“Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’
Mark 14:14 (NAB)
Jesus sent this message to the master of a house, asking where His guest room is, in order to use it for the Passover celebration with His disciples, but I think there is a special message packed into every question Jesus asks.
We are the masters of our spiritual home, and we are the only ones who can give Jesus His own guest room and place of honor in our lives. I know from my own experience, that we can become so anxious over a list of needs, asking for His help or healing, that we don’t hear Him asking us, “Where is My guest room?”
It makes me think about how a guest room is prepared for Jesus. If I become overwhelmed with urgent needs, I can lose focus on Him as my honored guest. Instead of spending time listening to what He has to say, showing Him gratitude or giving Him praise, I may be treating Him more like a servant than a guest. Some days I feel like I’m handing Him a laundry list of prayer requests for the day, and then running off.
Jesus told us to ask, seek knock, and we will receive from Him, but we were meant to give Him the glory and honor that He is worthy of. The Holy Spirit keeps sending me this subtle message that prayer is to be accompanied with worship.
If a highly honored guest or one of our favorite celebrities was staying in our home with us, we wouldn’t greet them with a list of chores. We would be so excited to have that special guest in our home, that we would set aside time just to enjoy their presence, and dine with them.
I would also prepare the guest room by cleaning it up, putting fresh linens on the bed, and stocking my pantry full of good food, so that my guest can dine in excellence with me.
Jesus is our special guest, who will live in our guest room, and dine with us every day. I wouldn’t want to be so preoccupied, that I leave Him standing outside, asking, “Where is my guest room?” It reminds me of that old classic painting of Jesus standing outside and knocking on the door, waiting to be let in.
The guest room we give to Him is an attitude of our heart. It’s a self reminder that even if nothing else on that laundry list ever got done, it’s an honor to have Jesus in our home. Giving Him His guest room means loving Him for who He is, and not just for what He can do for us. This is what worship is really about.
There is a guest room in the upper room of our heart, which was always intended for Him, not to be left empty. It’s an attitude where He receives the glory and honor that He deserves. In return, we receive the reward of His fellowship and dine with Him each day.
I can imagine Jesus saying to each of us,
“I hear your requests, and everything is going to be okay, but give Me My guest room.”
Jesus, today we invite you into our special guest room, in the upper room of our heart, prepared for you, with the honor and glory that you deserve, and we thank you for your presence, as we intend to dine with you each day. Amen
(Actual upper room today)