By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Christmas is a time for joy, cheer, and festivities. It is a time when we gather around the Christmas tree to share our joy. For many of us, each year, around this time we pull out our Bible and read the classic story of the true meaning of Christmas. Luke 2:1–21 tells us the story of Jesus Christ being born unto this world to save us all from our sins. However, today we are going to meditate about the Elizabeth and the Innkeeper.
Among the gospels, only St. Luke recorded the real songs of Christmas, sung by Elizabeth, Mary, Zacharias, Simeon, the angel Gabriel, and the angelic host. Beginning with one older woman who understood something of the mystery of what was happening in her womb and the womb of her young relative from Galilee named Mary. After the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, she traveled from Galilee to the hill country of Judah, to the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth. Gabriel had told her about Elizabeth’s miracle pregnancy (Luke 1:36). Now Mary needed human help, someone to talk to, and someone who would listen to her with understanding. Who was there better to do that than Elizabeth?
God’s timing is perfect. In the Gospel of St. Luke, we see the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah who were well advanced in years. They were a couple who loved the Lord and went about Kingdom work here on earth. We know them for their righteousness, and for being barren. “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.” (Luke 1:6) Elizabeth and Zacharias were waiting. A priest has been chosen to serve in the holy of holies only once in his lifetime and Zacharias is advanced in years. Elizabeth dearly longed to be chosen to bear a child, but she was beyond childbearing when God called her to bear the prophet in her womb. With all this waiting, they remained faithful to God’s commandments and statutes, unwavering in faith.
Elizabeth fully saw the hand of God in her life and rejoiced over His plan for her. Elizabeth could have complained that God waited too long. She could have thought that it would be harder to raise a child. She could have even balked at the plans God had for her child’s life. However, she did not do any of those things. Rather she turned and offered her praise back to God. She rejoiced over the blessing she was given and gave glory to God.
This is the lesson we learn from Elizabeth. Even into our advanced age, God can bring life into the world through each one of us. God does not favor the young or the old. Mary was a young and, adolescent virgin, and Elizabeth was advanced in years. Through each woman, young and old, He brought life that contributed to His plan of redemption. Elizabeth testifies to all of us that faithfulness does not go unseen by our God, nor unrewarded. Though the wait may be long, God will fulfill His purpose for each of us. We can pray with the Psalmist, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me, your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” (Ps 138:8) Just as Elizabeth was in His sights, so are we.
Elizabeth was a woman of God, and we know that all her life she devoted herself to serving God. Despite not being able to bear children, she still held on to her faith in God. Elizabeth must have honored God with her life. As you walk close to the Lord he will do the same for you, your faith will move the mountains in your life. Both Zechariah and, Elizabeth show us that God can be trusted. God was merciful to her. Elizabeth believed and bore a son in her old age, which was a miraculous blessing from God. The message that Elizabeth taught, is to believe what God says He is going to do even if it seems impossible.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, the Mother of John the Baptist, were both exceptional women who were chosen to play important roles in salvation history. Both were filled with the Holy Spirit which empowered them to the fulfill mission entrusted to them. We can only imagine the internal anxiety that Mary went through upon knowing that she would be pregnant without having a relationship with a man. There was of course the very harsh punishment that was awaiting her yet she trusted in God’s will and power. For Elizabeth, we can only imagine how she coped with barrenness and insults; moreover, it was not easy to bear a child in old age, and There were no medical experts to help. She, too, gave her full trust in the goodness and mercy of God.
The foundation of the Christian life is the gift of faith that we freely receive by asking Jesus into our hearts. Believers should look for the hand of God in every circumstance. Recognizing God’s supernatural intervention and purpose comes with spiritual maturity. The Bible says that believers who have yet to see God’s involvement in their lives but still believe will be rewarded for their patience and unquestioning faith. However, in reality, becoming a Christian is evidence of a divine revelation in every believer’s life.
What should we conclude from Elizabeth’s life of faith? First, God was merciful to her. Elizabeth believed and bore a son in her old age, which was a miraculous blessing from God. The message that Elizabeth taught, the lesson that God recorded in the Bible, is to believe what God says He is going to do even if it seems impossible. She also taught the message that if you do what God says to do and believe, you will be blessed by seeing the fulfillment of what was promised.
God chose a woman of faith and obedience to rear and teach an important prophet. It is by the Holy Spirit and by the Word of God, that one is to teach and to inspire others. As parents, all of us should have that same desire to teach and inspire our children in the ways of God. John the Baptist was indeed special, and there was none like him—the greatest of all the prophets—but there is a lesson here for all of us. Both Elizabeth and Zacharias taught their son about God and the role and mission God wanted him to fulfill. Are we doing that with our children? Do our children know the ways of God and do they know why they were born? This is the time we follow the example set by Elizabeth and Zacharias.
Luke 2:7 says 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. “No room in the inn” became prophetic words of the truth that “He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” (John 1:11) They experienced so many troubles here, that I am not sure I can list them all. First, they went out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. They have to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem; Now Mary is nine months pregnant. This is not the ideal time to go on a long journey. The journey went much slower than normal; they arrived in Bethlehem long after everybody else. Which means there was no place for them to stay. All the inns were full. The end of Luke 2:7 says, “there was no room for them in the inn.”
Joseph has to leave his home, he has to close his shop, has to travel a long way, he feels bad he has to take his pregnant wife when they arrive in Bethlehem, he realizes all the inns are full, and he forgets to make reservations. He does not know what to do. He feels ashamed and depressed. He sometimes feels angry with Caesar Augustus for making him do this. Other times he feels angry with God for allowing this to happen. He knows that God still loves him and is somehow going to work things out for good because He is still in control.
God had His reasons and His purposes for having His Son born in a lonely and dirty stable. Moreover, the baby Jesus was born there. It appears from the verses that she did not have any help. No doctors. No midwives. Just Mary and the animals. It appears that Joseph was not even there. Maybe he was out looking for a midwife, or a better place to stay. There is a lot of loneliness in Jesus’ birth. It happened that way. According to Luke 2:7, “Mary wrapped the newborn baby in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger.” Again, a manger is not the best crib. It did not have any safety features. No soft mattress.
Is there room in my heart for Jesus? Some hearts never welcome Jesus, not because of hatred toward Him, but simply because their hearts are already overcrowded with thoughts of riches, honor, prestige, pleasure, business affairs, etc. No room. No time to reflect on His will, no desire to go out of their way to do what will please Him.
It would be Easy to Miss Jesus if the innkeeper had understood who Jesus was, and then he would have made different arrangements. He would have kicked out some of his other guests to make room for the savior of the world. We can make the same mistake as the innkeeper. We see Jesus all over the place during Christmas; on cards, on wrapping paper, in carols, and in nativity scenes. But do we understand who Jesus is? He is God in the flesh. He is the savior of the world. It is easy to miss Jesus because we do not expect God to arrive as a baby, born to a poor family in some part of the earth. Yet, this is what happened.
The innkeeper teaches us about the danger of judging people and events without having all the facts and letting our imaginations run wild. When we judge other people or assess events without knowing the truth, the results can be unfair, dangerous, damaging, and destructive. Suspect that we have treated the innkeeper unfairly.
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