“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.” (Luke 2:7)
The Inn Keeper of Bethlehem has gotten some bad press over the years for not making room for Jesus. Today, the Christmas story is repeated for us over and over so that the youngest child can tell it word for word, naming all the characters, especially Jesus. The Inn Keeper had never heard the story which we all know so well.
Plus we have the advantage of knowing about Christ’s three years of preaching, teaching and healing. We know of the opposition toward Him, the brutal scourging, crucifixion, death, burial and His resurrection. We hear constantly who the man Jesus is, what He came to do and what He is doing now.
The Inn Keeper of Bethlehem knew none of that. No one in the inn except Mary and Joseph knew any of it. There was no advance publicity team that had gone ahead to reserve the finest room for this coming King. Probably, no one in the little village of Bethlehem knew who was being born that night. There is no evidence telling us that the Inn Keeper knew.
Everyone in America and in much of the rest of the world can make an educated decision about Jesus. We know the story. The Inn Keeper did not know. Maybe he found out later, perhaps sometime after Calvary or Pentecost. We are very, very privileged to know the story of Jesus in our day. I encourage you to make room in your heart and life for Him now.
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