In hindsight, we think we can see the real meaning of an event. Often, we imagine a better way to have handled something or to have understood what was going on at a particular moment. We often begin our rethinking saying, "If only I had known ..."

When it comes to the books of the New Testament, the authors made ample use of hindsight to reinterpret the past, illuminate their present and imagine their future. New Testament authors interpreted the crucifixion through the lens of Isaiah's suffering servant (Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52), and the Nativity through Isaiah 7:14, which says, "A virgin will conceive and give birth." Most of the time, the contemporary interpretation has little to do with the meaning the passage conveyed at the time it was written.

Remembering that, we can ponder today's selection from Micah, a prophet whose name means, "Who is like God?" True to his name, Micah prophesies that God will call forth a new leader from insignificant Bethlehem.

God seems to be avoiding Jerusalem, perhaps because it was a seat of civil power and the location of the temple, the crown jewels of Israel. The humble savior/ruler Micah describes is the antithesis of a great king. Micah describes him as a shepherd thoroughly dedicated to his sheep.