Luke tells us that when Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem there was no room for them in the “inn.” Now we know there were no “holiday inns” at that time. The custom was that people would invite travelers – strangers – to come to their house to spend the night. Houses, expect for the very poor, would have a “spare” room. These were used to house strangers or they may be used for meals especially when having company.
The Greek word that is translated in Luke 2:7 actually means “a guest room” or simply a place to lodge. It was used three times in the New Testament and the other two references are to the place where Jesus and his disciples would eat the “Last Supper” (Lk 22:11 and Mk 14:14).
But whatever room this was, the point was there wasn’t any space for the expecting couple. The usual theory was that because of the “registration” there were too many people in the small town, and perhaps they arrived too late in the day to find anyone with a spare room.
But another thought was this couple – who was still “betrothed” was obviously expecting a child, was being shunned. Having a child out of wedlock was very much against their custom. This was Joseph’s hometown, so he must have been known and their situation. But scripture doesn’t tell us this.
We do know that there was no room for them! Luke doesn’t go in to detail as to why - just that there was NO ROOM. They had to sleep out in the shed with the animals. So Mary gave birth to the baby.
The reason was that this was a part of God’s plan. God was making a statement. Jesus was a KING – but he was not an ordinary king. He would not be born in a palace, excluded from the common, average person. He would have no servants to tend to his every need. The baby would be someone that was approachable, anyone could come to him. This would be how he lived and was to be a hallmark of the church.
Jesus said “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus didn’t go after the rich and famous of the day. Instead He welcomed the poor and the broken, the Tax collectors and sinners, the blind, the deaf,
