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And she brought
forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7.
Then said Jesus to
those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye
my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage
to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant
of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son
abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because
my word hath no place in you. John 8:31-37.
The word "place" in the Greek
means "to provide a space which may be filled by another" or "to make room."
Then took they up stones to cast at him. (8:59)
Strange that when the promised
Messiah came there was no room for Him to be born in the inn. Even stranger,
that the would be disciples' response to the most wonderful message ever
given, was not to give room for his message but to take up stones to stone
Him!
The birth of Jesus in a stable
because there was no room for Him in the inn is a story of prophecy that
He would be rejected by His own. His death on a cross outside His own city
Jerusalem fulfilled that prophecy, He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. John 1:11.
Why was it that the nation
prepared of God to receive their Messiah when He came had no room for Him?
Had John the Baptist failed in announcing His coming?
There is an interesting passage
in Isaiah 54:2,3, Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch
forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords,
and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand
and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles. What
Isaiah was saying was, "Make room, your Messiah is coming and there will
be a great enlarging. Your influence will be universal." I noticed how
often the prophet Isaiah mentions the fact their Messiah would draw the
Gentile world to Himself: There shall be a root of Jesse, which shall
stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his
rest shall be glorious. Isaiah 1:10.
42:1 "He shall bring forth
judgment to the Gentiles."
49:6 "I will also give thee
for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the
end of the earth."
60:3 "The Gentiles shall
come to thy light."
62:2 "The Gentiles shall
see thy righteousness."
66:19 "They shall declare
my glory among the Gentiles"
These are but a few of the
many references to the great ingathering of the Gentiles that would take
place when the Messiah came. "Mine house shall be called a house of prayer
for all people." Isa. 56:7.
But when Jesus came there
was no room in Jewish hearts for Gentiles to share their faith in God.
You ask, "Wasn't there a Gentile court?" Yes, but it was in the Gentile
court that oxen, sheep and doves were sold and money was exchanged. Jesus'
first official act (Jn. 2:13-16) was to cleanse the temple, that is, drive
out the oxen and sheep, and overturn the tables of the money changers.
It was His last official act as well. Why they had defiled the Gentile
court! Listen to His cry in Mark 11:15-17, "Is it not written, My house
shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it
a den of thieves."
Picture yourself a spiritually
hungry Gentile seeking God; tired of the immoral polytheism of that age,
seeing in the monotheism of the Jewish religion a higher standard of purity.
You make a long, expensive trip to Jerusalem and worship at the temple
to be met, as you come to worship, with the lowing of cattle, the bleating
of sheep, the smell of animal dung and urine. You are cheated as you change
your money. Remember all this went on in the Gentile court. It was a reflection
of the Jewish attitude toward the Gentiles.
This is seen even more clearly when Paul is making his defense before his own people. (Acts 22:21,22), When Paul mentions the Lord's saying to him, "Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live."
Why was there no room in
Jewish hearts for Gentiles? Was it because of the terrible suffering they
faced at Gentile hands in the period between the Old and New Testament?
Were their hearts filled with bitterness? I do not know.
One thing I know, their hearts
were filled with pride. Read Romans 2:17-20. They made their boast in the
Law. They boasted of God. And Paul expresses the Jewish attitude toward
Gentiles in Galatians 2:15, "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners
of the Gentiles." Was it because there was no room for the Gentiles that
there was no room for His Word in their hearts? I do not know. I only know
when one shuts his heart to his fellow man, he shuts his heart to God.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew
5:7.
But perhaps the real reasons
they had no room for his Word lay in the fact their hearts were already
full--not only of pride but of their religion. For they being ignorant
of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Romans
10:3.
