Having had four children myself and each time there being a different medical complication, I cringe at the thought of a probable teenager giving birth miles away from her home and family, with no medical care and, to top it all in a stable! What was God thinking? His precious Son, our hope for salvation coming into the world in such high risk conditions for both mother and baby.
Some say from archaeological finds, that stables were rooms with an interior or exterior wall with several low windows – often the lower floor of the house, with human living quarters on the first floor. Animals were placed behind a wall and fodder was put in wooden boxes or baskets and placed in the windows. The rest of the room would be used for storage. It was probably in this part of the stable that Mary and Joseph were allowed to stay and where Jesus was born.
Most households would have goats for milk, hair and meat, chickens for eggs and meat, possibly cows or oxen and Mary and Joseph probably brought a donkey for transport. So, the stable would have been a rather dirty, smelly, noisy place. It rather puts today’s controversies regarding the cleanliness and hygiene of some of our NHS clinics and hospitals into perspective!
I cannot imagine how scared Mary must have been and yet she knew that God had chosen her and would see His work fulfilled. Joseph must have had moments of scepticism over the truth of Mary’s story. The innkeeper must have rolled his eyes at the inconvenient timing of the whole drama. But God’s timings are always right. Everything was in the right place and it was the right time.
God’s chosen nation was under Roman rule. But that was how Mary and Joseph came to be in the very town prophesied to be Jesus’ birthplace. Herod was on the throne, forcing the family to flee to Egypt so yet another prophecy would come to pass. Mary said yes to God so a virgin would have a son. Everything – even the tiniest of details – was at the right time, in the right place for the major event of time to happen.
Jesus was born. God is and was in complete control. No animal smell was so bad to turn away the shepherds wanting to worship Him. No animal noise could drown out the angels’ praises. No dirt was great enough to harm God’s perfect Son. No anxiety daunted Mary when she knew she was where God wanted her to be. Amen