Why Bethlehem?

In April 2013 I visited the Holy Land. It was a fascinating trip, with so much history from Roman times to Christian to the British Mandate, the UN creation of Israel in 1848, the wars and conflicts from then to present. There was also the intake of Arabian and Jewish cultures, interestingly, more Arabian-Muslim then Israeli-Jewish. The trip involved a great number of contrasts. During and after that trip I have wondered why God chose to have Jesus born in the Mideast, and in particular why Bethlehem? That thought occurred to me once again this past week on the Feast of the Epiphany. 

Barricade in Bethlehem

At the time of that 2013 trip, I was struck by how the Mideast always seems to be in turmoil. When you are in the Holy Land the tension is omnipresent. If not war, then something close to it. To travel a few blocks sometimes required a long way around through varied Israeli checkpoints. For example, to get to the tomb of Lazarus, which would have been a five minute walk from the Mount of Olives instead took a 30 to 40 minute ride through I don't recall how many check points.

Manger Square

On January 5, 2023 an Israeli lawmaker visited what is now known as the Temple Mount, which is  home to Al Aqsa Mosque; the mosque being the third holiest site in Islam. Yet, this site is important to Jews. Historically, it was the site of the main Jewish Temple. The western wall of the structure of the old temple, is known as the Wailing Wall, a place of deep prayer for many Jews. That Israeli politician's visit caused such an uproar that a United Nations Security Council meeting was called to discuss the issue. The Associated Press, on Jan 6, 2023 reporting on the Jan 5 visit, tells why a visit is so important, by noting that "In September 2000, Ariel Sharon, then Israel’s opposition leader, visited the Temple Mount, which helped spark clashes that led to a full-fledged Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada." I recall seeing results of the intifadas, with bullet holes in Churches, not to mention the omnipresent barricades and barb wire. Muslims say the visit of Jan 5 infringed on their holy place, Jews view it as anti-Semitism. 

Temple Mount as seen from Garden of Gethsemane

I have found it an irony, but perhaps necessary, that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was born in a region of perennial conflict for well over 2,000 plus years. Jesus, a Jew, we heard his lineage spelled out at mass a few weeks ago, was born in a land under control of the Roman Empire, with the local population in constant discontent to the occupying force. Jesus could well have been born on most any continent, but he was born to Jewish parents in the midst of international tension.

Prayers at the Wailing Wall

His birth in an area of constant turmoil and tension is in part due to the unique geography of the Mideast. It is in the Mideast where east meets west, where north meets south. The Mideast represents the physical place where varied cultures meet and clash. It is a pot of stew with unique characteristics for the varied cultures still identifiable, like carrots, and beef in a homemade stew. The stew is always on the fire, almost ready to boil over at the slightest provocation. Globalization instead of bringing different people together seemingly makes them think of their heritage, their tribe. There is this human desire to belong, and for some it is more than a sports team allegiance. They have a desire to belong to a group that shares their cultural experiences. Culture is important, even at times when we think there is not much difference. 

St Catherine Church, next to the Church of the Nativity 
has bullet holes from providing sanctuary to Palestinians
during one of the uprisings. 

It was just over thirty years ago that Czechoslovakia split in to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It has been termed the Velvet divorce. One report indicates that the Slovaks thought the Czechs were paternalistic and patronizing, and the Czechs thought the Slovaks were ungrateful. (https://kafkadesk.org/2018/10/30/why-did-czechoslovakia-break-up/). To the non-discerning eye they may seem to be similar cultures, but to those imbedded in each I suspect they well recognize the differences. The cultural ties were significantly strong as to lead to separation. 

Roman Ruins in Caesarea, on the Mediterranean Sea 

Blood runs deep, it is part of our human nature, how else to explain all the blood tests for genealogy? So many people in the United States have taken a blood test for genealogy that you don't want to be a criminal and leave your DNA behind as the criminal can be traced. Ethnic groups are formed in large part by geography, cultural heritage, which are often implicit in their blood lines. 

King David's Tomb, at site of Last Supper

The United States is probably unique among Western nations as its settlement came from a variety of ethnic groups, often displacing the indigenous population. The east portion of the US was settled by WASP's, the southwest by the Spanish and the resulting Hispanic ethnic group, and part of the north by the French. Many centuries ago, the continent's indigenous populations arrived from Asia. It is curious to me that the Spanish and indigenous groups sufficiently intermarried to form a new ethnic group (Hispanics), but little of that occurred with the pretentious WASP settlers of the eastern seaboard. The US was (is) dominated by the WASP's for its history and hence our nation's history is written in favor of the  British-WASP dominating culture. 

Cultural and physical geography is important in explaining how the world's populations had and continue to evolve. So, why was Christ not born in Wisconsin? Lack of suitable population. Yet, I think that explanation can be found in physical geography. I heard on the news the morning of Jan 7, 2023 that we have not seen the sun for two weeks, and that within the prior thirty days of Jan 7, 70 percent of those days were cloudy. Let me translate sun to clear nights, clouds to not clear nights. With all those clouds the Maji, or the Three Kings, would never have found the Christ child, because the star would not have been visible. Typical winter Wisconsin winter weather. Could you imagine being Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar and you are leaving, probably years ahead of the birth of the Christ child on the prairies of southern Wisconsin (of course not known as WI at the time), and getting two weeks out from your destination only to find you don't know where to go any more because of an incessant two weeks of cloud cover? If Christ had been born in Wisconsin, I am sure the Feast of the Epiphany would be weeks later. Instead of the Twelve Days of Christmas the song would be the 40 days of Christmas. It would take a lot longer to sing an already long song. How many cultural expressions could be found to add 28 more verses?

As different as cultures are, some items, both good and bad, span the cultural divide. We are all people.

Church of the Beatitudes
We could all do well to use the Beatitudes as a guide

I probably will not know why Christ was born in Bethlehem (at least until I get to heaven), but my take is the overlapping cultures presented a unique opportunity for the world to embrace peace, which has been found fleeting. Of course, Christ's birth was prophesized in the Old Testament (Daniel 9:25 as an example) which places it in the Jewish world, but it could certainly have been chosen to be elsewhere. We do know that Wisconsin's clouds would not allow visitors from the east to make good time. God has given people free will, and that was best expressed by the birth of the Christ child that December night. It is up to us what we do with the free will. My hope is that all in the world will recognize the commonness of our humanity. Come to think of it, that is why Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.