Does Our Inn Have Room?

Does Our Inn Have Room? By Gene Poore From that brilliant Bethlehem Star announcing Jesus’ birth to the darkened day of earth-shakes following Christ’s crucifixion, no other name but Jesus accompanied so much love, hate, belief, unbelief, or disbelief. Even today, wavering degrees of belief slice religious societies into multiple camps. Christianity’s basic anchor injects reluctance into many to believe in the Son of God because dissenters cannot believe in Jesus’ resurrection. While multiple theories discount Christ’s resurrection, three remain most prevalent: “The Wrong Tomb,” “The Apostles--or the Pharisees or Sadducees--stole Jesus’ body,” or “Christ was not dead and revived in the cool tomb.” However, we know religious leaders of that day did not want Jesus’ doctrine preached whether Jesus lived or died. Clearly, that removes any religious leader’s part in the first two theories. Any religious leader could direct the inquisitive to the correct tomb, or produce Jesus’ body if any leader had stolen the corpse for whatever purpose. If the frightened Apostles had stolen Jesus’ body, they would have fought off skilled Roman soldiers and then preached a lifetime of deception. Yet, since all Apostles, except John, suffered inhumane deaths, at least one would have confessed to the lie. Bartholomew, when flayed--skinned alive--might have screamed a confession. We should laugh at the last theory, where Jesus escaped after reviving from the cool of the tomb. How could Jesus escape? With Jesus’ human body scourged to near death weakness before the crucifixion, could the man Jesus roll back a manyton stone and fight those Roman soldiers before fleeing to His disciples? Could Jesus’ disciples then preach Jesus as the Son of God and lie about witnessing Jesus’ ascension without confessing fraud while suffering martyrdom? Unlikely. One conclusion rises from this tiny amount of circumstantial evidence. God the Father, indeed, raised Jesus from the dead by supernatural means. Thus, if God resurrected His Son from the grave, God could easily, supernaturally impregnate a chosen virgin, followed by that child’s birth in a barn? Now, if we vicariously visit that first Christmas Eve in the barn, within our soul, let us first return to the fields and linger beneath that brilliant Bethlehem Star. Let us view “The same country [where] shepherds abiding in the field [kept] watch over their flock by night.” Let our ears tingle when “The angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Let our hearts eject warm tears of joy as that Angelic Hallelujah Chorus sang “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (LUK 2:8-14). During this mental sojourn, in spirit we realize the singleness of salvation as we peer on “The babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (LUK 2:12). We watch the Wise men as they “Fell down, and worshipped [the Babe]” with gifts of “gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” (MAT 2:11). Reflecting anguish that such a magnificent child needed birth in a stable, we ask, “Why?” Someone answers. “Because there was no room for them in the inn.” (LUK 2:7). That answer, echoing within our soul, should jerk us back to reality. The reality where “No Vacancy” signs still dangle from hearts refusing admittance to God’s gift. A gift given because God “So loved the world, that [God] gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in [Jesus] should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (JOH 3:16). Let us remember God’s gift of Christ. Let us offer God’s gift of Christ to others. In doing so, we respond to God’s gift of love. We make room in our heart’s inn for the Christ Child. When we make room in our heart, we say, “Thank you, Lord, for so great a gift born in Bethlehem that day.”