Strange Story: The Birth of Jesus Part 15 The Story of Two Stars

The oldest one among them spoke on behalf of the group as he told her their story.

As he got started the baby stirred and cried. “Reb” got him out of his little bed and nursed him while she listened to their story. She was able to do this discreetly because, in Ancient Israel, a woman’s dress had a large slit in the middle of the chest area and a square flap that covered that slit as well as several inches on each side of the slit. The flap was only attached at the corners so mom could reach her hand in behind the flap and pull one of her breasts out of the slit and then slide the baby’s head behind the flap to suckle. She could do this right in front of someone without ever showing anything inappropriately.

The Wise Man’s story sounded something like this.

“Since ancient times there have been learned men who studied the writings of other religions as well as their own. Since a large number of Jews stayed in the East after their captivity in Babylon, our ancestors gained access to the writings of the Jewish people. We are part of a group that has been studying your ancient Scriptures which tell of the power of the Hebrew God, and we have become committed to following this God. We yearned to see the arrival of the Messiah whom the prophets spoke of. In the commentaries by the rabbis we found words that provide a clear sign of the arrival of a savior who would do more than change the political landscape for a few decades. The sign was that a star would appear in the East two years before the birth of this savior.

“After years of studying and watching, we began to get excited. Two of the lights of the sky were on course to pass close by each other. If they came close enough, they would appear as a single light of extraordinary brilliance. There was also a third light that was moving in that direction as well; if this third light joined the other two, the brightness of this single light would cause even those who care nothing about the stars to look up and wonder what was going on.

“Sure enough, it happened. First two of them came slowly closer together until they were melded into one single light. The third one moved more quickly and joined the other two for a short time and then it separated itself and kept moving on. The first two stayed joined together for a bit longer and finally they separated as well, slowly turning the one bright light into two lesser lights again.

“To those of us who had been watching for this, it was a clear sign which “spoke of” the birth of a savior. We knew what it meant because we knew the prophecies and the sign. How Did the Wise Men Know What the Star Meant?

“All of the wise men in our group wanted to make the trip, but all were not able to come. Some are too old while others have responsibilities that held them there, and others could not afford to make the trip. It required careful planning because it would be a trip of at least two months.

“We knew that the one we were coming to see would be a baby and we didn’t know if there would be anything unique about this baby. But still we wanted to come.

“However, we did not know exactly where to find the child, so we figured that, since this child would be the king of the Jews someday, we would start by looking among the royalty.” At this “Reb” gave a small chuckle and looked around at her cave-dwelling. He continued, “So we started by seeking an audience with the king himself, the one who is called ‘The Hero.’”

At the mention of the king’s name “Reb” shuddered.

The wise man asked, “I take it you do not like ‘The Hero’”?

She answered, “He’s no hero, except in his own mind.”

He continued his story, “The king called in the religious leaders and we found out from them that the child the ancient texts prophesied about would be born here in this small town. There were other names given which all worked together to paint a picture, but I can’t remember those names at the moment.”

Here he looked at his friends for help and one of them quoted the text the priests had read, “You, ‘House of Bread,’ in ‘the land of Praise and Celebration,’ are by no means least among the leaders of ‘Praise and Celebration’ for out of you will come one who will be a gentle, protective guide to my people ‘Who Refuse to Let Go of God’” Matthew 2:6.

He continued, “’The Hero,’ or should I say, ‘the self-proclaimed hero,’ said he also wants to come and worship this child himself.”

He looked from the baby’s face to his mother’s face and saw that “Reb” had a troubled scowl on her face.

The leader of the caravan did not stop to probe, but kept going with his story. “As we left the big city and headed in the direction they had pointed us, we wondered how we would find the right house, for the star we had seen in the East had ceased to be a bright light two years ago. But since God had led us safely this far, we believed He would lead us to the right place. As we came into the town, we saw it, what a glorious sight! Even though it was shortly after noon, there was a light in the sky that was even brighter than the sun. What’s more it shown a beam of light that illuminated only the front of this,” he paused and looked around, “dwelling.” In What Way Was this the Star They Had Seen in the East?

Now “Reb” knew why they kept looking toward the sky.

“So you see, young lady, we believe your story about supernatural messengers because we also have had our share of miracles to guide us here.”

By now the baby had stopped sucking and had pulled his head out from under the modesty-flap. He looked right at each of them, and they stared back at him with their mouths gaping. He was so ordinary, yet so different. There was no way to explain what they observed.

Then all of these learned, wealthy, prestigious men knelt on the floor of the cave and worshipped this baby who was too young to bless them in return. For quite a while they praised the Creator of the universe who had granted them the privilege of seeing this child.

Then in unison, as if a secret signal had been given, they jumped up and rushed to the door and windows. They called out to their servants to unload the camels and bring in the gifts. Presently they started entering the humble abode with arm loads of gifts and placing them behind their respective masters. They did this over and over again. Each wise man in turn took the opportunity to present to the baby and his mother some special gift he had chosen to give to this miniature savior and king.

When “Reb” exclaimed about the large number of gifts she was told, “The greater the recipient, the greater the value and number of gifts that should be given. In fact, we fear that our gift-giving is not what it should be for such a one as this.”  At this “Reb” blushed.

But they were not done yet. They had saved the most special gifts for last. All of them presented the baby and his mother with gold, making clear that it was chosen because it represented royalty. While it is also useful in life, its symbolism was the most important thing.

Frankincense and myrrh were the other two special gifts of great significance. They both enjoyed widespread use in the maintaining of life and health, yet were also used to wrap the bodies of the dead. Though these men were wise, they admitted that they did not fully understand how the combination of life and death would play out in this child’s experience; they only knew there was deep significance in that combination.

When they were done, there were gifts of varying sized and value on every flat surface in the cave. They even left a few camels behind saying, “Who knows, you might need them some day. But if not, you can sell them.”

By now it was late afternoon. They expressed regret that her husband had not been there, but they planned on coming back in the morning to meet him before he left for work.

She said that he usually left at the first hint of dawn.

They asked if there was a caravanserai in this town so they wouldn’t have to return to the big city and arrive after dark. She told them there was and how to find it.

They dismissed themselves with joy for the privilege of having been able to give their gifts to this special child.

To navigate to Part 16 of this story click on The Birth of Jesus Part 16 A Second Confirmation.