To see what really happened around the season of the birth of Christ, we need to glean facts from both the Greek text and from the culture of the ancient Middle East. Thankfully, in many cases, the culture and customs that were common in biblical times still existed in many villages and towns in the Middle East until quite recently, the late 1800s and early 1900s. That was due to the attitude that many eastern people had about change. To us today, we want change, and even expect it. We want “new and better.” But “change” has not been what people in the Middle East traditionally valued. For them, it was an honor to do things the way they had always been done because that honored one’s ancestors, so there was little change in the way things were done from one generation to the next.
Too often, the Greek text alone has been used to try to reveal biblical truth, but that is not enough to rebuild the truth of the biblical events for a very simple reason: when something in a culture is usual, well known, customary, or “standard operating procedure” it's not written about in detail. The ancients did not write about those “normal” details back in their day, and we do not write about them either. For example, if I write a letter to a friend about driving to work every day, I might say “I drive about 15 miles to work every day.” I would never write “I drive to work in my car, which is a large metal, plastic, and glass mobility device on rubber wheels, with a gasoline engine that starts when an ignition key is turned, and I make it move by pedals on the floor.” Everyone in today’s culture knows exactly what I mean when I say “I drive to work.” Perhaps 2000 years from now, if the culture has changed so much that only a few historians know what a car is, they might wish we had described our driving in more detail, but that is not necessary today. In the same way, things that were part of the everyday culture of the Bible times were not described in detail in their writings. Today we must learn about the ordinary things of ancient life by piecing together details from many texts and writings, by using archaeology to study the material culture left to us, and by studying any cultures that still live the same basic way people lived in biblical times.
What we will see as we examine the Christmas Story from both the Greek text of the Bible and the culture of the ancient Near East is that Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem sometime before she gave birth and were taken into the home of a local resident, most likely a relative who was also of the family of David. Mary then gave birth in that home in the same way that women had given birth in small villages in the Near East for millennia. There are many reasons Joseph and Mary would have found a place to stay in a private home in Bethlehem. First, Joseph was returning to his town of origin. Historical memories are long in the Middle East, and family support is very strong. For example, Paul knew he was a descendant of Benjamin (Phil. 3:5), even though Benjamin lived more than 1,500 years before Paul. Given the long family memories in Hebrew culture, once Joseph told people that both he and Mary were descendants of families from Bethlehem, many homes would have been open to them. Also, it's extremely likely that Joseph and Mary already knew relatives in Bethlehem and would have gone to those homes first to find lodging. As we follow the true story of Christ’s birth in the Bible and culture, we will see that this is almost certainly what happened.
Second, both Joseph and Mary were of royal blood, each being from the royal line of David. David was so famous in Bethlehem that Bethlehem was called “the city of David” (Luke 2:4 KJV). Being from the famous family of David would have meant that most homes in Bethlehem would have opened their doors to them, if only for that fact alone. Being able to host a couple who were direct descendants of David would have been an honor and privilege for any family in Bethlehem.
Third, in every culture, women who are pregnant are given special help, and the village of Bethlehem would have been no different. Bethlehem was small at the time of Christ and very few archaeological remains dating to the time of Christ and earlier have even been found there. The prophet Micah wrote “you are small among the clans of Judah” (Micah 5:2 NIV84). The New Testament scholar Kenneth Bailey, who has spent his life living in the East and teaching in Universities in Egypt and Lebanon, properly understood what life was like in villages such as Bethlehem, and he pointed out that Joseph and Mary would never have been turned away in their hour of need. Bailey writes “Was there no sense of honor in Bethlehem? 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 to the entire village.
Fourth, and very importantly, the shepherds who came to see the baby Jesus shortly after his birth had been told by the angel who appeared to them that Jesus was the promised Messiah and their Savior. So, when they found Mary, Joseph, and their Savior, if they in any way felt that he was not being treated well, it surely seems they would have been scandalized and outraged, and immediately taken Joseph, Mary, and the baby to their own houses to properly care for them. The fact that they did no such thing, but left the new family where they were, indicates they felt Mary, Joseph, and the baby were being well cared for. They saw the baby in the manger and were satisfied that they had seen their Messiah and Savior, and so they left and went to tell the good news to the whole area.
