The innkeeper gets a lot of bad press for someone who’s not even mentioned in the Bible. He’s the scapegoat of the Christmas story and depicted as either the vicious villain or the busy businessman. Having said that, the innkeeper may have experienced some reactions that are still very common today. He could have been…

1. Too indifferent. Most people don’t have animosity toward Christ; they just don’t have any room for Him. They might sing Christmas carols and go to church but are bored by the things of God.

2. Too ignorant. Some people miss the message of Christmas simply because they don’t know much about the Nativity.  The innkeeper should have known that one day the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem but he missed it. 

3. Too involved. The innkeeper might simply have been too busy. In the midst of his frantic activity, he missed that which was most important. Some of us get pulled in by the urgent and then find ourselves ignoring the important.

4. Too indulgent. The innkeeper may have been overly focused on building his business. Maybe he was chasing that ever elusive shekel and he didn’t think peasants from the backwaters of Nazareth could help his bottom line.

5. Too incensed. Some people have a hard time focusing on the birth of Mary’s little lamb because their lives are overflowing with anger and bursting with bitterness.

Do you know that the Savior is still looking for space today?  Our world seems to be too crowded for Him, just as it was in the first century.   But you have an opportunity to prepare room for the Redeemer in your heart by making one of two decisions.

If you’re a believer and you’ve allowed other things to crowd out Christ, it’s time to welcome Him back by making room for Him.  Actually, we need to give Him the right to reign supreme, not just to occupy a little room in our life.

If you’re not yet born again, make room for Jesus for the first time. The Savior came to this world and was turned away. John 1:12 tells us how to become a member of God’s family: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Do you have room for Christ this Christmas?