Today is Christmas – the birthday of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem two millennia ago. The narrative of his birth is very important for us today, and not only because the religion founded in his name is easily the largest and most widespread among the seven billion or so humans on planet Earth today, but for the message encapsulated in his life.
Born in a manger among the domesticated animals kept there, the baby Jesus was of humble stock since his nominal father Joseph, was a carpenter. Joseph was made the patron saint of workers by the Catholic and even some protestant denominations, while Jesus ministered mostly to the poor during his sojourn on earth. In the Bible it is written: “When he (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”
The circumstance of his birth is intriguing since it illustrated the Benjamin Franklin’s aphorism: “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Jesus, the “Son of God” would die, and his birth in Bethlehem was occasioned by the Roman rulers mandating that a census was to be taken to ensure all paid their taxes. It was the Jewish custom to be counted in their ancestral town or village. For the poor, however, Jesus pointed out taxes fall of them much more heavily:
“He (Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
In a world of increasing inequality, Jesus’ message is very apropos on this day, even though named after him, many will be hosting sumptuous feasts, even as 5000 of our brothers and sisters in the sugar belt wonder where the next meal will come from: “He (Jesus) said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
To a large extent, the centrality of the poor to the ministry of the poor has been lost to governments that are run by some who claim to be Christians and presumably are living in accordance with the teachings of the Christ. Maybe it is not a coincidence, but a reminder to us that Jesus once fed 5000 persons who were hungry.
We are reminded by Jesus that ultimately, it is our treatment of the poor that will determine our fate in the hereafter: “Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.” And it is these helpers of the downtrodden who will be received into heaven.
Today, all those leaders who promised to deliver “the good life” but have not only abandoned the poor but plunged them deeper into despair, should take heed of the message of Christmas.
“Serve the poor.”
