the best he had

I've heard a lot of sermons on Luke 2:6-7, and read a lot of devotionals too, and as far as I can remember all of them have had the same take on the fact that there was no room in the inn. Jesus was born into a cold, hard world where he wasn't welcome, pushed out to the barn by a hard-hearted innkeeper and a bunch of inconsiderate patrons.

That's probably the correct interpretation, since there seems to be consensus, but I tend to see a different view. To me, this offer of the stable seems like a generous act, like the best an overwhelmed man could do.

Joseph and Mary got word of the census, and then needed a few days to get supplies and animals ready for the 100-mile walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem. That trek would have taken several days, especially with a very pregnant girl, so it's no wonder that all the Bethlehem natives who were closer or had simpler logistics got to town first. By the time Jesus' parents showed up, there were probably more people in Bethlehem than there had been in decades.

That's why the innkeeper seems a lot like me. Here comes Jesus (or the church, or a neighbor), when I'm as busy as I've been in a long time. My resources are all used up, and it's all I can do to keep up with what I already have on my plate. But I don't want to say no, I can't say no, so I look around, find the best answer that's left, and offer that.

Instead of the worst room in the place, is it possible the innkeeper offered the best he had available? Maybe he looked at the exhausted woman and desperate husband and thought, "These poor people. I can't just send them down the road." Instead of disappointment, could Joseph have responded the way I hope people do when I'm offering the best of what I have left? Could he simply have been grateful?

"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 guest room available for them." Luke 2:6-7. Mother and baby were safe and warm, and there was a bed of straw for everyone. Not glamorous, true, but if their needs were met, then enough.

And isn't that one of the key lessons of Jesus' walk on earth? That rather than chasing after excess, we should be grateful when we have enough?