The beginning of a year is a time for resolutions and goals. A time to make a plan and set out on a new path; a time to make decisions and stick to them in order to achieve all of those things you never quite finished the year before. Should I focus on developing this project or that other one? Should I take that job or the one across the country that uproots our entire family? Should I buy the red shirt or the blue shirt (Blue obviously)? Should I major in business or move towards full-time ministry? In our fast-paced society, we face a hundred decisions that can significantly or insignificantly effect our lives for the future. Frequently, if you are in the Christian tradition that also means finding some way to meaningfully connect those important decisions to what God would have us do in our lives.

That presents a problem though. I’ve never heard the audible voice of God in a dream or vision. I’ve never been given a fleece to see if it was wet or dry in the morning. I don’t own a set of lots and I distrust open windows next to closed doors. How then do I seek the will of God in the critical decisions of my life?

• This school or that one?
• This job or that one?
• This town or that one?
• Marry this girl or that one?

Frequently we aren’t given a clarion call from above telling us what we should do, instead we are forced to struggle in the mire wondering “what’s the right next step?” Even though the pace of our decisions has increased dramatically, knowing the will of God in our decisions is not a new problem. People have sought the will of the gods in their critical decisions for thousands of years!

One of the best places to see how this worked in the ancient world is at Didyma in western Turkey. Didyma meant twin and referred to the Greek gods Artemis and Apollo. Artemis’ temple was located at nearby Miletus while Apollo’s temple stood at Didyma (connected by a “sacred way”) and was one of the locations of the six major oracles of the ancient world, second only to the oracle at Delphi.

Didyma was one of the most active oracles in the ancient world. The earliest inscription found there have been dated to the 7th century BCE. The original temple was destroyed in the 5th century BCE and eventually rebuild. The site is visited by nearly every ancient Greco-Roman leader that sought greater power. Alexander the Great, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Caesar Augustus and Trajan. Massive resources were expended to seek the advice of the oracle who would answer (normally) one simple yes or no question for you per year. Persons seeking the advice of the oracle could wait as long as a year in the chresmographeion (the area shown in the 360 view above) in order to receive a response to their question.

We know from the oracle at Delphi that ancient leaders would send a proxy to ask a question of the oracle. The oracle or pythia was normally a young girl who was forced to sit on a bowl held by three stilts in the adyton (“do not enter”) in a structure within the larger temple called the naiskos.  The naiskos housed the cult statue or sacred spring. The pythia in a hallucinated or ecstatic state would be approached by a priest who ask of her a simple yes or no question. The pythia would respond to the question in an altered voice. The priest claimed that this was the voice of Apollo coming through the pythia. Pythia, because they were forced to take hallucinogens, tended to have short life-spans.

Once the question was answered the petitioner would be called from the chresmographeion and his answer would be read at the large double doors to the inner sanctuary. Can you imagine expending thousands of dollars, sometimes waiting as much as a year, to get a simple “yes” or “no” answer about the will of the gods for your life?

Fortunately, the God of the bible doesn’t work in such a cryptic way. God certainly has a will for your life but it normally has far less to do with the issues we are worried about. To be perfectly honest it doesn’t much matter what color your wearing or if you live in that city or this one. If you take that job or this one. If I may be blunt, I seriously doubt God is all that concerned with questions like these. God is far more concerned about whether you love him with all of your heart, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

You see God isn’t like the other gods of the ancient world. His will has been revealed to us – and not by one yes or no question at a time! The book of Hebrews begins this way:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV)

And in the letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes,

“In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ …” (Ephesians 1:7-9 ESV)

So, unlike the ancients who relied on yes or no questions, we may know the will of God for our lives by looking to Jesus. Fortunately, Jesus has a lot to say to his disciples about his will for their lives. Nowhere is this perhaps more poignant than in Matthew’s account of Jesus life. During Jesus teaching the sermon on the mount, Jesus, in his very salt of the earth way draws on the imagery around him on the northern shore of Galilee to demonstrate a point. Discussing the lilies of the field and the grasses he tells the gathered crowd:

“O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:30-33 ESV)

