Jesus Occupied a Stable in Bethlehem So That One Day We Could Occupy a Mansion in Glory (Christmas Paradoxes – Part 3)

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

I’m talking about “paradoxes of Christmas” in a three-part blog post series. (My outline is adapted from a message by James R. Swanson of Santa Ana, California. He defines the paradox of Christmas as “the reversal of roles at God’s [expense] for our benefit.”)

The third “paradox of Christmas” is this: Jesus occupied a stable in Bethlehem so that one day we could occupy a mansion in glory. (Luke 2:7abc)

As a single adult I found myself moving from one spot to another (a literal nomad!)

It all began when I first left home.

At the time I moved to a house in San Jose (California) and shared it with two older roommates. But that didn’t work out so after approximately two short months I found myself back in with my parents (certainly to their chagrin).

So that’s one plus one equals two moves.

Then I moved across town for a couple more months ~ Move #3 ~ and since that was a shady set up I had to get out of there quick.

So ~ Move #4 ~ I then moved to an apartment with a buddy of mine. And that lasted about two years. (You can see that I really liked that place. I’d stayed in it for so long.) But, lo and behold, the “moving” bug eventually bit and I moved again.

Move #5 ~ I moved to one of the houses available at the Bible school I was now attending.

Now in my tenure at the school, unbeknownst to me at the time, I would move another four times over a 2 1/2 year period. That’s Move #6, 7, 8 and 9.

And then I graduated so I had to move again ~ Move #10 in five years. Can you top that?

It gets even worse.

A year later I moved back home again ~ Move #11 ~ to save money for my wedding day and subsequent (did you guess it?) move, this time to my wife’s mom’s house in Minnesota ~ Move #12.

After two weeks there (that’s all my mother-in-law could put up with me? ~ not really) we (my wife and I) moved to Minneapolis to the Bible college I would attend ~ Move #13.

But since that’s an unlucky number, approximately three years later, after graduation, my wife and I moved back to California to my parents house again ~ yikes! (but first we had a stop over in my wife’s mom’s house again for a week).

So that’s Move #14 and 15.

At that time things slowed down a bit in the moving department. For the next (approximately) 7 1/2 years, we only moved #16, 17 and 18th times.

So in 16 years, I’d personally moved 18 times!

I guess what I’m trying to say with all this is that I’m longing for a permanent place. I’m longing for a permanent home. But that home will never be found on earth for any of us as believers no matter how long we live somewhere. Because there’s only one place that we’re really meant to be.

And that’s in heaven with Jesus.

It’s the third “paradox of Christmas.”

He came to where we are so that we could go to where He is. (Selah ~ pause to reflect)

“‘In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes) [mansions; KJV]. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.'” (John 14:2-3; Amplified Bible)

(Picture above in the public domain: click here.)