The man who missed christmas (2)

Luke 2:1–7 “Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus for a census to be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was going to be registered for the census, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was with child. Now it happened that while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guest room.”

I wanted to preach on the story of the inn keeper

I imagined this man who turned Jesus away,

after research i discovered there most likely is no inkeeper in this famous story of Jesus’ birth

This is what I discovered about the story of Jesus’ birth

The rome census was going, so Joseph and mary traveled to bethlehem,

The census went on for up to a year even, giving people time to register so Joseph traveled with a caravan likely for the feast of tabernacle

The city was filled with jews, and it was joseph’s ancestral city, so likely he went to stay with family

Luke uses the word kataluma, lodging/guest room

Luke 22:11 ““And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’”

Exodus 4:24 “Now it happened at the lodging place on the way that Yahweh encountered him and sought to put him to death.”

in parable of the good samaritan luke uses pandoxeion and pandoxeus

some of our translations say inn, some say guest room

Family was of the mot important of relationships, joseph’s relatives were in town

The guest room was crowded with many for the feast of tabernacle

Joseph’s own family made no room for the son of God

Likely because of shame of fornication before marriage

would they make room knowing their messiah was there?

We don’t make room for Jesus even while knowing him

In the midst of our jobs, relationships, even in this Christmas season

Luke 10:25–37 “And behold, a scholar of the Law stood up and was putting Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. “And a priest happened to be going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him, and when he saw him, he felt compassion. “And he came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. “And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.””

A laywer of the law asks who his neighbor is to justify only serving his fellow israelites, acting holy

The priest and levite were returning from the temples of jericho, making themselves pure and serving God

They have no compassion and cross the side of the road

The jews would sympathize with this man, he is following god’s law to a T

Leviticus 21:1–2 “Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people, except for his blood relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother,”

Then Jesus introduced the samaritan

A half breed, shunned man

An insult

He too follows the first 5 books including leviticus

Yet he stops, tends his wounds, put him at an inn

Here it’s pandoxeion

Jesus asks which truly was the neighbor to the man

The priest can’t bring himself to say the samaritan, he just says the man who showed mercy

Is our knowledge, pride, holiness getting in our way of seeing Jesus, experiencing him, doing his will this christmas season

Matthew 25:35–40 “‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”