The only job I knew was to clean the big stable that was in a cave close to the Inn. I loved animals and loved taking care of them – so, it was fun.
My widowed mother made sure my brother and I were keeping our Jewish faith and praying to God. We had no relatives in Bethlehem who could help us. My little brother was 7 and I was 10 years old when my mother worked hard as a cook at the Inn. After the death of my father, these were the only jobs we could get.
In return, the Innkeeper’s wife allowed us to eat any leftovers from the travelers’ meals. The Innkeeper allowed us to use a very small cave as our home, which was across from the Inn’s stable.
I was bringing the Inn’s cow back from the watering hole while my brother was riding on my shoulders as if I was a horse, but he was not heavy. My mother ran up to us and said: “Quick, tie the cow to the outside of the cave! A man and his wife are inside the stable. I brought them some food and water. She will give birth to her baby soon.” I asked, “But why in the stable?”
My mother replied, “The Innkeeper said there was no room at the Inn. It’s crowded and no one wanted to give up their room or listen to a baby being born. The people of the town had relatives already staying with them in their homes, so they said there is no room in town either. Many visitors are here to register for the census being taken by the Romans.”
Seemed like this couple was rejected by everyone — except for my mother, who suggested the stable to them when she heard the Innkeeper and his wife turn them away. I had cleaned the Inn’s stable every day for the animals belonging to the customers of the Inn. I removed the droppings of the animals and old hay and had just placed fresh hay from the field into that stable. Cleaning the stable and taking care of my brother while my mother worked long hours were my main responsibilities.
I had tied up the animals of the Inn’s guests outside of the stable before I cleaned it out. Now, I tied up the cow next to them and the tired-looking donkey which must have carried the woman a long way.
Inside the stable were the man and his wife. They smiled at my brother and me. He said his name was Joseph and her name was Mary. I replied that my name was Matthias, and my brother’s was Isaac. He said they, too, were Jews, and as descendants of King David were here to register in the census. Joseph actually said, “We are happy to see you.” Nobody ever said that to me before, a lowly stable boy. Joseph asked if I would take care of their donkey. “I will,” I promised. He inquired, “Do you need anything repaired? I’m a carpenter.” “Well, the animals’ feeding mangers are falling apart. Could you fix them?” I asked. He smiled, nodding his head.
Suddenly, Mary suffered some pain and began her labor to give birth. Joseph comforted her. My brother and I and ran to tell our mother about the lady.
As soon as the Innkeeper’s wife let her leave the Inn’s kitchen, my mother came to help deliver the baby, right there in the stable. Meanwhile, I fed and watered their donkey and the other animals outside the cave and placed fresh hay around them; my brother helped. Then Joseph picked up the feeding mangers and quickly repaired them; one was to serve as a crib for their baby that night.
Later, I heard the new baby’s cry and could see the stable from our small home across the way. My brother had already fallen sound asleep under our shared shawl. The night sky was very clear with light from the moon and stars – but one star seemed much brighter than all the others. The baby now slept. It was very calm and peaceful. Soon I was asleep.
I was awakened by the bleating sound of some lambs. I looked up and saw some shepherds from the fields slowly approaching the stable. It was still night, but a strange light surrounded all of them and the stable. I quietly awoke my mother and pointed to the stable. She, too, was amazed at what we were witnessing.
The shepherds bowed down in front of the couple and baby in the stable. They reported: “We were tending our flocks in the field and were told by Angels about the birth of a baby. The Angels appeared to us and said: ‘Fear not. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ, the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’”
Joseph and Mary did not seem surprised and invited all the shepherds along with the lambs they carried into the stable to view the baby in the manger crib. Each shepherd seemed thrilled at this sight.
My mother and I quietly approached also. When Joseph saw me, he said: “Please take care of these lambs which the shepherds offered as gifts.” I cheerfully cuddled them; they were so cute, soft, and playful.
As the dawn approached, the shepherds began to withdraw. They knew that the townspeople did not like shepherds — to them shepherds were dirty, lazy, and uneducated. They weren’t! Just like my father had, they always led their sheep to pastures in all kinds of weather and bravely protected them from harm, thieves, and beasts.
A few townspeople awoke in time to see this very strange sight. As the shepherds were leaving, they told these people about the Angels and the message they received regarding the baby. The townspeople replied: “We are in awe and do not know what to think or say.”
The shepherds returned to their flocks in the fields around Bethlehem — the same fields that King David must have worked in when he was a shepherd boy over a thousand years earlier. How astonishing that these lowly shepherds — and 2 lowly stable boys and a cook — were the first outsiders to know about what had happened — the birth of this special baby. Jesus was to be his name.
Born in this stable, God made sure there was room for everyone.
