And
so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn
son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.
(Luke
2:6-7)
The
Nativity is an icon that appears everywhere this time of year. I've
written before about some of the misconceptions people hold about
Christmas traditions and many involve our picture of the Nativity.
The wise men (magi) were certainly not there the night Jesus was
born, for example, yet they appear regularly in nativities.
Another
possible misconception is over where Jesus was born. Luke tells us
that Mary laid the baby, Jesus, in a “manger.” A manger is a
trough used for feeding animals. In this case, it probably was
filled with straw and so would have been adequate as a make-shift
bed. It's because Jesus was laid in a manger that people imagine the
Nativity as having been in a barn. The wording does indeed strongly
suggest Jesus was born in a place where animals were being kept.
The
Bible does attest to stables being used for horses but it's not
likely that Jesus was born in a stable. Western style barns were not
owned by poor, 1st century, Jewish families. I have read
commentaries that suggest it was common for people to use caves to
house animals. There is not a shortage of caves in that area of the
world and archeology has shown us that they were exploited in many
ways by the people of that time. It's not unreasonable to believe
that Jesus could have been born in a cave being used to shelter
animals.
I
think the key to understanding this passage rests on the translation
of the word, “inn.” I've talked before about the dangers of
reverse etymology. When we hear a word, we tend to project our
modern understanding of that word onto to the original meaning of the
passage. In English, the word, “inn” makes us think of a hotel.
Jesus wasn't turned away because all the “hotels” in Bethlehem
were booked up.
The
word translated as “inn” in the King James is the Greek word,
κατάλυμα
(kataluma, Strong's word
2646). It is the same word later used to describe the room
where Jesus had the last supper with His disciples (translated as
“guestchamber” in Luke 22:11 KJV or “guest room” NASB) and is
often referred to as “the upper room” in most commentaries of the
Last Supper.
First
century, Jewish homes were built for function. They had a small
courtyard in front, an open first floor, and a second story. During
the day, animals were kept in the courtyard and the family lived on
the first floor where they prepared meals and ate. At night, the
animals were brought into the first floor and the family would sleep
in the upper area.
Here,
then, is my theory:
When
Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, it would be reasonable to
assume they also had their families with them. This was a census,
after all, and since Joseph and Mary were both of the lineage of
David, then so too were their parents, brothers and sisters, their
parents' siblings, their first cousins, etc. Once they arrived at
Bethlehem, they likely would have stayed with any family they had
there. Because the small home was packed with people, there was not
enough room for all of them to sleep in the upper area. Some of
them, including Mary and Joseph, had to sleep in the lower area where
the animals usually stayed at night. The animals may have been
brought in but, due to the circumstances, they could have been left
in the courtyard. Note that Luke's account does not mention any
animals being present – it only mentions the manger.
So
Jesus could quite possibly have been born in a house. A simple home,
certainly – not a palace or mansion – but a home nonetheless.
When Jesus was delivered, Mary laid Him in a manger, an animal
trough, in the part of the home where the animals were usually kept,
because there was no room for them in the guest chamber.
2 comments:
A good and careful interpretation. I haven't thought of it that way before, but it seems logical. Thanks for the post!
Yen Tun I,
Thanks for your comments. I'm glad I was able to maybe provoke some thought about a very familiar passage.
I visited your site and it's awesome. Best wishes and blessings in your endeavor.
God bless!!
RKBentley
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