“And she gave birth to her firstborn a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7
When Mary and Joseph entered into God’s plan, they likely didn’t think this would involve a 90-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. And they certainly weren’t expecting there to be no room to physically give birth to the promised Christ child. But here they were.
Though the Bible doesn’t mention an innkeeper, we have to figure that there was someone present who let Joseph and Mary know that there was no room at this inn. And of all the travelers who came through that night, this ordinary couple is the one history would remember as they bore not just another Jewish baby, but the very Son of God.
We do learn from this character whose name and even whose presence are not expressly written into the Christmas story, this innkeeper we’ve imagined. We learn that where we least expect to find God, He comes most fully. He invades our lives; He goes where there is no room so we might find a home in Him. The One who had no home is making a home for us (John 14:3). The One who had no place to lay His head is our rest, our comfort, our joy.
Though the Bible doesn’t mention an innkeeper, we have to figure that there was someone present who let Joseph and Mary know that there was no room at this inn. And of all the travelers who came through that night, this ordinary couple is the one history would remember as they bore not just another Jewish baby, but the very Son of God.
We do learn from this character whose name and even whose presence are not expressly written into the Christmas story, this innkeeper we’ve imagined. We learn that where we least expect to find God, He comes most fully. He invades our lives; He goes where there is no room so we might find a home in Him. The One who had no home is making a home for us (John 14:3). The One who had no place to lay His head is our rest, our comfort, our joy.
Scripture Focus
Luke 2:4-7
Insight
In the end, the innkeeper—whoever he or she was—found room for Jesus. This Christmas may the same be said of you and me.
Bible In A Year
- Amos 1-3
- Proverbs 17
- 1 John 1-2
