel’ (Alma 7:10).

For such a valiant spirit, there would have to be a protector and that man was Joseph. Not only did he care for Mary and ensured her safety, he was a man spiritually in tune who was willing to receive heavenly instructions and follow them. In this way, he became a forerunner that ensured the safety of Jesus’ life in his youth. Imagine him taking his young family to another country away from family and kin to ensure the safety of a child who was not even his.  How did they live there, what did he do to support them?

And here is an awesome proof that Mary and Joseph paved the way for the Saviour’s earthly mission. We always think that they went to Bethlehem because of the Roman’s tax decree. Elder Bruce R. McConkie reasoned that this decree was just a vehicle to fulfil the prophecy that the Saviour would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-8). He goes on to say that Mary and Joseph knew of this prophecy and knowing who Mary’s baby was, would have moved heaven and earth to make it to Bethlehem so He could be born there (The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 341.

Would women really have been expected to attend accounting of taxes and census? Surely only Joseph would have been required to be there. Any governmental procedure in the ancient world was conducted by men with men. Women came under the jurisdiction of men. Their record keeping tracked only the paternal and not the maternal line. The scriptures attest to this.

So why else would Joseph put Mary ‘heavy with child’ through a journey of eighty dusty, dreary miles from Nazareth, riding on a slow stepping donkey, to Bethlehem if the primary motivation was not Jesus’ place of birth?

Imagine if Joseph had gone to Bethlehem alone and Jesus was born in Nazareth instead. How much cause would the Jewish ruling class have had against Jesus who claimed He was the promised Messiah that was prophesied would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4)?! I am certain that Mary and Joseph contemplated this and used it as motivation to fulfil the sacred responsibility they were entrusted with.

Could Jesus have had a better beginning to His life with parental forerunners such as this??? I think not.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mary and Joseph by Greg Collins)

THE STAR

 

On His second visit to Jerusalem, Jesus taught at the temple and declared himself to be the light of the world. He testified that ‘he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life’ (John 8:12).

The incredulous Jews challenged His testimony because He bore record of Himself defying their law that required the testimony of two witnesses for any question of fact to be true. Jesus acknowledged the law and insisted that there were two witnesses, Himself and His Father (John 8:18).

In reality, there were many more witnesses to this truth. The witnesses that light had come into the world began at His birth. If they had only paid attention….

In his prophecy of Messiah, Balaam, by assumption one of the greatest Magi of them all, prophesied “there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17).

Matthew records that ‘there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem’ asking ‘where is the child that is born, the Messiah of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him’ (JST Matthew 2:2a).

Thus, the wise men of the east, as they followed the star to Bethlehem, became the first witnesses of the ‘light of life’ that had come into the world to save the world. One ancient writing claimed that “a Star in the East was to appear two years before the birth of the Messiah” (Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah, 1:211-12).

Much mystique has surrounded the identity of ‘the wise men from the east’ and many an inspirational story written. This assumption, however, seems the closest to the truth:

“They had prophetic insight. They knew the King of the Jews had been born, and they knew that a new star was destined to rise and had arisen in connection with that birth. The probability is they were themselves Jews who lived, as millions of Jews then did, in one of the nations to the East.

“It was the Jews, not the Gentiles, who were acquainted with the scriptures and who were waiting with anxious expectation for the coming of a King……His first witnesses were to come from his own kinsmen, from the House of Israel, not from the Gentile nations composed of those who knew not God and who cared nothing for the spirit of prophecy and revelation found among the Lord’s people.” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, 358)

But it doesn’t end there. On the other side of the world Samuel the Lamanite prophesied that ‘great lights in haven’ would appear and that light would remain when the night came: “And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you….that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning…..” (Helaman 14:2-6-12).

Samuel’s prophecy was truly fulfilled when the Saviour was born in Judea and a star did appear according to his words but the greatest witness they had of Jesus Christ as the light of the world came when they sat in darkness for three days following His death, and they heard this voice: “I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end.” (3 Nephi 1:15; 21; 3 Nephi 9:18)

What is spiritual darkness? It is not being able to discern right from wrong. It is not being able to see the truth. It is not being able to recognize the Saviour Jesus Christ as the sole source of our salvation. It means being stiff necked like the Jews of His time. It means looking beyond the mark, like they did.

They looked right past the man who sorrowed for their sins, looking for someone else. It means spiritual blindness within which extinguishes the path that leads home. It means being lost. It means being lost forever.

Follow the star, it will lead you home.

 

Born to be King

Born to bear the scepter of truth,

Born to cleanse my soul within

And deliver me from every sin. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Following the Star by Greg Collins)

THE DIVINE PLAN PART 1

 

We always affirm that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of the Roman’s tax decree. Elder Bruce R. McConkie reasoned that this decree was just a vehicle to fulfil the prophecy that the Saviour would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-8).

Elder McConkie goes on to say that Mary and Joseph knew of this prophecy and knowing who Mary’s baby was, would have moved heaven and earth to make it to Bethlehem so He could be born there (The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 341.

I tend to agree with this theory as this also came into my mind: did Mary need to be there for the tax issue? Any governmental procedure in the ancient world was conducted by men with men. Women came under the jurisdiction of men. Their record keeping tracked only the paternal and not the maternal line. The scriptures attest to this.

Bethlehem, the city of David, would have kept scrupulous records of the lineage of Joseph who was a descendant of David, as recorded by Matthew (1:1-16). Mary is mentioned not only because she was Joseph’s wife but because she also was a descendant of David. Joseph and Mary were first cousins, children of two brothers, Jacob and Heli (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38; JST Luke 3:30-31, 45).

Consider the patriarchal and legal rights that men had over women: “Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (James Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p 87) So even though by blood Jesus was Mary’s son, in the eyes of the law, He was the son of Joseph.

Would women really have been expected to attend accounting of taxes and census? Surely only Joseph would have been required to be there. So why else would Joseph put Mary ‘heavy with child’ on a journey of eighty dusty, dreary miles from Nazareth riding on a slow stepping donkey to Bethlehem if the primary motivation was not Jesus’ place of birth?

I tried to research this but could not find anything of evidence that women were required to be there. I did learn about the Roman procedure of taxing the provinces in the empire though. Very insightful….

Imagine if Joseph had gone to Bethlehem alone and Jesus was born in Nazareth instead. How much cause would the Jewish ruling class have had against Jesus who claimed He was the promised Messiah that was prophesied would be  born in Bethlehem?! I am certain that Mary and Joseph contemplated this and used it as motivation to fulfil the sacred responsibility they were entrusted with.

And we may we ask, why Bethlehem??? Because it was the city of His father David and because of this: Bethlehem in Hebrew means ‘house of bread’…. Indeed Bethlehem supplied the whole of Jerusalem with bread. Was this city not symbolically fit to be the birth place of the One who proclaimed himself to be “the bread of life?” (John 6:31,51; Bethlehem - Guide to the Scriptures)

The Divine Plan executed every detail of Christ’s birth. It was no coincidence that Rome decreed the tax requirement so late in Mary’s pregnancy which would necessitate her baby be born in the most-humble of circumstances because Bethlehem was overrun with people:

“Though he laid the foundations of the earth, and worlds without number had rolled into orbit at his word, he chose to come into mortality among the beasts of the field. Though he had worn a kingly crown in the eternal courts on high, he chose to breathe as his first mortal breath the stench of a stable.”

-        - Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 1, p 345

A God of splendour;

A babe of mortal birth;

All power surrendered

For the lowly of this earth.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)