Making Room: The Innkeeper

(S1) — No Vacancy

Ever found yourself faced with the realty of there being ‘no room’ to lay your head after a long journey?

A Jewish lady named Mrs. Rosenberg was stranded late one night at a fashionable resort - one that did not admit Jews. The desk clerk looked down at his book and said, "Sorry, no room. The hotel is full." She responded, "But your sign says that you have vacancies." The desk clerk stammered and said, "You know that we do not admit...Now if you will try the other side of town." Mrs. Rosenberg stiffened noticeable and said, "I’ll have you know I converted to your religion." The desk clerk said, "Oh, yeah, let me give you a little test. How was Jesus born?" Mrs. Rosenberg replied, "He was born to a virgin named Mary in a little town called Bethlehem." "Very good," replied the hotel clerk. "Tell me more." Mrs. Rosenberg replied, "He was born in a manger." "That’s right," said the hotel clerk. "And why was he born in a manger?" Mrs. Rosenberg said loudly, "Because a jerk like you in the hotel wouldn’t give a Jewish lady a room for the night!"

(S2) — SERIES

Through the years, various traditions, modern re-telling, and our own imaginations have given credence to expanded versions of the story of Jesus’ birth, going beyond the scope of written text...

— Animals (manger)—Wise Men/Latter (Luke)— Mary’s persona

There is no explicit reference to our unlikely character got caught up in the birth of Jesus. Just a mention of the place where Mary and Joseph came to find rest after a long journey. Though he is not specifically mentioned, we can surmise that someone was there to give them the bad news—No Vacancy

Luke 2:7 (ESV)...because there was no place for them in the inn.

Much has been written about him and his character has found its way into many church plays. Traditionally we have come to call him…the Innkeeper

(S3)—

How do you see the Innkeeper in the Christmas story? A Grumpy old oager of a man…The one who missed Christmas…who turned away the son of God?

There is no description of him standing at the door of the Bethlehem Hilton with a wagging finger and a no-vacancy sign flashing in neon—Much is left to the imagination. So why do we include the innkeeper in the Christmas story? Is it possbile that we have gotten him wrong?

Daniel darling, describes this as a night of “HUMILITY and HOLINESS”—Jesus’ humbly born to an ordinary couple, among a common people, in an obscure town called Bethlehem. The son of God would not start out among the elite; in a Ritz or Hilton, but in a simple place known to us by our unknown innkeeper.

(S4) — His part in the birth of Jesus is about ‘Making Room.’

Sadly today many of us leave little room in our lives for Jesus; unwilling to even answer the door. Jesus knows what it is to be turned away, left out of the hearts of those he loves

— (Luke 9:58) “The God who made the world, found “nowhere to lay his head.”

This story is not so much about the ambiguous character we’ve written into Jesus’ story, but about a night of ‘humility and holiness’ and our making room for Jesus, the holiness of God, to enter humbly into every heart who will invite him in.

PRAY

(S5)

In today’s scripture lesson, the first half of the Christmas story, Luke as a historian gives what seems a simple, brief, and straightforward account of the humble place of Jesus’ birth.

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

Approaching any Bible text, there are some things we need to be aware of…

— Understanding context—Textual translation, what the original text does or does not say—An awareness of when we are adding to the scriptures in our interpretation...So, its important we have some context...

In Luke’s narration two questions are asked and answered…

(1-5) — How did it happen that Jesus of Nazareth, was born Jesus of Bethlehem (David’s city)?

(6-7) — The circumstances of that night, and how our innkeeper fits into God’s plan?

We first discover that all this happened in God’s time not anyone else’s—the time came...

Galatians 4:4 “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman...

Second that this is not just another birth—firstborn...

Colossians 1:15 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

This tells us that...

None of the events of this night are coincidental! All of it is God’s doing!

(S6) — Luke gives us some context

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

In those days (time) — "Pax Romana," or Roman Peace (44 years)—Presence of Romans solders

Caesar Augustus (Gaius Octavian) the grandnephew of Julias Caesar—Emperor of the Roman Empire (31 B.C-14 A.D)

— ‘from stone to Marble’—Found Inscriptions…“the savior of the world”

“A godless empire and its ruler were used by God to fulfill His plan…Ken Heer, Luke: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2007), 46.

It is in this context that God would send his only son Jesus, as the ‘savior of the world’

Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

a decree is issued for a world-wide census (registered) — Two possbile reasons (Pastor Skip Heitzig)

1. Military purposes—Numbers of fighting men

2. Taxation—It’s about the money—fund their projects/Roman Roads

everyone went to be registered — Jews were prolific record keepers...

(S7)

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

up from…to Bethlehem of Judea—Micah’s prophecy

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.””

‘House of Bread’—Just as God had rained down (Psalm 78:24) manna in the wilderness (Ex. 16:15), He now gives his son to the world, as the bread of life.

John 6:41 “I am the bread that came down from heaven.””

he belonged to…again the fulfillment of prophecy

John 7:42 “Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”

...with Mary, who was...expecting…90 mile trip—(several week journey). They arrive in Bethlehem, tired, hungry, and closer to giving birth, and seeking refuge. Out of desperation Joseph knocks on the door…

(S8) — WHO IS AT MY DOOR?

