No Room in the Inn

It’s the most famous sentence in the entire Christmas story. But it’s not about unfriendly innkeepers or a wooden manger, surrounded by oxen and donkeys. Instead, it contains details that are significant in redemptive history. From the beginning, these details have indicated why the Bread of Life came into the world under such circumstances.

How many of us know the story of our own birth? If it was a difficult or complicated birth, your parents may have told you about it. And that’s precisely what God did. He made sure we were given the most important details about His Son’s complicated birth. The physician Luke (Col 4:14), who was universally renowned and beloved in the early church, was accustomed to close observation. In his namesake Gospel, he describes the most prominent event of human history in compact form.

All believers since Adam and Eve had been on the lookout for this event. The wait of over 4,000 years had ended: the wait for the promised seed, the Anointed One, the Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16), the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). 

The Birth Pangs
“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth” (Luke 2:6). The little word “there” refers to a place linked to many important biblical events.

The story places us just 5 miles south of Jerusalem in Bethlehem-Ephrata, on the edge of the Judean desert but rich in fields of grain. The difficult birth of Jacob’s youngest son had occurred there, and his mother didn’t survive. Jacob named him Benjamin, which means “son of my right hand” (Gen 35:18). This is also where Ruth and Boaz’s enchanting relationship began. Here in Bethlehem is the site of David’s heroic deeds as a young shepherd (1 Sam 17:34-35), and where he was anointed king (1 Sam 16:13). The name David means “the beloved.” 

This same Bethlehem is the exact place that the One would be born who sits at the right hand of the Most High (Ps 110:1) … who establishes an inseparable relationship between God and men … who is the Anointed One sent from heaven … and who is addressed as “my beloved Son” (Luke 3:22). Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” is the ideal birthplace for the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

Mary wasn’t aware of all these wonderful particulars. She did, however, know how the conception would take place: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35a). She also knew whom she would be welcoming: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). And she may have known where the birth would take place from the prophet Micah: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Mic 5:2).

How must this expectant mother have felt in her miserable surroundings when her labor pangs began, especially considering the angel’s great promises? Wonderful truths had been revealed to Mary and Joseph, but God had also withheld some of the details of the extraordinary circumstances of the impending birth. This is how the Lord acts in our lives. He gives us wonderful promises for the start and the finish, but many details of our future discipleship remain hidden for the time being. All the same, His ways are always right: indeed, the best ways, because He always has thoughts of peace upon us. And sometimes He has even bigger plans—as we will see in the details surrounding Jesus’ birth. Be still, endure, and keep watching; Jesus will bring everything to pass! (cf. Ps 37:5; Mark 7:37).

I can only imagine that Mary was glad to finally move beyond the gossip in Nazareth about her supposedly illegitimate pregnancy. But it involved a long, arduous journey. She was probably drained and exhausted upon arriving in Bethlehem with Joseph. The census ordered by Caesar Augustus had the small village bursting at the seams, and it’s a shame we don’t have more details about the situation there. Scripture doesn’t say how long they stayed in Bethlehem. But it’s clear that labor pains began, and the baby was on the way… Luke sticks to the essentials. He describes the event in choice medical language: “The time came for her to give birth.”

The Birth
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son…” (Luke 2:7).

The mothers may be wondering: How long was she in labor? Was she in a lot of pain? Were there any complications? Was the baby head first, or breech?... But Luke simply says, “she gave birth to her son.” It’s a boy! And from a medical standpoint, everything seems to have gone well. Mother and child are fine. But Luke includes something important: “she gave birth to her firstborn son.”

Jesus wasn’t Mary’s only child. Mark 6:3 mentions four half-brothers who are even named, and at least two half-sisters. But Jesus was Mary’s firstborn. And this endowed Him with a special position as the main heir, with all its privileges and blessings (cf. Deuteronomy 21:15-17). Bethlehem’s residents were probably of the opinion that it’s hardly an honor to be the firstborn of such a destitute woman, without inheritance or future prospects. What would become of Him? If you had been there at the time and someone had told you, “Look, that’s the promised Savior of the whole world!,” what would you have said?

And yet, this birth was the greatest miracle of all time: almighty, omnipresent, omniscient God became a baby. The Most High was born in a fully unspectacular manner … not in a palace but in a cave, as the lowest of the low under the most disgraceful circumstances.

The Circumstances of the Birth
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7, KJV).

This is the most famous sentence in the whole Christmas story. The cause of these extraordinary conditions was the fact that there was no room in the inn. Without these oppressive circumstances, it’s unlikely that many people would still be talking about the details of Jesus’ birth. But it wasn’t a coincidence; it was perfectly planned by God, and has a lot to communicate to us.

