It’s hard to believe that we’re at week 3 of our Revisiting the Christmas Story series for 2024. And it’s difficult to approach this week’s session without thinking about that familiar Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem. I look back with sadness as I realize how much I was missing as I sang that song, knowing so little about what the ancient town was like when Mary and Joseph arrived for that eternally significant visit. So, let’s take another look at Bethlehem together and perhaps sing that song this Christmas with a different mental picture. 

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It’s hard for us “Westerners” to relate to what day-to-day life in Bethlehem was like for those living there when Joseph and Mary arrived, but if we’re to understand the Christmas story as it actually unfolded, it’s profoundly important that we address some of the realities that governed their public and private interactions with one another at that time.

One Thing We Know ~
One of the things we tend to accept about Bethlehem without considering its impact on the Christmas story is its size. Our familiar Christmas song, “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem,” is probably accurate. The Prophet, Micah, described the town as little (Micah 5:2) hundreds of years earlier, and by the time Joseph and Mary showed up, Bethlehem remained a small, close-knit, family-oriented, agrarian community. Like most of the Middle East at that time, Bethlehem’s social structure was very communal, and hospitality was more than expected. It was a foundational and virtually mandatory function of social life not only in Bethlehem but for all Jews, and it still holds true in some places today. In contrast to phrases in our individualistic culture like, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” Bethlehem’s residents were so communally connected that a characteristic phrase for them could easily have been, “What affects anyone in Bethlehem affects everyone in Bethlehem.” 

Luke called Bethlehem “the City of David” (Luke 2:4 NKJV), which is interesting, because the same phrase was also used to refer to a specific section of Jerusalem. Luke employed the term in reference to Bethlehem because it was the place of David’s birth and that was the town’s signature event and only claim to fame. In spite of its small size and lack of political or economic significance, every Jew would have learned about Bethlehem. From early childhood, Jewish children were taught about their religious, tribal, and national history, including the lineage of those leaders associated with God’s covenant relationship with Israel, and David was a standout in that category. 

Celebrity Status ~
Bethlehem was not only David’s birthplace, it was also Joseph’s hometown, and everyone living there would have known about Joseph and his family heritage. Middle Eastern historical and cultural theologian, Dr. Kenneth Bailey, suggests that Joseph’s direct line lineage to David would have made him like royalty in Bethlehem, and this, plus their cultural standards of hospitality, certainly would not have allowed Mary’s pregnancy to be ignored. He writes this: 

In every culture a woman about to give birth is given special attention. Simple rural communities the world over always assist one of their own women in childbirth regardless of the circumstances. Are we to imagine that Bethlehem was an exception?…  … Surely the community would have sensed its responsibility to help Joseph find adequate shelter for Mary and provide the care she needed. To turn away a descendent of David in the “City of David” would be an unspeakable shame on the entire village. 

Beyond that, neither the language of the text nor the culture of the time support the story we hear repeated every year. In the first place, thinking that an “inn”, as depicted in the traditional story, even existed in the small town of Bethlehem in those days, is extremely unlikely. Although those kinds of “pay to stay” establishments did exist, virtually all of them were situated on Roman roads and in larger towns and cities. Bethlehem met neither of those criteria. Beyond that, the text itself presents a different narrative. 

Not the ‘Inn” that We Imagine ~
The original Greek word for ‘inn’ that God inspired Luke to use in the birth narrative is not the same Greek word used to describe the kind of inn (or lodging place for travelers) that we usually think about. The appropriate Greek term for that kind of establishment is pandocheíon, a very different word and one that Luke used appropriately in describing the inn where the wounded man stayed in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan:

So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn (pandocheion), and took care of him. (Luke 10:34 NKJV)

But to describe Joseph and Mary’s situation, Luke used the word, kataluma, which is the Greek word commonly used to describe the guest chamber found in almost every 1st Century family home in towns like Bethlehem at that time. We find, also that kataluma is the same word appropriately chosen to describe the ‘room’ where Jesus met with the disciples for the last supper:

Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room (kataluma) in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” (Mark 14:14 NKJV)

Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room (kataluma); there make ready. (Luke 22:11–12 NKJV).

