The True Story of Christmas

And now...the rest of the story.  Now I love Linus Van Pelt, and you can never go wrong with simply reading the Gospel of Luke, but there is more to the story.  When politicians blather on about the Christmas story being about homelessness, you know there is a lot of ignorance out there.

In the Spirit of Joe Friday--Just the facts.  Mary and Joseph were not homeless.  They had a home, it was in Nazareth, not Bethlehem.  They had come to Bethlehem for the Census Bureau and a meeting with the IRS. "That all the world should be taxed". Because Joseph was a procrastinator he didn't consult with Travelocity beforehand, and as a result, when they got there, "there was no room at the inn."  No Vacancy means No Vacancy, it doesn't mean that he didn't have money.  He was there to pay taxes after all. A good hearted innkeeper most likely volunteered use of the stable.  It was probably on the down low and off the books.  I doubt a rental agreement was drawn up.

The best part, which should appeal to all us Tea partiers and fellow conservatives, The three wise men brought gold (money) and Frankincense and Myrrh, both valuable spices/perfumes that could be sold for more gold.  Money answers all things.  And best of all, since Joseph had already seen the IRS agent, this new infusion of Cash was Tax free. There was no being able to go back seven years for an audit back then.  Oh for the good old days.  Plenty of money for a Palace on the Nile.  Hey you didn't think they just brought Jesus one gold coin.  Most likely it was bags upon bags.  Money fit for a king, from a king.  For reference, check out 1 Kings 10:10 for a gift to Solomon.  If not for his whole life, at least for his youth things were most likely very good.   Jesus was most likely from an Upper-Middle Class Business owner family in the Construction business. Now you know the rest of the story.

Merry Christmas to all from The Night Beat.