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 and was told there was no room for them? 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? Did he love his comfort too much or was he just ignorant and thought he was doing them a favor by letting them go to the stable?
Joseph must have hated telling Mary that, after having come so far and being so tired, the inn was full; it had room for everyone but them and they were to spend the night among the animals. I wonder how they felt.
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. Besides Mary and Joseph, they were the first people to know that something magnificent, astounding, and wonderful had occurred.
Did the innkeeper even awake from sleep? 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?
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