No Place For Him

Luke 2:7-8: 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. (8) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Micah 4:8 . And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
First thing, do we really know what nativity means? It is not found in the Bible. It comes from the Latin verb nacsi, meaning birth, and it eventually evolved into the Latin word nativitas, which means to be born.
Our story opens in the Gospels; let’s go with Matthew starting at chapter 1, verse 18. We find Mary, the mother of Jesus, is espoused to a man named Joseph. We know very little about Joseph other than he was a just man. Also, he made some pretty mature independent decisions that should have involved his parents. So likely, Joseph was quite a bit older than Mary and may even have been a widower. To make the decision to quickly divorce Mary likely would not have occurred as an independent decision if this were his first marriage. Mary was still a virgin, so this would be her first marriage, and she would likely be around 14 years of age.
They were espoused, that is, betrothed. If one were betrothed, they were legally married, only they could not live together or have a sexual relationship for at least a year. Marriages were arranged, and many times the bride and bridegroom have not even met until their wedding day. Hence, before they were allowed to be intimate physically, they were given a year to become intimate emotionally.
The idea was that the couple would be legally married, but the bride would still live with her parents while the bridegroom prepared a place for her to live with him. This would usually be an attachment to the bridegroom’s father’s house. This arrangement would last for about a year when the bridegroom would come to his father-in-law’s house late at night to snatch away his bride and take her to his father’s house. Neighbors and friends would watch anxiously at night, waiting for that evening when the bridegroom comes after his bride, and then they would all come out of their houses and form a procession as the bridegroom carries his bride to his father’s house and consummates the marriage. While this consummation was going on, there would be a big party taking place.
This does not seem to be the case with Mary and Joseph. To avoid any scandal, once Joseph got the go-ahead from the angel, he took Mary right away into his home. Normally a young woman would not reveal that she was pregnant until five months into the pregnancy. That would give Joseph enough time to live with Mary, and when the time of pregnancy was announced, people would just assume Joseph would be the father.
This leads me to believe that Joseph was a widower as a widower could take his new bride into his house any time after the betrothal ceremony, and normally, there would be no feast for a second marriage unless the bride specially requested it.
To take Mary to Bethlehem for the census would also indicate that they had a shortened betrothal period and that Joseph was established as an independent man, again an indication that he was a widower.
There are a number of laws that Jewish women follow when pregnant. One law is that a pregnant woman is not to look or gaze upon an unkosher animal. All these nativity scenes with camels and donkeys are highly inaccurate as the camel and donkey are not kosher. We assume the Wisemen arrived on camels. We also learn in Matthew 2:11: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother.” It does not mention Joseph. Now there are many who believe the Wisemen showed up many months after Jesus was born because the trip from out West would have taken many months. But why could the star to guide them not appear many months before the birth, and they arrived just after the birth took place? The other argument for a delayed appearance is that in Matthew, the Greek word used for the baby is paidion which is a word for a young child, not an infant. But in the Aramaic, the word used is tela’, which is a word for a young child or even an infant. It is a word used for a little lamb, which is metaphorically what Jesus was born to be, that is, a lamb who would be sacrificed.
So where was Joseph? It is a little strange that they found the tela’ with his mother but do not mention the father. Again, some say Joseph died, which is not likely as Mary gave birth to a number of other children, and here Jesus is still very young. In fact, they are still in Bethlehem. At least, that is what Scripture teaches. Then we could just simply say Joseph was running errands when the Wisemen arrived, although I hardly think Joseph would have left Mary’s side so soon after giving birth.
Another possibility is that under the laws for pregnant women, a husband is not allowed in the same room as his wife when she gives birth. So, the arrival of the Wisemen could have been timed perfectly for the moment of birth. This would be the purpose of the Wisemen showing up to witness the birth of the Messiah. If they were Wisemen from Persia, they would have been trained in delivering babies. But I think there was a more likely group of individuals who would have been more appropriate for this task, as I will explain later.
Once the child is born, the mother is to offer a HaGamal or a prayer of praise or blessing. This was to be done before ten relatives. However, if no relatives were around, she could say this blessing before ten Jewish men. I will explain that one later as well.
