The following is adapted from a December 2014 post in AndyUnedited.
The Christmas story always bothered me.
It never made sense. No, I’m not talking about the virgin birth. Not the angels singing to shepherds. Not the star in the sky. Not the wise men.
No, it was the part about there being no room in the inn. It never made sense. Middle Eastern hospitality is legendary. Strangers, travelers, those in need—you can count on the deeply ingrained culture of showing generosity and graciousness to those who need a meal or a warm bed.
They would never, ever turn away a pregnant woman—especially a woman who was a relative visiting her ancestral home in Bethlehem. Many close and distant relatives would have been living or visiting nearby to care for her. Turn her away? Send her to a barn? Never. It wouldn’t happen.
Then what did happen? In Luke 2:7, the Greek word traditionally translated as “inn” is better rendered as “guest room,” which is how the NIV puts it. Middle Eastern peasant homes were one large room though sometimes a guest room or “mother-in-law room” was attached. But since the guest room was already occupied, the owners of the house did the only sensible thing—they vacated the main house and gave it over to Mary and Joseph’s use.
The couple would not be alone either. When it came time for the baby to be born, Joseph would wait outside while women in the community would come and assist Mary. Luke didn’t mention the community because his readers would have known that without having to be told.
Then what in the world was a manger (a feed box for animals that Luke mentions) doing inside the house?
The single, main room of such a house typically had two parts: a smaller ground floor level and a larger level raised a couple feet for cooking, eating, and sleeping. Peasants would bring their animals into the lower level of the house at night for two reasons—to keep the animals safe from thieves and to provide warmth for the family sleeping on the upper level when it was cold.
Cut into the floor of the upper level where it meets the lower level was (wait for it) a manger. A place for hay to feed the animals.*
Some years ago I was describing this to a friend, and her eyes got huge. “That’s the kind of house I grew up in!” Her family had been missionaries among peasants in Syria. You can still find such homes there today.
Yes, Jesus was not born in a palace, but neither was he born alone in a barn. He was born in a common home of the people, a home that was opened up to him through a delightful demonstration of hospitality. When we welcome into our lives both family and strangers, the needy and the self-assured, we are living the Christmas story.
For the Christmas story is not one of “no room in the inn.” Rather it is one of wondrous welcome and generosity.
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Image credit: Ambroz from Pixabay.
*See Kenneth E. Bailey, “The Story of Jesus Birth: Luke 2:1-20” in Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), pp. 25-37.
This is an interesting perspective. But in wasn’t Mary’s ancestral home, it was Joseph’s. And his relatives might not have thought highly of Mary if word had traveled about her being pregnant before they were married.
Thanks for your comment, Tim. It’s a good one. You make an interesting point about the lineage of Mary and Joseph. Many have noted the differences between Matthew’s and Luke’s lineages of Jesus (Matt 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). Often the case is made that Matthew is following Joseph’s lineage while Luke is following Mary’s, though this is debated.
Other evidence exists for both Mary and Joseph being of the house of David. First, there is the Old Testament promise that a descendant of David would be placed on the throne of Israel forever (2 Sam 7:12-16; Ps 89:3-4; 132:11; Jer 23:5).
In addition, Jesus is called the Son of David many times in the New Testament. Clearly Matthew wants his readers to understand this to be the case (Matt 1:1; 9:27; 15:22; 20:31; 21:9, 15; 22:42). Mark and Luke give the same impression (Mark 10:47-48; Luke 1:32; 18:38-39). Paul is explicit that Jesus “as to his earthly life was a descendant of David” (Rom 1:3).
If Mary was of David’s line, she would clearly have relatives in Bethlehem who would have aided her. If she wasn’t, would Joseph’s family have taken them both in? I believe so. They would likely have followed Joseph’s lead in how Mary was treated. He clearly accepted her as his betrothed (Matt 1:18-25).