Of All the Places

Gò0dNews for Everyone

Of All the Places

by Sandra Gilmore

Igrew up moving a lot. Roots and wings we had, just not a lingering address. Our family was rooted in the Word of God, in our special traditions, and in laughter, letters, and phone calls from other family and friends. I grew up grateful for new experiences, new friends, new neighborhoods, new time zones.

Each location gifted me with lessons I wouldn’t have had otherwise. When queried about which place was my favorite, my reply was, “They all were!” Because we knew each move was ordained by the Lord. He blessed each place for us!

Jesus moved around a lot too. He understood the proverbial “roots and wings.” Is there something to be gleaned from the

places Jesus lived? Let’s take a look. Of course, the locales will include where the Christmas story took place. Have you been following this series? Check each month as we explore often-overlooked connections to this sacred event and wind our way back to Christmas. *Bethlehem Although it’s secular history might have been born with the birth of Christ, this “House of Bread” was first mentioned in Scripture in reference to Rachel, who died near there around 1700 BC. Several centuries later, this place served as the backdrop for the endearing story of Ruth and Boaz, whose descendant David becomes king and rules from there. David was a renowned warrior. Interestingly, Bethlehem sounds like the term “warrior or fighter” in Hebrew.

*Capernaum Wow, what a place in the life of Jesus! Miracles happened often in this adopted home of Jesus, after He left Nazareth. How does its name reflect His presence there? It means “town of the comforted.” His miracles brought comfort with a miraculous catch of fish, His deliverance of the Sermon on the Mount, His healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the raising-the-roof healing of the paralytic. The lives of the woman with the issue of blood and Jairus’ daughter became centered on His healing comfort. And there’s more: He healed two blind men, restored a withered hand, plus the sanity of a man tortured by demons. Jesus called upon a fish to deliver tax money and called upon a loaf and fish dinner to feed thousands with twelve baskets leftover. His comfort was readily displayed. *Nazareth About 65 miles from Bethlehem, there’s a hamlet that is quite overlooked in history. It’s not mentioned in the Old Testament. The writings of the Talmud and our own Jewish-scholar-turneddevout-Christ-follower Paul are silent about it. Even Josephus omits any mention. And yet, the God of the Universe highlights this place specifically. Its name comes from a Hebrew term meaning “root or branch.” In Isaiah 11, we learn the Messiah is the root of Jesse. While history skips record of this town, when do we hear of it again? Thirty-three years after Joseph and Mary make their Nativity journey from here, Pilot engraves the name on history when he writes a title for Jesus “and puts it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19). Many Jews rebutted Pilot for the wording and asked that the inscription be changed. Pilot emphatically answered, “What I have written, I have written.” The sign marked in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin remained above the cross where Jesus was crucified. It remains in the record to this day.

Of all the places Jesus lived, the most significant place is in our hearts. Once He becomes our Savior, He shepherds us through places with comfort and miracles. Will you invite Him in today?

About The Author Sandra Gilmore serves the Lord as wife, mom, and encourager, mostly through writing and speaking, occasionally through cooking, rarely through anything athletic and only because of the mercy and grace of Jesus. You can reach her by email: tandsgilmore@yahoo.com or her website: www.sandragilmore.org