THE "INN CROWD" OR THE "STABLE FEW"

I Was Just Thinking About - - -

If we lived in a time when a Ruler of the Nation decreed that everyone would have to return to the place of their birth (regardless of their situation, commitments or circumstances) because he decided the State Treasury was depleting and more taxes were necessary, what would receive your initial response and be your number one priority? It would not matter to anyone the inconvenience this would cause or the distance one would be required to travel. This was the situation recorded in Luke 2:1-3, “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world…And everyone went to his own town to register.” It would be logical for one to try and arrange for suitable accommodations in one’s home town.

One of my daughters posted a graphic that raises such a scenario and asks a pertinent and relevant question: Are you part of the “Inn Crowd” or are you one of the “Stable Few”? It’s relevant because most people would be motivated by their own vested interests and want to make the best of an inconvenient situation. This was the situation indicated in Luke 2:4-5, “So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the City of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child.” The challenge and difficulty for Joseph and Mary was that they were nearing Mary’s due date for the birth of her child. However, when they arrived in Bethlehem, all of the more suitable accommodations had been reserved and were occupied. The Inn-Keeper did allow them to take shelter in the stable. The scene is described briefly in Luke 2:6-7, “While they were there (in Bethlehem), the time came for her Child to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” At that point in time, the “Inn Crowd” was secure in their accommodations whereas the “Stable Few” consisted of Joseph, Mary and the baby. As they Angel had stated to Joseph, Mary “will give birth to a son, and you shall give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

There were some people who were used to living a portion of their lives outdoors. We read about them in Luke 2:8-12, “And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” What should the shepherds do at this point? They make a decision to investigate the “good news” they have just heard about. Luke 2:15-16, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. They the first ones to come and became identified with the “Stable Few.”

What should be done with this “good news for all people”? The shepherds could not contain themselves, “After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:17-18). What would you have done with this “good news”? What do you do with it now? Are you more identified with the “Inn Crowd” and your personal comforts and pleasures, or are you eagerly identified with the “Stable Few” who share this “good news for all the people” urgently and enthusiastically? Consider these things with me!