On this very turbulent Christmas in this very turbulent year, I’m drawn back to the first Christmas. Stick with me. I’m not a theologian or a pastor. This is still a travel blog. But I want to work through a familiar story and then bring it back to us today.
No Room At The Inn?
There’s this idyllic conception of the story of Jesus’ birth, as recorded in the second chapter of Luke’s gospel. Mary and Joseph show up in Bethlehem and there is no room in the inn, so they must seek shelter in a cave or barn that houses animals, where Jesus was born and laid in a feeding trough.
How quaint, right? Too bad Joe didn’t have elite status with a “guaranteed room” at oversold properties.
But that’s unlikely what happened. Luke uses the Greek world katáluma that was first translated into English (from Latin) by William Tyndale as inn. But the word actually means guest room, as in extra room in a house. It’s the same word that was used to describe the site of the Last Supper prior to Jesus’ death.
Luke does use the better word for inn, pandócheon, in his story of the Good Samaritan in chapter 10. Specifically, the good Samaritan takes the wounded traveler to an inn (pandócheon), and instructs the innkeeper to care for him, promising to pay for the care.
So this idea of the Joseph knocking on the door of a hotel and the manager shrugging and say “no vacancy” is misplaced.
Think about it, if Jospeh and Mary were heading to their ancestral home to take part in a census, it isn’t too difficult to conclude that Bethlehem, the City of David, would be full of relatives.
Now many modern scholars leave it at that and say that homes were filled, Mary and Joseph arrived late, so they were accommodated in a guest room that also happened to be used for the animals.
I’m just speculating here, but I wonder if there is something more to the story? Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married and all of a sudden Mary is pregnant.
Think about the scandalous perception.
Either she and Joe were engaging in some extracurricular activities prior to marriage or Mary got knocked up by some other guy.
Either way, the perception was not just bad, but damning. According to Matthew 1:19, when Joseph found out his wife-to-be was pregnant, he prepared to “put her away”. Most scholars believe that meant divorce.
But under the Mosaic law, the penalty for fornication was death and isn’t it more reasonable that Joseph’s dilemma wasn’t whether to divorce her in secret or publicly, but whether to conduct an honor killing to protect the dignity of his name and the purity of God’s people, as prescribed in the Books of Moses?
As the story goes, an angel appeared to Joseph, told him the baby was conceived of God, and told him to proceed with his plans to marry Mary.
And he did.
But imagine again the perception. They arrive in Bethlehem where are all their family is. Mary is pregnant and about to give birth (i.e. she’s huge). She and Joseph have not yet married.
Is it any wonder they could find no room for lodging?
Think of the chatter behind their backs. The assumptions about what a total lack of self-respect that fool Jospeh has for himself, his family, and even his God.
Why should anyone open the door up for a filthy harlot and her stupid man?
Thus, it becomes clearer why a woman about to give birth could not find a place to give birth. You really think that if all was well, a crowded house would be a hindrance?
Have you ever experienced Middle Eastern hospitably? Most will give you the clothes on their back and the food on their table without you even asking.
You really think that a poor teenager about to give birth would just be shunned? There must be more to the story.
But we know that someone did eventually take pity on them and give them room. It wasn’t the best room in the house, but it was better than giving birth in the town square.
And think about the reputational cost of that act of kindness. Think about how when you aid and abet “evil” you are lumped in with that evil.
Maybe I read far too much into that story, but I herald the man or woman who opened up their house to Mary and Joseph as an inspiration this day.
Christmas, reflecting upon God’s gift of Jesus, is rooted in selfless giving. Even our secular understanding of this holiday centers upon giving to others.
And we’re in this horrific time in human history in which there are so many people in need around us. Many of these people made wrong choices, but are nevertheless in need.
We can turn our backs on them and say they get what they deserve, or we can be like Tony Aldapa, who administered CPR to a man who selfishly and knowingly boarded a flight to Los Angeles while experiencing horrific COVID-19 symptoms.
