“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose going forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Micah 6:3
On two occasions I happen to stop by a grocery store. On one, I went in a good car while on the other on a “normal” car. I noticed that the treatment towards me was different on both the occasions. When I went there in a good car, they treated with the best of their services, not even allowing me to load my own groceries into my car by myself. However, when I was there in an “ordinary” car, I was only made to wait with no extra service.
I was the same person, in the same shop but in different cars. The result of it being different treatments. I pondered how we human beings treat the other based on greatness of power, positions, richness… How we attribute respect even tolerance and kindness based on a person’s greatness.
If God would have considered and preferred people/clan/place based on greatness of power and bigger in territorial size, the son of God Jesus would never have been born in a little town, Bethlehem in Judah. There were great states and kingdoms with great power at that time. But as Prophet Micah states, Bethlehem was “little among the thousands of Judah”, yet out of Bethlehem “the One to be Ruler in Israel” and the entire world came forth.
We often classify people according to their caste, race, and gender too. We belittle them according to these classifications. These little people we also often do not hesitate to label them as “dirty” and not consider human. We deny them tolerance, respect and kindness. Bethlehem teaches us though people may seem “little”, God in them and with them, makes them the hope for people. Our salvation lessons come from the “belittled” people who are much closer to God in their experiences.
Prayer: God in the Little Ones, help us to see you with and in those who are belittled, weakened and crushed. That we may respect and love all irrespective of caste, race or gender. In Jesus name, Amen.
Author: Anonymous
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