Did the Innkeeper Ever Know?

The Bible says simply, “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” (Luke 2:7).

I like to imagine the principal people involved in how the Lord Jesus came to be born in a stable, far from His parents’ home, in a place meant for cattle and sheep. Did the innkeeper feel a twinge of sympathy as Joseph asked for lodging? Did he ever, in the future, realize he had assigned the King of Kings to a lowly birth? I wonder why he didn’t give up his own room to a young woman about to have a baby?

When the Lord Jesus was born and lay in Mary’s arms looking up at her, were angels hovering near? The Bible does not mention them there in the stable, just in the sky over the shepherds. I like to think there was a hush among the animals and maybe a warm glow in the stable. When the shepherds came into His presence, they knew what the innkeeper did not know. they were in the presence of Royalty, witnessing the greatest event in human history. With the words of the angels still ringing in their ears, they bowed down and worshiped this tiny Baby bundled snugly in swaddling cloths.

 Was the stable the same after that? What about the manger? Did it continue to hold straw for the animals after having sheltered Jesus? I don’t know the answers to these questions but I like to imagine what might have happened. As Christmas nears, I wonder how many of us pause to thank God and think about that first Christmas and wonder, Did the innkeeper ever know?