“The couple who came a knockin’ was a disruption, or at the least an inconvenience: a problem not planned for.”

This is often how God enters our lives…

— A shepherd boy was busy tending sheep when he was summoned inside and a priest named Samuel poured oil on his head and whispered in his ear that he’d be Israel’s next king (1 Sam. 16:1–13).

— A simple farmer providing for his family, was minding his herds when God called him to leave everything and take his wife to a land called Canaan (Gen. 12).

— A fallen prince was working the backside of the desert when God appeared in a flaming bush and told him to go to Egypt (Ex. 3) Darling, Daniel. The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus (p. 87). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

“Few in Bethlehem, though anticipating, were not ready for God to show up on their doorsteps, certainly not this Hebrew Business owner.”

How does God still come a knocking today?

— A successful business man called into the mission field—A wife to serve the poor in her community—A farmer to sow seeds of faith—A young boy or girl feeling called to serve God in ministry

(S8)

Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in...

When Jesus comes knocking on the door of your heart, it will be inconvenient!

“When Joseph and Mary said yes to God’s plan, were they expecting there to be no room available to physically give birth to the promised Messiah, the Christ child, the King of the universe. But here they were.”

— No angels, choirs singing O Little Town of Bethlehem. This was no silent night…until they meet the one who MADE ROOM.

Was he a relative…friend of the family…or just the owner of a local establishment? We don’t know, but…

— Hospitality would have been the norm in this culture, turning someone away especially an expecting young mother after a long journey

Good Samaritan—Luke 10:30-37

The better translation of the Inn they come to comes from to words—(NIV) guest room— place of rest or lodging (NLT)

Mark 14:14 “Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”

(S9) —

Another likely description of the inn is a ’caravansary’— place in which travelers stayed overnight

— Two levels with a staircase to a main room for residents and an attached guest room...

— The lower level (outside) was for travelers, their caravans, and animals (manger)

What this what the innkeeper provided?

Jesus born in a cave (grotto— church of the nativity)…barn (stable)…Stars…?

Though it was no Holiday Inn…what we do know is...

It was a place of HUMILITY and HOLINESS

Because the Innkeeper, MADE ROOM for the son of God to lay his head! — Jesus would not start out in the Ritz or the Hilton but in a lowly manger…

(S10) —

7b She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

“Few in Bethlehem were ready for God to show up on their doorsteps, certainly not this Hebrew business owner. What he did not know was that this night was no accident—The census…Joseph and Mary’s decision to make the long journey…there being no room…a knock on the door…an inquiring patron…a unknown owner who opened his place for lodging

“Ceaser did not know…the people of Bethlehem did not know…the innkeeper who dusted off the cattle trough. None of the events of this night are coincidental! All of it was part of God’s plan to send his son to save the world…

“We are tempted, with the hindsight of twenty centuries, to judge. Could the innkeeper not have found better accommodations for Jesus? Could he not have given up his own bed for a pregnant woman? But before we judge, we should examine our own hearts this Christmas. We, too, are often disrupted by Jesus.” Darling, Daniel

Truth is… “We are religious to a point…until it cost us something. We want the Jesus who forms himself around our priorities, sprinkled in top of our agendas. But Jesus wants to invade and disrupt our lives..Just as Jesus asked his disciples to leave their nets; he ask us to MAKE ROOM and follow him—to drop our ambitions and join his mission. To leave our idols behind and worship Him with devotion…

ROOM AFTER ALL—The story of a nine year-old boy named Wallace Purling. Larger than most kids, and slow in mind. But the children all liked him. Being much bigger than they he never bullied them. In fact, he was the ever-present defender of the smaller boys.

Wally wanted very much to be in the Christmas play that year. He hoped he could be a shepherd. But the teacher had a larger part in mind. Wally was big enough to be the innkeeper, she reasoned. And so it was that Wallace Purling got the part of the innkeeper. He was given the part. Oh, how he practiced.

The night of the play everything went beautifully. No one even missed a line. At last the play came to the part where Mary and Joseph knocked on the door of the inn. "What do you want?’ Wallace asked, opening the door with a brusque gesture. "We seek lodging," came the response. "Seek it elsewhere, the inn is filled," "But sir, we have tried elsewhere, we have come a long way, and we are very tired," they responded. "Go away," Wally properly commanded. "There is no room in my inn for you." "But sir, my wife is with child. Don’t you have a corner where we can get out of the cold?"

For the first time the innkeeper broke his icy stare and looked at Mary. There was a long silence. The audience was tense with embarrassment because they thought Wallace had forgotten his lines. "No, be gone," the prompter whispered. "No, be gone," Wally said halfheartedly. Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary as they began to move off the stage. Suddenly, this Christmas program became different from all the others. Wallace Purling could stand it no longer. Big he was – cruel he could never be. With big tears welling up in his eyes he gave a performance others would never forget. "Wait, don’t go Joseph!" Wally called. "Bring Mary back." Wallace Purling’s face grew into a bright smile. "You can have my room and I’ll sleep out in the cold."

Some said the pageant was ruined. Others knew better…Because the one at the door made room, it became a most HOLY NIGHT

(S11)

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

This is the Jesus who knocks…who asks us to MAKE ROOM in our hearts for him…

How will you MAKE ROOM for Jesus this Christmas?