Why most nativity scenes and movies are probably wrong

In my previous article, I defended Christians celebrating Christmas against those who think it’s a pagan holiday that shouldn’t be observed. But I included some aspects of the season that still bothered me, like the rampant commercialism and materialism.

One tradition that irks me, although not as much as those things, is the nativity scene. Not because I think it violates the commandment prohibiting images of God — He’s a baby, how can you misrepresent that? — but because it perpetuates an understanding of Scripture that may not be accurate.

Most traditional nativity sets depict Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in a remote, standalone stable. Other dramatizations put them in a cave. The idea is that on the night Jesus was born, they had to improvise and go to an animal pen because they could not find lodging in Bethlehem. This is what most people see in Luke’s account, chapter 2 (NKJV):

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

It’s that last word, “inn,” where the issue lies. When we think of an inn today, we think of a designated lodging place for travelers. We assume Joseph and Mary were looking for the equivalent of a motel, but they were all sold out because of the Roman census that made them journey to Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral home.

This is what we see in multitudes of nativity dramas, with the fictional innkeeper coldly turning the desperate couple away (I once played him in a children’s Christmas play). Many “Do you have room for Him?” sermons have been preached from this assumption — which is not a bad message in the right context.

But did you know that the Greek word translated “inn” (katalyma) is also translated “guest room” in Luke 21:11, referring to the room where Jesus had His last supper with His disciples? That was an upper room in a large house, and that opens the door to a significantly different environment where Jesus may have been born.

Perhaps Joseph and Mary came to his family’s house in Bethlehem, and Mary would have given birth in a guest room there. But the house was too crowded to allow room for that, so they went down to the lowest level, where animals were kept — that’s how some houses were arranged at the time. That would fit the text in Luke 2; some versions say “guest room” instead of “inn” in verse 7. Instead of a silent night where all was calm, Jesus may have been surrounded by noisy relatives when He was born.

Do we know this for a fact? No. Is it a big deal either way? No. There are no theological points at issue. Then why am I being so nitpicky?

Because I love it when deeper study of the text produces alternative interpretations to pop evangelicalism. We need to remember that the Bible was written in ancient languages in ancient cultures. When we read it through the lens of modern English in today’s America, we could arrive at erroneous understandings that may be more serious than the structure in which Jesus was born. We should know the Bible so well that when popular culture tries to dramatize it, we’ll know when to say, hey, that’s not what the text says.

For example, we’ll know that the magi from the East were not “three kings,” and they did not see Jesus at the same time the shepherds did, which some nativity sets depict. The shepherds saw Him as a newborn, still in swaddling cloths in a manger (Luke 2:12, 16), while the magi saw Him as a young child (Matthew 2:9-11), probably over a year later, though still possibly in the same house where He was born.

Again, these logistical details are not hills to die on. But if we practice careful, precise study even with the less important texts, we’ll be better equipped to search the Scriptures and spot errors about doctrines that do matter.