Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough--because there was no room for them at the lodging place. Luke 2:7
Now, that’s our verse and it comprises, so far as I know, everything we know about the lodging arrangements, and as importantly, the innkeeper. Yet, year after year, even long before I was ever born, in Christmas plays and shows, at schools and churches throughout the world we’ve often imagined the image of a hard-hearted man, who practically, if not literally, slams the door in the face of Joseph and his very pregnant wife, the virgin Mary.
But I’m suggesting, . . . if we can make up that story using our holy imaginations, there may be another image of this unnamed, even unmentioned innkeeper, one that’s probably much more plausible.
But before we go there, besides this poorly defamed innkeeper, whose storyline we may have wrong, there are other parts of the story we’ve definitely gotten wrong.
We think of Joseph and Mary arriving in Bethlehem with Mary about to pop. They show up late one evening – she might already be having contractions – knock on the door of the 1st century equivalent of Motel 6, but they haven’t phoned ahead so they spend the night in the parking garage, where the baby Jesus is born late into the evening or early the next morning.
But that’s not what the text says at all.
Popular tradition affirms that the child was born the night the family arrived. But in Luke 2:4 we read that Mary and Joseph “went up” to Bethlehem. Then in verse 6 we are told, “And while they were there, the days (plural) were fulfilled for her to be delivered.” So there’s a period of time between the arrival in Bethlehem and the delivery.
So I’m going to give Joseph a little credit here and assume he’s looking around for the best situation possible to accommodate his wife and his child. I’m going to assume that Joseph was competent enough that given the days (plural) he had to search that he could find adequate shelter for the delivery of Mary’s baby. I also suspect Bethlehem was not so hard-hearted that given days to work on his problem – with the negotiating skills of a Jewish carpenter – a businessman with a pregnant wife was not turned away by every good option in town and finally had to just punt, so to speak – or improvise a place for the Lord Jesus to make His grand entrance into the world.
So, what’s the deal? I mean, after all the Bible does say, “There was no room for them at the lodging place.”
Now the Greek used there is most commonly translated “guest room,” or even “upper room.” i.e. the Greek leaves room for this “lodging place” to be a room in a family home, of Joseph’s ancestry, and there are numerous people who will argue that such a case has merit. But I’m not going there today.
For one thing, I’m so disgusted and put off with so-called “religious” people that have no sense of compassion or mercy that it’s hard for me to imagine, no matter who else is in the house (and whether they’ve already called dibs on all the good rooms or not), that someone else in your own family doesn’t give up their space so cousin Joseph and his very pregnant wife will have a place.
By the way, the spin that puts on the story has merit. It’s no longer the story of arriving late and not making reservations. It becomes, instead, the story of rejection by one’s own family on supposedly moral or religious grounds. John wrote about that in his gospel when he writes, “He came to His own and His own received Him not.” We’ve often imagined that to mean Jews in general, but it probably started with not a few members of His own earthly extended family.
I am so glad we’ve realized today that no child is illegitimate.
Whichever is the case, we’ve often imagined the story wrong.
But, for the sake of emphasis, let’s stick with the traditional assumption, that this is a public hotel of sorts. It would make sense. Bethlehem was a bedroom community – a suburb. Lots of people are born there, but most of them eventually move up and out. Houses are small – much too small to accommodate the way family trees spread, especially when everyone is commanded to come home and be taxed, which is what the decree from Caesar Augustus said.
I want you to imagine a new storyline. Every square inch of private accommodations are filled to the brim. People are sleeping out under the stars, exposed to the elements. Tents, like those later made and sold by the Apostle Paul, are pitched everywhere, throughout the country-side. They are there, because people are well aware, especially those who grew up for any length of time in Bethlehem, that space is going to be at a premium. What lodging is available will be pricey – due to supply and demand, but little if any lodging will be found anyway. (Illustration – Canton – 17 calls)
When it comes to the Inn, I suppose we’ve imagined an Inn or lodging place, at times, similar to what we’ve seen in westerns – cruder than a modern hotel, but covered, private, secure and warm. But that’s not the picture archeologists give us of 1st century inns in Palestine at all.
In reality they are more akin to a campground, or a KOA, providing security primarily because groups of people are harder to steal from then people who are separated by more space. They provide shelter, of sorts, but nothing nearly so fancy. And in fact, since working and riding stock require rest, downtime, shelter, feed and water the stable may have been the very best place for Mary to bed down away from the elements, sheltered from the weather and making a way for the birth of her child.
I don’t think Father God chose the earthly father of His Son to be someone so stupid that He would arrive in Bethlehem without having thoroughly thought through the arrangements for His Son to be delivered. What if Joseph was cunning and crafty enough to arrive asking for a room he knew, in all likelihood, was not possibly available, knowing that with his pregnant wife in tow they would have to give him the prime stable space and make room that was more suited to her needs?