He showed the Christmas spirit of selfless love, even at great personal cost. What a testament to his character. And just like the sneering scoffers of the first century, so are many dismissing the act of kindness showed by Aldapa.
On this day and everyday, may we look for ways to serve one another. Accountability is a necessary good, but lending a helping hand to those in need, no matter their seemingly poor choices, is what it means to be fully human.
Merry Christmas.
Makes a lot of sense. …and all these years, I thought the hotels were full and Joe had no Choice Privileges or Hilton Honors status or the equivalent of that era. To think that Mary might have been this close to her throat slit but Joe had more sense. True, not proven but conceivably what happened.
Merry Christmas to all.
Merry Christmas Derek!
Yes, thanks for your reflections, lovely.
Sadly we see the variation on “ no room at the inn” as a recurring theme, not least in the global north/south divide, in which those most easily able to afford to share, provide shelter and sustenance, give access to resources, offer comfort, support and succour …are unwilling to do so. We see it even today in dramatically unequal access to healthcare, both within countries and in potential access to vaccines across borders.
We can’t be saying “no room at the inn” or “the boat is full” while there are more than sufficient resources to share more equitably….
Merry Christmas to you, your family and to all your readers…
Merry Christmas Paolo!
Lovely post; however, the death penalty would not have applied to Mary as she was not married. Leviticus is very clear that the adultery charge applies to sex between a man and a married woman
Thanks for your comment. I actually did think that through and agree adultery was not the right word. My thinking was the fact that she was betrothed to Joseph and that the child wasn’t Joseph’s would have given him the option of gathering evidence to convict her and execute her. (Deuteronomy 22:20-21)
I don’t feel anything close to selfless love for any of you. In fact most of you are insufferable morons and I only read your comments because they’re occasionally funny. I feel love for my family of course. You people, not so much. You could rot for all I care.
Merry Christmas, A**h0l3$.
Oh Joe. Merry Christmas.
The story of Gander, New Foundland on 9/11 comes to mind for me. And, if you ever have a chance, do see the Broadway play, “Come From Away.”
The spirit of hospitality and the opening of homes and kitchens to thousands of stranded travelers there that day is a story that still inspires me. I sometimes wonder, given our world since, if that was the last true moment of my grandmother’s generation and mark, a woman who instilled in me to never turn away from a stranger in need.
Merry Christmas, Matthew.
Merry Christmas Stuart!
Thanks for that fresh perspective on the familiar Christmas story, Matthew. Merry Christmas!
+1
Merry Christmas Dan and Christian.
Good post and interesting take, Matthew. The ESV, NKJV and NIV versions of the Bible translate Matthew 1:19 similarly… “And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. (ESV)” Having someone stoned to death represents not only maximum shaming but imposing the ultimate penalty. However, Joseph had in mind to end their engagement in a low key manner as possible, which (would have) showed an element of mercy and grace that God dispenses abundantly to each of us, despite our own wretched behaviors.
Hope you and everyone had a joyful Christmas.
Merry Christmas! Thanks for your comment.
Thank you Matthew for the devotional thoughts. The content is more substantial than the average religious blogs. Every year, I look forward to this Christmas edition. [Do you have a blog for non-travel related topics, such as religion?]
I could see several threads that would be worthy of exploration for further enlightenment. However, I will stick to the one that is most relevant to the travel theme. I do not have immediate access to contemporary scholarship; and I do not (yet) use Logos or similar aids. I am neither a theologian nor a linguistic scholar — just another pilgrim. I will initially try to stay with the text rather than eisegete contemporary experiences into the text (not necessarily inappropriate especially in a devotional context).
