On the first night of His life, there was no room for Him at the inn; on the last night, there was. I’m sure most of us have seen that cute nativity play where a young child dressed in a bathrobe says to the weary Mary and Joseph, “There’s no room at the inn.” Then, ever so sweetly, offers their barn for the Christ Child. I’m sure most of us also know that isn’t how it would have actually happened. Mary and Joseph weren’t looking for a room at a hotel or a lodge. They would have most likely been staying with family. The word kataluma in Greek is translated as upper room or guest room. It is also loosely translated as a lodging place or inn. Because of the Roman census, the kataluma in the home was most likely crowded—not a great place to give birth. For the sake of this article, I’m going to call the person who owned the home an “innkeeper;” however, I know it wasn’t someone who ran a Motel 6. What we normally don’t talk about is a second innkeeper—one who shows up much later in the story—the night before the Savior’s crucifixion. Who is this innkeeper? Jesus describes him this way: “And He said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.” —Luke 22:10 (emphasis added). Scholars have many theories as to who this man could be. Some believe Jesus made advanced arrangements with him. Others see him as a sign from God. Others believe he was an Essene. I really like the Essene theory. Let me tell you why. #1 – He was carrying a pitcher of water. Some Essene men lived in male-only communes and thus would have done tasks typically done by women—like carrying water. #2 – He welcomed Jesus into his home. #3 – He didn't appear bothered by Jesus’ mission. #4 – He let strangers into his home. #5 – It was the day before Passover. I’m not going to take you down the rabbit hole of how John’s timeline doesn’t agree with Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but there is evidence Jesus used a calendar similar to the Essenes to mark Passover. If you want to learn more, here’s an article about it. We may not know whether this nontraditional man carrying a water jar was an Essene, but what we do know is that his kataluma, his upper room, was available to the Lord. On the first night of His life, there was no room for Him at the inn; on the last night, there was. I don’t want to disparage the first innkeeper. He didn't really do anything wrong. He was obeying the order of the Roman Emperor. He hosted family so that they could be registered in their ancestral home for tax purposes. I imagine the house was full of laughter, food, and people—all wonderful things. Yet, the first innkeeper was occupied with matters of the world. The second innkeeper was focused on the matters of heaven. Do I want to be more like the first innkeeper or the second innkeeper? Particularly when it comes to Christmas, a holiday dedicated to celebrating the birth of our Savior? Is my upper room full or available?
The second innkeeper is a great example to me. His room was available because he wasn’t beholden to what the world wanted of him. He did what the Lord asked of him. Sometimes the Lord might ask me to do something that is not traditional, like carry a water jar, hold Passover on a different night, or be willing to make a covenant that no one had seen before—eating broken bread. I’m not suggesting we throw out our Christmas traditions just for the sake of tossing them. I’m sure we all have traditions that we cherish and bring us closer to our Savior. But as we embark on a new holiday season this year, can we learn from the second innkeeper? Is there is a way we can make even more room for Christ? Here are some questions I intend to ask myself this year:
The first upper room was full on purpose. The second upper room was available on purpose. This Christmas may we be willing to be like the second innkeeper: not by following the world, but by truly following Him. Wishing you a great Sabbath, Heather Ruth Pack Join the ConversationFor the members of the Times of Faith Facebook Discussion group. Here is this month's prompt. What efforts have you made to keep yourself available during the hectic Christmas season?
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Making Room for Reflection: The Question-a-day Journal is Here!Years ago, I bought a 5-year journal as a thank you gift. I was so intrigued by it that I ended up buying one for myself. I loved the idea of answering the same question on the same day year after year. But I found myself wishing the questions repeated more often and dug a little deeper. So, I decided to create my own. Introducing THE QUESTION-A-DAY JOURNAL: Tracking Your Transformation with Repeated Monthly Prompts. You can begin on any day of the year. Each page offers one simple question to reflect on. When you reach the end of the month, you circle back until you reach the place where you started and answer the same set of questions again. Over the course of a year, you'll start to see patterns emerge. You'll observe how your thoughts are shifting, how your heart is softening, and how you are transforming into who you'd like to become. At the end, you'll find space to reflect on what you learned and to set for the coming year so you can do it all again. Follow to learn moreWas this forwarded to you?Information about monthly newsletter
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