READ: LUKE 2:1-7; HEBREWS 4:14-16

Did you know that Jesus probably wasn’t born in a stable? If you take a look at Luke 2:1-7, it doesn’t say “stable” anywhere. We usually hear about Jesus being born in a stable because it says He was laid in a manger, which is where animals eat, and in our current time and place, animals live in stables. Makes sense, right?

The problem is, in the time and place that Jesus was born, animals were often brought into a special room in the house at night to protect them from thieves and predators. Archeologists are discovering that most homes in the area were built with one small room for the animals, one larger room for the family, and one room upstairs for guests. The room for the animals even had large bowl-shaped indents in the floor, called mangers, to hold their food.

Also, the Bible says Joseph had family in Bethlehem, so he and Mary would have been welcomed into a relative’s house with open arms. In that culture, failing to show hospitality brought an incredible amount of shame. When the Bible says there was “no room” for them, it probably means the upstairs guest room was full, so they likely stayed downstairs with the family and animals. So, when Mary gave birth, she was probably surrounded by family to help with the delivery. But the house was packed so full that the only place they could put Jesus was in the manger.

Why does this all matter? Well, the circumstances of His birth say something very powerful: Jesus is human. He had a relatively ordinary birth for His time and place in history. He was surrounded by the people He came to save, right from His first moments out of the womb.

Jesus experienced everything it meant to be human. Although He is also fully God, He became every bit as fleshy as we are, so that He could save every bit of who we are. • Taylor Eising

• Why is it important that Jesus is fully human? Could He have taken our place on the cross if He wasn’t fully human? (Hint: read John 1:14; 14:6; Romans 5:12-21)

• How could the fact that Jesus is fully human affect our relationship with Him?

• As we study God’s Word, why is it important to understand the culture and history of the Bible?

This High Priest of ours [Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 (NLT)