Fighting with Food

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, you are the tiniest of the towns in all of Judah. You are nobody. You are of no account. Why should anyone even know where you are? After all, nothing of any account can come of such a small and insignificant place.

But you, O Church of God, you are the weakest of all the institutions of mankind. You are nobody. You are of no account. Why should anyone even listen to you? After all, nothing but nagging and hate-mongering and oppression can come of such small and limited minds.

But you, O people of God, you are the most pitiful of all the myriads of people who wander this terrestrial sphere. You are nobodies. You are of no account. Why should anyone take heed of you or care about you? After all, you are meek and sad and poor and helpless. Nothing of any great value can come from you.

You can almost hear these sentiments rattling around in the background of today's Old Testament lesson. The prophet Micah speaks directly to Bethlehem of Ephrathah, a town too little to be among the clans of Judah. A town too small to be counted as worthy even of its own birthright. How many small towns exist in this world, and are accounted as unimportant and insignificant, just like Bethlehem once was?

The world does not think much of those who are small and weak and seemingly inconsequential. Bethlehem is too small to be a clan. Nazareth was too backward to generate a prophet of any value. The Jordan River was a dirty little tributary, of no use for washing.

However, from this little nowhere town, from among a poor, little, bedraggled band of people shall come one who is to be ruler in Israel. From this little farm town will come the Son of God who will save His people from their sins. And yet people will still look askance at Him.

His origins are much older than any farm town or nowhereland burg, though. His coming forth is from of old, from ancient times. His coming forth is from forever, literally. For this son of Bethlehem is more than simply the next in a long line of the sons of David. He is the Son of David, the one prophesied to take up the throne of the King of Israel. He is the Son of God, the Holy One of Israel eternally begotten of the Father before all worlds. He is the one who is, and who was, and who is to come.

And the One who Is shall come into the flesh. He shall take His place as ruler of His people. The Holy Spirit leaves no doubt about this. Only the God who would send His Son into the flesh could give such specifics, that a prophet nearly a millennium ahead of time could foretell with such detail where and how the Ruler of Israel would come. And that He would come from nowhere, from among nobodies.

What is more, the Spirit makes it clear that this coming King will not be simply another throne-sitter in Jerusalem. He will rule over Israel. He will lead a people who are not a people. He will lead a people scattered throughout time and space. He will lead those without a leader. He will lead a kingdom which is not of this world. He will lead those who wander in darkness into the light and truth and life.

This one who is to be King of Israel has come forth from of old, from eternity. And He will come forth from Bethlehem, to show that the power and dominion belong to God, and not to man. The merit and worthiness of mankind is worth nothing in the weight of God's plan and purpose. He will do precisely as He chooses, and that often runs contrary to the expected.

When will this happen? When will the Coming One step forth from this obscure origin to rule over Israel? He will let His people be until the birth of the one birthing. That is, He will let the destruction of the external, earthly kingdom come about. Then, in the anguish of birth-pangs, He will come to His own and stand among them.

At His coming, the new kingdom shall commence. When He comes, the kingdom of God shall appear, and God shall take up residence with mankind. Under His kingship, the synagogue shall pass away as the shadow of former things, and the Church shall be born to stand forever.

And when He comes, what will this new King of Israel do? For what reason will He come to His people? He is not to be king of an earthly kingdom, so what will He rule?

“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.” He shall stand and shepherd His flock. He will feed His people. And they shall dwell secure in the Name of the Lord.

The coming King of Israel will rule His people from a most unlikely throne. He will rule His people by dying. His kingdom will come among His people only in and through the death of the King. For this reason, and for this reason alone, shall He come. He will come to ransom captive Israel from sin, death, and the power of the devil. He will come to lead those who sit in darkness into the light of the day which shall not end. He will come to lead those who are called by His name, who are drenched in His blood, who are buried with Him into His death.

The One who Is, who is to come, He will feed His people. What a remarkable way to fight a battle! He rules His people from the head of the banquet table. He does not take up sword or spear or club or gun. He does not urge His people on to war or bloodshed or violence. Rather, He sheds His blood and lays down His life. He fights the forces of evil with His own body.

He shall stand in the midst of His people and feed them. He shall feed them not with bread and wine and milk bought with silver or gold, but with the Bread of Life and the Wine of Gladness. He shall feed His people with His own Body and Blood, which are given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. He shall rule not over the terra firma of Israel, but over the hearts and minds of the faithful children of God in every time and land.

He shall feed His people, and they shall dwell secure, for now He shall be great in the strength of the Lord. He shall be great, because He shall defeat the great enemy. He shall be great because He will establish peace and grace upon the earth. He shall be great, because His coming, prophesied from of old, shall have no end. He shall stand forever, and feed His people with the feast that never ends, the feast which gives birth to never-ending joy and gladness in His kingdom. “And He shall be their peace.”

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace (LSB 357.7).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.