Tradition teaches that there was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary, and they had to settle for a stable, a cave, or, as often depicted in a nativity scene, a flimsy three-sided lean-to. Where they put the Baby Jesus was in a feeding trough. This was to show His humble birth. However, recent Archaeological discoveries, as well as an examination of the Talmud, would indicate that there are a couple of things historically and culturally inaccurate with this picture.
The picture we have in our mind of a nativity scene is a little stable with a wooden manger filled with straw and all sorts of farm animals surrounding the baby. There would be three Wisemen and maybe three or four shepherds, with Mary holding the baby and Joseph standing next to her. Such a shelter or stable did not really exist in the first century. It could have been a little succoth, which was a booth-type structure temporary set up during the time of planting or harvest. But these were temporary and were usually in a state of collapse by the time they were abandoned.
Then there is this wooden manger. It is very unlikely that this manger would be made of wood because farm animals like to chew on wood. So, whoever owned this manger, it would have had to be one made out of stone. Such mangers were not common in Israel. In fact. The only place you would find a manger would be in the Tower of the flock or the Migdal-Eder.
In reading the Talmud, I found something interesting. In Baba Kamma 80a and 7a,b, we learn that the fields of Eder, which are just a few feet bordering Bethlehem, is where the sacrificial lambs were raised and cared for. The shepherds of these lambs were elite shepherds, all from the priestly tribe of Levi, whose job it was to care for these lambs so they would remain without blemish or spot. They watched these sheep 24 hours a day. From birth, the little lamb would be spoiled rotten, wrapped in fine linen to remain without blemish or spot, and fed a special diet.
We learn from Scripture that Mary and Joseph were forced to spend the night in a location other than an inn because the inns were all full. The Aramaic text, however, does not even mention an Inn; it just simply says dalith hu lahun dukath – there was no place for them. Inns in those days were not what we think. They were little way places that were built in a circle or square and had two stories. The bottom was for the camels, donkeys, or other livestock which had feeder troughs. The second floor was where the traveler’s slept. In the center was a well, and there were a number of campfires around that people shared. It was very communal and dangerous. There were no innkeepers to keep order. These inns were established because the roads were filled with bandits, and you might wake up and find your camels or donkeys gone, stolen. However, you stood a better chance of waking up in the morning with your livestock and supplies (as well as your life) if you stayed in one of these inns. Should you have done what tradition teaches, that is, that Mary and Joseph supposedly slept in a stable or cave which served as a feeding area for livestock, you were placing yourself at extreme risk for undesirables. Yet, even if they did stay at such an inn, these places were not entirely safe places, and there was still a chance you would wake up to find your livestock and supplies gone. The inn was not the best place for a pregnant Jewish woman as there were many animals in the inn which would not be kosher, like donkeys and camels, and a pregnant woman, as indicated earlier, is not to gaze upon such unclean animals.
As I indicated earlier, a manger would only be found in a place like the tower of the flock or the Migdel Eder, where the sheep were pampered and given a very strict diet as they were the sacrificial lambs. This is where the lambs which were to be used for the Temple Sacrifice would be born. Note in Luke 2:12: “And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
Now how would this be a sign as swaddling clothes and mangers were common in the first century? Actually, swaddling was not a common practice among the Jews. The fabric for swaddling was expensive, and not all could afford such luxuries. Where swaddling was a practice was in the Tower of Eder, where a newborn lamb that was to be a sacrificial lamb was cared for. The newborn lambs were placed in a manger, which I indicated earlier was made of stone. It was carefully cleaned, and the newborn lamb was carefully examined and wrapped in swaddling clothes and white linens, which would be used to find and protect the newborn lamb from any blemishes. As we know, the sacrificial lambs had to be without spot or blemish, and these priestly shepherds took much care to make sure that the lambs were free of any infirmities. They would use the finest linen. As indicated, linen in those days was a rare commodity. Only the wealthy could afford fine linen, at least a linen that was not coarse but fine enough to wrap a baby in. If Jesus were born in the Tower of Eder, it is only reasonable that the child would be wrapped in the fine linen used for the sacrificial lambs.