There is a story behind Jesus'
words, Ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
John 8:37. John records Jesus' last official visit to Jerusalem in John
7 and 8. It was at the Feast of Tabernacles, and it was dangerous for Jesus
to go. (7:1), "Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry,
because the Jews sought to kill him." It closes (8:59), Then took
they up stones to cast at him. Jesus knew His time was short. Burdened,
He shares with them (7:33,34), Yet a little while am I with you,
and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find
me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. He urgently repeats
this in 8:21, Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye
shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
The reaction to His message that day caused division. So
there was a division among the people because of him, (7:43) a
greater part rejecting Him, but some believing Him. It is to those who
seemed to believe that he speaks, Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage
to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant
of sin. And the servant (slave) abideth not in the house forever: but the
Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be
free indeed. (8:31-36). Then our text, verse 37, I know that
ye are Abraham's seed: but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no
place (no room) in you.
What was so offensive to
these would-be disciples who claimed to believe, about the message Jesus
shared with them? It was this: they felt no sense of sin, no need for a
savior. They had their own method to obtain righteousness. They were full
of religion.
The hardest group to reach
with the Gospel are those full of religion. How difficult to reach a Muslim.
The first words a Muslim baby hears are from the Koran. Through the growing
years that child is steeped in the Mohammedan religion. It is almost impossible
to reach them. There is no place, no room for the words of Jesus.
Did you ever stop to think
what it would have meant to the nation of Israel if they had made room
for His message? The United Nations would not be on the banks of the Hudson
River but in Jerusalem. It would have been the world Capital. In Isaiah's
words (2:2), "all nations shall flow unto it." It was no accident God placed
His people in Palestine. It is the one piece of land that joins three continents--Europe
to the west, Asia to the east, and Africa to the south. God had planned
Jerusalem as the place from which His son would rule.
What a difference it would
have made in their history (Luke 13:34, 35) when our Lord cries in anguish,
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children
together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house in left unto you desolate." Again in Luke 19:41-44,
He wept over the city "Saying, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least
in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace! But now they are
hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies
shall cast a trench about thee . . . And shall lay thee even with the ground,
and thy children within thee . .. . because thou knewest not the time of
thy visitation." In 70 A.D. it happened _ The final destruction of the
city with its temple destroyed. Its priesthood and sacrifices were ended.
The nation was scattered throughout the Roman world. And the long night
of Jewish suffering began!
Had they made room for Him,
instead of the 2,000 years of suffering they endured, they would have been
honored and protected. There would have been no Nazi gas chambers or vicious
attacks of the P.L.O. But there is a personal message in this for each
of us. What will it mean to you or me, or anyone who makes room for Him?
In John 14:22, 23 "Judas
saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself
unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a
man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we
will come unto him, and make our abode with Him."
If I make room for His words, if out of love for Him keep His words, He promises both He and the Father will come and make their abode with me. This is the blessing of revelation.
Some years ago, while pioneering
a church in Richmond, Indiana, I felt we had to build. Because of limited
finance, I undertook to do much of it myself. This meant laying bricks,
which I had never done before. I had the wall up about three feet when
a brick mason passed by. Looking at my work, he asked, "Son, have you ever
laid bricks before?" I answered, "No." He said, "I thought so," and gave
me some pointers. By the time I finished the walls I was doing pretty good.
But the lower part looked rough.
Al, a Christian friend, promised
me that when we built the church he would plaster it for us. Gayle Lewis,
District Superintendent of the Central District, came by while it was still
unfinished. How thankful I was he did not discourage me by what he saw.
But on the night of the dedication, as he entered the sanctuary, I heard
him give a low whistle as he stood and stared at it. I asked him why. He
answered, "As a young man, I was a journeyman plasterer, but I have never
seen such beautiful work. Who did it?"
I shared the story of Al
Sess. As a young man, he was plastering in one of the most beautiful theaters
in Detroit. He worked under a master craftsman from England. Al asked where
he was staying. He answered, "In a hotel." Al invited him to stay in his
home. He gladly accepted the invitation.
After the supper hour, the master craftsman who had worked on the finest cathedral in Europe would take out the blueprints. And in the year and a half he resided in Al's home he taught him the art of ornamental plastering. Al became a master at the trade.
The Mayor of Detroit called
Al to remedy a plastering job in a Florida hotel that would have jeopardized
its sale.
