My dear readers,

There was No Room! (Luke 2:1-7)

When a newborn enters the world, there is always great rejoicing in the family, especially the proud parents. Grandparents, family members and friends rejoice with them. Yet when the most excellent baby was born, hardly anyone noticed. The baby was Jesus, Emmanuel, the Saviour of the world. The place of birth for many today was in a hygienic and immaculate hospital room. A doctor and a few nurses were there to ensure a safe delivery for both mother and baby. Baby Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger (a crib-like structure for feeding animals), probably with animals present. There was the smell and most unhygienic conditions commonly found in every stable where domestic animals are kept.

Can the world make up for her two-thousand-year-old ignorant neglect of the birth of the Son of God by celebrating Christmas worldwide every year? The answer is an obvious NO! God did not send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for the sins of the world as the Lamb of God so that the world can celebrate His birth as we see it today. Today, Christ’s birth is celebrated in mockery and as a money-making sham. Santa Claus and his reindeers dominate the theme of Christmas more than Christ. Christ is only found in the name “Christmas”. Besides that, every trapping and bright light glorifies the mighty dollar, for it is the time of the most excellent sales and merry-making holiday.

Yet, it is not unbiblical to celebrate the birth of Christ, as the Bible describes this as a prophetic event with global significance. The Bible calls it the first coming of Christ, when God walked amongst sinful man, i.e., “Emmanuel” – the Son of God becoming the Son of Man. As we approach the celebration of Christ’s first coming, let us remember Him with our hearts and not just our minds. Let us glean spiritual lessons from Luke 2:1-7 that describe the birth of Jesus Christ.

• Jesus must be born in Bethlehem as God had prophesied in Micah 5:2: “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Joseph, a carpenter, and his wife Mary lived in Nazareth. They probably left Bethlehem, where their families originated, some time ago. To bring Joseph and Mary back to Bethlehem, God caused Caesar Augustus, the most powerful man in the great Roman Empire, to decree a census for taxation. Everyone must return to their own city for the census. The almighty hand of God was on Caesar to accomplish God’s will. Micah 5:2 is one of the infallible biblical proofs of the legitimacy of Christ as the Messiah. He must be born in Bethlehem, Judah.

• God protected Mary and the baby from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Luke 2:5b described Mary as great with child, i.e. baby Jesus' birth was near. The distance was 144.8 km or nearly 90 miles. If they walked about 5 to 6 hours a day, with Mary pregnant, it would be a slow and careful walk. Walking about 25 km or 16 miles daily would take about six days to arrive. During those six days, they had to find a city to stay in for at least five nights for safety sake. If they could not find a city for safety, they would probably have had to spend five nights out in the open and trust God to protect them.

• There was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn. By the time they arrived in Bethlehem, all the rooms were occupied. Many, like them, who left Bethlehem for greener pastures had to return to Bethlehem for the census. No one gave up their comfortable room for Joseph and Mary, who was visibly pregnant as she was great with child. They stayed in Bethlehem for some time without proper accommodation since the Bible says in Luke 2:6b, “while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.” They could not leave until they had officially registered for taxation at the census. Did the people not notice Mary’s pregnancy? While Joseph and Mary waited, the baby was due for delivery. The stable with a manger was the only “room” available when it was time for Jesus to be born into the world to be the world’s Saviour. After Jesus’ birth, Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes (i.e. “narrow strips of cloth wrapped around an infant to restrict movement”).

• For Jesus, the baby cot was a manger. The pristine conditions of a hospital were absent. A reasonably clean environment was also absent. How much of a sacrifice would it have been to give up one’s room in the inn for a mother about to give birth, even for one day? No one cared when Jesus was born. No one bothered to consider the baby and Mary’s health when the baby was born. Jesus had to be born among animals and placed in the feeding trough of animals till Joseph and Mary finished registering for the census. However, they did not return to Nazareth until Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, after Mary’s purification (i.e. a period of thirty-three days cf. Lev 12:1-8) was accomplished, after which they went to Jerusalem for the offering. Luke 2:21-24: “²¹ And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. ²² And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; ²³ (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) ²⁴ And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

  While in Jerusalem, they met Simeon, a just and devout man waiting for Israel's consolation (cf. Luke 2:25-35), and Anna, a prophetess (cf. Luke 2:36-40). Jesus probably slept over forty days in the manger before the family returned to Nazareth. They returned once every year to Jerusalem according to the Law of Moses. Luke 2:39-41: “³⁹ And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. ⁴¹ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.”

  The passage that summarises impeccably the humble first coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords is Philippians 2:4-8: “⁴ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. ⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

  We sinners came into this world in much better conditions than our Lord and Saviour. He came as a servant (i.e. a slave) to suffer and die for us. Let us seriously reflect on how we have lived for Christ since we confessed Him as our personal Lord and Saviour.