Daily Devotional – I’m Normal.™ I AM Ministries
“To promote Godly living in a culture committed to destroying it”
Monday, December 22, 2014
House of Bread
The name of the town in which Jesus was born, Bethlehem, is not a secret. The secret is the meaning of the word Bethlehem. That secret is revealed today.
Scripture, as well as secular history, records His birth there. More amazing is the fact God had announced His place of birth hundreds of years in advance through His 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).
With this prophecy recorded in Scripture, anyone awaiting the Messiah should have had an eye fixed on the little town of Bethlehem. Given the advance warning, it was a sure thing Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Even King Herod, the ruler who wished to kill our LORD in His infancy, was notified of Jesus’ birth location. When Herod asked all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the Law where Jesus would be born, they answered “In Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet Micah had written (Matthew 2:3-5). The birthplace of the Messiah was no mystery.
Surprisingly, the common people also knew where the Messiah would be born. When Jesus was teaching at the Feast of Tabernacles, some questioned how the Christ could come from Galilee. “Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived? (John 7:41-42). There was no confusion regarding His birthplace, just confusion over whether Jesus was the Messiah they had awaited. They also confused His home town, Nazareth, with His place of birth. Jesus’ attribution to Nazareth was a red herring to confuse those who failed to do their homework.
The town of Bethlehem was small and humble, which was consistent with everything relating to our LORD, who humbled Himself to come to Earth. But there was more to Bethlehem than this humble quaintness, things that should have been additional clues to those awaiting the Savior. The name of the town is actually a consolidation of the Hebrew phrase “beth le hem” which means “House of Bread”. Beth means “house” and “le hem” means “the Bread”. How proper it was for our LORD, who is the Bread of Life (John 6:48-51), to be born in a town referred as the House of Bread.
Jesus was the Bread of Life who came down from Heaven to feed us with spiritual food. After feeding the five thousand with bread and fish, Jesus told those who questioned Him, “I tell you the Truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from Heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33). Jesus then said, “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35).
Jesus is not just the from the house of bread, He does not just keep the bread, He is the Bread of Life. When He gave us communion at the Last Supper, He broke the bread symbolically and told us “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19). Only hours after the Last Supper, His body was broken physically on the Cross to save us from our sins.
Jesus’ gift of eternal life is free. He gives freely to all who come to Him. When He fed the five thousand, the bread was free. At the Last Supper, the bread was free. The Bread of Life is free for anyone willing to take Him into their heart. Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread from Heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on the bread will live forever.” (John 6:56-58).
It is normal to be fed by Jesus. Jesus is the Bread of Life, the House of Bread to whom we can repair anytime. He not only wants us to nourish ourselves with the food He offers, He longs to dine with us (Revelation 3:20). He has prepared a house for us in Heaven where we can feed on Him and His love for eternity. Is your soul hungry enough today to ask Him into your heart?
In His love and service,
Jeff Myers
A servant of Jesus Christ
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