The manner in which the Son of God was born into the world is most surprising.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was born in a place of animals and put in a feeding trough instead of a crib: ‘While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn’ (Luke 2:6-7).

Everybody knows that is no place for a baby to be born, let alone a prince. So why was the King of Kings born in such a place? Because ‘there was no room for them in the inn.’

And sadly, this was not the only time there was no room for Jesus.

John tells us that the Messiah was not received by most of his own race, the Jews. Very few people had room in their hearts for Jesus: ‘He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God’ (John 1:11-13).

The Jewish rejection of Christ was so great that they eventually crucified him. Yet, this rejection was not unsurprising to those who knew their Bibles well. The servant of the Lord was always going to be despised by his fellow man. Isaiah the prophet wrote:  “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:1-3).

Sadly the case remains today. You would think that if someone taught with great wisdom, did many incredible miracles, died a martyr’s death, was raised to life and ascended into heaven would be given special attention by humanity afterwards. But after Christ’s ascension into heaven, great persecution broke out against his followers. Just as Jesus predicted when he told his disciples: ‘On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles…Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!’ (Matthew 10:18-25).

And people today still reject Christ, to their detriment. But if you do make room in your heart for Jesus by believing in him, the Bible promises that you will receive eternal life. So has Jesus taken up residence in your life, or is there no room at the inn?

Joel Radford