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It is funny to me that, although never mentioned in the Bible, the
innkeeper has managed to work his way into every Christmas pageant
ever. Often portrayed as the villain of the piece, the mythical
innkeeper examines the wayward Mary and Joseph, and boldly proclaims
that there is no room for them inside; that they will have to sleep
in the stable. With that, the innkeeper often exits stage left as
the more faithful figures of Magi and shepherds enter the scene.
But I think the innkeeper is actually the most important character
for us today. And why, you ask? Well, because of all the characters
in the advent pageant, he is the closest to us. Few of us have had
divine revelations, so that separates us from the shepherds and
wisemen, and none of us are Jesus' parents, so no go for Mary and
Joseph either. But the innkeeper, here is a man going about his
business, simply reporting the news that the inn is full, and
relegating his weary travelers to the barn, which would have been a
reasonable place for them, historically.
And yet we heap scorn upon him. Didn't he know who they were?
Couldn't he see what he was doing? And the answer to both questions
is an emphatic, "no!" He was merely doing what he had been taught.
Rules are rules, we are taught, and they exist for the proper
ordering of society. Sometimes those rules, regrettably, leave
people on the outside looking in, and that is what happened to the
Holy Family. And this is where we must be careful. If the
innkeeper is the villain of the piece, and if we really think he
missed the boat, yet he is the most identifiable, then that means
one thing. As Christians, we need to be ready to break the rules.
We need to know when to make an exception, when to offer a pass,
when to toss out the guidebook. God forbid that history judge us as
the innkeeper has been judged, and yet it likely shall. This week,
as you are considering the coming of Christmas, consider for a
moment the innkeeper, and ask yourself, wouldn't it have been a
better story if he'd broken the rules? Wouldn't it have been better
if he'd let them in to the inn? Sometimes the rules need to be
broken.
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Prayer: Holy God, help me to see those moments in my life
where I need to break the rules, where I need to make an exception
to serve someone in need. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
[Phil Blackburn, First Presbyterian Church]
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