Where was Jesus born? Bethlehem. Everybody knows that! But why? Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? You’d expect that Bethlehem was where Mary and Joseph lived, but it wasn’t. Remember where they lived? Nazareth. You might think that Bethlehem was the capital of Israel, but it wasn’t. That was Jerusalem. Bethlehem was just a little town in the country. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?
Because God had said so, and God always keeps his promises. About 700 years before Jesus was born, God made this promise through the prophet Micah: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). Long before Jesus was born, God told his people exactly where the Savior was going to be born: In little Bethlehem.
But why? Even before the time of Micah, God had made another promise. He had promised King David that one of David’s descendants would reign forever (see 2 Samuel 7). Do you know what David’s hometown was? Bethlehem! 1,000 years after David died, the town of Bethlehem was still known as the “town of David” (Luke 2:11). Mary and Joseph were descendants of David. It took 1,000 years for one prophecy and 700 years for the other, but God always keeps his promises. Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Do your upbringings seem small or insignificant? Jesus’ were! Does it seem like God takes a long time to keep his promises? Know that God always does. Just remember the little town of Bethlehem.
Upside-Down Savior 