Bethlehem: Surprise

"Tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." Joshua 3:5

     As I explained in my last blog, I'm going to be using Meeting God in Holy Places: A Devotional Journey by F. LaGard Smith to lift our spirits from time to time. I made an explanation for my long absence from my blogs on my regular blog: http://memosfrommimi.blogspot.com, so I won't repeat it here. But at this point, I'll remind you that this book gives us  an inside look at the HOLY LAND.  The first site is Bethlehem, and the chapter is titled "Surprise."

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     Our God is a God of surprises. Just when we think we've got Him figured out, He gives us what we least expect. I'm talking about the humble birth of Jesus. Read on to learn of some things that may surprise you. First, you'll be surprised to hear that when LaGard first saw the little town of Bethlehem, he was not only surprised, but disappointed. After seeing the  town where Jesus was born beautifully illustrated on cards at Christmas time all his life, seeing the real city wasn't anything like those pictures. Bethlehem is a  city which isn't sitting in a pretty little valley in stillness, but a city set above steps cut into a hill of olive groves. Buses, cars, tourists, noise and congestion are the main characteristics of this Israeli town.

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     Many tourists were there to visit the "massive, fortress-like Church of the Nativity." And even though no one knows exactly where Jesus was born, it was most certainly somewhere close--a fact "to take your breath away in anticipation." But going into the church through it's low doorway (built to keep marauding Turks on their horses out), there are some beautiful and ancient  mosaic tiles on the entrance floor. The church's antiquity is impressive as it is the oldest church anywhere, constructed by Constantine and his mother in A.D. 325.

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     But is that the point? For Christians who make the pilgrimage,  the point is to see the manger where Jesus was born. But there isn't an inn, or a manger, or straw and not even any  gentle animals. Like the icons dripping with gold in the entry to the chapel,  the place shown as Jesus's place of birth is a gaudy white, marble-lined niche in a cave wall that is dimly lit by hanging lamps, strange to those who had an entirely different picture in mind from reading the description in the Bible.
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     But more to the point, there may be some real surprises in regard to other ideas about Jesus's birth. It will disappoint those who haven't already learned that December 25 is not a likely time of year for the Savior's birth. The sheep grazing in the green fields and being watched by shepherds would have been there in the spring. And even though we speak of three wise men because there were three gifts, we don't actually know how many wise men came to visit the new king. And they didn't visit the manger, but went to visit the king six months later when the family was in a house.

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     Now, if these details disturb you, think of King Herod's surprise when he was asked by the Magi about the newborn king. He knew nothing about Micah's prophecy that Bethlehem would be the Savior's birthplace. Not only was he surprised by this news, but threatened. He didn't know anything about the God who fills our lives with surprises.
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    Now think of the shepherds in the field, how they were surprised by the appearances of the angel and the heavenly host! Their fear turned to joy when they found the baby "wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." They went from surprise, shock, fear, disbelief, hope, trust, and confirmation to--finally--indescribable joy! God came near, and these lowly shepherds were there to witness it. Lowly shepherds were the first witnesses to the one birth that gives meaning to all other births! Does that surprise you? Would you have presented this important event the way God did?


     Enough for today...I'll finish up this chapter tomorrow. I hope you're having a wonderful week!
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Blessings...Mimi