Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Joseph and Mary commenced their eighty-mile journey from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem. While we often imagine she rode a donkey, there is no evidence to support that. Regardless of their mode of travel, it would have been a daunting and perilous undertaking for the young couple. Picture this young teenage girl carrying her baby eighty miles, acutely aware that she was nearing childbirth and separated from her mother, friends, and even a midwife. It seems likely they were entirely alone when Jesus was born. When Mary learned there were no rooms available in Bethlehem, what might her thoughts toward God have been? Surely, she would have felt puzzled by the lack of provisions for them. Why didn't the Lord arrange for a warm room for His Son to enter the world?
In God's plan, no one can claim that Christ does not understand what it is like to live in such poor surroundings: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Christ has experienced the depths of poverty that many of us endure, and He can come alongside us and feel what we feel. The One born of Mary was not like Caesar, a man who portrayed himself as a god; instead, He was the One who created all things (John 1:3), the true God, putting on a robe of flesh and becoming a man! How wonderful!
As Mary went into labor on that holy night, we like to think she had a warm stable, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. The Bible does not mention a stable at all. The couple laid their child down in a phatné, which is translated into English as a manger or feeding trough. However, in Luke 13:15, this same Greek word is translated as an animal stall: "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall [phatné] and lead it out to give it water?” (Luke 13:15). With the census happening and the rooms at the inn filled, a comfortable cave would likely have been occupied as well. Because the innkeeper was overwhelmed with more people than he could manage, they were forced to go to the corral or barnyard.
There were likely animal droppings and the stench of urine in that place. Of course, we don't want to think about it, but we miss the whole point if we ignore it. It was a horrible place to have a baby. Mary probably had to lie down and give birth to Jesus on a cold stone floor with barely any straw beneath her, while Joseph tried to make it as clean as possible. Imagine how it must have felt for Joseph. Any husband knows that his wife is thinking and preparing for the birth of their baby months in advance. How could it be, Joseph must have wondered, that the God of heaven would plan for His Son to be born amidst the stench of urine and excrement, shut away from the world of people?
I'm sure Joseph felt shame for not providing a more comfortable setting for his wife to bring Jesus into the world, rather than a stinking barnyard. Since there is no record of a midwife being present with warm water to assist her during the birth, Joseph and Mary likely had to trust that God knew what He was doing. Joseph had to hold God's Son with his cold hands while witnessing Christ enter the world by the light of the star of Bethlehem overhead (Matthew 2:9). The King of Heaven became lowly like us. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Taken from the study in the Book of Luke, study 3, The Birth and Teen Years of Jesus
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