“It doesn’t say the contractions started the moment they arrived. They may have already been there for weeks. Luke also does not indicate that Mary and Joseph were rudely rejected by all the innkeepers of Bethlehem. For one thing, Bethlehem was probably too small to actually have a commercial inn. And the word Luke uses for inn doesn’t mean a hotel. In fact, it’s the same word he later uses for the “upper room” that Jesus and His disciples use for the last supper.
Who was in the stable that night? Again, we have this idea that it was just Mary and Joseph, maybe a few sheep and cows, right? It’s likely that a midwife was there with them assisting, especially considering this was Mary’s first delivery.
The point Luke is making in this account is less about that night being scandalous or embarrassing. His point is to show us what kind of King Jesus was, right from the start.
What kind of King leaves His throne? What sort of Kingdom would He establish? Luke wants to highlight the humble and lowly nature of the Lord Jesus. This was a King Who came to serve. This was a King Who did not demand a palace. This was a King Who paid everything that was necessary on behalf of His people.
Compare Him with Caesar, who was driving his people from here to there so he could extract from them to fuel his greed. But not Jesus. He came to be with us. Whether that was in a stable or in a fishing boat or by a well or in your living room. That’s why He came – to be Emmanuel.”
