Jesus Christ was God Incarnate! Should He not have enjoyed the grandest of lifestyles? I came across some interesting facts about past presidents of the United States. “The Executive Mansion of the United States is far more than a temporary home for the family who lives there for four or eight years. It is now a museum containing priceless works of art and furnishings; a national monument open to two million tourists a year; a guest hotel for entertaining visitors of state; and in recent years, an impregnable fortress for protecting the life of the commander-in-chief" (J.B. West, Upstairs at the White House). Christ said of Himself that He had not a place to lay His head. In other words—He had no palace, He had no home.
“The isolation of the President in the White House is not so much self-imposed as it is imposed by others and by the nature of the office itself. The ushers, military aides, and key staff members all try to ensure that the President's energy is reserved for the big decisions; to spare him the petty details of life; to fulfill as quickly as possible his requests, large and small. His family is similarly isolated and are oddly unaware of most of the rumors that sweep through Washington" (Julie Nixon Eisenhower in Pat Nixon: The Untold Story). Yet Christ, the very Creator of the universe, daily walked among the throngs of common people and was eventually crucified by them.
“Five minutes after Ronnie came home and hung up his suit, it would disappear from the closet to be pressed, cleaned or brushed. No wonder Ron used to call the White House an eight-star hotel" (Nancy Reagan, My Turn). Should not Jesus Christ have been treated thusly? I am so glad that Jesus Christ “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant…and became obedient unto death.” He lived a lowly life and died a humble death so that He could reach a poor sinner like me.
Christ Jesus was born in a stable—a birthplace of humblest degree,
So that no one could say, “I am poorer, more lacking in comforts than He.”
His mother in swaddling bands wrapped Him, the wardrobe of One, the Divine,
That no one could say of His raiment, “Christ’s garments were better than mine.”
His home and His comforts were borrowed—no pillow for resting His head!
But He lived and suffered and sorrowed, to give us true comforts instead.
In glory His wealth had been boundless! He laid all those riches aside,
That we might have riches eternal and with Him forever abide.
(Carrie Elizabeth Ellis Breck, 1918)