No room for Jesus

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. - Luke 2.7

Joseph the carpenter and his young wife Mary were in a bit of a fix. Mary was quite pregnant with her baby Jesus when they received news they had to make a trip to Bethlehem. An edict had been issued that all families had to return to their family homeland to be counted and pay taxes. For Joseph and Mary that meant 110km as the crow flies. With the winding trails it was probably much further than that. It would be at least a four day journey.

By the time they got to Bethlehem they were exhausted, sore, and dirty. Imagine travelling four days by foot with a nine months pregnant woman without showers or hotels or restaurants along the way. Chances are that they camped every night along the dusty roads.

When they got to Bethlehem they looked for a room. But, probably due to the census, the town was full. There were no rooms anywhere. Along the way someone offered them a place in a stable.

Imagine this young husband desperately trying to find a place for his wife to give birth. But there was no room anywhere. There was no room for the baby Jesus.

Sadly, that wasn’t the last time that there was no room for Jesus. Jesus came unto His own, but His own would not receive Him. He was a man of sorrows, despised and rejected of men. He is the cornerstone rejected by the builders. Even today, some 2,000 years later, there is no room for Jesus.

What is even sadder is the fact that Christians can often be just as guilty. Often our days get so busy and hectic that we just fly into the day without pausing to give our Jesus any thought. Sometimes we may only give Jesus a thought at church on Sunday, maybe.

I think we need to ask ourselves if there is any room for Jesus in today’s schedule. Or like the town of Bethlehem, is there no room for Jesus today?