Joel M Bradshaw

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.–Luke 2

The Greek of verse 7 could also mean ‘guest room’. So rather than thinking of Joseph looking for the town motel, picture instead nobody’s house having any room for them. I wrote that previous sentence intentionally, for I read underlying drama in this passage.

The text said that everyone went to his hometown to do the government census. Joseph would have had family there. That’s what hometown meant. And not one of those families who were Bethlehem residents had any room for a woman in labor. I might be reading too much into it, but avoiding the scandal of Joseph and Mary seemed more important than hospitality. How many of you would put family drama aside to help someone in dire need?

Men get things done. Husbands do their best to solve issues and care for their wives and families. We do this by trusting God and putting others first. Joseph got it done. And Mary followed Joseph’s leading. I can imagine Joseph having so much inner stress right now to provide. But it didn’t matter. He got a place for her to be out of the elements. Giving birth next to a bunch of farm animals was better than out in an open field.

Some of my greatest husband failures (men, look up Ephesians 5:25) were when I didn’t serve with an attitude like Joseph here. Selfless rather than selfish. Some of my greatest victories were when I did. And when my wife sees me doing my best to provide for the family and put her and the kids first, she never complains. She is like Mary here, in whom I read gratefulness for the manger rather than bitterness.–JMB