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The Innkeeper
Only two weeks from His crucifixion, Jesus has stopped in Bethlehem. He has returned to visit someone important--the innkeeper who made a place for Mary and Joseph the night He was born. But His greater purpose in coming is to pay a debt. What did it cost to house the Son of God?
Through this imaginative poem, John Piper shares a tale of what might have been. The story of an innkeeper whose life was forever altered by the arrival of the Son of God. Ponder the sacrifice that was made that night. Celebrate Christ's birth and the power of His resurrection. Rejoice in the life and light He brings to all. And encounter the hope His life gives you for today--and for eternity.
Through this imaginative poem, John Piper shares a tale of what might have been. The story of an innkeeper whose life was forever altered by the arrival of the Son of God. Ponder the sacrifice that was made that night. Celebrate Christ's birth and the power of His resurrection. Rejoice in the life and light He brings to all. And encounter the hope His life gives you for today--and for eternity.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 1998
10 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
John Piper
609 books4,580 followersJohn Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 12, 2025
Piper’s poetry may not be stellar, but the story he tells is powerful and moving. And the artwork is just lovely.
If you need a good Christmas cry, this book will deliver in 15 minutes flat.
I see that some reviewers have said that they read it aloud for Christmastime each year. I don’t see how I could even get through it trying to read it aloud. That’s not a criticism.
[Edit 12/12/25]
Read for the first time in 2023. On the reread this year I have to admit the poetry itself is a bit weak, but the story still hits hard.
If you need a good Christmas cry, this book will deliver in 15 minutes flat.
I see that some reviewers have said that they read it aloud for Christmastime each year. I don’t see how I could even get through it trying to read it aloud. That’s not a criticism.
[Edit 12/12/25]
Read for the first time in 2023. On the reread this year I have to admit the poetry itself is a bit weak, but the story still hits hard.
October 26, 2020
Dude... 😭
December 25, 2022
Truly an amazing poem, we read it every year on Christmas Eve and there’s nothing like it.
December 8, 2019
This is a very short book (31 pages; only half of which are text), though it's decently-sized as a poem (so whether or not it's worth the whole cost of a book is up for debate). However, as a poem, it's surprisingly poignant and hard-hitting within its few pages. I often struggle to "get" poetry and don't readily go to it as my preferred genre. This poem, however, was nearly able to move me to tears by the end of it. The beautiful illustrations didn't hurt either. The book may be short, but the quality of the work is superb.
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
December 26, 2020
When I picked up and began to read this book, I was unsure of where Piper was going with this story. As I continued reading and arrived at the end, I became teary eyed as Piper portrays a story of what it could have been like for the innkeeper in Bethlehem.
April 24, 2018
A poignant poem that explores the immediate cost to Jesus' arrival as a babe. Imaginative but realistic.
December 11, 2024
This was such a beautiful meditation. I am probably gonna sit on this for a while. I’d recommend endlessly this Advent season. Acknowledging the lives lost in protection of the Savior of the world.
December 12, 2024
https://youtu.be/0ykhJMSoElI?si=3o0SS...
^ shoutout book baddie Amanda Ball for this. So so good - I am sharing to everyone I know!!!!
^ shoutout book baddie Amanda Ball for this. So so good - I am sharing to everyone I know!!!!
December 16, 2024
This was read aloud at church during our Christmas feast yesterday. Beautiful, but be prepared to cry. Will be looking for a copy of this to own now.
December 10, 2017
There are things I don't understand. The hard things of scripture that I don't yet have the perspective to see. This poem talks about one such night:
"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under..."
God is sovereign. Utterly and terribly and incomprehensibly sovereign. But He is good. And so, while i don't understand why God allowed that murderous event to happen, I do know that God is in control and has reasons so much higher than my finite mind can comprehend.
I trust him. He doesn't fail.
This is peace.
"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under..."
God is sovereign. Utterly and terribly and incomprehensibly sovereign. But He is good. And so, while i don't understand why God allowed that murderous event to happen, I do know that God is in control and has reasons so much higher than my finite mind can comprehend.
I trust him. He doesn't fail.
This is peace.
