Strange Story: The Birth of Jesus Part 9 Bethlehem
As they approached “The House of Bread,” “Up” was concerned about two things – where they would stay and how soon “Reb” would give birth? He constantly monitored her condition without making it too obvious, but she did notice. In turn she tried her best to not show any signs of pain, but he still noticed.
During much of the long journey “Up” had considered his options for where to stay once they arrived.
The first option for most Jews was the house of a relative. But “Up” knew they could not go to the house of any relative in “The House of Bread” for he had been told in no uncertain terms that they would not be accepted. The only relatives that seemed to understand them were the old priest “Remembered by God,” and his wife, “Bound by an Oath.” But they lived in the hill country at a distance from “The House of Bread” that was too great to make it useful for presenting himself for the census.
The second choice of most travelling Jews was to stop at the house of a fellow Jew that lived along the road. What Was that Place We Usually Call an “Inn”? But in “The House of Bread” such houses were owned by distant relatives as well, since almost everyone in that town was related in some way to “The One Who Is Loved.”
The third choice for a traveling Jew was a public resting place for caravans and other travelers called a khan or a caravanserai. These were walled courtyards with some roofed areas along the wall, and a well in the center of the courtyard. They also had a place for the animals, either in sheds built for that purpose, or in caves dug into a hill behind the caravanserai. There was no charge for staying in these places, but one had to bring food for himself and his animals, his own firewood, cookware, etc.
“Up” did not want his young wife to start labor while surrounded by people who would be sure to ask her questions. “Where are your close relatives?” “Why don’t you have a midwife?” “Why are you here instead of with your family?” “Why did you come on this journey instead of staying home with your mom and aunts and friends who could help you deliver this baby?” “Is your husband the only support you’ve got?” People would have seen several things that were “wrong with this picture” and jumped to the conclusion that something was wrong with this couple. In a culture in which everything revolved around key relationships, this young couple was conspicuous because they lacked those relationships.
While this option was indeed a possibility, and they could have made it work, he wanted to protect her from such questions. So he rejected that idea as well.
He could take her to the Khan’s stable, but they would still be seen by some people which would have precipitated the same type of questions.
The fourth option was a public inn where the host charged money for staying there. The young couple had very little money, and he refused to go there because the Jews considered them unsafe, even the Roman’s considered their proprietors unscrupulous.
As a final option there were caves in the area that were used to shelter pack animals, (donkeys, mules, and horses) when the town was overflowing with people who stayed there while attending one of the Jewish feasts in Jerusalem six miles away. Each family had a place in mind, either on their own land just outside of town or that of a relative, where they would shelter the animals of relatives that stayed with them, once the small stable attached to their house was full to capacity. Caves were well suited for sheltering animals and had been adapted hundreds of years ago for that purpose. The family would send some of their own boys along with their visiting cousins to camp out in the cave in order to protect the pack animals from thieves or wild animals. But here the problem for the young couple was still one of being rejected by their relatives. The fact that these caves were a small distance from the house did not matter; they were owned by relatives and this couple was not welcomed on their land.
He was not happy with any of these options, so he searched his memory for places he had learned about as a boy roaming the countryside around “The House of Bread” whenever he had visited relatives there.
The census had brought more people to this small town than the yearly feasts did. Not all Jewish men came to the feasts even though they were expected to. But for the census there was no exception given, and no tolerance for not cooperating. Places for people and animals had to be found that were not used on other occasions.
After some consideration he remembered a place that he and his cousins used to explore. It was an abandoned cave in which parts of the roof had collapsed. The land the cave was on belonged to a distant relative who didn’t care about family politics. He was a strange old man who didn’t care what others thought and never took care of anything. He did not take care of himself, his animals, or his house. Therefore, when erosion on the hill above the cave started causing leaks in this cave, he did nothing, even though it created a pool of stagnant water on the cave floor. Eventually the erosion had gotten worse and large chunks of the cave’s ceiling started falling into the cave. Then it was no longer a true cave, and it was a last option for keeping animals. Parts of it were still cave-like in nature, but parts of it were not.
Several things were clear in “Up’s” mind. The old man was not likely to make his way to the cave so he would not even know they were there. He knew that families would have to get desperate for space before they started using this strange old man’s crumbling cave without his permission, in which case they would have no room for accusations. What’s more, if he and his wife got there before there were any animals present, it would give him a small advantage. He knew that the animals would not care that “Reb” had gotten pregnant without a proper husband. Finally he was convinced that having a number of pack animals to deal with was better than trying to deal with a bunch of condemning people.
As they approached “The House of Bread” they saw in the distance a famous tower called “The Tower of the Flock.” He did not even consider seeking refuge there because it would present the same problem as other places – too many questions. What about the Tower of the Flock?