In the depths of the depression when work could not be had even by the best, Al went to see if he could get work on a beautiful theater being built in St. Louis. When he approached the boss for a job, he was cursed out.. "I have too many problems with my plasterers already, I don't need you," he said. Al asked him the problem and offered to make corrections. The boss said, "Go ahead. You can't hurt it anyway." During the noon hour he corrected two of the ornamental castings on the ceiling, and when the boss returned he said, "I corrected two of them." The boss said, "Which two?" So skillfully had Al corrected them that only by using his rule could he find the two Al corrected. Amazed he said, "Sir, if you want to boss this job, you can - it's yours!" By making room for the master craftsman Al learned to become a master craftsman himself.
You say, "I have difficulty understanding God's Word." God's promise to you is, if only you will open your heart to Him and make room for His Word, that both He and the Father will come and make their abode with you. If you have questions about the Bible, ask the Author who dwells in you--He will give you the answers. In His love for you, He will reveal Himself to you. "All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children." (Isa. 54:13).
But there is another blessing that comes to the one who makes room for His Word: The blessing of protection! There is a story that both Matthew and Luke record that illustrates this truth. (Matthew12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26) It is the story of a man who has been freed from an unclean spirit. The unclean spirit driven from his home seeks a place of rest, not wanting to be sent to hell. He finds none. "Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked then himself, and they enter in and dwell there." The mistake this man made after being delivered was his failure to fill that space with God. Each of us has so much room. It will be filled with good or evil. The empty house was an invitation to those wicked spirits. None of us can protect ourselves. It is only as we realize the truth in I John 4:4, "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world"; in Colossians 1:27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory"; and in Jude 24, "Unto him that is able to keep you from falling."
Mary, though she was a Christian,
was having a hard time with temptation. Mother chided her and asked, "What
is the problem?" Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, "I don't know,
Mom." But a sudden change took place for the better. Curious, her mother
asked, "Mary, what's the secret?" Bubbling she answered, "You know Mom,
when Satan used to come to my heart's door, he'd push his way in. Then
I understood the truth that Jesus is in me. So when Satan came again, I
asked Jesus to answer the door. And you know, Mom, he left saying, "I'll
come back some other time."
The secret of protection from Satan is to have the heart filled with love, the mind filled with God's Word, and God's promise is, Ye are complete in him. Colossians 2:10. But there is one blessing that I feel is the greatest of all. If I provide room for Him here, will He not provide room for me there? He yearned for men to make room for Him here so that he could share His home with them there. You can see this in His deep concern for them in His last public message, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, ye cannot come" John 7:34. Ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. John 8:21.
And it was this concern that
caused Him to say to those would be disciples (8:31-37), If ye continue
in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-37. Strange that they
resented His words and angrily retorted, We were never in bondage
to any man. Sadly, Jesus reminds them, Whoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever:
but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make your free, you
shall be free indeed. And it was in this background that Jesus
said, I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me,
because my word hath no place (room) in you. Would be disciples
now seeking to kill Jesus. Why? He had offended them in His offer to be
their Savior, to free them from sin. They said, "No thanks. We do not need
a savior. We have our own religion." Why did they reject Him, refuse to
make place in their hearts for His Word? Their religion was based on works,
as seen in the question of the lawyer and the rich young ruler, What
must I do to inherit eternal life? The truth is stated so simply
in the little poem:
"There is nothing to do for being born dead,
You must have another to work in your stead.
Christ Jesus in Calvary's terrible hour
Has done all the work; in such marvelous power,
That raised from the dead He now offers to you
Life, peace, pardon with nothing to do--
No, nothing to do till you're saved from your sins,
When power of doing good
only begins."
It all begins when we open
our hearts and acknowledge our sins, and receive Him as our Savior. "If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9) But it is more than
just a beginning. Jesus said to those who claimed to believe on Him, "If
ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn. 8:31,32)--to receive
Him not only as the one who justifies me of my sin, but as my sanctifier
as well. "Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save His people
from their sins." Matthew 1:21.
The nation of Israel refused to accept the message of Jesus as Savior. They shut out their Messiah and King. But among the unbelieving masses, some made room for Him.
There is a touching story
recorded in Matthew 26:14-21 and Luke 22:1-14. Let me briefly give Luke's
account. As the Passover drew nigh, plans were made by the religious leaders
to kill Jesus. Judas offered to betray Him in the absence of a multitude.
On the day of unleavened bread when the Passover lamb was to be killed,
Jesus sent Peter and John into the city saying, "Go prepare us the Passover
that we may eat." Astonished, they answer, "Where wilt thou that we prepare,
Master? Jerusalem is crowded.. It is the Passover season. No room can be
found for thirteen of us." He answers, "When ye are entered into the city,
there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into
the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the
house, 'Where is the guest chamber where I shall eat the Passover with
my disciples?' And he shall show you a large upper room furnished."
Absolute secrecy was necessary
as to where they would celebrate the Passover; otherwise Judas would have
seized that opportunity to betray Him. It had to be a large room for thirteen
that night. It had to be furnished.. No time was allowed for furnishing
it. It had to be an upper room away from the street noise, for these moments
of sharing with His disciples were the most intimate of all.
Have you ever thought what
must have been the feeling of the owner to hear from Peter and John the
words, "The Master saith, 'Where is the guest chamber?'" What joy must
have filled his heart; "I knew it. I knew He would come!" How long had
he kept that room ready for that moment. Friends and relatives must have
questioned him, "Why is the room empty when you could gain so much by renting
it?" How did he answer? I don't know. One thing I do know--it was his own
choice, and God honored it and filled that room he had prepared with the
most wonderful moment in history--The Last Supper!
There is an interesting story
in II Kings of the woman of Shunam. Noticing the prophet Elisha passing
often, she asked her husband to build him a room where he could stay. In
gratitude, Elisha told her she would have a child--a miracle, for they
were both old. When that boy at the age of twelve suddenly died, she places
him in that room on Elisha's bed. And another miracle takes place as Elisha
raises him from the dead!
How glad Mary and Martha must have been that they had provided room for Jesus. In the hour of crisis when Lazarus died, Jesus came and raised him from the dead four days after his death.
How important it is to have
room for our Lord and for His Word. Satan knows we have a God-shaped vacuum,
and because of it, does everything in the earliest moments of life to fill
our hearts so there is no room for Jesus.
Jesus spoke in Luke 8:14
of some who when they heard the Word, "Go forth, and are choked with cares
and riches and pleasures of this life," Mark adds, "the lusts of other
things" _ anything to fill the heart so there is no room for Him!
This was the tragedy at Laodicea.
Jesus was outside His own church, gently knocking, saying, "If any man
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in." We are never pressured
to make room for Him. It is always and only one's own choice! How different
are the incessant pressures from the world.
Before closing, there are two passages in Isaiah that have bearing on the subject. Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit; Isaiah 57:15 To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Isaiah 66:2.
There are conditions on my
part if He is to come and dwell there. Not any room will do. It must be
a large room, and He must have access to all. It must be an upper room.
He must be Lord of all, or He will not be Lord at all!
It must be furnished. Note
the characteristic "contrite" which Webster defines as crushed by a feeling
of remorse for guilt. In an hour when there is so little sense of the sinfulness
of sin, we need to follow David's example, and break our heart by confession
and repentance, crying as he did, "a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise."
Humble spirit.
There is a chorus we used to sing, "He will not walk with the proud and
the lofty, humble yourself to walk with God." At the close of the service
in Billy Sunday Tabernacle where Billy Graham was preaching, a gushing
woman rushed up and said, "Billy, I'm praying God will keep you humble."
Tartly he answered, "Woman, pray that God will use me. It is my job to
humble myself." I Peter 5:6, Humble yourselves therefore under the
mighty hand of God.
That trembleth at my
Word. It is my choice to choose the fear of the Lord. But His promise
is when I come with a contrite and humble spirit in fear to Him, He will
come in and fill the room I offer Him. Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus,
there is room in my heart for Thee!
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