That phrase still speaks powerfully today even in the middle of July: when Christ is crowded out of our lives, the result is always spiritual loss. To see why, let’s begin with Luke’s account of the birth of Christ.
Luke 2:7 tells us, “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” [NKJV]
First of all, the reason there was no room in Bethlehem is that they were late arriving there. Because of the multitude of travelers that were crowding the city for the Roman census, by the time Joseph and Mary arrived in town, all the rooms had already been taken. One writer puts it this way, “Bethlehem was a very small town, and the ‘inns’ at that time were the second floors of larger homes, which must have already been occupied when Joseph and Mary arrived.”
Another possible explanation was that due to the fact that Bethlehem was so small it was limited to modest dwellings clustered on limited terracing. Combine that with an influx of extended relatives and it would have filled every spare corner quickly. And yet another possible thought for being left out in the cold (so-to-speak) was the proverbial elephant in the room ... the stigma of Mary’s premarital pregnancy. Though scripture doesn’t indicate that they were shunned by relatives, it perhaps could’ve been a reason for their being turned away. Nonetheless, it forced Joseph to look for alternative lodging, preferably something warm and dry. With this in mind, they retreated to the very back of a cave that was normally used as a stable.
At this point you’re probably wondering why we are talking about this subject in the middle of July, instead of reserving it for the Christmas season. The answer brings us back to the opening thought: “No room in the inn” is not only a Bethlehem problem; it is an ongoing spiritual concern in our present day.
In 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel, and words just can’t adequately describe it. However, one experience still stands out: the day we visited Bethlehem. I have to say that it was one of the heaviest spiritual impressions I have ever felt. There have been a number of times through the years when I have sensed spiritual opposition very strongly, and that is the feeling I had as we walked the streets of Bethlehem. The atmosphere felt deeply burdened. Perhaps you’re thinking, how on earth is this possible, I mean after all, this is the place of our Savior’s birth. In fact, millions of people have traveled to this city with the express purpose of visiting the spot where Christ was born.
Recently, Jimmy Evans referenced an article from the Jewish News Syndicate by Aviram Bellaishe, who wrote that Bethlehem—the little town where Jesus was born—is quietly emptying of its Christians. Bellaishe noted that Bethlehem was about 86 percent Christian in 1950, but today that number has fallen to around 10 percent. He also reported that since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, at least 142 more Christian families have left. The town that holds the birthplace of Christ is losing the very people who have kept that witness alive for two thousand years.
Looking back, that experience in 2017 now feels even more sobering in light of the city’s declining Christian presence. Where the light once shone so brightly for all mankind, there now appears to be a growing spiritual darkness.
Bellaishe also placed Bethlehem within a broader regional pattern. In Iraq, he wrote, the Christian population has fallen from roughly 1.5 million in 2003 to fewer than 250,000 today. In Syria, a Christian community of about two million before 2011 has shrunk to somewhere between 300,000 and 600,000. He also reported that in June 2025, a suicide bomber entered a church in Damascus during morning prayers, killing 25 worshipers, and that in Iran, courts sentenced 96 believers to a combined 280 years in prison in 2025 for gathering in house churches to worship Jesus.
Maybe the most sobering example of all is Turkey. In 1914, Christians made up somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of the population of Anatolia. Today they are two-tenths of one percent. An entire Christian civilization gone in the very region where the apostle Paul planted churches and John wrote to the seven churches of Revelation has been almost completely erased.
This is what it looks like when Christians become a minority in a land that no longer has room for them.
The most sobering reality is this: if we do not make room for Christ in our lives, in our churches, in our communities, and in our nation, we too risk becoming a reminder of a time WHEN the light of Christ was present among us.
May we never be satisfied with simply remembering where Christ was born if we are not willing to give Him room where we live. Let every heart be searched by this simple question: is there room for Jesus here?
Be encouraged my friend and may you have a wonderful day!