LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM - C: 4th Sun of Advent

Micah 5:1-4 (December 19, 2021)

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel” (Micah 5:1).

Here goes the prophecy of Micah, that in the period of a prolonged abandonment a baby will be born, who would be God’s representative in feeding his people, securing their land, and bringing lasting peace. The featured provenance of this deliverer would be Bethlehem.

The name Bethlehem is spelled in the Hebrew as a compound word, i.e., Beth-Leḥem, that literally means “house of bread.” It is a small town in the southern part of Jerusalem that is known as the birthplace of Benjamin (Gen 35:16) and the hometown of David (1 Sam 20:6). In the NT, it is renowned as the birthplace of the expected Messiah as stated clearly in Jn 7:42:

“Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”

Despite being the birthplace of both King David and Jesus, the Davidic Messiah, Bethlehem is rarely spoken of in the OT. The name only occurs 15 times, a few times in reference to being a burial place (Gen 35:19; Judg 12:10), the provenance of one Levite (Judg 17:7-9) and one concubine (Judg 19:1-2), and as David’s tribal origin (1 Sam 16:1). For the great part, Bethlehem remains insignificant in the OT tradition. It was only in the Gospels that its significance momentarily emerged in association with the birth of the infant Jesus on account of Joseph, who was a descendant of the house of David (Lk 2:4). However, as Joseph is not really the biological father of Jesus as Jesus is conceived of the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:35), the Davidic lineage of Jesus is not really established in the Scriptures. Regardless of Jesus’s bloodline, the salient thing is that he was born in the little town of Bethlehem (Mt 2:1; Lk 2:4).

A traditional Christmas carol reiterates this feebleness and insignificance of Bethlehem:

“O little town of Bethlehem,

How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by;

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.”

This song is originally a poem written by Phillips Brooks in 1868 that was turned into a hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906. The melodramatic tune coupled by the comforting message of its lyrics recreate the simplicity of the birth of Jesus: in a little town of Bethlehem, behind dark streets, and amidst fear.

Yet, against this backdrop of anxiety and depression, there lied the baby Jesus who was peaceful in his sleep while radiating a light of hope to everyone.

In this simplicity of December during this pandemic time when mobility and gatherings are hampered, my family is celebrating the 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary of my parents, Mr. Reynaldo and Mrs. Ligaya Fortes, who were married on the 18th of December 1971. Minus the lavish party and exuberant fanfare, we simply hear an online mass together while thanking the Lord for 50 long years of loving relationship. But in the simplicity of this moment, we appreciate and focus our attention to the bare essential, i.e., God’s everlasting love for us! The third verse of the hymn speaks well of our sentiments today: “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.”

May we, too, appreciate this important Yuletide truth seen in a baby born in the little town of Bethlehem.

- Rex Fortes, CM