A colleague recently posted on facebook, " Don't be too hard on the Innkeeper... who or what have you evicted lately to make room for Jesus?" This thought has been on my mind since I read it, and it has developed into a short devotion that I share with you now... (Thanks Rob McKee - Katy, TX)
Luke Chapter 2
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
The
scriptures tell us that there was no room in the Inn; they don’t say why…
Perhaps…
- Bethlehem was crowded because of the census and the population had swollen to multiple times its normal size and the rooms were all in use…
- A garrison of soldiers took all the available room...
- Rooms were reserved for someone of royalty...
The
Innkeeper is often accused of varying degrees of heartlessness… He’s pictured
in some stories as an unkind soul who cared little for the concerns of Josephs
little family, and Mary’s imminent childbirth… However, I
don’t believe that he was acting out of any kind of malice or unkindness, he was
simply a businessman making business decisions.
In
light of this view, I want to offer four observations as to why we shouldn’t be
too hard on the Innkeeper.
Don’t be too hard on the Innkeeper; our world events often eclipse our focus on spiritual things.
- Messianic prophecies were looming; the signs were imminent, yet the people were indifferent to the coming savior because of the pressing concern of the census… In the day and time of Luke Chapter 2, the most important thing that could happen was about to happen, the birth of a savior. Yet the thing that took priority was the census.
- Our world events, our daily news, our focus on paying our worldly taxes often usurps the spending of our spiritual time…
- In our lives, we often allow our focus on spiritual things to take a backseat to the priority of the day. The “tyranny of the urgent” has stolen our emphasis on the Lord.
- Should our walk with God ever get sidetracked or back shelved by our world events? Should our spirituality be held hostage by the headlines? Of course I am not suggesting that we ignore our surroundings barricaded in a closet of Christianity… I am suggesting however that whether it is the Superbowl or the World Series that our focus on Jesus not wane. Our holidays throughout the year, tax time, election season, sporting events, hobbies and other pursuits… when should these ever take precedence over our relationship with the Lord?
- The Innkeeper was no more distracted by his times than we are… perhaps we’ve been too hard on him?
Don't be too hard on the innkeeper...who (or what) have you evicted lately just to make room for Jesus?
o History would prove out that no tenant in the
inn was or would ever be as important as Jesus, yet none of them was asked to
find somewhere else to stay to make room for Jesus…
o When was the last time we rudely interrupted
our entertainment to make more room for Jesus? What doors have we knocked down
in our own hearts, and what have we gotten rid of so that Jesus might dwell
more comfortable in our spirit?
o Sin is an enmity against the Lord, so it’s
hard for his spirit to dwell in a place overwhelmed with the only thing he
hates.
o You have friends and neighbors that you
associate with at a distance, and you rarely spend time in their home, because
they are poor housekeepers, and you can’t be comfortable in the mess… I’m
afraid that Jesus sometimes feels that way about our hearts.
o Jesus wasn’t born in a comfortable room. He
was born out back in a stable. We can criticize the Innkeeper for that… or we
can consider what lengths Jesus has been forced to go just to have any place in
out hearts at all… Serving God only on Sunday? You’re an attender but not a
tither? You’re a hearer of the Word, not necessarily a doer of the Word?
Content with the salvation plan, but not interested in the maintenance plan of
continued holy living? Fair-weather sinner, bad weather saint? Living for God
on your own terms… Perhaps we’re not so different from the Innkeeper… we’ve put
God in our storage space as well.
Don’t be too
hard on the Innkeeper… We often close up
(or give up) when things don’t happen in our timeframe…
o Because of her condition, the journey would
have taken a long time; when Mary and Joseph arrived, other customers had taken
all the rooms in the inn… My impression of this text is that their arrival was
inconvenient because it was not during the customary daylight hours.
o Maybe the Innkeeper was impatient or
inconvenienced by their late arrival… but how many times have we quit waiting
on Jesus to come into our situation…
o Have we ever given up on doing the right
things because God did not provide our answer in our expected timeframe?
o Jesus rarely steps in at out perceived
perfect moments… Just ask Mary, Martha… and Lazarus. I’m sure they all felt
that the “right” time for Jesus to come was any
time before Lazarus died… Yet God had purpose in waiting until four days
had passed. Any time less than that and the Pharisees could have explained
Lazarus’s resurrection away… but waiting until the fourth day demonstrated
Jesus words that he shared in this chapter, “I am the resurrection and the
life… (John 11:25)
o Everything about the birth, life, and death
of Jesus Christ was strategic. His birth fulfilled numerous prophecies
(lineage, virgin birth, exact city of birth, and others.) Throughout his
ministry, ever message and miracle was demonstrating a doctrine. Even in his
death, (the events of the Last Supper and the crucifixion) correlating with the
Jewish Passover was strategic. I’m convinced although it may not have been the
Innkeepers preferred time for Jesus to be born, he was born at just exactly the
right moment.
o Don’t be too hard on the Innkeeper; perhaps
we would have preferred a different time for them to arrive as well. Isn’t that
proven every time we question God about prayers that he hasn’t answered yet?
A final
thought. Don’t be too hard on the
Innkeeper… When was the last time
you showed mercy to a stranger?
o Mary and Joseph were simply unknown people to
the Innkeeper. He had no idea who they were. No idea if their story was true.
o He could not give them what they asked for,
but he did offer what he had. A humble setting it might have been, but I
suppose that a stable behind the Inn was better than no shelter at all.
o For those of us serving God, too often our
lack of physical resources means that we offer no help at all. Could it be that
God is sometimes presenting situations in our life knowing that we don’t have
the answer or resources, so that we will turn to Him?
o Peter and John at the Gate Beautiful told a
beggar man, “Silver and Gold we don’t have… but what we do have, we give to
you!” The physical answer was money, the spiritual response was a miracle.
o Yes, it is hard to be too critical of the
Innkeeper when we often fail to see the physical needs of our community. We
must find ways to help people who are in need. It’s not difficult, the needs
are many.
When I was a
child I saw the Innkeeper as a mean and uncaring man who could care less about
the plight of Joseph and Mary… As I get older I find him to be a picture of
myself… hurried, hassled, stressed, burdened, and overcome with distractions…
too many needs to fill… in the exact same situation, many of us would have to
agree, we’re not so sure that there would be room in our hearts either…
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