Not the Only Option ~
Envisioning Joseph and Mary arriving at a home where there was no more space in their ‘guest room’, is a much more realistic and reasonable picture than imagining them arriving at some Middle Eastern Motel 6 and having a gruff and compassionless night clerk point at the ‘No Vacancy’ sign. After all, because Caesar’s decree had required people to return to their ancestral homes for tax registration meant that Bethlehem was in the midst of the greatest family reunion the town had ever seen. Space would have been offered in the guest chambers (katalumas) of every home as long as there was room to be found. But the comment that there was no room for them in the ‘kataluma’ didn’t mean Joseph and Mary were turned away, rejected, or ignored. In that communal culture, such a thing would have been inconceivable under any circumstances, but especially so in the case of a pregnant woman. But if the kataluma was full, there was still another option that would have been offered.

Obviously, the guest chamber wasn’t the only room in the houses of Bethlehem. Homes at that time usually had a large living area where the main family members cooked, ate, and slept. The guest chamber was often built on a somewhat higher level or located behind, or to the side of the family’s living area. Rather than being thrust out to fend for themselves, the first recourse in Joseph and Mary’s situation would have been to invite them to share the family’s main living quarters. That would have been the expected response from almost anyone in Bethlehem, but given Joseph’s family connection to Bethlehem, it’s inconceivable that he just decided to knock on the door of some random person’s house. 

A Natural Response ~
Under normal circumstances even in our day, if we had to return to our hometown for a mandatory, unexpected visit and there were no hotels, where would we look first for lodging? If we had any family members living there, we’d naturally seek them out first. It would have been no different in Bethlehem when Joseph and Mary arrived, and perhaps even more likely. Given that Joseph was born there, it’s very unlikely that he had no family members living there. Actually, there could have been several, and any one of them would have received him and Mary with open arms and glad hearts. If their guest chamber was already occupied, they would have invited the couple into the family’s living quarters. 

But there’s another question. What about the manger scenes with all those sheep and goats and camels? Well… Luke doesn’t actually mention any animals hanging around when Jesus was born, much less swaying to the beat of a Little Drummer Boy as He came into the world. Though livestock would not have been invited to share space where a birth was taking place, the homes in Bethlehem did have areas, often cave-like structures over which homes were built, that were normally used for bringing animals inside. It was a means of providing shelter from the elements, protection from predators at night, and to prevent them from wandering off or being stolen. Those areas were removed from, but accessible to, the main living quarters, and every home would have been equipped with mangers for feeding them. 

Whether they were wooden troughs or hewn out of stone, mangers were often positioned at the edge of the family’s living quarters in order to more easily keep the livestock supplied and to monitor the animals’ food consumption. And in addition to the other benefits, bringing the animals inside also provided another bonus. Their body heat provided a welcome degree of warmth to the home in cold weather. In any case, laying the Baby Jesus in a manger in that culture at that time made perfect sense. It would have been close, convenient, and functional.

A More Encouraging Picture ~
In conclusion, the cultural and textual evidence strongly suggests that the lack of space in the family’s guest chamber would have resulted in Joseph and Mary being invited to share the living quarters. And the other encouraging likelihood is that given Joseph’s connection to the town, the home involved would most likely have been one of his relatives. As we mentioned in our last segment, there is no indication in the text that Mary gave birth virtually upon arrival. She could have been in Bethlehem for days, perhaps weeks, prior to her delivery, and would have been surrounded by experienced women caring for and assisting her.

God was sending His Son into the darkness of this world to seek out the lost, the rejected, and the hopeless and to bring them into His own eternal family. Instead of leaving Mary and Joseph alone, cold, and helpless on this special and Holy night, 

• • Wouldn’t it be more like our loving Father to bring them into a place where they had warmth, provision, protection, and peace? 
  • Wouldn’t it be more like the God we know, who loves like no other, to surround His Holy Child with a family ready to receive Him, care for Him, and celebrate His coming? 

Maybe one of the lessons God wanted to teach the residents of Bethlehem, and all the rest of us, is that obeying the admonition to love our neighbors as ourselves sometimes means inviting someone in need into our personal space. But what grander message could Christmas convey than the story of how an ordinary family’s willingness to confront someone’s unexpected crisis with sacrificial compassion brought the Light of the World right into their living room! As we ponder the richer, fuller story of the glorious miracle of that night, what more beautiful way could we adorn the celebration of Jesus’ birth than to live out that kind of story in our own lives?

Next week … Our series continues with Part 4, “Drop-in Visits, Shocking Announcements, and News You Can Use.” Meanwhile, please feel free to share this post with others – and your insights and questions in our comments section.  

Work Cited:  Bailey, Kenneth E. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. Downers Grove, Ill, Intervarsity Press, 2008.

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