Hence this was an excellent sign to the shepherds. I mean, Bethlehem was a town large enough that a door-to-door search would have taken days to find this newborn child. But when the angel said that it was wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger, these shepherds knew right where to go, for they were likely shepherds were who guarding the temple sheep. They would go right to the Migdel Eder or Tower of the flock, as indicated in Micah 4:8.
Many Bible scholars believe Micah 4:8 is predicting where the birth of the Messiah would take place. The Talmud predicts that the Messiah would be born in a castle. That really depends on how you translate the Aramaic word for castle; it is the word migdel, which could also mean a tower or a place of height or high honor. Dubious as it may seem, it was a place of high honor for the lambs, for only the best, purest, and cleanest lambs without blemish or spot were born in this castle, the Migdel Eder or the Tower of the Flock. If you go on the internet and google Migdel Edel, you will find a picture of it, and it does look like a castle.
We find in Luke 2:8: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” In Aramaic, the word country is ‘athra which means region, place, or location. It could be miles or just a few feet away.
One of my students asked why the shepherds were alerted to the birth of the Messiah. That is a good question that is easily answered by the Talmud. For one thing, if Jesus were indeed born in the Migdel Eder or Tower of the Flock, it would stand to reason that the shepherds who received the announcement were the priestly shepherds. Actually, it is more correct that they were the Levitical shepherds. Although the Levites were the priestly tribe, not all Levites were functioning priests, that is, priests who carried out the ceremonial duties of the temple, including the sacrifices. These were carried out by those who were of the direct line of Aaron. Those Levites who were not of the direct line but the ones who maintained and took care of the temple, the temple choir, the raising of the sacrificial lambs, etc.
Thus, the shepherds were not dirty, lowlife, ex-criminal types as often depicted by many preachers, and the angels did not appear to them to show that God cared for the lowlifes. These shepherds were highly trained elite shepherds. They were the veterinarians of their day, skilled in not only how to care for sheep but how to deliver a newborn lamb. Just as a newborn sacrificial lamb was brought into this world by these priestly shepherds, so too was the sacrificial lamb of God brought into this world.
So why were these shepherds summoned by the angel? Well, according to Jewish custom, the mother of a newborn child would offer a blessing called a HaGamel. However, this blessing had to be done before ten relatives. If there were not ten relatives closely by then, ten male Jews could be summoned to receive this blessing. So, these shepherds were summoned to form a minyan or the quorum of ten which was the minimum number to be present for this blessing and for the worship which would follow.
Matthew 2:11: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
The identity of the Wisemen in this Matthew account is uncertain. Matthew only tells us that they came from the East or, in a literal translation of the Greek, from the rising (of the sun). It is believed by many that they came from Persia as they were called magi. This word comes from the Old Persian word magus and the Aramaic word magusah, which is a reference to the priest of a Zoroastrian cult that was pantheistic and studied astrology. Some scholars believe they were sages from India, and others, such as Chrysostom, believe they were from Yemen as the kings of Yemen were Jewish. A recent discovery of a document in an old dialect of Aramaic speaks of a religious order devoted to private prayer in an unknown land called Shir, who believed that God would be born as a human and his birth would be announced by an unusually bright star.
One thing we can be sure of, however, is that they were either Jewish or had a great affinity toward the Jewish God, Jehovah. They were also very knowledgeable about Jewish worship, for their gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were the three key elements in Jewish worship.
The time of their appearing is highly debated. Many believe that because Herod ordered the death of all children under the age of two that Jesus was likely two years old when the Wisemen showed up. Some point to the Greek word paidon, which is rendered as a young child as evidence that Jesus had to be at least two years old when the Wisemen arrived. As explained earlier, Paidon is a word for a young child but not an infant. The word in Greek for an infant is brephos. However, the word in Aramaic is tela’, which is the word for a little lamb. Since Matthew spoke Aramaic and not Greek, he would have used the word tela’ when he gave the inspired text, and the scribe translating the word knew there was no Greek word for tela,’ so he settled on using paidon. If we follow the Aramaic text, the argument for the use of the Greek word paidon will not hold up. To say it took two years to follow the star is assuming that the star first appeared at the birth of Jesus, but how do we know it did not appear over Bethlehem at the moment of the birth? Yet, it could have appeared two years earlier and moved across the skies for a two-year period until it settled over Bethlehem.
