Oasis Madrid

Synopsis: Bethlehem is a short walk away from Jerusalem, but Bethlehem became Jerusalem on that memorable night. As Bethlehem’s innkeeper tells about the history of his hotel, of his love for Bethlehem and the wonder of Jesus’ birth he marvels at the irony of God being born in a cave next to a failing business in a town where no one wants to stop.

Setting: An inn. The drama can take place in either a modern setting or a biblical setting.

Copyright Note: This play is protected under copyright law and performance is strictly prohibited without the express consent of the author. Though production is generally granted royalty free, please contact Troy Cady at troy@oasismadrid.org for permission to perform this play.

The Inn

(Perhaps there is a high stool in front of the inn. The INNKEEPER enters, smoking a cigar to celebrate his new-found success.)

INNKEEPER: You wouldn’t know it to look at it now, but we’ve been through some hard times lately.

When I first opened this place I was blind to Bethlehem’s drawbacks since it was my home, the town I grew up in. I thought, “What better location for a rest stop for weary travelers than Bethlehem? It’s just a short walk south of Jerusalem. Everybody goes to Jerusalem at least once a year and most people more than once. Surely, they’ll stop in Bethlehem for a night’s rest.” I thought, “It’s like instant money in my pocket.” I had dreams of getting rich. I had dreams of high esteem and honor among the people of my home town. But, in time, those dreams were crushed like fine powder.

People have asked me, “Well, why didn’t you just open your hotel in Jerusalem? There’s a lot more demand there.” I answered, “There’s also a lot more hotels there. How could I possibly compete with the big boys?” So, I looked to my home. Yes, Bethlehem would be the perfect spot to open an inn, I decided.

I should have taken the prophet’s words more seriously: “But as for you, Bethlehem, too little to be among the clans of Judah…” “Too little.” “Too little.” Those words always stung when I was growing up. In my heart I always wanted to defend Bethlehem. I wanted to make it something bigger than it was. So, I’m ashamed to say, I have always scoffed at the prophet’s description of Bethlehem. But now I realize I should have taken the prophet’s words more seriously.

You see, now I know why Bethlehem wasn’t a great choice for an inn. Yes, people do come through here at least once a year. (In fact, twice a year: once when they are coming to Jerusalem and once when they are leaving Jerusalem to return to their homes.) But, Jerusalem is both a blessing and a curse for me. Jerusalem has such a strong attraction for people that when faced with the decision of spending a night in a small town and pressing on to Jerusalem, they just press on, in spite of their tiredness.

Can you blame them? Jerusalem represents the seat of their hearts, the center of their faith. Jerusalem means life, joy, celebration, community. Jerusalem is where the temple is. Jerusalem is where God lives. And if Jerusalem is God’s home, Bethlehem is his ghetto. Jerusalem is a mountain overshadowing Bethlehem, forever robbing it of the sun’s warmth. Who cares about Bethlehem when Jerusalem is within eyeshot?

So, yes, we’ve seen some very tough times over the years. In fact, after the disappointment of last spring, I almost shut this place down. But then, God smiled on me at last.

Ironically, his blessing came through the Romans, our enemy. The Romans think they’re the lords of the universe. They’re always trying to control people. So, one day we received a summons: each person in Israel was to report to their home town to be counted in a census. And that brought people to Bethlehem. For once, people didn’t want to leave our little town. For once, people came back. And the inn filled right up.

As we speak, every square meter of my hotel is filled with something. It feels good to be back in business again. But there’s something else that feels even better than that. You see, God has smiled on us in a completely unexpected way.

About a week ago, a young couple showed up at the inn. The woman was pregnant. Like, really pregnant. You know: the kind of pregnant where she looks like she’s about ready to pop. They came to Bethlehem because Joseph, her husband, was from Bethlehem so he needed to report for the census. Even though he was from Bethlehem, all his family had moved on to another part of Israel, so he didn’t have a place to stay. Could they stay here?

It pained me to say this, but I didn’t have any place to offer them. I had to turn them away. I’ll never forget the look on their faces when they found out they would be homeless. It was clear they’d been through a lot more than just physical turmoil to get here: something deeply emotional was going on. I would describe it as a mixture of fear, anxiety, and, strangely, peace. You had to be there to understand it.

I took pity on them, and offered them my stable. “There are animals in there, but at least it’ll be a warm place to stay. I can clean it up for you and, you’ll see, it’ll feel like home.” They accepted the offer. That night, one week ago today, the woman gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.

It was the strangest thing, but that night I felt heaven’s light. Like, for real. And it hasn’t stopped since. I found out why that night….

A bunch of shepherd’s stopped by to see the baby that was born. I had no idea why they so urgently needed to see him that night, nor did I know how on earth word got to them so quickly about the birth, but after they spent some time in the stable, they came out singing! I came out of the inn to see what all the commotion was about and grabbed one of them to find out. He said to me, “Do you have any idea who that is there in your stable?”

I said, “Sure I do. That’s Joseph and his wife Mary.” He said, “No, not him. The baby. Do you have any idea who that is?” I said, “No. Why?” He said, “That’s God you hear crying over there. Do you hear me? God! The Messiah has just been born this night. Right here in Bethlehem. God has come to our rescue at last. He’s come to save the world. Praise God, he’s come to save you and me!”
I marvel at the irony of it all and I always will. God comes to earth and he rests in Jerusalem’s ghetto: Bethlehem. God comes to earth and he chooses the town that everyone leaves. God comes to earth and he chooses a town where no one wants to stop. God makes his home in a cave that sits next to a failing business. And then, God falls asleep in my cow’s feed trough.

Funny how life turns out, huh? Cursed Bethlehem becomes the cradle of blessing. For the world, for Israel, for me. Bethlehem became Jerusalem on that memorable night. Bethlehem has become the seat of my heart, the center of my faith. Now Bethlehem means life, joy, celebration. From now on Bethlehem will be known as “the place God lived.” Turns out: Bethlehem was the perfect place to open a hotel.

END OF DRAMA