December 8, 2017
An imaginative poetic meditation on the return of the Savior to his birthplace and the cost the little town of Bethlehem bore by housing an unmarried and expecting couple. What happened when Herod’s men tore through town in search of the newborn king will bring you to tears, but before it’s all over, a promise is made that will some day dry those tears.
June 30, 2018
Beautifully written poetry and very touching. I didn't looked at it before that way, and I admit that I haven't given more attention to Herod's slaughter of children in Bethlehem, but Piper has shown me and let me feel the tragedy of this loss and with Jesus's words helped me trust God's sovereignty even in the heartbreaking moments of our life.
January 5, 2025
A powerful and thought-provoking story told in verse: What if the innkeeper who agreed to house Joseph and Mary that night in Bethlehem was punished by Herod’s soldiers for his choice? What would Jesus say to comfort the man who lost his arm, his wife, and his sons at that unthinkably violent time in history? The beauty of the Gospel brings everlasting comfort to all.
December 10, 2018
It is a small "what if" poem that imagines how Jesus might approach the innkeeper who housed his parents on the night of His birth. It ends very well, and points to the Gospel, as it takes place two weeks before His crucifixion.
December 17, 2017
Perhaps my favorite Christmas poem. Brings home the emotional weight of the gospel story in a deeply impactful way
October 31, 2022
Beautiful Christmas Parable of the gospel.
December 4, 2022
Answers the question why did all the babies have to die near Jesus' birth
June 27, 2019
A short but very moving story in verse tying together Christmas and Holy Week around a theme of ultimate resurrection. Very good and very creative.
December 9, 2009
Every year John Piper writes an Advent poem as a gift for the congregation of Bethlehem Baptist Church. This one tells a fictionalized story of the innkeeper who housed Joseph and Mary.
Most Nativity retellings emphasize the fact that there was "no room in the inn," interpreting this to mean the innkeeper had no eyes to see the meaning of the Nativity. But Piper takes a different tack, giving a historically plausible interpretation that Jesus' poverty-stricken parents would have been grateful for a free place in the godly innkeeper's stable, and that the innkeeper and his wife understood that they had housed the Messiah.
In this story Jesus, on his way to be crucified, visits the innkeeper and hears his account of the Nativity. His story goes on to dramatically describe Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents (Matthew 2:16-18), in which the innkeeper lost his entire family and his right arm. He lived on in lonely grief, never understanding why God would allow such evil to happen. Jesus grieves with the man and promises that after his crucifixion he will defeat the serpent who has the power of death, and raise this man's family to life again.
Piper draws together the stories of a joy-filled family and a terrible evil. We expect sentimentality at Christmastime, but his poem has none. The story actually strikes a discordant tone with its portrayal of dread and horror, but this problem is answered with the sure hope that Jesus brings to those who suffer under the reign of death and evil.
Because of the violent content of the story, it may be best suited to teenagers or mature grade-schoolers.
Most Nativity retellings emphasize the fact that there was "no room in the inn," interpreting this to mean the innkeeper had no eyes to see the meaning of the Nativity. But Piper takes a different tack, giving a historically plausible interpretation that Jesus' poverty-stricken parents would have been grateful for a free place in the godly innkeeper's stable, and that the innkeeper and his wife understood that they had housed the Messiah.
In this story Jesus, on his way to be crucified, visits the innkeeper and hears his account of the Nativity. His story goes on to dramatically describe Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents (Matthew 2:16-18), in which the innkeeper lost his entire family and his right arm. He lived on in lonely grief, never understanding why God would allow such evil to happen. Jesus grieves with the man and promises that after his crucifixion he will defeat the serpent who has the power of death, and raise this man's family to life again.
Piper draws together the stories of a joy-filled family and a terrible evil. We expect sentimentality at Christmastime, but his poem has none. The story actually strikes a discordant tone with its portrayal of dread and horror, but this problem is answered with the sure hope that Jesus brings to those who suffer under the reign of death and evil.
Because of the violent content of the story, it may be best suited to teenagers or mature grade-schoolers.
December 4, 2011
The Innkeeper
by John Piper
Paintings by Glenn Harrington
Copyright 1998, 2011 by Desiring God Foundation
Published by Crossway, Wheaton, IL
ISBN 978-1-4335-3025-8
Piper brings a visit from the Savior to the Innkeeper of the Inn where He was born.