I would argue for the appearance over Bethlehem at the time of the birth for the reason that the Wisemen came to worship the newborn, and unless there were ten Wisemen, there would not have been minyan to carry on this worship, and they needed the shepherds to have their worship service. That brings us to the question of the gifts.
Reading this story in the Peshitta, the Aramaic Bible, I discovered something very interesting about these gifts. For one thing, there was only one gift. The Aramaic word used for gift is qorbana. This word is in a singular form and ends with a definite article; hence it would be rendered they presented Him with the gift. But this word being rendered as gift is very misleading. It comes from the word corban, the word Jesus used in Matthew 15:6, where he rebukes the Pharisees for calling their offering a corban. A corban is literally an offering or sacrifice to God. It could be an animal sacrifice or an incense offering which was most likely the case here. The word corban comes from a Semitic root that has its origins in the Akkadian word QRB which means to draw close to someone. It evolved into the meaning of offering or gift as the intent of the offering or gift is to bring you closer to the receiver. Thus, the purpose of the incense offering was to bring you closer to God.
Frankincense or myrrh were used only in the Holy of Holies and was mixed in a golden vessel and burned on a golden plate. Actually, the Talmud teaches that the term frankincense and myrrh represent a combination of essential oils/incense, but to avoid listing all the oils, the incense or oil was given the name of the primary oil that was used. In the case of Frankincense, frankincense was the primary oil that had stacte, onycha and galbanum added. Myrrah was the primary oil with the addition of aromatic bark, cassia, and cinnamon added (Talmud, Kritut 6A). Exodus 30:33-37 warns that these compounds are not to be used outside of the Holy of Holies and not for anyone other than God, lest they be cut off from the people. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and burned these incenses, it was said that God’s presence appeared in the midst of the vapors. The people outside the Holy of Holies would know that God’s presence was there because they would smell the incense. I had a friend who told me that when she worshipped God in her car one time, she suddenly smelled this sweet fragrance. Her sister, also in the car, claimed not to really smell it, but my friend did. I think what she smelled was that fragrance that the Hebrews associated with the presence of God.
Anyways, it was soon believed that burning such incense would summon the presence of God, but Amos cleared that up in Amos 5:21, where he said, “I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.” The word smell is ‘arich, which comes from the root word rauch, which means spirit but is also used for an aroma. In the context where it is used, it is most likely a play on the Aramaic word ‘arak, which has the idea of restoration or healing. This appears to be a direct reference to the incense burned in the Holy of Holies, and God is saying that he despises these incenses when they are offered without sincerity as they were doing it. Instead, it was being offered only to draw the presence of God so they could get some goodies like healing or restoration. In other words, they were burning the incense to call upon God to solve their problems and to draw closer to him, not to use it as a corban. God is literally saying; you cannot conjure me up by burning incense.
Yet, there was a purpose for using the incense, frankincense and myrrh in worship as it was commanded by God. It was used as a corban, an offering to draw near to God. This was what the Wisemen presented to Jesus. That is why I believe people like my friend who smelled a fragrance while worshipping God because God may just use that fragrance to draw them closer to Him. The word in Aramaic used for present is qeren which also has a Semitic root meaning to present an offering or sacrifice to draw near. It has almost the same meaning as qorbana. Thus the Wisemen did not present unto him gifts, but in the Aramaic Bible, it could be rendered as they drew near to Him with their incense sacrifice or their corban.
