The Innkeeper

This post may seem a little past due, but I didn't think of it until a few days ago.  In the story of Jesus' birth, we think about Mary and Joseph and how they might have felt about the birth and all of the things that happened afterwards, but do we ever stop to think about the innkeeper?  The one who told Joseph and Mary "there is no room at this inn"?

"She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn," Luke 2:7 (This is the last part of  verse 7)

As I thought about the innkeeper, I wondered what he must have thought later on.  Did he ever wonder if Joseph and Mary found a place to stay? Did he ever know that it was Jesus - who would be the Savior of the world - that he turned down and said "There's no room." ?  Of course the inn was full, and he just told them the truth, but it makes me wonder.

On the other hand, we can know that it was God's plan for the inn to be full.  We know that because it  was  full.  God's plan was for Jesus to be born in a stable.  Why?  Perhaps to show the world that greatness can come from a lowly and humble beginning.  Jesus Christ, the King, didn't have to be born in a palace or even a home, for that matter, to become the Savior of the world. He was the Son of God and that's what He needed to be.

But, back to the innkeeper who turned away the unborn Jesus.  Many in the world are like the innkeeper.  They fill their lives full of all kinds of things - work, pleasure, entertainment, stress - and say to Jesus, "There is no room for you here."  A Christian may also be tempted and find that there's no room for Jesus in their lives.  The devil uses all kinds of tricks to find ways to draw us away from Jesus.  Satan doesn't have to tempt us to do anything wrong necessarily, but he can and will tempt us to become so busy that there is no room for Jesus.  That is something I have to work on constantly and you may have to, too.  It's really easy to become so busy "doing" (even if those things are good or are church-related) that we don't take the time to actually "be" with Him and learning more about Him by reading the Bible.

As you go about your week this week, think about the innkeeper, but don't say, "There's no room here.".