Both the author of Hebrews and Paul point us to Jesus to discern God’s will for our lives and when we look at Jesus, his message is clear: seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Jesus treats our anxiety over the small decisions of life as an indictment of our faith. If that’s you, it’s okay. If your faith is faltering, God wants to lift you up and support you. He is big enough to be comfortable with your doubt. At the same time he is also big enough to know that what really matters is not what profession you go into or what job you take or where you live but whether or not you are making manifest the kingdom of God and seeking his righteousness. If you are doing that, in whatever profession you find yourself in then you are fulfilling the will of God for your life. No need to cast lots, wait for liver shivers, or a wet fleeces overnight. We have been blessed by a God who is willing to reveal himself not only in scripture but in the person and being of Jesus. Ultimately, his desire is for the manifestation of the kingdom of God and, according to John 15 the bearing of much fruit.

Read in its right context, the fruit of John 15 is not right thinking but right action. This is why Matthew records Jesus’ rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees who “tithe mint and dill and cumin” but “neglect the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23 ESV). The scribes and Pharisees were so concerned with their right thinking about the law that they forgot the law’s intended purpose: justice, mercy and faithfulness. Wherever you find yourself, in whatever occupation, major, or city, you have the opportunity to practice justice, mercy and faithfulness in pursuit of God’s righteousness.  If you trust in God’s will for your life to make manifest the kingdom and seek his righteousness, you will produce fruit to his glory, proving yourself to be a disciple of Jesus.

The worst thing that could happen would be for you to spend your fortune to know the will of God. To waste time in indecision and paralysis because you are anxious about tomorrow. You don’t have to wait in the chresmographeion for a year to know God’s will for your life in the next hour, day, week, month or season. Seek the kingdom, justice, mercy and faithfulness and you will be seeking after his righteousness.

The glorious thing about our God is that he doesn’t just care about ministry he cares about the proper ordering and functioning of society. He doesn’t just care about lawyers or nurses, he cares about law and healthcare. Ultimately you are called to find the opportunity to make manifest the kingdom of God wherever and however you find yourself. There are as many ways to do that as there are different people on this planet that God loves and cares for. Rest in his will. Do not be anxious, waiting for a sign from the gods. It’s not likely to come because his will for your life has already been revealed to you.

This story is familiar to us. It provides a nice bookend for the gospel narrative. Just as Jesus was born into this world in a lowly state, rejected and alone; he died in a lowly state, a criminal on the trash-heap of the Roman Empire. The image of the rejected family is so ingrained that the standard manger scene leaves Mary giving birth in a lean-to barn, unsupported by anyone but a very nervous Joseph. Our Christmas carols celebrate Jesus meager beginnings and adopt a nearly naive understanding of his humanity. Thus “Away in a Manger” begins with,

No crib for his bed The little Lord Jesus Lay down his sweet head

and later notes that

The cattle are lowing The poor baby wakes But little Lord Jesus No crying he makes.

I have little doubt in my mind that little baby Jesus cried – often! “Gentle Mary laid her child” sings about how Jesus was laid

Lowly in a manger; There He Lay, the undefiled, To the world a stranger. Such a Babe in such a place, Can he be the Savior?

This narrative of meager beginnings simply ignores the cultural realities of first century Palestine. The innkeeper is likely a completely fictional character. His existence in our christian pageants is more reflective of Christmas traditions based on the culture, geography, and climate of New England than on the culture, geography and climate of ancient Bethlehem. What’s more the traditional narrative depicts Mary as derelict in not realizing her condition until the last minute and Jospeh as negligent in not being able to provide comfortable lodging for his very pregnant betrothed. Both assumptions ignore the cultural realities of the original nativity some two thousand years ago.

Simply put, the Lord of the universe was not brought into this world rejected and alone. He was brought into this world surrounded and loved by the very extended family into which he was born. The text of Luke’s nativity account is clear but we have obscured it with two thousand years of tradition.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7 ESV).

Retelling the Nativity Story

The story we tell from this information should look very different from the Christmas pageants we are so accustomed to watching our children perform. It should begin with Joseph and Mary making the 11-15 day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem well in advance of her due date, possibly even before her third trimester. Luke simply tells us that “while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.” There is no reason to believe that this was a last minute trip to Bethlehem. While there were generally limits on the amount of time hospitality would be extended to strangers; Joseph was a family member, a skilled craftsmen who could continue his work in Bethlehem as easily as in Nazareth.

