Advent: House of Bread

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
    from ancient days.”
– Micah 5:1-2

On this upcoming second week of Advent we are going to look at Bethlehem. It is the small town in which the Messiah, the Lord of all was born, as a baby, in obscurity and humility. The circumstances around His birth mirrored the position of the town in which He was born.

It is important that He was born in Bethlehem, as it was prophesied roughly 700 years prior that He would be, and we see this fulfilled in many Scriptures, but poignantly in Luke 2:15B “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” God had made it known to the shepherds in the field, but He had also made it known for centuries beforehand. It is also quite amazing to read about the social and political events that allowed Mary to be in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth in order that prophecy be fulfilled.

However, this week I want to look at the name “Bethlehem” and what it means. There are many possible meanings of “Bethlehem,” but in Hebrew it holds the meaning “House of Bread.” I find this really cool for several reasons. 

First, bread is symbolic of food in general and “Breaking Bread” of eating a meal together or of friendship and peace. As we talked about last week, Immanuel, God with us, is what Christmas is all about, and He chose to initiate His plan to bring us back to Him in a town whose name brings to mind peace and friendship. 

Second, throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, the symbol of bread played an important role. He multiplied bread, showing that he cared and provided for people, and He referred to Himself as the Bread of Life.

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”” – John 6:35

“And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” – John 6:50B

This is played out at the Last Supper when He reveals what He means in John 6:50.

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”” – Luke 22:19

Bread is life. It is sustenance. It is a symbol of peace. It is a symbol of friendship. The Christmas story begins in a town called “House of Bread.” Jesus was, and is, the Bread of Life. He brings peace. He brings friendship and restoration of relationship. He sustains us. He brings life. 

Merry Christmas!