Have you ever attended or hosted an event, Dear Reader, and an unexpected guest arrived? To tell you the truth, I never have. However, for a while, there were a couple of people in our lives, a toxic “aunt,” and alcoholic sibling, who were less than welcome. I feared an arrival would totally shift the gathering vibe from celebration to altercation.

In the gospels, we discover Jesus was a frequent guest in homes, such as the wedding in Cana, and the home of Zaccheus. There were also the homes of Peter, Mary and Martha, Jairus, among others noted by one online source.

The sight of a couple of goofballs like these two probably wouldn’t have ruffled Jesus’s feathers a bit. He loved people, enjoyed fellowship, and didn’t seem to worry about gate-crashers. Sometimes it almost seems unexpected guests at the gatherings Jesus attended were intended to help Him teach a lesson.

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and took a place at the table.

There was a sinful woman in that town. She knew that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So the woman brought some expensive perfume in an alabaster jar.

Luke 7:36-37 ERV

I love this account, Dear Reader! The woman sought Jesus out. She came prepared to show her devotion. Much more importantly, she knew she was tattered, and still risked entering the house of the Pharisee, who was probably wealthy and carried some authority in the community.

And yet, as the scene plays out we see the power of Jesus’s tenderness toward, and advocacy for the woman.

She stood at Jesus’ feet, crying. Then she began to wash his feet with her tears. She dried his feet with her hair. She kissed his feet many times and rubbed them with the perfume . . .

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet. But she washed my feet with her tears and dried my feet with her hair. You did not greet me with a kiss, but she has been kissing my feet since I came in.

Luke 7:38, 44-45 ERV

Who do you think was the gate-crasher, Dear Reader? The Pharisee in his own home, or the woman who sought only to worship?

Reflect back to the Nativity. Do you recall King Herod, and his interaction with the scholars from the East?

After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east. We came to worship him.”

When King Herod heard about this new king of the Jews, he was troubled. And all the people in Jerusalem were worried too. Herod called a meeting of all the leading priests and teachers of the law. He asked them where the Christ would be born.

Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men from the east. He learned from them the exact time they first saw the star.

Then Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem. He said to them, “Go and look carefully to find the child. When you find him, come tell me. Then I can go worship him too.”

The wise men heard the king and then left. 

Matthew 2:1a-4, 7-9a ICB

Sounds to me like King Herod was planning on gate-crashing and hijacking the Nativity . . . but God. He is not surprised by the conniving of one person, nor the sincerity of another. His sovereignty is greater than we can imagine.

I, the Lord, search and examine the mind, I test the heart,
To give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.

Jeremiah 17:10 amp

Are there gate-crashers storming up the drive, Dear Reader? A hostile boss/neighbor/family member, an unexpected diagnosis, a break in a relationship with someone you love? The Lord knows all about it, just like He knew about Herod’s plan.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Matthew 2:12 Nlt

As we draw near to the manger, let us draw comfort in two things. The same Father and the Son who thwarted a king’s plot, and flipped the tables on a Pharisee are never surprised. And, our Heavenly Father is always on our side, even if, like the prostitute at the feet of Jesus, we are looked upon as the gate-crashers. (Truly, Dear Reader, He knows the difference between the diabolical and the devoted.)

We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 gnt

We’re almost there, Dear Reader! We can almost see the manger. Let us run to the long-expected Child who came to crash through the gates of anything that keeps us from His tender care.