“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. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.” (Micah 5:2-5a)
As Micah pronounced the downfall of King Zedekiah of Israel he launched into a prophecy of the coming the coming of the eternal King, the Messiah. The greatest of all Kings and rulers was to come out of a lowly town of Bethlehem, the city of David. The Messiah, like his ancestor David, would rule over all the people of Israel. He would defeat all those who oppose Him or them. He will bring down all the idols and false religions as well as all those people and prophets who promote evil and sin. The Messiah would be honored by all. He would make peace between God and man by His own flesh.
Jesus is the Messiah who has fulfilled the prophecy! He was born in Bethlehem in humble circumstances. He did not come as a military genius or political leader, or a community activist or organizer. Yet He came to establish a kingdom. He did this by sacrificing His own dignity, position and life through His death as a common criminal. He then called into His eternal Kingdom the weak, despised and the inept, people such as we sinners. He gave them faith to believe and wisdom to spread the good news of peace with God not with swords, guns, or bombs but with truth, mercy and love.
Although the lot of the followers of Jesus has never been easy they have brought down mighty kingdoms by sharing the Good News with all people both great and small for all are sinners in need of a Savior. And that Good News is that God loves them even though they (and certainly we) do not deserve it. Threats, violence, and Laws cannot change people. Only God’s acceptance and love in and through Jesus can melt the stoniest of human hearts.