I had an old pastor (Very Conservative) that thought the same way as in the article (Joseph was a responsible man, would have made arrangements with family ahead of time, etc.) My pastor pointed out that in the winter one room of the house might be set up to have animals inside. Protect the animals and help heat the home. Maybe the manger was in that room. OR - perhaps the manger was brought in to the main room, kitchen or wherever the fire was. Raised up(?) off the floor to keep it warmer. Dump some hay in it for padding. Etc.
I’ reminded of an old photo of me as a baby. In some old motel room. I’m sleeping in the second drawer that is pulled 3/4 of the way out of the dresser, padded with blankets all the way around.
But as others have posted, not sure it matters a whole bunch. The idea of humble beginnings and that it was used as a sign for the shepherds is important.
Plus, it allowed the THREE wise men to place there gifts under the manger, which we symbolize by placing our gifts under the tree. !
(Hmm. Joking about both the “three” and the wise men being there around the time of birth. BUT - I just thought of my made-up, funny(?) comment about gifts under the tree. I wonder if that MIGHT be symbolic of “gifts under the manger”?)
The Wise Men arrived years later.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
Thank you for clarifying that you were making a joke.
I wonder if that MIGHT be symbolic of “gifts under the manger”?)
I used to listen to Herbert and Ted Armstrong quite a bit, i can,t remember much about it now but at the time i thought they made a little sense .
I can relate to the drawer, My folks used a big box or a trunk full of straw, the older kids made their own mattress,s out of straw.
A manger could have been just a box which they could have moved or it could have been built in, that would kind of depend on what kind and how many animals they were feeding.
At any rate i agree that Joseph would have made arrangements, i doubt if they were living with the cows and sheep.