Let us point out what Christmas Day's lection does not say.
The text does not say that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem when Mary was about to give birth. The text does not say that Jesus was born in a cave or stable where most of us imagine he was born. The text does not say that Jesus was born among animals. More importantly, the text does not say that Bethlehem was unwelcoming of the Holy Family. It doesn't say that they were sent away by an innkeeper.
Most of what we imagine about the passage are exactly that: imagined. We need to address this right now. This means many of the things we do during our Christmas pageants and plays are not in the Lukan passage. This also means that many of the sermons we’ve heard about this passage are not even based on what the passage tells us.
Now, what does the passage actually say? And what do decades of archeological, sociological, and anthropological research about Ancient Palestine tell us?
There was a census and everyone went back to his or her hometown to register. Joseph went with a pregnant Mary to Bethlehem because he was a descendant of David. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn, a son, wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no space for them in the guest room. (The Greek term is kataluma. The NIV translates it correctly as guest room, not inn. Kataluma is also used to refer to the upper room in the Last Supper.)
Pregnancies, births, the rituals related to both, and the dynamics of kinship that permeate all these have, more or less, remained the same for most communities throughout the centuries and across cultures, especially among those where the ideas of personal property and individual ownership are alien, anathema, or frowned upon.
Joseph and Mary go from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They travel about 150 kilometers. She is pregnant so the trip probably took a while. They get to Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown. I’m pretty sure a relative or two would have welcomed them in his or her home. This act of hospitality is as true today as it was then, especially among peasants. Don’t forget, Elizabeth, Mary’s relative lived nearby in the Judean hill country. They could have stayed with her and Zechariah if there was no room in Bethlehem but they did not. Joseph’s relatives had space. But not in the guest room.
Archeology has shown us that most peasant homes in Ancient Palestine were a one room affair. There was a yard usually shared with other homes where cooking was done. The immediate space through the main door of the house had a mud-floor where animals were brought in at night to keep the home warm and the animals safe. A manger or feeding trough was part of this area. The animals were let out first thing in the morning.
Side note: When Jepthah in Judges 11 vowed to sacrifice the first thing that comes out of his house, he was thinking of the animals being brought out first thing in the morning. Not his daughter.
The main family section, oftentimes a bit elevated from the animal area, was where the family did most of its affairs, mostly resting and sleeping. Homes, in those days, were really shelters because most chores were done outside or on the roof. Stairs to the roof were outside the house. Many homes had space for guests in the main family section or a small guest room, sometimes, for those who can afford, on the roof (hence, the upper room).
When Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem, the home of Joseph’s relative was filled, the guest room occupied, so they stayed with the family in the main room. When the time came, the animals were brought out of the house, the manger cleaned and prepared, and served as a crib for the newborn.
Why is this story more true-to-life than the centuries-old tale we have heard and performed over and over and over again?
It fits the general theme of the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel for Luke is good news to the poor. When Jesus is born he is born among the poor in Bethlehem. Poor shepherds receive the good news and they find the Messiah among people like them. Don’t forget that when the shepherds find Jesus, they tell everyone there (not just the parents) what the angels have told them. There were others celebrating the birth.
My friends, the first Christmas happened when Palestine was under Roman Occupation. Life was very, very hard. Fifteen percent of the population was unemployed. Half of the people survived on a thousand calories a day which meant they were slowly starving to death. Average life expectancy was 28.
But despite all these, many remained faithful to what Yahweh required of them: to welcome the stranger. There should always be space for the guest. A meal of fish and bread, and a place to lay one’s head.
Jesus was born among those whose only hope is God, among peasants who shared a small house, among the poor who offered the best to a pregnant couple, among kin who opened their simple, one-room home to welcome the birth of the Messiah.
Today, life is very, very hard. Palestine is under Israeli Occupation. Half of the world’s population survive on 2 dollars each day (100 pesos). Millions take “altanghap” meals to survive. Tens of thousands of children, 5 years old and younger, starve to death every day. And thousands of our Moro and Lumad sisters and brothers are displaced, disenfranchised, dispossessed, and have nowhere to lay their heads. Fear, indifference, despair, and depression grip our communities. The culture of impunity that pervades the world has left a trail of unfathomable suffering and senseless killings, not to mention COVID-19 and the tragedies brought about by our wreckless exploitation of Mother Earth.
But, despite all these, among farmers and fisherfolk, among our indigenous sisters and brothers, among our poorest communities, there is always space for guests. Welcome for the stranger. A meal of fish and bread. A place to lay one’s head. A one-room home to welcome anew the birth of the Messiah.
My Friends, millions among us are dealing with joblessness, homelessness, and hopelessness. In the midst of these, how do our lives proclaim, Immanuel? How do we actualize "God is with us"? How do we welcome God who comes as a stranger?
#IAmWithJesus
#EndTheCultureOfImpunity
#GospelForThePoor
#FreePalestine
#StopTheKillingsPH
#JusticeForMyanmar
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