“the inn hospitality”
“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7 (NKJV)
Intro: There has been much deliberation and speculation over the whereabouts and lodging in this very familiar story of the birth of Jesus. It is the center piece for most all Christmas plays. Joseph and Mary journey to Bethlehem only to arrive at a town swollen beyond capacity by the other travelers who are also there to pay their taxes and be counted because of the census.
Early church paintings of the nativity depict a barn with fresh straw and animals peacefully surrounding the holy family. Others are slightly more crude pictures of a cave or dug out shelter but there is still a warm angelic glow about the scene.
Modern translations have only added to the confusion and mystery of where and under what conditions Jesus was born. There are a few specific definitions of the word “inn.” One meaning is a public Inn similar in our thinking to that of a hotel. While these existed in Jerusalem and other larger cities it is very unlikely that a small town like Bethlehem would have supported that. Others suggest a type of guest chamber that most houses would have had. A guest chamber would have ranged in size from a tiny room barely large enough for two people to sleep as in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10. While others interpret the inn as having a very large room upstairs, a room similar to the upper room where Jesus and the disciples had the Last Supper. (see Luke 22:11) That room is described as able to hold over a hundred and twenty people. Still another definition is that of a type of indoor stall as it was customary to bring the animals into the house at night for safe keeping.
Joseph being from Bethlehem might very well have had family or close friends in his home town that could have welcomed him into their home and shared the extra bedroom.
Some early language historians (Francisco Sánchez de las Brozas) point out that there would not have been just one single day for everyone to register for the census so the likelihood of the entire town being completely overrun at the same time is very small. In this case the census would have taken place over several days or weeks and so there would have been lodging scattered throughout the town of Bethlehem as people were coming and going.
If this shift of emphasis is away from the translation of “no room for them in the inn” to there was “no place found for them.” Then in other words it is not about there not being enough “space for lodging” but it turns to become more about there not being enough “hospitality” for Joseph who is not so welcome in his home town and Mary who is expecting a child and the slander and rumors of Mary being pregnant while only being pledged to be married all that happened before she was married.
A prophetic precursor to Jesus’ own words in Luke 4:24 “the truth is no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.” Also, Luke 9:58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head," words that describe the “inn hospitality” of his birth as well as “the inhospitality” later in His life.
Why is Jesus treated with such “inhospitality?” Away in a manger. His bed a cattle stall. Why is he born into such a mean estate? Is He really welcomed and treated any differently today?
The modern Christian and I will dare to presume even the American family, may it ever so feebleminded and lacking clear purpose and understanding, attempts to find a room for Jesus in their life. The Barna Group estimates that nine out of ten Americans have at least one bible in their house. The average American home has about five copies of the bible in their house. That is 1 billion four hundred and twenty six million five hundred thousand bibles. That is enough bibles placed end to end to circle the earth at least twice.
But hospitality is more than just finding a table or drawer or shelf to put Jesus on. The hospitality that Jesus wants is finding a place for Jesus in your heart, life and soul.
It is not about the location, it is about the attitude and lifestyle and the character and daily living that means we have found room for Jesus not just as a temporary place to sleep but a place where Jesus permanently takes up residence in heart and Christian community.
God has always taught His people to show hospitality. “When a stranger lives in your land, do not mistreat him.” Leviticus 19:33 The Hebrew literally refers to the vexing and mistreatment of Israel when they were slaves in Egypt. It is easy for us to say we do a pretty good job at not mistreating someone like that. But how do you feel when we meet someone for the first time? Are you welcoming and open? Do you make up your mind and judge on first impressions? Or are you inhospitable? A little impatient? By being impatient have you also gotten a little angry with someone in the past couple days. Now, we have to ask ourselves the question again. Are we good at keeping this general rule to do no harm?
I will never forget when I was pastor of Hickory Hill Church. It was an older congregation and at one board meeting a man by the name of Fred Ogles stood up to address the board. I remember his opening remarks were about how he was the newcomer to the congregation but how strong his opinion was on a particular subject. I remember thinking to myself that Fred was a long time member of the church. So, after the meeting I asked Fred about it and when he had joined the church as a member. He said, “Oh, I have been a member for over twenty years, but I know they still think of me as the new guy on the block.” The people at Hickory Hill were kind and gentle, God loving people. They were very encouraging and supportive of me as their pastor. My point is there was an invisible barrier that their church had built and they didn’t even realize it. I wonder how long it takes a person to feel like they are no longer the “new guy on the block.” How can a church shorten that feeling and make people feel like they belong much easier and quicker?
