You know, the poor Inn Keeper always gets this bum rap, after all, the Inn Keeper was a small business owner who probably had to lay people off because of the new Caesarcare Health Law, and the paralyzing increase in minimum wage…thus he no doubt claimed later – once he knew who was born in his stable – that he couldn’t afford to show any charity.
Of course wanting to be thought of as a good capitalist, and not wanting to encourage laziness, when he heard about the gold, frankincense and myrrh he probably tried to charge Joseph full rates for a room.
And don’t even get me started about how irate he might have become when he learned about the baby being conceived out of wedlock – “just more welfare queens in chariots” he probably muttered.
Deacon ChiP
January 12, 2014 at 08:43
I know I’m late…
But for what it’s worth, the Innkeeper didn’t refuse to show charity. He told them he had *no rooms*. And then he showed them around to his stable, which was at least warm and covered from the weather!
The point to. Jesus being born in a stable and laid in a manger was *His* humility, lying in “such mean estate, where ox and ass are keeping”. It had nothing to do with the owner of the inn. Jesus was flipping the paradigm.