First, let’s consider the inn. How many Christmas pageants feature the wicked, hardhearted innkeeper who rejects the poor, pregnant woman? “No space for you, go away!” But this character doesn’t actually appear in the biblical text. Jeremiah 41:17 mentions an inn in Chimham, which was near Bethlehem. The context leads us to conclude that it was an inn meant to host entire caravans as they traveled. At that time, a caravanserai of this kind would have consisted of a walled, square area with covered arches in the inner courtyard. It was the simplest way to host a group with their animals overnight. That would fit, right? But in Luke 2:7, the Greek word that is most commonly used for an inn (pandocheion) isn’t the one that’s used, but kataluma. Luke 22:11 translates kataluma as “guest room,” and it appears in the next verse as “upper room.” It meant the largest guest room in a residential building, and there’s no reason to assume that Luke meant anything else here in chapter 2. And so, he has no reason to provide more details. The circumstances would have been clear to everyone in his day, but not so much to us. Mary and Joseph were probably taken into their relatives’ home, since hospitality was extremely important in social interactions of the time.

It’s interesting that Matthew 2:11 also mentions a house in connection with the magi’s visit: “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother…” Although this event occurred when Jesus was about two years old, it refers to a house as their accommodation. When the birth was imminent, every room in the house (the guest room included) was probably at full capacity, because of the many people who had come to Bethlehem for the census. “No room for them in the inn” actually meant that there was no place where Mary could give birth in this crowded guest room. So she had to move out of the way, and the only room where she could have some privacy was the unoccupied basement of the house. In Bethlehem, these were caves or caverns that were integrated into a house, providing space for animals and supplies. The fact that Jesus was actually born in a cave was also confirmed by Justin Martyr, who lived in the second century AD (Dialogue with Trypho, 78). Therefore, most Bible scholars and archaeologists recognize the Grotto in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as Jesus’ actual birthplace.

Luke’s report doesn’t paint the picture of an unfriendly innkeeper rejecting a heavily pregnant Mary. Instead, it displays a contrast: Jesus had the right to have been born with great dignity as David’s greatest Son, in the city of David (Luke 2:4). But instead, He was born in the most disgraceful of circumstances. “No room for them in the inn”—but room in the animals’ dwelling.

“And [she] wrapped him in swaddling clothes.” Back then, swaddling cloths were long strips of bandage-like material in which the baby was wrapped. This kept the newborn warm. Wrapped like a mummy, the limbs were stretched and the internal organs were protected. Even today, it’s still customary to swaddle newborns like this in some Middle Eastern countries.

Matthew Henry, a 17th-century Puritan, wrote in his commentary: “The word which we render swaddling clothes some derive from a word that signifies to rend, or tear, and these infer that he was so far from having a good suit of child-bed linen, that his very swaddles were ragged and torn.”

Apparently, no one else was present besides Joseph and Mary, because the new mother had to swaddle the newborn herself. But Mary seems to have regained her strength, because Luke mentions another amazing detail about this brave young woman: “and [she] laid him in a manger.” Warren Wiersbe explains this in his commentary on the New Testament:

“The word translated ‘manger’ (Luke 2:7, 12, 16) is translated ‘stall’ in Luke 13:15, and can mean either a feeding trough or an enclosure for animals. You see ancient stone troughs even today as you travel in the Holy Land, and it is probable that such a trough cradled the infant Jesus.”

What a description of the distressing circumstances of the Most High’s birth: The Lord was sleeping where the animals usually ate. It’s the most hygienically inappropriate and dishonorable place a newborn could be laid. This is also a reference to Romans 8, where Paul speaks of the whole of creation groaning and laboring together until now, longing for the curse of sin to be lifted. The man who once lay as a baby in a trough carved out of rock will, after His return in great power and glory, also ensure that the animal kingdom is restored through the establishment of His thousand-year kingdom of peace.

But where were the animals? They weren’t there; the cave was empty. Luke 2:8 tells us, “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” The animals were out to pasture with the shepherds.

An angel gave these shepherds the most beautiful birth announcement in the history of mankind: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12).

Why did God allow His Son’s birth to happen this way? It was about much more than just being born. This cave was a prophetic foreshadowing that Jesus’ humiliation would continue throughout His life on earth, ending with His disgraceful crucifixion. These circumstances aligned precisely with the Father’s plan of salvation for mankind. This can be seen in His swaddling cloths and crib. The manger is mentioned three times in the Christmas story (vv. 7, 12, 16), and the swaddling cloths twice (vv. 7, 12).

What’s so remarkable about the sign of a baby in a manger, wrapped in swaddling cloths? The crib is something special. At that time, there were no stables as we know them today. Instead, as I’ve said, there were caves and stone troughs. That’s a clear hint. The shepherds knew exactly where these caves were; they could even have been the shepherds’ own shelter. But the swaddling cloths? Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes about this in Yeshua: The Life of Messiah:

“The first clue was that the baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes are not baby clothes because that would not be a sign; that would not be unusual, because all babies are wrapped in baby clothes. The word used here means ‘burial cloth.’ The babe was wrapped in burial cloth, pointing out that He came for the purpose of dying—dying for sins.

