Dec 28, 2023
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)
There is another take on the housing crisis in Bethlehem than just
the standard “no room in the inn” line. Actually there are a
few, but one of them involves the hospitality of shepherds and is
drawn from these verses. So I’ll tell you that one. It
goes like this…
The reason there was no room for Joseph and Mary had nothing to do with how many rooms were actually available: it was solely about the social scandal that was Mary’s pregnancy. What self-respecting Jewish family would take in this man with the knocked-up girlfriend? As Mary began to show it became unavoidably clear: Joseph and Mary were actively living in sin. And sexual sin at that: the worst kind. They were obviously unrighteous—unfit for inclusion in the people of God. So they were excommunicated, shunned. There would be no guest room available for the likes of them in Bethlehem.
But there are always others shunned from society. Like the poor. The homeless and the nomads. The addicts and the mentally ill. The immigrants. The ones who can’t keep it all together. The ones who are dirty and unclean, like shepherds.
This is where Joseph and Mary would find refuge: in the hospitality of their fellow outcasts.
Verse eight gives the reason. You see, shepherds don’t put their flocks out by night. That’s when the wolfs and the lions are out. Predators can pick off weak and defenceless sheep in the dark like berries off a bush. How are you going to aim your sling if you can’t see the danger? You might as well give your flock away.
But what if the shepherds had given up the cave where their sheep were penned this night because they still had the dignity to offer a costly hospitality to a young couple in need? The towns folk of Bethlehem weren’t willing to risk their reputation on these outcasts, but the reputation-less shepherds risked much more: their very livelihood. These humble outsiders were willing to humble themselves for the sake of a neighbour in need, and for that reason God exalted them to the highest place on the visit list to see his new baby boy. Sounds a bit like the reversals of Mary’s song, doesn’t it?
Out came the angels trumpeting the good news! And the glory of the Lord lit up the dark fields to reveal flocks still bedded down peacefully that night. The shepherds knew just where to find this baby wrapped in cloths: he’d be lying in their very own manger. They who had saved Joseph and Mary from their outcast predicament would be the first to hear the good news of a Saviour come to redeem all the unrighteous outcasts like them. Great joy indeed.
Now is that actually how it happened? Truth is, we don’t really know: Luke doesn’t really flesh it out that clearly. But it’s worth pondering, I think. And it brings to mind this verse from the book of Hebrews: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (13:2). Some perhaps, in showing hospitality to sinners and outcasts, have even shown hospitality to God.