Okay, our
next stop on the list is the manger. We have to examine this because there is a
misconception about this particular part of the story. Many people have
actually already written on this subject, but they usually take an approach
that is linguistic or archaeological. I’m going to look from a more cultural
perspective.
The Greeks
and Romans had inns. And when I say inn, I mean what we typically think of as
an inn: a place to pay and get a room for the night. The Jews at the time
really didn’t practice this concept. Jews strongly believed in the idea of
hospitality. It was a commandment to look after travelers. The travelers must
be given protection for the night and be well treated. Why? Well, aside from it
being a commandment in scripture, it’s a well established tradition dating back
at least to Abraham. Heard of Sodom and Gamorrah? It’s about hospitality (don’t
worry, it’ll get its own post or three).
So there
was no inn like what we in a modern sense associate it with. It’s possible that
Bethlehem would have had a public house where any traveler was welcome to stay,
but more likely it would have been someone’s home. The cultural imperative of
hospitality would have demanded that someone in the village take in Joseph and
a very pregnant Mary. Moreover, Bethlehem is one of the cities of David, of
which Joseph is of the line of David. He would have had some kind of relatives
there, even if highly extended, that surely would have offered the couple a
place inside.
The inn
would refer to the main part of the inside of the house. Most houses of the
time period didn’t have separate rooms. It was one giant room where everything
took place. And even then we’re not talking very spacious. A good-sized bedroom
today would be the size of the entire house in Antiquity.
Now, we
examine the manger part itself. A manger is not a separate building or stable
area outside of a home. People don’t think about this often, but deserts are
cold. At night. There’s nothing to hold onto all that heat, so it just radiates
out of the ground into the sky, and is gone. It was not unheard of for
temperatures to get down to freezing at night after spending the entire day
baking. Fifty and sixty degree (F) temperature variations between night and day
are common, especially in the ancient world. Animals could die from exposure if
left outside. Worse, they could easily be stolen while the family is sleeping.
However,
inside the house there would be a place, a little dug into the ground, for the
animals to sleep. In the morning they would be taken outside for grazing and
other activities. Again, this is part of the culture of the time. The family
would sleep on one part of the floor while the animals would sleep in their
manger, all part of the same big room in the house.
So when
rereading this story, don’t think of a no vacancy sign in a Motel 6. Jesus was
likely born someone’s house, possibly a relative’s.