Oh, but behold, they were not in the Holy of Holies when they offered this corban, which is in direct violation of Exodus 30. Or was it? Was not the Holy of Holies the place where the presence of God rested? Thus, there in that little manger, not the holy of holies, these Wisemen combined the sacred oils/incense in golden vessels before the baby Jesus, the very presence of God, where they then burned these oil/incense on golden plates and worshipped God as the high priest did in the Holy of Holies. Were the Wisemen ushering in a new age of worship, worship which needed no human high priest? It was a worship that everyone could perform, for when Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating the Holy of Holies was ripped apart, and now we all have access to the very presence of God through our new high priest, Jesus Christ.
Oh, and the third element to the worship, gold? Everything in the Holy of Holies was to be made of pure gold. You see, ancient man discovered that gold had a property that no other metal had. All other metals that you hold in your hand will grow warm, except gold. Gold will remain cool, passive, and aloof, like the gods. Thus, it was believed that gold was the skin of the gods. All idols were made of gold, the skin of the gods, and they worshipped the gold or the skin of the gods. But the Hebrews merely used this gold or what the pagans believed to be the skin of their gods to service the true God Jehovah, to mix his oils/incense and serve as a platform to burn His incense.
You see, the gold, frankincense, and myrrh were not the gifts given by the Wisemen. They burned up the frankincense and myrrh, and they most likely took the golden cups and plates home with them to continue to burn their oils and worship God. Mary and Joseph didn’t take the oils and the gold and sell them for passage to Egypt as that was not the gift that the magi gave to Jesus. The Gift of the Magi was a hazardous journey untaken for only one purpose found in Matthew 2:2, “we are come to worship Him.” The Gift of the Magi is the only gift that is acceptable to God, the only gift other than our very lives we can truly give God this Christmas, and that is to worship Him.
Exodus 13:2: “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, [both] of man and of beast: it [is] mine.”
Luke 2:22-23: “And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord; (23) (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) (24) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
The story of Anna and Simeon is a very important addition to the Christmas story as it explains something I have often wondered about. If Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, how could he be a priest or high priest? I have heard this story of how Simeon blessed Jesus many times, but no one bothers to explain the Jewish tradition behind this interlude to the Christmas story before Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt. In fact, they leave out this very important point to this Christmas story that I never heard explained concerning Jesus’s consecration as a priest.
After the days of purification ended, Mary and Joseph brought the baby to Jerusalem to present Jesus to the Lord. This ritual that took place in the temple in Jerusalem is called Pidyon Haben, or the redemption of the son. This is a ceremony where the father of the firstborn male redeems his son from the priesthood by giving five silver coins to a priest who is a direct descendent of Aaron thirty days after the baby’s birth. This would ceremonially pass on the eldest’s duties as a priest to a Levite priest.
According to Exodus, the firstborn child belongs to God, and the father is to redeem him with five pieces of silver. Only Scripture says that Mary and Joseph offered two turtle doves or two pigeons, the offering of a poor person. But wait, why a sacrifice and not the payment of the five pieces of silver the price to redeem the eldest son from priestly duties? This law was enacted prior to the establishment of the priestly lines. Up to that point, the eldest took the role of a priest. Once the Aaronic line was established, this ritual of pidyan haden was performed before a Levi priest who would symbolically assume the child’s duties as priest, and the five pieces of silver would redeem him from his obligation. This ritual serves as a reminder that God is the owner of all things, including the best and first of all that you have. This is what the Scripture in Exodus means when the eldest belongs to God. Just as Jephthah’s vow said, he would give to the Lord or offer up as a burnt offer who or whatever walked through his door. Give to the Lord was a phrase meaning the person would serve in the temple or tabernacle for the rest of their lives. Jephthah’s daughter walked through, and he was bound to give her to the Lord, that is, to serve in the temple all her life like Anna in Luke 2 or Samuel in I Samuel.
That is how Jesus, who was not a member of the priestly line, could be a priest. Mary and Joseph were not going to redeem him with five pieces of silver; they were going to consecrate him with the sacrifice of the doves and pigeons. Thanks to Mary, Joseph, and a Godly priest named Simeon, Jesus was not redeemed from the duties of a priest but to become our priest, and not just a priest, but our High Priest.
Thus, we find in the Christmas story that the Messiah was not only born in a castle but was also born to be a sacrificial lamb who would die for our sins and would also become our high priest.