“Mary, have you thought about staying in this village?”
The shepherd’s wife suddenly asked as she checked over the luggage packed for Joseph and Mary’s early departure the next morning.
“In Bethlehem?”
“Yes. Isn’t this Joseph’s hometown? Maybe it would be nice to settle here.”
She turned to Joseph, her eyes full of warmth.
“I’ve grown so attached to you both. I’ll really miss you when you leave.”
Joseph saw the regret on her face and wondered what it might be like to remain in Bethlehem. Their arrival here hadn’t been easy-forced to give birth to their baby in a stable because there was nowhere else to rest. But from the moment the child was born, blessings had followed. It felt as if God had prepared everything in advance, sending the shepherds of Bethlehem and their families to help them, even though they were strangers. These people shared what little they had and became their protectors. Thanks to them, Joseph and Mary never felt lonely, even so far from Galilee, and were able to faithfully observe all of God’s commandments. Joseph thought that living among such kind people might not be so bad. If they stayed, he might become a shepherd himself.
Yet, he knew that shepherds were not well regarded. Maybe things had been different in the past, but now people often looked down on shepherds. Perhaps it was natural-shepherds were far removed from the world’s strengths: money, power, and connections. But what did those things matter to people who spent their lives in the wilderness, with only nature for company? To those who valued status, being a shepherd was seen as a lowly profession.
In Judea, apart from the royal family, only the high priests and nobles had real power, and the Pharisees and scribes who knew the Scriptures were respected. In a world where such people were exalted, laborers like shepherds were inevitably looked down upon.
But God saw things differently. In the Scriptures, He often gave special significance to shepherds. Abel, a shepherd, was the first to offer a blood sacrifice to God. Jacob, who became Israel, worked as a shepherd to win his wives, and through him, the twelve tribes began. Moses was called by God while tending sheep in Midian. King David, too, had been a shepherd before he became king. Shepherds played key roles at every stage of Israel’s history, right up to the coming of the Messiah.
God often compared the people of Israel to sheep and their leaders to shepherds, sometimes giving words of judgment to those who failed in their duty:
“The Lord Yahweh says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, and you clothe yourselves with the wool. You kill the fatlings, but you don’t feed the sheep. You haven’t strengthened the weak, you haven’t healed the sick, you haven’t bound up that which was broken, you haven’t brought back that which was driven away, you haven’t sought that which was lost, but with force and with rigor you have ruled over them. They were scattered, because there was no shepherd. They became food to all the animals of the field, and were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill. Yes, my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth, and there was no one who searched or sought.
Therefore, you shepherds, hear Yahweh’s word: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the animals of the field, because there was no shepherd, and my shepherds didn’t search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and didn’t feed my sheep;’ therefore, you shepherds, hear Yahweh’s word: Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Behold, I am against the shepherds. I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep. The shepherds won’t feed themselves any more. I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.”
At the end of Ezekiel’s prophecy, God compared Himself to a shepherd:
“‘You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”
No matter how people viewed the profession, God valued the role of the shepherd. For a moment, he considered that becoming a shepherd might not be such a bad choice after all. Joseph pictured himself tending sheep with Mary and their child, living peacefully among these warm-hearted people. The thought brought a gentle smile to his face. Just then, the door burst open with a loud bang, and the shepherd’s voice rang out, full of excitement.
“Everyone, come quickly!”
The shepherd’s wife, Joseph, and Mary-holding the baby-hurried outside. There stood the shepherd, beaming, alongside three unfamiliar men in splendid clothes, their faces flushed with anticipation. Their eyes were fixed on the baby in Mary’s arms.
“Is... is this the Messiah?”
One of them asked.
“Yes, it is. This is our Messiah,”
The shepherd replied with a smile.
“Look, sirs. Christ has truly been born.”
Said the youngest-looking wise man, his voice trembling with joy.
“It’s true... He really was born. Truly...”
Muttered another wise man, his face shifting from disbelief to overwhelming emotion. The last wise man said nothing, but his tear-filled eyes and the tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks spoke more than words ever could.
“Who are these people?”
“They’ve come from far in the East to see the Messiah. I met them just outside the house.”
