The Guest Without a Guest Room

So many scholars have postulated different views of Christianity but I completely align with the traditional view. The traditional view held that Christianity is about God’s action and man’s response. God acted first by creating the world and putting man in charge, man responded by disobeying God and then lose the seat of the garden, because of this, man’s relationship with God was severed. God out of love acted again by sending His only son to come and die to redeem man. Man also must respond again by accepting the son of God by faith or reject the offer. This of course will definitely be the last action of God regarding man’s redemption.

Christmas is the season we commemorate this action of God of sending His son for man’s redemption. One thing that is so symbolic about the birth of Christ that I want us to reason together is that incident recorded in Luke 2:6-7, “While they were there, the time came for her to give birth; and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in cloth and laid him down in a feeding trough (where animals are fed), because there was no space for them in the living-quarters”. CJB. The word “living-quarters” in some translations is “guest room” or “inn”.

The King of glory is due to born on earth but there was no room for Him in the same city that Boaz and Ruth lived as king and queen and where King David was born. Mary and Joseph had just traveled about 111 km to Bethlehem, away from home to give birth to Jesus in a place where animals are fed.

It struck my mind that the creator of the universe who was instrumental to the building and destruction of the world empire could not by His sovereign power create a place for Himself in the guest room. Remember, to be born (Jesus), dwelled the fullness of God, the one through whom all things were created. Col 1:16. God the Father and the Holy Spirit were in active cooperation throughout the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.

This was the God who created room for Moses to be trained in Pharaoh’s palace despite being outlawed and yet couldn’t get a place for Himself in the guest room amidst His human and royal birth long expected. When I was a little younger, each time this passage is read in the Sunday school, I used to weep secretly, I became so emotional. I said, my Jesus don’t get a room in the inn! what is He doing in the animal food trough (manger)? What a disgrace? We have a house here. I remember even as a mere mortal, I was never born in such condition, why Jesus?

It makes me feel sorry. I never knew what the hell was happening in that passage until God beam the light of revelation on me one day. You see, Luke is the only one among the synoptic gospel writers that recorded this part of the story of Jesus nativity. Luke is a physician, a very detailed guy. For instance, all the three evangelists wrote that one of the companions of Jesus cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, but only Luke revealed two facts: that it was the right ear and that Jesus healed the ear (Lk 22:50-51, cf Mk 14:47; Mt.26:51). For Luke, no room in the inn for Jesus is symbolic.

As I continue to meditate on this, God reminded me of the Genesis episodes, where God breathed the breath of life unto man to become a living being after formation from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7). Here, the life of God, His image and glory was transferred in full to man for fellowship and communion with God. But the moment man disobeyed at the Garden of Eden, the image, the glory and the life of God left. Right there too, God activated the process of reconciliation (Gen 3:15).

Going by the fall, every worthwhile reconciliation must begin with the return of the image of God to the heart of men. Man was made in God’s image and likeness, through the breath (Spirit) of God and Jesus Christ is the express image of God, the brightness of His glory (Heb 1:1-3). Christmas is therefore the commemoration of the return of the image of God seeking the lost hearts to settle on. The work of reconciliation is never complete until the breath (life) of God settles in the death and dark hearts of men.

No place for Christ in the “guest room” was a deliberate acts of the divine to make known that only the hearts of men befits the new born king. He was not just another rival to Herod as he suspected but His Empire is spiritual. He was born to rule but in our hearts. He doesn’t need a guest room, no earthly facilities fascinate Him than your hearts and mine. It is not a question of a place in the inn but a place in our hearts. We belong to Him, He needs our hearts not our ceremony. Christmas must be a season where the King is reassured of His throne in our hearts. “Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. John 14:23-24, NLT.

Christ’s mission is to make a home in our hearts not the inn. Until Christ seats in our hearts, Christmas will never make sense. In vain we go around killing goats and chicken, changing menu, decorating home and churches, buying and sharing gifts. The devil uses all of these to blind our hearts from the truth. No wonder he (the devil) feast heavily on human blood during this season. It is a dishonest thing and highly hypocritical to celebrate a man that our hearts does not receive. He was born a child yet a king. A king rules over a kingdom but His kingdom is our hearts that is where he sought to rule. This is best expressed in one of the Christmas hymn we used to sing, written by Charles Wesley, Methodist Hymn Book, 242, the third and the fourth stanza;

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-suf f i c ient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Dearly beloved, as we celebrate this season, let us not forget to give our guest a room, tomorrow might be too late. A room for Him today will guarantee our place in eternity. “Here, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If someone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me.” Rev 3:20. CJB.
God bless you.

By Iniobong Enyetip