“Intermixed among the stable-caves were also other caves used to bury people. Burial cloth was sometimes stored in nearby stable-caves. If a man died in the town of Bethlehem, his body was taken out of the town in a funeral procession. The first stop was at a stable-cave where burial cloth was stored, and the body was wrapped in burial cloth. Then the procession would proceed to a burial cave. The round stone was rolled away, the body placed in a niche in the burial cave, and then the stone was rolled back over the mouth of the cave.

“Since Jesus was born in a cave, which was used for a stable, rather than the inn, Mary and Joseph had to make use of that which was most readily available, burial cloth. The symbolism should not be missed: Jesus was wrapped in burial cloth on the first day of His life and He was wrapped with the same type of cloth on the last day of His life. The symbolic meaning is that He came for the purpose of dying. All others are born to live, but Jesus was born to die.”

When Jesus came into the world through His birth, His death was already on His mind. After the crucifixion, Jesus was wrapped in shrouds. Joseph was present at His birth, and another Joseph was at His burial:

“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away” (Matt 27:57-60).

Even the resting places were similar. Bethlehem had a sunken limestone trough; Golgotha in Jerusalem had a recessed trough in a niche in the rock tomb. God had a single purpose for Christmas: He, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, wanted to die for you because your sins separate you from God forever. You are lost without Him.—How did sin come into the world? Through a woman (Gen 3). How did the Savior from sin come into the world? Through a woman. That’s why He came: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Christmas without Easter is woefully incomplete. Dr. Erez Soref, President of One for Israel, summed it up this way:

“[In Migdal-Eder, near Bethlehem] you can see more of these shepherd’s towers here than anywhere else in the world. But why so many towers? Because the shepherds were not raising your average sheep. If a bone was broken, or any blemish at all was found, the lamb was considered unkosher for sacrifice. They had to perfectly guard these sheep. The shepherds who received the announcement from heaven were the very same ones in charge of the Passover lamb. How amazing that it was these very shepherds that looked after Yeshua that holy night. 

“Our Passover lamb, Yeshua the Messiah, was placed in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. Not just in any random site, not just to show the humble entry of the Messiah to the earth, but to foreshadow the work He was sent to do. Those words in Luke’s Gospel, spoken to the shepherds, were bursting forth with deep meaning.

“According to rabbinic tradition, the priest would come every high holy day from Jerusalem to Migdal-Eder, the priestly tower of the flock, to inspect the lamb before the big day. They would place the lamb in a manger, and after inspection the lamb would be wrapped in swaddling cloth and brought to Jerusalem for the sacrifice. They wrapped the lamb instead of leading it along to ensure that nothing would happen to the lamb in transit to the Temple. If the lamb wriggled out of the priest’s hand, that Passover would be ruined. So there was no room for chance. 

“So Yeshua, born in an agricultural center, foretold by Micah because He was to be the lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, He was wrapped in the same swaddle and laid in the manger, looked after by the same shepherd that raised and cared for the Passover and atonement sacrifices.” 

The Baby, the Swaddling Cloths, the Crib
“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor 5:7b). “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8).

Christmas is God’s greatest gift to mankind. It’s the precise event where He shows us who He is. Bible scholars J. P. Lange and J. J. van Oosterzee (translated by Sophia Taylor) once explained it this way:

“God manifests all His attributes in sending His Son: His power, in making Mary become a mother through the operation of the Holy Ghost;  His wisdom, in the choice of the time, place, and circumstances; His faithfulness, in the fulfillment of the word of prophecy (Micah 5:2); His holiness, in hiding the miracle from the eyes of an unbelieving world; and especially His love and grace (John 3:16). But, at the same time, we see how different, and how infinitely higher, are His ways and thoughts than ours. His dealings with His chosen ones seem obscure to our finite apprehension, when we see that she was most blessed of all women, finds less rest than any other. God brings His counsel to pass in silence, without leaving the threads of the web in mortal hands. Apparently, an arbitrary decree decides where Christ is to be born; but God is perfecting His plan, employing the free agency of man to subserve the designs of His omnipotence, and Augustus is, though unwittingly, merely an official in the kingdom of God.”

So God used the lowest things on earth to bring salvation from the highest heaven. The grotto became His royal hall, the stone trough His throne, hay and straw His cushion, an oil lamp His chandelier, two destitute people His servants, torn strips of cloth His ceremonial robe, and despised shepherds His guests of honor.

Summary
There was no room in the inn: not because people were terribly cruel to a heavily pregnant woman, but because God chose to glorify Himself through the redemptive work of His Son. And just as His life began in the manger on the fringes of society, so it also ended on the fringes of society: outside Jerusalem’s gates, nailed to the Cross, in the company of murderers.

The greatest exchange in human history began with Jesus’ birth: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).

If you are not yet a child of God, then accept the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, for salvation from sin, guilt, and death. Make room in your heart for Jesus! And if you already belong to Him, then thank Him with all your heart: His poverty has made you rich beyond measure.

Midnight Call - 12/2024