No Room For Jesus

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7 (ESV). 

Have you ever been on a long drive and turned off on an exit that has a hotel to get a room, only to see a blinking red no vacancy sign? So you get back on the highway and get off at the next town only to see the same blinking neon message. No room. It makes me picture Joseph pounding on doors trying to find a place where Mary can give birth to Jesus. The owner of the local inn tells Joseph that there is “no vacancy.” Then Joseph finally finds a stable where animals are kept and brings Mary to the humble place just in time before Jesus is born.

It begs a simple question to each of us this holiday season: “Is there room for Jesus this Christmas?” Or “Is there room for Jesus with you this Christmas?” This is a legitimate question to ask. Since Jesus’ birth nearly two thousand years ago, many have found no room for Him.  As a whole, the story of Christ’s birth is one of humble beginnings. There was nothing fancy on the first Christmas. There were no ribbon or bows. The smell of Christmas cooking was not in the air. There were no Christmas lights to brighten the outside. There were no stockings, no mantle, no warm fire burning in the fireplace to take away the chill of the night. There was no holiday turkey and dressing to satisfy hunger.  

The man who would live a perfect life, conquer death, offer saving grace to all of humanity, and sit at God’s right hand was born to an unwed, teenage mother and a working-class, adoptive father. In a barn. Isaiah 53:2 says, “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”  

Unlike a traditional king, Jesus did nothing to promote his regal appearance. Instead, He modeled humility by choosing to renounce the rights and privileges He deserved as the King of all kings. He came into this world with little fanfare or recognition.  Who would have guessed that God would choose such a time and place for the birth of His Son? No one expected Him. So no one made room for Him at the inn.  

No room at the inn. Think of that statement for a second. There was no room for the Way the Truth and the Light. Jesus emptied Himself of all that was due Him in glory and honor by being born in a stable. Later, He emptied Himself and “humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8). When you have the big picture, no room at the inn comes into focus. The manger was just the first step along a path of humility and obedience.

Let’s make room for Jesus this Christmas Season. Let’s serve and worship Him so that we might follow Him and give glory to Him alone.

Discussion Questions:

1. What does no room at the in mean to you? 
2. What can we do this Christmas season to give Jesus more room in our lives?