Christmas Myths SERIES: 1: Joseph and Mary Could Not Find a Room at an Inn

"One of the most enduring and endearing retellings of Christ’s nativity is that He was born in a barn or cave because the inn was full and it was the only place available. 

This idea is based on a misunderstanding of Luke’s Gospel, and it involves some embellishment of the details as well.

And 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)

Unlike the common portrayal of these events, Joseph and Mary did not need to frantically search for a place that night. Luke 2:6 states that while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to give birth, so it is rather likely that they had arrived in town well before Mary went into labor.

If that is the case, then why does Luke mention a feeding trough?

While it is difficult to understand this based on the way most English Bibles translate verse 7, the Greek text makes no mention of anything like a hotel or inn, and it certainly does not mention an innkeeper. 

Luke used a term that refers to the guest room or upper room of a house (Greek καταλυμα, kataluma). Many first-century Judean homes had a guest room on the second floor. 

A portion of the lower level could be used to keep animals safe at night, so it would not be uncommon to find a feeding trough in the home’s first level." 

AIG