John 13:34-35 “Love one another. As I have loved you. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” What do people see in you that proves you are a disciple of Christ? What do they hear you saying when you talk about your church and your faith? Christlike love is never divisive it never belittles the character of another or disparages the community and people in the body of Christ. “If you can’t say something nice…,” then you have to ask yourself why am I thinking things that are not nice? Why hasn’t the Holy Spirit helped me with this problem? Why have I not been at an altar talking to God about it? This kind of love is sometimes tough, it is hard. That is why people will notice when you speak kindly, without complaining. When you speak with words of the Holy Spirit that’s when people will see that you are a Christian. How can we love others as Jesus loves us?
A Freudian slip is a memory or action or speech that is interpreted as occurring due to the dynamic unconscious truth. We have all made Freudian slips. There are many examples and stories truer than life: One Sunday morning during announcements, the secretary said, "I need to make a correction to last week’s bulletin. It read: The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and great “hostility.” It should have read: The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and great hospitality.
One of the most beautiful things I have seen in church is people who will get up and give up their pew to a visitor. They may start with small talk but then they go farther and actually listen so that the guest feels welcome and wanted. Hospitality is when we fuel connection.
We resist judging others. That is not easy because the truth is most people enjoy judging others.
Hospitality is being able to climb down into the hole with another person and saying “hey I know what it is like to be here where you are at and you are not alone.”
That kind of hospitality isn’t easy because we make ourselves transparent. Transparency makes us vulnerable and open to attack and criticism. But in order to show real hospitality I have to open myself up to a time when I myself was a stranger, or a visitor, or a traveler who needed a place to stay. So, I connect with my inner self and remember that feeling I had when I was a stranger. I walked down that same road and through my eyes I see from the other persons’ perspective. Rarely does that ever really happen. Most of us want to run from our own sinful mistakes and flawed humanity instead of face up to them and use them as a testimony to say I know God was with me and since God was with me He will also be with you. But usually your level of hospitality is limited to a safer conversation about the weather or the score at last night’s ball game or maybe where you are from and what you do.
So we never get to that place where someone shares with us their real brokenness and something that which is really painful. Like, I am pregnant and not married. I don’t have anywhere to stay. I don’t know what to do. Or I had a miscarriage or an abortion and I feel really sad and confused about what happened. Or I think my spouse is cheating on me. I am thinking about getting a divorce. Or my child has been acting out at school. Or my child just told me she is a lesbian. I am angry and am having thoughts that I am a bad parent. I am broke and don’t have the money to pay my bills, I don’t know how to improve financially. I don’t know what to do.
The surface response of the innkeeper is we try to make things better. There is a stable out back. Or we say really stupid things like, maybe you can try to have another child. Or someday you will meet the right person. Or we all make mistakes as a parent, just the other day, and then we go off on some babbling story about something we did and completely avoid the person and their problem whose standing right in front of us.
That’s what innkeepers do right? We try to find some place to stick the problem out back or out of sight so that we can go on with our lives and not have to really deal with the problems someone else is going through. When what we should be saying is. I am so glad you are here. I really don’t have the answer to the problems you just told me about. But I do know who has the answer and his name is Jesus and if you will allow me to have a few minutes of your time I will tell you what Jesus has done for me since I invited Him into my life.
When we say that, we have introduced a lost person to Jesus and helped to lead them toward a relationship with Christ as their personal savior. That’s the power of real hospitality. That kind of hospitality takes a lot of intentionality and effort and practice. It doesn’t come from just showing up at church on Sunday morning.
You have to go to “innkeeper’s school” and take classes on how to be a better innkeeper. It is called discipleship and evangelism training.
There is a joke that says, “Hospitality is making your guest feel at home, even if you wish they were at their own home.” That is partially true. My question is how do we change the feeling, “even if you wish they were?” That is the real difference that Christ makes in us isn’t it?
I don’t know how people were really raised in the ancient bible days. But I know how I was raised in my time.
If a stranger had came to our house and she was pregnant and about to have a child at any time. My father and mother would have made me give up my bed and I would have been the one sleeping in the barn with the animals.
This story has never been about there not being a room for Mary. This story has always been about will you be inhospitable to Jesus or will you show hospitality to the least of these?
So how do we relate to the innkeeper and radical hospitality?
1. Are you willing to give up your pew or to transfer equal ownership in the Kingdom of God, invite a stranger to sit next to you so they will be welcome and know that they matter just as much to Jesus as you do?
2. Will you make a promise to listen and make more than small talk, intentionally encouraging people to start a relationship with Jesus? Will you seek out discipleship opportunities and be willing to learn new ways of evangelism and radical hospitality.
3. Will you spend less time on Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging, and more time face to face sharing your testimony about how Jesus has changed your life?
Closing: The real Christmas story is not about an inn, or an innkeeper or a stable but it is about you finding the real place for Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life. We are all God’s Innkeepers in this House. It is up to you to make the decision to offer Joseph and Mary “inn hospitality” and let Jesus come and be born into your life. Or will you show “inhospitality” and refuse to believe and not offer room in your whole heart to become a born again believer?