A touching poem of loss and grief, and how the Lord will bring a sweet reunion to those who believe with their loved ones.
Harrington's paintings are lovely! And they bring life to the story, making it even more endearing.
Not just for the Christmas season, this book would make a wonderful gift of hope for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, and especially a child.
This book is highly recommended for individual homes and study groups. I would think the reference to Herod's violence may be a bit much for children under ten, but should be fine for those old enough to understand the story of Herod's baby-boy killing.
I give this book Five Stars and my Thumbs Up award!
****DISCLOSURE: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for an independent and non-biased review.
July 28, 2010
John Piper wrote this Advent poem as a gift for the congregation of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis.
It's a fictionalized story in which Jesus, on his way to be crucified, visits the innkeeper who housed Joseph and Mary and hears his account of the Nativity. His story goes on to dramatically describe Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents (Matthew 2:16-18), in which the innkeeper lost his entire family and his right arm. He lived on in lonely grief, never understanding why God would allow such evil to happen. Jesus grieves with the man and promises that after his crucifixion he will defeat the serpent who has the power of death, and raise this man's family to life again.
It's a beautiful poem, full of love, hope, and encouragement.
It's a fictionalized story in which Jesus, on his way to be crucified, visits the innkeeper who housed Joseph and Mary and hears his account of the Nativity. His story goes on to dramatically describe Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents (Matthew 2:16-18), in which the innkeeper lost his entire family and his right arm. He lived on in lonely grief, never understanding why God would allow such evil to happen. Jesus grieves with the man and promises that after his crucifixion he will defeat the serpent who has the power of death, and raise this man's family to life again.
It's a beautiful poem, full of love, hope, and encouragement.
December 26, 2010
I re-read this short poem by John Piper, for Christmas, made into a book. It's really too short for a book.
It's a good antidote to the sentimentalism of Christmas, which cost families their babies' lives. Just a couple of brutal lines about 3/4 into the poem pack quite a punch. Jesus came into this sinful, harsh world to redeem the worst of circumstances. Mary's birth of Jesus was one of these - Christmas was no cake walk for Joseph and Mary.
It's a good antidote to the sentimentalism of Christmas, which cost families their babies' lives. Just a couple of brutal lines about 3/4 into the poem pack quite a punch. Jesus came into this sinful, harsh world to redeem the worst of circumstances. Mary's birth of Jesus was one of these - Christmas was no cake walk for Joseph and Mary.
December 2, 2015
An imaginative, poetic piece of a meeting between Jesus and the Innkeeper 30 years later. The short tale is told from the fictitious "what if" position. In this rendition, the Innkeeper lost not only his wife but his own young sons, his arm and his livelihood in the Herodian slaughter of the innocents. Now, 30 years later Jesus returns to Bethlehem to look for the Innkeeper. The story is touching, and dedicated to "Rollin and all who ever lost a child."
December 24, 2014
A short fiction story of what might have happened to the innkeeper and his family after housing Mary, Joseph and Jesus. We know the cost was great for the entire area, as Herod ordered the death of every male child 2 years and younger. Let us celebrate Christ’s birth and the power of His resurrection.
December 28, 2015
An imaginative story of the Innkeeper and how his life took a major catastrophe because of allowing the birth of Jesus to happen in his Inn, but how later on in life (about 3o years later) Jesus came to him, seeking him and then transforming his life completely. The Innkeeper was sure glad he shielded the Savior of the World. Excellent fictional story written in poetic form.
September 10, 2018
I watched the video of John Piper (www.desiringgod.com) reading this account of Jesus finding the man who owned the stable in which he was born. Beautiful story of finding hope in Jesus through suffering. Loved it.
August 8, 2009
Startling take on the Christmas story. My favorite Christmas story. I take a few minutes to reread every Christmas season.
December 19, 2024
Wonderful! Brings me to tears every time I read it.
December 7, 2025
An encouraging, little Christmas poem that points to the beauty of the cross in the midst of the struggle, pain and sorrow of this world.
February 2, 2013
beautifully written. reminds me of what was lost and suffered in order to gain Christ
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews