It was an intriguing story worth investigating. A young married couple, the wife in hard throes of labor, had been rejected admission to a hotel. They were forced to lodge in a barn where the young woman gave birth to their first-born child. It is difficult to imagine a hotel manager being so cruel and heartless as to deny the basic comforts necessitated for such a situation. Fortunately for us Americans, this happened in a foreign culture, a culture we could consider base.
After careful studying and living in the culture of this young couple, and learning from those more educated in this area*, I discovered Western tradition has influenced the telling of this story. From these studies I hereby submit a synopsis closer to what may have actually occurred on a night that may not have been so silent.
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| Beth Lechem Suq |
The arduous journey would be approximately a week or so. Fortunately they would not have to travel alone as there were other residents of the Nazaret region who also had to return southward to Beth Lechem for this census. Traveling in a caravan would offer security from bandits; and it would provide comfort for Miryam as there would be several mother-figures to dote over her being with child.
The easier route would be to travel eastward through the Yizreel Valley to reach the Jordan Valley and follow the river down to Yericho. After a period of repose, they would turn southwest and begin the exhausting ascent to Yerushalaim. A stop in Yerushalaim would allow them to visit with Miryam’s relatives, Zekaryah and Elisheba; and a required yet cherished pilgrimage to the Holy Temple overlooking the Eastern Hill. After a time of warm hospitality, they would continue their journey southeasterly to Beth Lechem, a trek of only five miles.
Once in Beth Lechem, they would lodge with Yoseph’s relatives. According to the account written by Luke, they stayed at an inn. A bit of clarification for the “no room in the inn” part of the story – the original Greek word that the author Luke used in this passage is “kataluma”, which is used elsewhere in the Last Supper stories (Luke 22:11 and Mark 14:14). “Kataluma” in its original context refers to an upper room or to a guestroom. When Luke refers to an inn as in the Good Samaritan parable, he uses the Greek word, “pandocheion”, which is a word that refers to a public place where all are received.
In the days of Yoseph and Miryam, inns were located along the well-traveled routes such as up near Yerushalaim or Yericho. As well, these inns were frequented more often than not by the wealthy, especially Romans or other foreigners. This couple was of quite modest means and they had family in town. For this culture it is an honor to offer hospitality; and it is considered an insult to reject such an offer, especially for the women who knew Miryam was pregnant with her first child.
Sometime after their arrival in Beth Lechem, it was the celebration of the autumnal Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths. This was a time for the Jews to celebrate the harvest and to remember their ancestors’ journey from Egypt to Canaan. During this week of celebration, on their rooftops they crafted booths made of branches and boughs of trees. They would dwell in these temporary shelters to remember how their ancestors dwelt in the wilderness for those forty years of wandering. This may have been the upper room where “there was no room”.
The home of Yoseph’s relatives had to have been a maddening chaos what with this crazy census gathering many distant relatives to this humble abode. But it was a joyous time for them as they began many preparations to celebrate the Feast of Booths. The home was small, built in a typical split-level style. The main level was the family’s living area and usually in this upper level was an area considered to be the guestroom of sorts. The lower level would have housed the livestock. Stables, as we have come to know them, were not in use in Judea. Flocks of sheep were protected in sheepfolds made of stone walls. Other animals were brought into a section of the house for safety and to provide warmth. Being Yoseph was undoubtedly the younger of the relatives, the elder guests were given priority to the guestroom, or to the booth crafted on the rooftop.
So amidst this impromptu family reunion, “the time came for the baby to be born.” This phrase indicates that Yoseph and Miryam chose not to return immediately back to Nazaret after the census as she was entering the third trimester. It was not an opportune time to be traveling the rugged terrain. In this culture, women of the family would never leave a young mother alone to deliver a firstborn child. The house was abuzz with excitement for the birth of this firstborn baby. Add to this excitement, the anticipation for the birth of their long awaited messiah, a message promised to Yoseph and Miryam by the angel.
When Miryam entered the first stages of labor, the women helped her down to the lower level as there was more room and privacy in the stable. The men paced the floors while one of the elder women helped usher this child into the world. It was God donning human flesh coming to live among them. They were struck with awe when they gained their first glimpse of this innocent baby boy. He looked just like them—black curly hair and shining dark eyes, so perfect and full of life.
Meanwhile in the rocky hills along Beth Lechem were a group of shepherds watching their flock of sheep. Shepherds were considered the lower end of the social scale; after all they did smell like sheep. But it was to this group disdained by society that God sent his angelic messengers to announce the birth of his son here on earth. Some speculations as to why God chose this group of lowlife: Yeshuah’s ancestor David had kept his father’s sheep on the same hills near Beth Lechem; and these shepherds may have been tending sheep destined for Temple sacrifices, so their relating news received by angels would be quite credible.
What are the implications of understanding the culture and the background of this much-heralded birth? For one, Yeshuah was born, grew up, worked, lived and died in a cultural context quite similar to that of the majority of people in the world today. Imposing a “Western” worldview on the circumstances of his birth tends to distort the depth of the event for ourselves. As well, it deprives non-Western people of an opportunity to identify with the people of the Bible. Through an understanding of the circumstances of this birth, they are afforded this chance.
The linguistic and cultural backgrounds of Scripture indicate that the Messiah was born in a home that reflects the simplicity of a majority of homes today. He was born in the context of an “extended” family and was cherished as a firstborn male child. Yeshua was born as the result of a supernatural conception, but according to normal physical processes.
The humble circumstances of the birth scene was quite appropriate for the One “who for our sakes became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). God was demonstrating true, eternal values in his arrangements for the incarnation of his Son, values that emphasized family relationships and being culturally relevant. As well, the circumstances of his birth imply that Yeshuah understands and identifies with the poverty in which most of the world lives today and always has lived. Finally, the simplicity of Yeshuah’s birth demonstrated the fact that though He was God in human body, He could be approached by anyone and would welcome all who would come to Him. Will we go to the Messiah this Holy Season and allow Him to dwell in our lives all year through?
--by KRTengesdal
*These thoughts have been gleaned from studies under Dr. Fr. Madros and Prof. Lancaster of Jerusalem University College; from studies and lectures under Dr. Hulbert, Dr. Beyer and Dr. Williams of Columbia International University; and from www.ChristianAnswers.net.
Originally published in the Minot Daily News, December 1999.
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