During this time of year—the Advent of Christ—we celebrate the birth of our Lord. Every sermon preached from the pulpit contains the birth story. It goes something like this: Mary was pregnant with child. She and her betrothed husband, Joseph, left Nazareth and headed to Bethlehem to participate in the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. When they arrived, there was no place for them to stay because the all inns or motels were full. Seeing that Mary was due at any moment, one innkeeper allowed them to stay in his stable. That is where she gave birth to Jesus.
However, scripture does not harmonize with some of the details of this narrative.
Let’s take a close look at what the Bible actually says,
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”[1]
Several things I’d like to point out, starting with the cultural problems of the traditional setting of “the inn” as a type of hostel. First, Joseph was a hometown boy from “the house and lineage of David.” They wouldn’t have turned him away, especially not in an honor-shame culture.[2] Second, Middle-Eastern cultures value a mother “with child.” Joseph’s pregnant wife wouldn’t have been turned away either. Third, related to the second, is that children were considered a blessing from God. So neither would they have turned away a child provided by God. Fourth, the concept of “personal space” is Western and not Middle-Eastern. They wouldn’t have turned away a family due to overcrowding or inconvenience. And fifth, there’s no reason to believe that a typical Palestinian peasant home couldn’t have housed the expecting couple. Allow me to describe the one-room, split-level home from west to east.
A door opened directly at the lower level. This was a smaller area about 4-feet lower than the living area.[3] Donkeys, cows, and sheep were brought in each night and tied to the mangers[4] from where they could graze.[5] Access to the living area included a short set of stairs. In the family living area, there were more stairs leading up to “the inn.”
There is also a contextual problem. The historical context precluded Mary and Joseph from taking an Uber along the Sea of Galilee to their destination. Scripture is laconic as to their mode of travel, although it is safe to assume that they walked.[6] Verse 4 mentions that they “went up from Galilee.” The journey from the region of Galilee, particularly the small town of Nazareth, to Bethlehem is approximately 70-90 miles. A person can travel about 20 miles per day on foot, not counting (subtracting) 10 miles per day for Mary’s pregnant condition, that puts them at 10 miles per day, which means they would’ve made it to Bethlehem in approximately 7-9 days. Moreover, Mary did not arrive at Bethlehem the night of her delivery as it’s popularly portrayed in movies. Verse 6 says, “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth” (emphases added). No one knows the exact time frame, but scripture is clear that it was not an immediate delivery.
The historical problem also brings to light that Bethlehem was a small town with no major roads or transit routes. So the idea of a large inn, and with it—the concept of a heartless innkeeper—vanishes.
Finally, the linguistic problem hammers the last nail in the coffin of the traditional setting of “the inn” being some sort of hotel. In Greek, katáluma is translated “lodging place,” “upper room,” or “guest room.”[7] Only a few translations call it something other than “the inn,” which lends itself to misinterpretation by Westerns who think of “the inn” as a kind of hostel or motel.[8] But Matthew’s gospel makes it clear that the Maji entered a “house”: “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”[9] So the traditional telling of “no room for them in the inn” should be translated “no room for them in the guest room upstairs.”
These problems bring to light how cultural bias informs our interpretation of scripture. So, now that we’re culturally, contextually, historically, and linguistically informed,[10] what are we to do with this new data, especially amidst a Christian culture that attributes the nativity in a barn or stable as synonymous with Christmas?
To be honest, I’m not absolutely sure except that pastors should not be reinforcing this false narrative from the pulpit, no matter how Christmassy it seems. (Kenneth E. Bailey offers some compelling reasons as to “Why It Matters” not least being the honored tradition of Middle Eastern hospitality.[11])
But what I do know is that upon learning the truth, it would only upset some Christians by ruining an iconic scene that’s been part of their family’s Christmases since they were children.
So I am of the opinion that most Christians get enough right about the Christmas story so we don’t have to argue about the details surrounding the birth of our Lord. What matters is that we’re all celebrating the same miraculous event that gives all people hope and “great joy”:
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'”[12]
[1] Luke 2:4-7, ESV.
[2] Mary also had relatives “in the hill country of Judea” (Luke 1:39, NIV), who she met with after she discovered she was pregnant. Kenneth Bailey writes, “[I]f the Holy Family arrives in Bethlehem and finds no shelter, never mind, Mary’s relatives are nearby. They are welcome there. There is time to seek shelter with Zechariah and Elizabeth.” Kenneth E. Bailey, “The Manger and the Inn: A Middle Eastern View of the Birth Story of Jesus,” The Presbyterian Outlook, December 21, 2006; updated November 27, 2023, https://pres-outlook.org/2006/12/the-manger-and-the-inn-a-middle-eastern-view-of-the-birth-story-of-jesus/ (accessed December 11, 2024).
[3] “About 80 percent of the one room is a raised terrace on which the family cooks, eats and lives.” Bailey, “The Manger and the Inn.”
[4] “In the morning, these animals are taken out into a courtyard, the area is cleaned and the house is ready for the day. This common daily routine is so firmly established in the village home that Jesus can presuppose it while talking to the head of the synagogue in Luke 13:15. He says: ‘Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it away to water it?’” Bailey, “The Manger and the Inn.”
[5] “If the cow or donkey is hungry at night, it can stand and reach the feed on the floor of the upper family living space…” Bailey, “The Manger and the Inn.”
[6] An apocryphal source—The Protoevangelium of James—mentions that “[Joseph] saddled the ass, and set her upon it” (17). This could be where the tradition of Mary riding on a donkey came from.
[7] We are familiar with the term “guest room” as it’s translated from katáluma in Mark 14:14: “Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, The Teacher says, ‘Where is the guest room for Me to eat the Passover with My disciples?’” (HCSB, emphasis added). Cf. Luke 22:11.
[8] Bailey explains the significance of two Greek words used strategically by Luke: katáluma and pandokheion. “In the story of the good Samaritan, the wounded man is clearly taken to a commercial establishment that provides shelter for strangers. However, Luke has the men arrive at a pandokheion (Luke 10:34), not a katáluma. Pandokheion is the common Greek word for an inn. Luke knows this word and uses it.” Bailey, “The Manger and the Inn.”
[9] Matthew 2:11, ESV (emphases added).
[10] Information taken directly from Benjamin Shin’s notes on “The Problems with the Traditional Setting of ‘The Inn.’” Hermeneutics, Talbot School of Theology, Fall 2005.
[11] See Bailey, “The Manger and the Inn.”
[12] Luke 2:8-12, NIV.