(Based on Gospel of James 21 and Matthew 2)
The family talked things over further over dinner and into the evening, recounting the unusual events of the past 10 months or so. Ultimately, they praised and thanked The Highest One for what he was doing and agreed they just had to leave things in the hands of Jehovah. They then all retired for the night at Benjamin and Hannah's home.
Next morning, Zechariah and Elizabeth bade the rest of them farewell and left with John for their home. Joseph and Mary then began to think about their own plans for returning to their home in Nazareth. They had not gone very far with that before there was a guest calling at the door for their uncle.
When Benjamin went to the door, an anxious-looking man bowed low before straightening up and saying that he had important but sad news to bring them. No one had been out of the home since they had returned from the Temple before so they had not heard or seen anything in the community.
The man related that a group of Galileans had revolted and attacked Sepphoris. As a result, Gov. Quirinius of Syria had sent in his troops and rather thoroughly demolished much of the residential area of the city. Needless to say, this was extremely distressing news for the family, especially Joseph and Mary. Joseph was naturally concerned about his parents but the man indicated that things were quiet in Nazareth and it did not seem as if there would be any problems there. Joseph took some comfort form those words. Benjamin thanked the man for his news and invited him in for some refreshments, considering the travel he had just undertaken.
This alarming news certainly changed their thoughts about plans to return to Nazareth though. After the man left, Mary’s parents and her Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Hannah talked things over with Joseph and Mary. The consensus was that the family might as well stay in Bethlehem for now, where they already had a place to live and from where Joseph was finding some work.
So it was, that Mary and Joseph settled into life in Bethlehem and began to raise their precious son. Time passed, and things seem to be settling into a reasonably comfortable routine. Despite the number of unusual events that Joseph and Mary had been privy to over the last year and more, something that happened next was still totally unexpected. The young family was settling in for the night one evening when there was a big commotion outside their door. Suddenly a voice with an unfamiliar accent asked if this was the home of Joseph and Mary and the child who was to be king! Joseph and Mary looked at each other, panic rising in their hearts. Joseph hesitated, but then motioned for Mary and the baby to stay back and went to the door.
There to his amazed eyes he saw a retinue of ornately decorated camels with richly dressed riders perched atop them. There were several other men milling about, holding the reins of the camels, whom Joseph judged to be the servants of the riders. The man at the door asked again, “Is there a new baby boy here?” Pointing up at the sky he went on, “See that star?”
Joseph followed the man’s finger straight overhead. Well, yes, he had noticed that star on previous evenings, and that it seemed to move over time, but had not paid it much attention. The man went on, “These men,” gesturing towards the camel riders, “are a group of men who study the significance of heavenly bodies. They believe this star indicates the birth of a great king. Therefore, they have set out from their homeland far east of here to come and find this king. They followed the star to your country. Naturally, we then went to the palace of your king, as where else would you expect a future king to be born (Matthew 2:1-2)?”
By this time some of the men were dismounting the camels and beginning to remove packages from the camels’ saddlebags. The spokesperson continued, “We got an audience with your King Herod. We asked him ‘Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.’ He had to call in your seers to find out what this was all about. He asked priests and others, ‘How is it written about the Christ? Where is He to be born?They told him that in your religion’s holy writing a prophet once wrote that someday a child will be born in Bethlehem who will become king of the Jews. Then the king questioned us, ‘What sign have you seen in reference to the king that has been born?’ We told him that we had seen a star of great size shining among the other stars, and obscuring their light, so that the other stars did not appear; and we thus knewthat a king has been born to Israel, and we have come to worship him.’ ThenHerodsaid: ‘Go and seek him; and if you find him, let me know, in order that I also may go and worship him.’ With that information, we left Jerusalem and continued to follow the star and it did indeed lead us here. The star which we had seen in the east went before us until we came to this cave, and then it stood right over the top of the cave. So, where is this baby (Matthew 2:3-6)?”
Joseph really did not know what else to do at that point in the face of this group but welcome these guests and show them in. He apologized for the humbleness of their abode, conscious of their own low place in society, but the guests were only interested in seeing the child.
By now the distinguished-looking guests with their packages had assembled about Joseph and their spokesperson and all crowded in behind him when he turned to enter his home.
When their eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, illuminated only by the flickering light of an olive oil lamp, the men saw Mary in the back with the baby Jesus in her arms. They dropped to their knees, placing their bags beside them and fell forward, faces to the ground in obeisance to the one they believed would become a great king. Having completed that part of their homage they then, in turn, began to open their boxes of gifts and offer them to the family (Matthew 2:11).
Mary gasped – gold, frankincense and myrrh! “Oh, but we can’t accept these,” she protested, reaching out one arm to indicate the gifts, “for what is this honour?”
The men bowed again and then explained what they had already told Joseph outside. Mary hardly knew what to say. By now Joseph was at her side, listening again to the report of the visitors from the East.
As the guests stood up to leave, one of them said in the best Aramaic he could muster, “Our mission is accomplished. We have seen the future king the star told us about. Now, your king has instructed us to let him know where we found the baby so he too can come and pay homage to this future great king (Matthew 2:8).” Joseph and Mary both felt their chests tighten with that news. Did these men not know their king? Could he be trusted? But what could they say to these men? Indeed, the men were bowing once more and again blessing the family and child. Joseph bowed in return and blessed them in return, wishing them a safe journey back. Both Joseph and Mary then thanked them sincerely for the gifts. Joseph also followed them out to bid them further farewell. Just before they turned and left, the spokesperson again spoke and told Joseph, “Oh, after we left Jerusalem, we had paused for a rest. Even in that short time, one of our party had a vision warning us not to go back to your king to tell him of our findings. So, we are returning home via a different route.”
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