Christ was born in Bethlehem. The literal meaning for the name Bethlehem is “The House of Bread.”
Jesus was not born in the house of royalty, or the house of riches, or the house of celebrity. Jesus was not born in Jerusalem, or in Rome, or in Athens or Alexandria. Jesus was not born in any political, commercial, cultural, educational, or socially significant city of the day.
When Micah, the Old Testament prophet, foretold the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, he emphasized its lack of significance to the world.
But thou, Bethlehem, Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2)
Bread is one of life’s most common things, and without it man would not survive. God wanted his Son to be “common” in the sense that He is available to all. Without Him, there is no life.—Brian Atwood