These reasons are given in, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey, (IVP Academic, Downers Grove, IL, 2008), pp. 25-37, and credit must go to him for enlightening me to the basic truth in this article; that Jesus was born in the home of a loving family in Bethlehem. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, p. 26.
Too often, the Greek text alone has been used to try to reveal biblical truth, but that is not enough to rebuild the truth of the biblical events for a very simple reason: when something in a culture is usual, well known, customary, or “standard operating procedure” it's not written about in detail. The ancients did not write about those “normal” details back in their day, and we do not write about them either. For example, if I write a letter to a friend about driving to work every day, I might say “I drive about 15 miles to work every day.” I would never write “I drive to work in my car, which is a large metal, plastic, and glass mobility device on rubber wheels, with a gasoline engine that starts when an ignition key is turned, and I make it move by pedals on the floor.” Everyone in today’s culture knows exactly what I mean when I say “I drive to work.” Perhaps 2000 years from now, if the culture has changed so much that only a few historians know what a car is, they might wish we had described our driving in more detail, but that is not necessary today. In the same way, things that were part of the everyday culture of the Bible times were not described in detail in their writings. Today we must learn about the ordinary things of ancient life by piecing together details from many texts and writings, by using archaeology to study the material culture left to us, and by studying any cultures that still live the same basic way people lived in biblical times.
What we will see as we examine the Christmas Story from both the Greek text of the Bible and the culture of the ancient Near East is that Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem sometime before she gave birth and were taken into the home of a local resident, most likely a relative who was also of the family of David. Mary then gave birth in that home in the same way that women had given birth in small villages in the Near East for millennia. There are many reasons Joseph and Mary would have found a place to stay in a private home in Bethlehem. First, Joseph was returning to his town of origin. Historical memories are long in the Middle East, and family support is very strong. For example, Paul knew he was a descendant of Benjamin (Phil. 3:5), even though Benjamin lived more than 1,500 years before Paul. Given the long family memories in Hebrew culture, once Joseph told people that both he and Mary were descendants of families from Bethlehem, many homes would have been open to them. Also, it's extremely likely that Joseph and Mary already knew relatives in Bethlehem and would have gone to those homes first to find lodging. As we follow the true story of Christ’s birth in the Bible and culture, we will see that this is almost certainly what happened.
Second, both Joseph and Mary were of royal blood, each being from the royal line of David. David was so famous in Bethlehem that Bethlehem was called “the city of David” (Luke 2:4 KJV). Being from the famous family of David would have meant that most homes in Bethlehem would have opened their doors to them, if only for that fact alone. Being able to host a couple who were direct descendants of David would have been an honor and privilege for any family in Bethlehem.
Third, in every culture, women who are pregnant are given special help, and the village of Bethlehem would have been no different. Bethlehem was small at the time of Christ and very few archaeological remains dating to the time of Christ and earlier have even been found there. The prophet Micah wrote “you are small among the clans of Judah” (Micah 5:2 NIV84). The New Testament scholar Kenneth Bailey, who has spent his life living in the East and teaching in Universities in Egypt and Lebanon, properly understood what life was like in villages such as Bethlehem, and he pointed out that Joseph and Mary would never have been turned away in their hour of need. Bailey writes “Was there no sense of honor in Bethlehem? 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 to the entire village.
Fourth, and very importantly, the shepherds who came to see the baby Jesus shortly after his birth had been told by the angel who appeared to them that Jesus was the promised Messiah and their Savior. So, when they found Mary, Joseph, and their Savior, if they in any way felt that he was not being treated well, it surely seems they would have been scandalized and outraged, and immediately taken Joseph, Mary, and the baby to their own houses to properly care for them. The fact that they did no such thing, but left the new family where they were, indicates they felt Mary, Joseph, and the baby were being well cared for. They saw the baby in the manger and were satisfied that they had seen their Messiah and Savior, and so they left and went to tell the good news to the whole area.
These reasons are given in, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey, (IVP Academic, Downers Grove, IL, 2008), pp. 25-37, and credit must go to him for enlightening me to the basic truth in this article; that Jesus was born in the home of a loving family in Bethlehem. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, p. 26.
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