It was now midafternoon. They had started out earlier than usual that morning in order to arrive here well before sundown. Generally, the only ones that moved around after dark were thieves and bandits so he only had a few more hours to fulfill his plan.
He had decided ahead of time that the first thing he would do upon arriving in “The House of Bread” would be to test his theory that all houses with guest rooms in that town were owned by distant relatives and they would reject him and his wife. Therefore he would inquire at what he considered the house that would be the most likely to receive them. If he and his pregnant wife were rejected there, he would go to the old man’s cave.
When they got to that house it was obvious that the place was already overflowing with guests, but he had to try. He quickly realized that getting the attention of anyone, even a servant, was like trying to drown a fish! But he persisted and finally found a servant who would listen to him. He told the girl who they were, what his wife’s condition was and asked if they could have the corner of some room. All he was asking for was a roof over their heads, not food, just a bit of shelter. She ran off and did not come back for what seemed like an interminably long time. During the time that elapsed he witnessed four other people, a father and son and a man with his servant, make a similar request and be shown into the house with the explanation that they would have to wait a little bit while they made space somewhere. Finally the servant girl returned. This time she seemed to have a different attitude about her, as if she did not want to speak to them or even get close to them. She came just close enough to give the answer she had been told to communicate – “no, we have no space.” Then she was off. What Was Meant by “No Room”?
“Up” was not totally surprised by the rejection nor by the fact that others were ushered in. He knew that “We have no space,” really meant “We have no space for the likes of you.”
So he turned his cart around and headed for the outskirts of town to the crumbling cave. He figured it would be even worse than when he saw it last, and he was right. The hole in the ceiling was bigger and there were piles of rocks and rubble in various places. The puddle he remembers was now a miniature lake, just right for the breeding of mosquitos. Along the sides of the cave things were a bit drier and the stone feeding troughs were still intact. In those days a stone feeding trough was preferred over a wooden one because they lasted much longer than wooden ones (equine have a habit of chewing on wood). The walls of most caves are limestone making it easy to carve a feeding trough into the wall.
Though the cave was small, it was empty. “Up” quickly chose the best place for “Reb” to lie down; it was out of the way from the entrance and the feeding troughs, it had a relatively smooth floor, it was slightly raised so water would run away from her. Then he brought her in, along with her cushions, and tried to make her comfortable. She was beyond exhausted. It had been impossible to sleep in the bumping cart despite her husband’s efforts to keep it smooth. She collapsed on the floor and was out immediately (For a detailed discussion of Where Jesus was born please see my Troublesome Topic called Where Did Mary and Joseph End Up?)
Next, he went looking for firewood. He didn’t find much because he didn’t want to venture out of earshot of the cave, but he got enough to build a small fire.
On the trip, when he saw how slow their progress was, he decided to adjust his plan for how much of their food they would eat each day. Before they arrived, he had to adjust that amount once again in order for it to hold out. In this way he made it last until they arrive, but barely. In the morning he would walk into town and buy some food. But they had enough for one more meal, if you can call a few bites a meal. Now “Up” woke his wife and asked her to eat and drink. She didn’t want to, but he insisted. He knew she could fall back to sleep in a moment, so he wasn’t worried about that, his concern was that she eat something and drink some water. Finally she managed to do so and immediately went back to sleep.
He wondered at the irony that here he was with his young wife who was carrying the Messiah and they show up at “The House of Bread,” meaning the place where you can be sure that God will provide, and they find themselves without a place to stay except this crumbling old cave with “Mosquito Lake” in the middle of it. To him it did not seem like God was providing, at least he could not see God’s hand anywhere in this situation. He had not heard from the angel since that first time, and right about now would be a good time for a reassuring visit.
It wasn’t long before boys came bringing animals which were secured with ropes near the feeding troughs. “So, they have run out of other places after all,” “Up” mused inwardly. Then the boys ran back to get some hay for the animals to eat. What they brought was not much, but it would have to do. There was no straw for the floor. This cave was the last resort so it was not treated with any special care. The urine and manure would simply accumulate over the next few days and slowly lose their stench over the next few weeks. The boys noticed the cart that now held only some tools, the small fire and the young couple sleeping on the floor, but they didn’t ask any questions for at that moment all of them were occupying land that was not theirs. So “Up” had been right in that assumption as well. The presence of a few animals was alright, but he hoped the cave would not fill up completely with animals. Having a hole in top of your cave made it possible for smoke to go out, but also the heat to go out and the cold to come in. So, like everything else in life, it had its advantages and disadvantages. He was bone weary and his muscles were on fire, but he wouldn’t dream of sleeping now, he had to keep watch over his wife and monitor her condition.
To navigate to Part 10 of this story click on The Birth of Jesus Part 10 The Birth.