The influx of family members for the census meant that Joseph’s relatives were playing host to a large number of guests from elsewhere in Judea. This meant that the upper-room or guest room was already occupied by the time Joseph and Mary arrived. The lower stables (inside the house) where animals were kept to warm the household in winter, was quickly cleaned out and arrangements were made for Mary and Joseph to stay there instead.

At some point in time, Mary realized it was time for the baby to be born. She likely told one of Joseph’s female relatives who promptly ran to fetch Bethlehem’s midwife. The midwife entered the house, removed any male presence, ritually cleansed the home of any evil spirits and gathered Joseph’s female family members. The midwife and Jospeh’s female cousins and aunts attended to Mary during the birth of Jesus, welcoming him into the world in their loving presence. Jesus would have been presented to Joseph, who, accepting his adopted son, used a nearby manger for his the baby’s bed. Thus, Jesus was born into this world, surrounded and supported by Joseph’s loving family

The In-most room

That story bears significant differences from the one we are used to, but they are differences that are demanded by a richer understanding of the cultural setting of Jesus birth. Perhaps the most striking difference is the location of the birth: inside the home of one of Joseph’s relatives. The translation of kataluma as “inn” has obscured this setting. In all likely hood this did not refer to an ancient hotel or paid establishment. Luke uses the term in 22:11 to refer to the room in which the last supper took place, as does Mark 14:14. We know from archaeological remains that in insula style houses this usually referred to the “upper -room” or “in-most room.” As the highest and most secluded room in the house this would have been the room guests were offered for lodging in order to honor both the guest and the extreme benefaction of the host. When Luke describes a paid establishment, a proper “inn,” he uses a different word (pandecheion) as in the case of the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34.

Frequently the in-most room or upper-room was placed above the in-home stables. Animals like sheep, goats, and donkeys were frequently kept inside the house for two reasons. First, bringing the animals inside protected them from predators and allowed the family to keep watch over them in relative safety. Second, during the winter months the animals provided a significant source of heat for those sleeping in the upper room. The census registration likely meant that Joseph’s family had a significant number of guests staying with them. By the time Mary and Joseph arrive the upper room was already occupied. Since the shepherds were in the fields at night, the stables were likely not being used to house animals. When Joseph and Mary arrived needing shelter the stables were cleaned and arrangements were made for Joseph and his young betrothed to stay there.

Ancient hospitality regulations

The complete and utter rejection of Mary and Joseph by Joseph’s extended family simply doesn’t make sense in a culture and society that depended upon hospitality regulations for survival. While hospitality was extended to strangers as a way of negotiating a village’s foreign policy, hospitality was demanded for members of your own family, tribe or clan. While the traditional position argues that Joseph’s family looked down upon Mary’s pregnancy, the fact that Joseph maintained his betrothal would have signified his adoption of the yet unborn child and the expectation that His family also accept Mary as his bride to be. To not offer Mary and Joseph hospitality in their travels would have brought shame to Jospeh’s extended family in Bethlehem. Had Joseph’s family failed to offer them lodging, surely Mary would have suggested they stay with Elizabeth and Zechariah, likely just a short walk away from Bethlehem (Luke 1:39-40).

What’s more, offering and receiving hospitality was couched in religious terms for the faithful Israelite. Israelites were expected to extend hospitality to strangers, alien sojourners and family, because they themselves were strangers in a strange land under the divine hospitality of Yahweh. Yahweh, not the Israelites owned the land. It was Yahweh, as a hospitable host, that provided for their benefaction and as such it was expected that the Israelites would extend that same hospitality to strangers and family (See especially Deuteronomy 26:5-11; Psalms 23:4-6; 29:12; and Isaiah 58:6-7). Had Joseph’s family failed to offer Mary and Joseph a place to stay they would be turning their back on their divine call to show gratitude for the blessings which Yahweh had bestowed upon them.

Midwives

My wife is nurse. I take great pride in knowing that nurse midwives may have been one of the oldest professions in history. I have little doubt that a skilled midwife attended to Mary during the birth of Jesus. Nearly every village of any considerable size had a professional midwife. Bethlehem would have been no different. Giving birth was a dangerous business for both the mother and child in the ancient world. Midwives had both clinical and legal authority during this turbulent period in women’s lives. Clinically, midwives ensured the safety of the mother and the newborn child by ritually cleansing the place of birth and initiating clinical interventions when necessary. Midwives would clear the house of any men, children and unmarried women. Frequently they used birthing stools, massage and music to ease the pain of labor. In the case of breach or inappropriately positioned deliveries more skilled midwives may have attempted turnings.