Think through this scenario: Joseph has experienced the way Mary’s out of wedlock pregnancy has affected his relationship with many of his extended family. His family home is probably, therefore, out of the realm of practical possibility. He doesn't want to subject Mary to the treatment they would endure there, even if they would allow them to stay. He doesn’t want to subject Mary to a campground, glorified or otherwise. In His mind He begins to devise a way to give Mary the best possible environment, under the circumstances, where Jesus can be born.
If there was an innkeeper, rather than being someone who harshly turns the couple away and throws them into the stable, what if he’s someone who reacts just as Joseph has hoped and says, “I can’t let you guys stay out there in her condition. How about bedding down in my stable for a while?”
What if he helps to rearrange the livestock so Mary will have a feeding trough designated just for her use, to use as a makeshift crib? What if the swaddling clothes Mary wrapped Jesus in were the ones he gave her that his own son had been wrapped in?
We don’t know do we? It’s just as plausible as the other story we’ve made up and probably more likely.
Think then, about what this is saying. Joseph thinks to himself, “I could probably find more compassion with people who don’t know me than I can from my own people. I’m going to risk an unknown innkeeper rather than the wrath of the religiously calloused, judgmental legalists in my own family.” And I also wonder, before this happened to him if he might not have been counted among their ranks. I wonder if Joseph hadn’t sat around and gossiped about people, judging their hearts unworthy of love and acceptance because of their sin. Now, here he was playing a pivotal role in bringing mercy to the world and everyone he had judged and that had to be something God used to speak to him.
Then I started thinking, this innkeeper didn’t owe this family any space, but I wonder, if he knew who he was entertaining, what kind of space he would have made available? Where would they have been put if this man knew who was in his stable? Like most other homes in Bethlehem he probably had grown children staying with him for this census and taxation. Imagine he had had a son and daughter-in-law staying in his master suite, while he and his wife slept on a couch.
If he knew that this family was chosen by God and this child was the promised Messiah we don’t know what his reaction would have been. He might have made even better space available.
But here’s the bigger question:
You know who Jesus is. What space have you made?
1. What’s in your master suite?
• Is there no room for Jesus there because it’s occupied (already full) with your porn addiction?
• Is there no room left for Jesus in the prime space of your life because you’re consumed with things and stuff that wither, rust and ultimately fade away?
• Is your master suite full of your reputation as a tough guy, someone who doesn’t need anyone but himself?
• Have you made your kids your God? Is your life full of their plans, pursuits and activities? Is it more important they get to soccer practice than to church?
• Is your room filled with position, prestige or power? Is it more important to impress the boss than to impress on the boss that your allegiance is first to Christ?
• Your spouse might even be occupying your master suite. Sometimes that seems admirable and maybe even right, but if your God occupied that space that would be the best thing ever for your marriage and your spouse.
2. Why change the accepted storyline?
Our lives are designed by God to unfold with His purpose, presence and power. With the understanding he had, this innkeeper (the one we’re now reimagining) exhibits compassion and favor towards the Lord. We can also imagine, with more information, he would have even demonstrated more.
How are you doing in the receiving Jesus department?
Is your spiritual life in the same place it was when you knew less? Can you trace an overall trend line of more love, grace, acceptance, freedom from destructive habits, . . . more devotion, charity and mercy?
Are you stuck? Does Jesus occupy more of the prime space in your heart and life today than He did when you first accepted Him?
Do you give more today? Are you growing or stuck?
3. How will you receive Him?
It looks like Joseph pulled off quite a feat when he traveled without reservations the seventy miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, secured lodging, made prime birthing space available and insured the comfort, warmth and security of Mary and the Christ child.
But the truth is there must have been people like this innkeeper all along the journey. It’s a trip of several days with an extremely pregnant woman, probably either on a horse or a donkey – that’s another area we’ve made assumptions that are not found in the text.
And all along that journey people are found who are receiving Christ by receiving this couple. This baby Jesus is going to grow up to say, “When you’ve done it unto the least of these my brethren, you’ve done it unto me.” Mary and Joseph on this difficult journey, not only bare His imprint as spiritual followers, but of course Mary bears the incarnation of God Himself in her womb.
Receive Christ Three Ways This Christmas
A. Confession - Make sure you’ve received Him spiritually – turned from sin and self-effort to the Salvation he died and rose again to purchase for you.
B. Connection - Put yourself in the context to grow in your understanding, appreciation and following of Him. Connect with the body more than you have before. Don’t expect them to be perfect and throw in the towel when they prove you right.
Connect with the Word of God beyond how you previously have. It’s not like, “Gone With The Wind,” or any other book you can read once and consider it done. It’s alive.
C. Compassion – Look for the people Jesus called “the least of these,” and champion them for the cause of Christ. This couple, who was probably largely rejected by the people they would have most wanted to accept them counted on God to send multiple others who would be His hands and heart extended.
What can you do?
How can you grow?
Who do you know?
How will you show that Christ has found prime space in your heart this Christmas?
Have you confessed Him as Savior? Are you connecting with the body and His word? Are you showing compassion?
