There's No Room
December 2017
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Who doesn’t know the Christmas story? I love Luke’s account of the birth of Christ, but there has always been something that troubled me, even since I was a child. “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk. 2:7). You want to yell out, “Don’t you understand who this baby is? Don’t you know why He has come
to earth? How dare you say, ‘There’s no room’”!
The Lord Himself Will Give You A Sign
The birth of Christ was not done in secret. God had used His prophets to tell of His birth. “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). He used the minor prophet Micah to give more details: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel” (Mic. 5:2).
The Religious Leaders Knew The Place
When the wise men came to Herod seeking to know where the new king was born, Herod “gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, (and) he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet” (Mat. 2:4-5). They did not need to research the information. They knew. They studied the prophecies regarding the Messiah. They knew the place, and most scholars feel that they would have known the time by using Daniel’s prophecies from Daniel 9:25.
They Should Have Made Room
The townspeople of Bethlehem should have known that their humble town was to be the birthplace of the Messiah. There should have been room. They should have made room for any expectant mother, but there was no room. Is it because they didn’t know? Is it because they had not been taught?
There’s Still No Room
There’s still no room for Jesus in most hearts. There’s room for everything under the sun, but no room for Jesus. Is it because most churches fail to preach the gospel to the lost? Is it that a lot of pastors present another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel (II Cor. 11:4)? Where is the good news?
Good Tidings
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:10-11). The good news of that day is the good news for all of mankind from that day until now and beyond. That Saviour was not just for Israel but is for all of mankind.
He Came Down So That We Can Go Up
The incarnate Son of God came down from heaven so that those who believe can one day go up to heaven. For that to happen, the debt of sin needed to be paid. The child born that day was the Lamb of God, who became the source of redemption for all who believe. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Pet. 1:18-19). He is God’s eternal gift to mankind. Have you made room for Him?
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