Christians should hold their clinched fists and control their anger after reading this epistle. I am not trying to be irreverent neither do I have the intention to blaspheme the name of the All-Knowing God. I am just another soldier in the army of all those who are sometimes confused about the actions the Lord God of Host took which to some of us defies understanding.
Ye shall not doubt my piety after reading this piece because after all, am I not Angel Gabriel, he who foretold the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ? And have you forgotten that I made Zachariah dumb when he doubted my message? Pray not to fall victim to my anger or the wrath of God.
The birth and death of the Lord Jesus Christ is full of mystery, confusion and above all, thought-provoking. On every 25th December, I celebrate and pity the Innkeeper whose real name was not even mentioned in the Holy Bible.
Religious clerics do not hesitate to condemn the gentleman anytime they narrate the story of the birth of Christ which to me is unfortunate and improper. The Innkeeper found himself between the blue sea and wild fire, and he had to act quickly at the spare of the moment.
It came to pass that Caesar Augustus had decreed that everybody in his domain should be enrolled in a census. He ordered that everybody should go to his or her hometown to be enrolled in that census. The story says in those days, it was a mid-bleak winter where frosty wind was made mold, earth stood as iron, and water was like stone because snow had fallen for several days.
Because Joseph and Mary were natives of Bethlehem, they packed bag and baggage and headed back home. Mary was heavily pregnant and so Joseph put her on a donkey and walked on foot alongside the donkey on which pregnant Mary sat, and to Bethlehem they headed.
In my mind’s eye, I could see Joseph and Mary far behind the crowd who were all going to Bethlehem. Because as a pregnant woman, Joseph made sure they travelled slowly. Poor Grandpa Joe, he had no choice.
And it came to pass that, after a tiresome journey, Joseph and pregnant Mary entered Bethlehem when night had fallen. From the narration of the Holy Scriptures, it stands to reason that Joseph had no home in Bethlehem so the only option left was for him to rent a room in an Inn to sleep with the pregnant virgin lady.
Unfortunately for Joseph and his pregnant wife, the Inn was booked to full capacity so there was no room for the couple to lay their tired bodies. In my moment of absolute tranquility, I could see Mary shivering because of the cold winter and in pain because her time for delivering the saviour of mankind was very close. Imagine how Joseph felt when he could not get a room at the Inn.
I could see a bearded and tired Joseph pacing up and down at the gate of the Inn, not knowing what to do next. Poor man! He was confused. If All-knowing God had revealed to the poor Innkeeper that the pregnant woman standing before him was bearing the Messiah who would deliver mankind, I can bet with my last ball of Banku that he would have vacated his own room for the couple to enter.
The man would have been happy sleeping outside in the cold while Mary and Joseph slept in his room. God was not kind enough to the guy, probably for reasons best known to He who knows the destiny of all mankind. However, the ignorant and innocent Innkeeper did his best by instructing Joseph to take the poor pregnant woman to where sheep were sleeping and feeling comfortable. Unable to find a bed, Grandma Mary had to give birth to the saviour in a manger.
And it came to pass in those same days that, God had revealed to some shepherds who were with their flock of sheep far away in the night, to go to Bethlehem to pay homage to the newly born Messiah but sadly, the Innkeeper was not aware even though he lived very close to where the Messiah laid in the manger. Very sad indeed!
Why should God treat the poor guy so? What wrong did he do to be denied of this historic event which would have catapulted him to fame? Only the Lord of Host can answer these questions. I hereby repeat that I am not being blasphemous but just turning my subconscious mind round and round about an event which I think a poor guy missed an opportunity because he did not know what was staring him in the face that fateful cold night. Religious purists and zealots should therefore, spare me the curse.
Circumstances which led to the death of Jesus were equally worrisome. It had been prophesied that the Lord Jesus Christ will die and resurrect in three days time. Jesus Himself knew it will happen, and even knew one of his disciples will betray him. In fact, He knew Judas Iscariot was the man to betray him because it was destined to be so.
In fact, that was the way God planed it. Jesus was so popular that I want to believe almost everybody knew him or heard of him. Anytime he went to town with his disciples, multitudes followed him. Some wanted cure, others wanted to hear his message of salvation and yet, some just wanted to have a glimpse at the wonderful man who could cure any disease.
Why then should it take one of his disciples to betray him before the soldiers who were charged to arrest him could identify him? Think along with me my dear believer. The gospel truth is that Jesus was a mystic man. When he was alone with his twelve disciples, only the disciples could identify him because they all looked similar in everything.
Any outsider could not make him out. Simple and short. Because of his popularity and the wonders that he performed, his enemies knew if they laid their hands on him in public even when Judas pointed him to them there will be total chaos. The Pharisees knew that. So they chose to arrest the man deep in the night when everybody had gone to bed.
My question to believers is that why do you continue to demonise Judas, a man who held the bull by the horns to give way for the Lord Jesus Christ to be arrested and crucified to atone for the sins of mankind? Did you want Jesus to drink poison and die to save mankind since all ‘die be die’? Maybe when Peter pulled a sword and did cut the ear of one of the soldiers, you wanted the other disciples to also follow suit to make the situation look like ‘do or die’ affair (Don’t laugh!).
Today, when we feel we have offended God through our actions or inactions, we seek for forgiveness through prayers. Judas felt guilty after the so-called betrayal of the Lord Jesus Christ, and had to willingly pay for it by hanging himself on a tree after returning the ‘blood money’ to the Pharisees.
How many of us will be bold enough to do what Judas did by hanging ourselves on trees like Judas when we offend God? Why don’t you want to name your son Judas or even Iscariot, or your dog named Judas?
Imagine somebody called Judas Mensah!! Think again, my dear preacher man. I rest my pontification today. As the Jews say: “See you next year in Jerusalem.” Help me say AMEN!!!
By Eric Bawah