Deo Gloria
Sermon for December 22, 2024
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Micah 5:2-5a
Theme: Sometimes Big Things Come in Small Packages!
- A great King
- A mighty Shepherd
All the presents had finally been opened—at least she thought they had. That’s when John reached under the tree and picked up a small, little package nearly buried under the wrapping paper and the boxes. “What’s this?” asked Mary.
“Oh, a little surprise,” replied John. “Go ahead. Open it.”
Slowly Mary undid the bright, red ribbon and removed the wrapping paper. Inside she found another box, a small, little box covered with black felt, a jewelry box. Her heart skipped a beat and then began to race. “Could it be?” she thought to herself. “Could it really be?” Carefully she took out the box and lifted back the cover and there it was: a diamond ring, an engagement ring. She hardly could contain her excitement. That happens sometimes, doesn’t it? Sometimes you find big things in small packages.
The prophet Micah predicted that such a thing would happen in the years to come. Something big, or shall I say someone big, a person of tremendous importance would one day come from someplace rather small. From the small and insignificant village of Bethlehem a king would come, a great King and a mighty Shepherd for the people of God.
The village of Bethlehem lay about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. It wasn’t exactly what you would call “a blinker town”—you know, you blink and you miss it, a town with 2 bars, a grocery story and a gas station. Actually, Bethlehem may have had as many as a thousand inhabitants at the time of Micah. And yet in comparison to cities like Gezer or Jericho or Jerusalem, it was nothing, nothing but a small and insignificant village among the cities of Judah. Bethlehem was a quiet, sleepy little town, the kind of place you’d expect to see sheep grazing on a hillside or a farmer out sowing seed in one of his fields; not a place where you’d expect to find a ruler or king. Back in Micah’s day the kings were born in Jerusalem in the royal palace, not in Bethlehem.
Don’t be deceived by appearances, however. Sometimes big things come in small packages. Take King David, for example. He had come from that quiet, little village, the village of Bethlehem. It was there that he had grown up, tending sheep for his father, Jesse. And it was there that he had been anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel.
Micah, however, was not talking about King David. David had lived and ruled on the throne of Israel almost 250 years ago already. No, Micah was talking about a different king, a king “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times”(5:2). How could that be? How could someone who had yet to be born have “origins from of old, from ancient times”? The obvious answer is that he can’t—unless he’s God.
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” the angel told Mary, “and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”(Luke 1:35). Yes, these words of the prophet Micah found their fulfillment in Jesus, that baby who was born in Bethlehem. Jesus, you see, was more than just the human son of Mary. He was Immanuel, God with us. Jesus was the eternal Son of God come down to earth in human flesh. He is the Ruler who would come from this quiet, little town. He is the King with ancient origins, one whose existence extends even beyond the beginning of the time. And yes, Jesus is our King, the leader of God’s people, the ruler of God’s kingdom.
Of course, it is only by the grace of God that we can call Jesus our King. It’s not like we were born into his kingdom, because we weren’t. You and I had to be reborn in order to enter into the kingdom of God, which is what happened in our baptism. Through the waters of Holy Baptism God cleansed us of our sins and adopted us into his family, making us members of his heavenly kingdom—and not second class citizens either, brothers. You heard me right—brothers! You and I are the other “brothers” Micah is talking about in v. 3 of our text, those who through faith in Christ have joined the people of God. You see, it’s not like God brought us into his kingdom but then kept us safely at arm’s length. No, God has brought us near to him, made us members not only of his kingdom but of his very family, made us brothers and sisters of Christ the King.
Did you ever want to join a club when you were little, but your “friends” wouldn’t let you? You weren’t old enough or cool enough or you didn’t know the right password, so you couldn’t get in. How thankful we can be it doesn’t work like that in the kingdom of God, that God has not made his kingdom an exclusive club only for the rich and famous! By his grace and mercy God has opened his kingdom to all people, even to people like you and me that we might worship Christ as our Savior and King.
In addition to a great King, the prophet Micah also identifies this ruler who was to come from the village of Bethlehem as a shepherd. That would not have been surprising to anyone. Shepherds were a common sight in the fields and hillsides surrounding Bethlehem. David himself was a shepherd, as was his father and many of his ancestors. It was the shepherd’s job, of course, to take care of the sheep, to lead them to adequate grazing land, to lead them to water, and to protect them from their enemies.
The leaders of Israel back in Micah’s day had been rather poor shepherds. Instead of caring for the people, more often than not they only seemed to care about themselves. They took advantage of God’s people. They used their positions of power and authority only to benefit themselves and make themselves more wealthy. And you thought that only happened here in Minnesota. And when it came to protecting God’s people from their enemies, they had been an absolute failure. If it wasn’t the Edomites, it was the Syrians attacking some Israelite village, plundering their homes, killing its people. In a few short years it would be the Assyrians invading from the north, destroying town after town and city after city, eventually carrying the entire northern nation of Israel away into captivity. About a hundred years later it would be the Babylonians, this time attacking Jerusalem itself and carrying her people away into captivity. No, try as they might, the leaders of Israel were not able to protect God’s people from their enemies.
But this shepherd would be different. Even though he came from a small, little village like Bethlehem, this Shepherd would be a mighty Shepherd, a Shepherd who would be able both to provide for his people and to protect them from their enemies, because he would shepherd his flock “in the strength of the Lord”(v. 4). Again, the shepherd Micah was referring to is Jesus.
As our Shepherd, Jesus provides and cares for us. He feeds and nourishes our souls in the green pastures of his Word. He quenches our spiritual thirst with the refreshing waters of the gospel. And he protects his sheep as well—not from enemies like the Assyrians or the Babylonians, but the wicked forces of sin, death and hell. These are the enemies we face. These are the enemies who seek to harm us, who seek to destroy our souls. And Christ our Shepherd has conquered them for us. Of course, it cost him his life to do so, but he was willing to pay that price. As our good Shepherd, Jesus willingly laid down his life at the cross to defend us from our enemies. And by his death and resurrection he has won the victory. Sin has been defeated. Death has been defeated. Satan has been defeated. Christ our Shepherd stands victorious.
And as a result there is now peace for God’s people. No longer do we need to live in fear of sin, afraid that our sins will condemn us to hell. Our sins have been forgiven, thanks to Jesus our Shepherd. No longer do we need to live in fear of death, afraid that when we close our eyes in death, we will never open them again. Death is now the door to life, unending life in the Father’s house, thanks to Jesus our Shepherd. No longer do we need to live in fear of the devil, afraid that he might attack us during some moment of weakness and drag us away to the dungeons of hell. No one can snatch us out of our Shepherd’s hand.
These are the thoughts that are expressed so beautifully in the words of hymn 551. Remember how it goes?
Jesus, Shepherd of the sheep, who your Father’s flock does keep,
Safe we wake and safe we sleep, guarded still by you.
In your promise firm we stand; none can take us from your hand.
Speak—we hear—at your command, we will follow you.
By your blood our souls were bought; by your life salvation wrought;
By your light our feet are taught, Lord, to follow you.
Yes, you and I can live in peace, because Jesus is our Shepherd, because Jesus is our peace.
People may not have thought much when a baby named Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. But as Micah reminds us, sometimes big things come in small packages. That tiny baby who lay in Mary’s arms would one day grow up to be our Shepherd and our King. Amen.