Since we were children we have heard the story of the birth of Jesus, and every December 25 we celebrate this event. However, there are still doubts, and even the story continues to be told in a wrong way. For these two reasons we want to share with you the story it tells: Why was Jesus born in a stable? The history of .
On this occasion we will focus on the gospel of Luke 2, and we will break it down to be able to correctly interpret what is written there. In this way we will be able to know the true story of how Jesus was born and why he was born in a stable. So when someone also asks you, you will know how to answer truthfully.
The real reason Jesus was born in a stable
Regarding the birth of Jesus, the Bible does not give us many details, summing up only in 4 verses Luke 2:4-7. We must first know that Joseph and Mary had made the long journey to Bethlehem, due to Caesar’s decree that all should be registered. It was because of this decree that everyone had the need to return to their cities and villages of origin.
The José’s family house was quite full, since due to the census all the Jews had to return to their old homes. So by the time José and María arrived in Bethlehem, other relatives had already arrived and were occupying the guest rooms. Such a reason is what made them stay in the stable of the house. It is necessary to mention that the stables were located inside the houses.
Design of the stable at the time of the birth of Jesus
As we indicated in the previous paragraph, in those times the stables were not located outside the houses of the Jews, but inside the houses. Being more exact, the houses of the Jews consisted of two floors. The ground floor was the living and dining area, while the upper floor was the aposentos (bedrooms) area, hence the name aposento alto.
Sometimes due to the cold of the night and the risk of an animal being stolen, the Jews allowed the most vulnerable animals to enter the house, leaving these on the first floor that also acted as a stable. For that reason it is said that Jesus was born in a stablesince this area of the house was used for this purpose, but it was always inside the house of José’s family.
The manger where Mary laid Jesus
Many think that the manger is the city where Jesus was born, that is to say Bethlehem, and it is not like that, a manger is the feeding trough for the animals that slept in the stable. A manger is a wooden or stone box where they placed hay for the animals, so to speak the cradle of Jesus was a manger (trough).
Arrival in Bethlehem and birth of Jesus
If we read the Bible we can deduce at first instance that Mary gave birth minutes after arriving in Bethlehem, this being another wrong conclusion, the vandverse 6 of Luke 2 She says that while they (José and María) were there, the days of pregnancy were completed, so she was going to give birth. In other words, both had already spent several days at the house of José’s family in Bethlehem when María went into labor.
We know that sometimes the Bible is difficult to understand, but if we persevere in reading it, it will reveal great things to us. Although the details of the are very few, and there are many versions of this event, the only truth is this and we must spread it, since we are talking about the birth of the Son of God, of our deliverer, our only Lord.
Beyond the jesus birth details, the most important thing is precisely that our redeemer was born. Jesus left his deity to become a man, he became a descendant of Adam so that he could go to the cross and die for each one of us. God gave his son so that all who believe may be saved, there is no better gift than that which God has given us, so let us joyfully celebrate this truth.