Is YOUR "Bethlehem" Important?

As a historian, I often tell my classes that history doesn't repeat itself, but the patterns do. As a technology zealot, I would say to my colleagues to always look for the cultural patterns and the cause/effect the technology will have as people use the technology to give us a better understanding of what it means to be a human being.

The importance of understanding history grows on us as we grow in age. Maybe because we have some history, or wisdom is speaking.

We are in the Christmas season. We are hearing scripture readings that all relate to the birth of Jesus. But what do we do when no historical facts or documents support our stories? What and how did the stories come to be? And where do we discover the truth in the stories?

Was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Why the Gospels disagree over the circumstances of Christ's birth is something historians try to figure out. But in the story, the truth is often in plain sight and sometimes slightly hidden. 

We have all read novels containing truths and often little historical facts. We learn from them often more about the culture and situation in time than the historical accuracy of the event(s) themselves.

Matthew and Luke give us nativity stories, yet at the same time, nothing about the birth is found in Mark or John. The Gospel of Mark is the earliest account of Jesus' life, written around A.D. 60 and maybe as early as 45 A.D. The opening chapter of Mark says that Jesus is from "Nazareth of Galilee." This identity of where you are from is repeated over and over throughout the Gospel, and Bethlehem is never mentioned. The Gospel of John, written approximately 15 to 30 years after Mark, also does not associate Jesus with Bethlehem. Galilee is Jesus' hometown. Jesus found his first disciples, performed several miracles, and had followers in Galilee.

Most of these stories are all based on "oral tradition" that eventually gets written down over time. Now think about 30 to 40 years ago in your own life. Think of stories you heard in your family, work, church, and society. Feel the struggle? How hard do you think about what you remember and work to get the stories together in your mind? Are the facts all there? What truth is being revealed? Can you recall who embellished parts of the stories? Do you find yourself "editing" the stories a tad?

The Gospels of Mark and John reveal from a historian's perspective that they either had trouble linking Bethlehem with Jesus, did not know his birthplace, or were not concerned with this city. And the latter probably was the reason. Did their audience care? And what audience would care? And think about which audience it meant nothing to and why.

The Apostle Paul, who wrote some of the earliest documents of the New Testament, considered Jesus a descendant of David but did not associate him with Bethlehem. The Book of Revelation also affirms that Jesus was a descendant of David but does not mention Bethlehem.

Regardless of whether these claims were accepted to be true without historical facts, we realize the "truth" is in the story somewhere; the stories shaped a person's ethnic identity, work occupation, Citizenship or political status. As the Greek historian Polybius told his students, "The renowned deeds of ancestors are part of the heritage of posterity."

Matthew and Luke's inclusion of the city of Bethlehem contributed to the claim that Jesus was the Messiah from a Davidic lineage. Think of this as a "warm fuzzy"; it made the listeners to the story feel good about the story. Think about how often that is important to us and how often, because of our culture and situation in life, we pay close attention to those details when someone with different experiences than us does not focus on the details we believe are important.

The storytellers of Matthew and Luke in the gospels that eventually get written down wanted to make sure that readers were aware of Jesus' genealogical connection to King David with the mention of this city. Birth stories in Bethlehem solidified the claim that Jesus was a rightful descendant of King David.

Think about if and why that is important to you today. So today, when the importance of Bethlehem is heard in Christmas carols or displayed in Nativity scenes, the town's name associates with the person called Jesus to the genealogy and lineage of hope for a new leader like King David. Besides, today, think of all the Christmas cards that depict the Bethlehem picture. Think of the cause/effect it has on culture.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

I start every semester of my classes, and in the world of technology, I would remind both my staff and students of this statement:

"The Currency of human contact is stories! People remember what they "see" in their minds."

When we study history, when we read scripture, a novel, and news on current events, what is happening in our brains is the creation of a story. History helps us understand the situation in time, the cultural setting, and the circumstances in which the stories unfold. The stories are the key! Think about the "currency" and how the currency touches the people.  

When we employ SEE-JDUGE-ACT in our discovery process, whether we are studying history or current events, we use the Cardijn Method to uncover the story. 

In the story, we discover the nuggets of truth. 

Those nuggets of truth make all the difference in people's lives; the nuggets of truth shape culture, ethics, and behaviors. It helps us understand the difference in being a human and the difference it makes.

Discover the nuggets of truth in your stories!

Image from istock