'No room at the inn'

Each Christmas season, many of us go through the story of the Nativity where we read passages relating to circumstances before the birth of Jesus.

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In the New Testament, Luke 2:7 it reads: “And she gave birth to the first born, a son. And she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” The interpretation of the above which we love to retell over the ages, is that the couple, Joseph and Mary, had to go to several inns but they were forced to go to a stable as there was no room at any of those places.

The lesson we drew from the above was that even during those times, there was already what we describe as “social exclusion” or a state where certain individuals or groups are prevented access to certain privileges in society. Too, God may have intended His son to be born in modest circumstances.

I wonder what it would have been if Jesus was born in one of the evacuation centers in one of the devastated areas in the country — places which continue to experience heavy flooding and destruction of infrastructures like bridges and farm to market roads that are poorly constructed due to greed by those responsible, the Department of Public Works and Highways, engineers, contractors, and high government officials.

Even the three Kings, the wisest during their time, would have found it difficult to navigate their way if they were to visit Jesus in the devastated areas of the country. No power, no telephone lines. But like in the old times, they may have had to rely on a star to guide them. They may have had to bring blankets, canned goods, and face masks rather than gold, frankincense, and myrrh.