Legally, the midwife was responsible for the ensuring that the newborn was adopted into its new family. Having cut the umbilical cord, the unwashed newborn would be held up to cry. This cry “was considered a legal petition to join the household and become a member of the village” (Matthews and Benjamin, Social World of Ancient Israel, 72). Adoption and acceptance was indicated with a hymn of praise by the father. Having been adopted, the child would be washed and clothed, conferring legal standing in the family to the child. The fact that Jesus was wrapped in clothes and laid in a manger confirms that he was adopted into Joseph’s family, tribe and clan (Luke 2:7).

What it means for us…

While I don’t pretend that the way I have recounted the nativity story is the only way you might choose to envision Jesus’ birth. I do hope that this re-telling which attempts to attend to some of the cultural details of the first century world pushes back against the more traditional understanding of the nativity story. Scholars continue to debate the importance of the distinction between kataluma and pandacheion and whether or not that has any bearing on how we understand the nativity story. The greater force to be reckoned with though, are the serious breaches of hospitality regulations inherent in the traditional nativity account. The rejection of Mary and Joseph would have brought shame to Joseph’s family, no insignificant reality in a culture more attuned to varying levels of honor and shame. Finally, the traditional account fails to acknowledge the real presence and use of midwifes in the ancient world. Giving birth was a dangerous activity. It still is. Midwifes helped to mitigate the danger and ensured that the newborn was legally adopted into his new family.

Yes, Jesus was born in a stable, but that just so happens to be one of the few places childbirth might have normally taken place inside an extended family house. What’s more our images of Mary struggling alone with a panicked Joseph pacing back and forth are illusions. Jesus was born into the loving arms of Jospeh’s female relatives and likely Bethlehem’s better known midwives.

You see, God chose to become Emmanuel, God with us, not just to be a human, born of a mother and father, but to be a person with all of the familial relationships personhood implies. Yes, Jesus was born, Mary’s son, adopted by Joseph, but he was also adopted by Joseph’s family. From the very beginning, from his very birth, Jesus was bringing people together. The picture we should hold of the first Christmas is not just Jesus, Mary and Joseph with a few shepherds hanging about, but of Jesus, Mary, Jospeh, and a dozen extra aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and a number of Shepherds excited to welcome this new boy into their family, tribe and clan. It is not the meager estate of Jesus that makes him good news to the poor, humble and outcasts, but the fact that he brought together the poor, the humble and the outcast at his birth that makes him such good news.

As he was born into this world bringing people together; his ministry, life, death, resurrection and ascension sought to bring people together. As you consider the birth of the messiah this Christmas may you remember well the words of the prophet Isaiah for “God has accomplished the birth of a savior the deliverance of Israel and gentiles alike” (Isa. 26:17-18). May you also remember that you, like Jesus, are not rejected and alone. If you look hard enough, seeking your fellow brothers and sisters, may you find that you are in this world, maybe for the first time, surrounded and loved.

May God’s blessings be upon you this Christmas season and may you remember that God’s greatest desire two thousand years ago was to know you in your full humanity.

The area is so large that almost no historians would claim to specialize in the entire region. Yet, if we wish to become familiar with the many and varied people groups, cultures, and geographical settings of the bible we will have to become familiar with this grand landscape. For me, after having spent a decade focusing on the geography and and cultural backgrounds of Israel and Palestine, the next logical step was to expand my studies to Turkey (Anatolia/Asia Minor). That’s why I can’t wait to head to Turkey this summer to study the historical and cultural geography of the New Testament world with Brad Gray.

I think you should join me!​

If you’ve ever thought you wanted to visit the “holy land” or study the “lands of the bible,” you will need to include the lands of Turkey as a major part of that study sooner or later. They afford a picture of the New Testament world that is not available anywhere else. Here are seven reasons why.

7 reasons you should study the Bible in Turkey

Hagia Sophia. Photo courtesy of The Pictorial Library of Bible Lands

1. The New Testament was written from real people to real people

At least two-thirds of the new testament texts were either written from or to locations in Turkey (Asia Minor/ Anatolia). In our our attempts at systematic theologies and applications of the apostles’ words to our modern context we frequently forget that they were not written first and foremost for and to us. They were largely letters or narratives written for a very different people in very specific contexts. The more familiar you are with those contexts, the history, geography and culture of the texts’ authors and recipients, the better equipped you are to understand those texts in their original context. This prevents you from reading your own context into the text and allows you to better translate the texts’ original meaning for application today.

2. You’ll gain an appreciation for difficulties faced by the apostles

While, in many ways, the Roman imperial infrastructure facilitated the spread of the gospel throughout the 1st century Roman world, it is easy to loose touch with just how difficult those missionary journeys were. We flippantly refer to Paul’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys with little understanding of the miles, hills and valleys surmounted. Actually traveling the land (though certainly with the advances of modern transportation) you can begin to appreciate the massive task that was set before the apostles as they sought to fulfill the commission of making disciples of all nations.​

3. You’ll encounter the real seven churches of revelation

As often as we would like to apply a specific judgement about one of the churches of Revelation to the congregation down the street (Don’t pretend like you haven’t) we really shouldn’t look to today’s church as our primary point of reference for understanding the point of the message in revelation. That church down the street, or across the intersection was not John of Patmos’ first or even intended audience. No, the churches of revelation are all in Turkey: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea! In most cases their geographical and ancient cultural context figure prominently in Revelation’s words for each of them. There is no better way to get a handle on why Jesus told them what he did than from within their precincts.

Temple of Apollo – Didyma, Photo courtesy of The Pictorial Library of Bible Lands

4. You’ll realize everything is bigger in Turkey​

If you thought that the moniker “everything is bigger in …” should be applied to Texas for all time you would be wrong. During the 1st century BCE-CE, as western Turkey, Cappadocia, Lycia and Galatia were annexed into the Roman Empire, these provinces on the fringes not only had the means but also had the desire to prove their allegiance to the Emperor. As a result everything, especially the imperial cults became bigger in Turkey. There is no better place to get a clear picture of the influence those cults had on the early church. 

Siloam Tunnel Inscription – Istanbul Museum. Photo courtesy WikiMedia Commons

5. The Istanbul Museum​

Sometimes its not just about the sites but about the material collections available. The Istanbul Museum is just such an impressive collection of artifacts. During the period of Ottoman control of Palestine significant material remains, such as the Siloam tunnel inscription, were collected and transferred to the Istanbul museum. There are physical remains here that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world.

6. You’ll be better equipped to Connect the Contexts​

The ancient greco-roman world is perhaps more akin to our own modern context then that of ancient Israel. While Israel is a perfect place to get a handle on the ministry of Jesus and the texts of the Old Testament, Turkey offers a unique vantage into how the gospel spread amongst and came to be applied in a culture more similar to our own in the modern western world.

7. It isn’t a vacation, it’s an investment.

As you consider how you might enhance your ministry, either as a professional or as a lay leader, or seek to enhance your understanding of the biblical text in general, there is no book or tool that compares to the transformative experience of reading the biblical texts with your feet. Traveling to the Lands of the Bible are an investment that pays dividends over a lifetime of ministry and devotion in the text.

Hattusha’s (capital of the Hittites) Lion Gate. Photo Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands

I would go on, but stopping at seven seems more biblical. Like I have attained some fulfillment of the task to which I set out. There are certainly more reasons to include Turkey in your travel plans as you study the lands of the bible, not least of which is the region’s influence on the world and culture of the Old Testament (Who were those pesky Hittites after all).

Planning your trip:

I discussed some of the additional reasons why you may want to include a trip to Turkey as part of your biblical studies with Pastor and Author Brad Gray on October 30th. Brad also shared upcoming opportunities to join us as we Walk the Text in the New Testament World.

I will be traveling with Brad to Turkey this summer for his “Walking the Text in the New Testament World”  trip and would be happy to explain why I think this is fantastic opportunity for any pastor or lay person interested in getting a better handle on the texts of the new testament.

If you, or someone you know, might benefit from knowing more about how studying the biblical text IN Turkey could transform their spiritual life then be sure to share this opportunity and video (blab) with them.