THURSDAY Luke 2:1-7
• The Christmas story shows God’s Great Reversal. Augustus, a human who thought he was a God, forced Mary and Joseph to make a hard trip with just a decree. Jesus, God become human, spent his first night on earth in an animal shelter. Where do you see God’s power in the Christmas story? How does that redefine “power” for us?
• “That there was no room in the inn was symbolic of what was to happen to Jesus…He sought an entry to the over-crowded hearts of men; he could not find it….His search—and his rejection—go on.” (William Barclay) Does your heart have room for Jesus?
Response by Linda Dochter:
Jesus tells His followers in Luke 13:30 that “Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then and some who are the greatest now will be the least important then.” This verse is known to theologians as The Great Reversal. Let’s explore what it means in the Christmas story found in today’s reading.
If God had wanted to handle the coming of His son in a way that made Jesus “the greatest now”, He could have sent Jesus to be born into a royal household instead of into the family of a common tradesman. Second, He could have had Jesus arrive in the capital city of Rome instead of a small, backwater village of Bethlehem. Third, He could have had Jesus be born to a married woman instead of to an unwed teenager. Finally, He could have had Jesus be born into the palace of a rich man instead of an animal shelter. Indeed, these reversals reveal God’s power in the Christmas story as one who is seen as least important now (at Christmas) but will become the greatest later (at Easter).
The author, William Barclay, writes “ ‘There was no room in the inn’ was symbolic of what was to happen to Jesus. He sought an entry to the over-crowded hearts of men but could not find it. His search – and His rejection – goes on.” Jesus searched for disciples in Bible times to feed the hungry, to clothe the poor and to help the weak. He searched then; He searches now. Will His search bear fruit when He touches your heart? Does your heart have room for Jesus?