The day when Christ entered the world, the world was uninviting: “There was no room for (him) in the inn” (Luke 2:7). The innkeeper’s refusal foreshadowed what was to come. Why did he refuse?
First, he was too busy to invest in these weary travelers, Mary and Joseph. The decree to pay taxes had increased his business. From early morning until late at night, he was jostling crowds, dealing with complaints, and taking care of business. How many folks will miss Christ this year because they are simply too busy.
Second, he would not put out other guests to provide room for the infant child. He told himself that under no circumstance would he turn away those who were already in his rooms. For us, today, we know that to receive Christ into our lives means that other things must go.
Third, he might have turned away Mary and Joseph because the couple was poor. Rooms were at a premium. The law of supply and demand controlled the price. For us, it is still a challenge to stake your future, open your life, to what is unseen. Jesus “came to his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11).
YET, “…as many as received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the power to become the children of God” (John 1:12).