It is correct that Dr. Luke uses the Greek word kataluma here rather than pandocheon. Several reputable scholars, such as Elliot, Barnes, Vincent, etc., note that kataluma refers simply to a place to stay, known as a khan or caravanserai whereas pandocheon was a more of the type of lodging (Luke 10:34) that we could relate to. A khan would offer basic shelter and a roof over the head, perhaps not unlike the type of inn operated by the british missionaries Aylward and Lawson. [The film takes too many liberties.] The inn in this instance could possibly refer to the “Inn of Chimham” just outside Bethlehem, mentioned in Jeremiah 41:7.
It is interesting to pay attention to the two preceding words “no room.” Instead of a physical room, such as the rooms in modern lodging, the Greek word topos could indicate available space based on limited occupancy and/or it could figuratively mean an opportunity (to stay) [Zodhiates]. Then the Greek word for “no” here is ouk which is an absolutely negative adverb here. So in summary: it was a completely sold out (no vacancy) situation.
Now, let me incorporate some contemporary experience for application. The innkeeper exemplifies the selfless giving such as that of Tony Aldapa that you are referring to. The inn might not have been the appropriate space to give birth but it is possible to create a makeshift room with blankets. This would have required the guests to forego their linen of comfort temporarily. We do not know what transpired, except that God the Son was laid in a manger, by hands that He had crafted, nurtured in the womb that He had fashioned, and brought into the world that He had created (extrapolating Augustine).
A greater miracle happens every day when Jesus Christ is born in the hearts of the faithful. Meanwhile, He is preparing “a place” for the faithful who have made room (topos) for him in our hearts.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Hi ValTN,
Thanks for taking the time to write out such a detailed and well-thought out comment. At this time, I do not have another blog. Merry Christmas and blessings to you.
Very well said, Matthew. Merry Christmas!
Thank you Ron. Merry Christmas.
Nice blog post on this subject. We are guilty of a lack of empathy. Just take the guy at the corner stoplight panhandling (note I didn’t say begging) for money. Most likely the guy drove to the corner to solicit hundreds of dollars to play on people’s sympathy and maybe even guilt. He may not even need the money as much as what people envision. So our reaction is to judge him and not give him money. On the other hand imagine the government all of a sudden requiring the entire country or even an entire state to come to your city to register for a census. The Airbnb’s and hotels would be full. People would be hosting folks in homes, you might have to turn away a relative or at least ask the unmarried nephew and his knocked up girlfriend to use your couch to sleep on, or throw up a cot in the garage.
In the case of Joseph. You are right he likely was asking to stay with relatives. Because of his lineage, he could have likely mentioned to anyone in town that he is from the line of David and they would have welcomed him. Most likely the situation was that the rooms had all filled up before he got there and they had to stay in the communal area of the house. They apparently laid the newborn in a manager which would have likely been an impression in the ground where they would feed animals. There is some tie in’s with not handling animals on the sabbath. Also some theory around why Jesus celebrated the Passover seder the night before his death on the cross. Both of these events and dates around them likely are reflective of cultural differences by region around Israel but it is fascinating.
Next time you are in Israel I can recommend the Good Samaritan Museum. It’s about 25 miles East of Jerusalem on Highway 1. It is part of the national parks system and a parks pass is valid there. Most of the big motorcoach tours to the Dead Sea pass by it but I always take my groups there. Merry Christmas.
Great thoughts Dan. Thanks for your comment and Merry Christmas to you. I look forward to checking out the Good Samaritan Museum (and Yad Vashem) next time I travel to Israel.
Don’t you think, if there wasn’t scandal surrounding Mary’s pregnancy, other relatives would have made room and given the expectant mother the preferred accommodations?
In looking at the text, it appears that it wasn’t like Mary arrived in Bethlehem in labor. Instead, it appears they had some time to search out a place and still struggled.
This is all fun speculation, but I guess the greater point is not where is Jesus was born, but that He was born…
I’m late to this, but thanks for your thoughtful piece, Matthew. It was a fascinating look at a story we’ve all heard countless times.
Happy Holidays and best wishes for a safe 2021!
Thanks Greg. Happy Holidays to you!