No Vacancy

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

2000 years ago in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary showed up at an inn desperate for entry. Labour pains searing, aching from a long journey, far from friends and family.

What is interesting to me here is the fact that there was no room at the inn for them. This begs a question. Why was there no room in an inn for a woman going into labour? Could the inn keeper not see the urgency of the situation? True, his inn was full. But it causes me to wonder why he didn't have any other guests leave in order to make room for this most special of guests being born.

He could have feared how his business ethics would be called into question. Maybe he was concerned about how he would be perceived by the community asking someone to leave the inn to make room for a couple peasants. He may be concerned that his status in the community might suffer. It's possible he was afraid of the people who were staying in the inn and thus more concerned about what might happen to him than this critical need. It could be he was more concerned about the effects on his business. If word got out that you might lose your reservation, his future revenue may be affected.

Whatever the case, that which was inside needed to be replaced by that which was at the door.

As Christmas approaches, it is good to consider the effect of the birth of Jesus on others such as the inn keeper. The problem today is that there is no room in the inn of most people's hearts for Jesus to indwell them. They hang a "no vacancy" sign over their hearts because to allow Jesus inside would require the keeper of the heart to evict certain residence. Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods makes a statement throughout the book that gods or idols cannot be removed. They must be replaced. This is the case we find today. There are many things that people are trusting in and treating as a god. These are similar to what the inn keeper 2000 years ago may have been going through.

Some people will not let Jesus be the God of their life because it would mean admitting defeat. To receive Jesus is to acknowledge that your own morality and righteousness are leprous and festering. It is admitting that they are sinners and they need Jesus to bear their sin. Some people today are more afraid of how people will view them if they became a Christian. To them their self-image defines who they are, and to surrender that god of self-image to the true God is more than they are willing to bare. Others find importance in how others perceive them, and so keeping others happy and seeking man's acceptance would cause a person not to open their heart to Jesus. It is too much for them to be accepted by God and rejected by men. Still others keep the door to the inn closed because it will affect their lifestyle, business ethics, home etc.

Christmas is a great time to remember that the one who was refused entrance to the inn now knocks on the hearts of all men. Jesus says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock..." (Rev 3:20). The door must be opened from the inside. And the things we trust in, we need to allow Jesus to throw outside as Jesus is received inside.

Jesus came to dwell among us. He knocks on hearts to dwell within us. Is there room for Jesus in your heart?