Why Bethlehem?

Have you ever wondered WHY Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Out of all the places in the world, why a small little town outside the city of Jerusalem? Why not Jerusalem where the temple was? Yes, we know Joseph had to go to his hometown of Bethlehem for the census, but the real reason is much deeper and goes back to the fulfillment of prophecies that were hundreds of years old. The Old Testament is FULL of prophecies about Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and Kingdom!

Over 700 years before Jesus’ birth, Micah prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. (And this passage in Micah is what King Herod’s scribes referenced when the magi came to find Jesus! Matthew 2:3-6) 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” Micah 5:2

Isaiah also prophecies His birth, lineage of David, and eternal Kingdom:

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

But just because Micah prophesies He’ll be born there doesn’t exactly say WHY. Yes, it was to fulfill prophecy, but we find the why wrapped into the genealogy of Jesus and the fact that’s He’s from the lineage of David, who also came from Bethlehem. But that’s just the beginning of it. In reality, it’s a multi-part reason that involves time and place. And God is a God of place and purpose. 

Let’s start with the genealogy found in Matthew 1. I know it’s super easy to skip these long lists of names, but this is one you don’t want to miss! It’s unusual for genealogies to mention women, but Matthew does– and what’s more interesting are that the kind of women mentioned are unusual. Rahab (the Canaanite prostitute who hid the two spies in Jericho) and Ruth (a Moabite) are a couple of them which shows that God’s grace forgives sins and reached beyond the Israelites to the world. God can use anyone in any position for His plans. Go take a minute and read it!

Matthew wrote specifically to the Jews to show that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah that had been prophesied about in the Old Testament. He actually quoted more passages from the Old Testament than any other writer in the New Testament—53 to be exact, with another 70 allusions to the Hebrew scriptures, and he wrote it in a way that was understood by a Jewish audience. They placed a huge emphasis on genealogy – hence why the book starts out with the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew’s goal was to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and that the King of kings had come! He immediately begins by showing the lineage goes back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob meaning He’s a Hebrew, as well as through David to show that He’s qualified to rule on the throne. God had made a covenant with David that his kingdom would be everlasting (2 Samuel 7:8-17)… which means that Jesus had to come specifically through his lineage to fulfill that prophecy. And although there weren’t kings of Israel anymore (because they were ruled by the Romans when Jesus was born), people still kept track of their heritage because of its importance. So the fact that Matthew points out that Jesus is from this lineage is incredibly important!

There are three sets of fourteen generations. The name David has a Hebrew numerical value of fourteen and Matthew may have been drawing attention to the Davidic emphasis especially since he began the genealogy with “Jesus Christ, Son of David.” In the first set, the Davidic line is established. In the second, it is cast down and taken into exile. In the third, the throne is confirmed in the coming of the Messiah. Matthew is proving that Jesus is the Messiah and rightful heir to the throne of David!

But there’s even more than that. Both Matthew and Luke record portions of Jesus’ birth, yet it’s in Luke that we find the angels’ announcement to the shepherds telling of His arrival and being placed in a manger. But there are beautiful clues here that point us to God’s plan—specifically the place and the manger.

“In the writings of the ancient rabbis, it is recorded that in the day of the second Temple, the only place where one could Shepherd a flock was in the wilderness. But there was one exception—the flocks of lambs that were specifically appointed and destined for the Temple sacrifices, the sacrificial lambs. Those needed to be kept in close proximity to the Holy City. There was, in the days of the second Temple, one particular region of Israel, not in the wilderness, but of hills and valleys and cited in Scripture as a place where flocks of sheep were kept in the days of Messiah. It happened to be in close proximity to Jerusalem where the sacrifices were offered. Thus, it is undoubtedly where the lambs for the Temple sacrifices were raised.

It was called Bethlehem.

That’s why Messiah was born in Bethlehem. The Lamb of God was born in the place… where the lambs were born. While shepherds watched their flocks by night… And not just in the place of the lambs, but in the place of the sacrificial lambs, where the lambs destined to be offered up in the Temple of Jerusalem as sacrifices to God were born.

So that’s why the first ones to see Him in this world were the shepherds because when a lamb is born, it’s the shepherds that attend its birth. So the Lamb of God was born among the sacrificial lambs for the same reason, to be sacrificed in Jerusalem. The mystery was there from the beginning, from His birth. The entire purpose of His life was to give Himself, to give His life as a gift of sacrificial love for us.” (The Book of Mysteries, Jonathan Cahn)

God is a God of place, but also of purpose. Just as Bethlehem was the place for specific reasons (Bethlehem means “House of Bread” and Jesus is our Bread of Life), so was the manger. But not the wooden manger that we imagine. First century mangers were actually made of stone. The shepherds would have known this all too well as they would have seen spotless lambs wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed on a stone for Passover each year. This is why the angels tell the shepherds that this will “be a sign”—it’s because it is of significance:

“And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”” Luke 2:12

Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes exactly like the sacrificial Passover lambs were—foreshadowing His own sacrifice for us and fulfillment of Passover. After He was taken down from the cross, He was again wrapped in cloths and placed in a tomb cut out of rock—just like that stone manger.

“Then he took it (Jesus’ body) down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.” Luke 23:53

He was born to die for us, and His birth signified His death.

This is why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. To fulfill the prophecies that He was the long-awaited Messiah, descendant of King David and rightful heir to the throne, and sacrificial Lamb of God– whose birth foreshadowed His ultimate sacrifice. Like I mentioned, God is a God of place and purpose, and the details of His plan are so beautiful!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.” Romans 15:13