The wise men, having climbed the hill from the east side of Bethlehem, discovered the shepherd’s house at the spot where the king’s star appeared to stop just above their heads. The house stood alone, a little apart from the others. Unsure if this was the right place but feeling it might be, the wise men stood outside, calming their pounding hearts. Just then, the shepherd appeared. He was returning after entrusting his sheep to a trusted friend so he could spend one last night with Joseph, Mary, and the baby before they left at dawn. When he heard the wise men had come from the East to see the Messiah, he had rushed inside to share the news.
“Really? But there’s no time for talk. Please, come in. You must be hungry-I’ll prepare something for you,” the shepherd’s wife offered.
Before she could begin, the silent wise man gently raised his hand to stop her.
“First, we wish to worship the Messiah, born King of the Jews.”
The three men knelt before the child in Mary’s arms, offering a worship greater than any they had given to King Herod. When they looked up, their faces shone with joy-especially the wise man who had waited for this moment for so long.
After first encountering the Jewish prophecies, he had come to know a personal God unlike any other, through the Scriptures: a God who cared for humanity, and the suffering Messiah revealed by that God. He had spent years watching the stars, waiting for the prophecy’s fulfillment, and months traveling to Judea with the other wise men. There had been many hardships-doubts he couldn’t voice, opposition from family, friends dismissing his beliefs, and the trials of a long journey. If not for the friend who doubted him and pushed him, he might have given up. Perhaps he had persevered partly out of stubbornness, but now, meeting the Messiah, all those hardships faded away. If he had chosen comfort in Parthia, he would never have seen this day. He was grateful and proud that he had not given up.
The wise man who had followed his friend to Judea felt changed, too. He had spent his life comparing himself to others, always trying to win. Along the way, he had met someone just as stubborn, and after many arguments, they had become friends. Even on the journey, they argued, but it was never out of dislike. He had complained about taking responsibility if the Messiah wasn’t born, and secretly hoped his friend would be proven wrong. But it wasn’t his friend who was mistaken-it was himself. The God of the Jews had fulfilled His promise exactly. He realized that he was wrong, and that God was right.
The youngest wise man had joined the journey almost by accident, simply curious about the two older men’s plans. He hadn’t relied on his own judgment or insisted on being right; if he had, he might never have ended up here. Instead, he trusted in the wisdom and past experiences of the two older wise men, believing they would not move without good reason. That simple choice had brought him to this joyful moment. He resolved that when he returned home, he would read the Scriptures for himself and try to believe in the God the wise men spoke of.
“We offer these gifts to the Messiah.”
The three wise men presented their heartfelt gifts: gold symbolizing kingship; costly frankincense, a precious incense; and precious myrrh, a valuable substance used for perfume, medicine, and even embalming. They had brought the very best they could offer. Yet, unbeknownst to them, these gifts also symbolized the temple and its sacrifices.
Gold is used in the temple, the altar, and the temple vessels. Frankincense was the fragrant incense added to the grain and burnt offerings in the temple. Myrrh was a key ingredient in the holy anointing oil-mixed with cinnamon bark, calamus, cassia, and olive oil-that consecrated the temple furnishings and priests, setting them apart as holy.
God, without their knowledge, led them to confess that the newborn Messiah was the temple of a new era: Jesus, who would die on the cross and rise again after three days. The holy temple that would be destroyed and then rebuilt after three days. All these offerings were presented today by the wise men from the East, Gentiles who unknowingly honored this sacred temple.
* * *
“So you learned about the Messiah’s birth by reading the stars?”
“That’s right. I’m an expert at reading the stars-I even taught my friend here. If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t be here now.”
One wise man was boasting proudly, wearing a triumphant smile. His friend looked at him with a mix of disbelief and bemusement. The brief moment of awe quickly faded, replaced by amusement at his friend’s familiar pride. Some things never change, he thought. But if God brought us here through him, what harm is there in a little boasting? It seems God truly uses each person just as they are.
“And before we came here, we met King Herod. He treated us very well.”
“King Herod?”
“Yes, King Herod. Why are you surprised?”
“He treated you well?”
“Yes, he held a feast for us and met us personally.”
“No way...”
“He said he was waiting for the Messiah, too. He promised he would come and worship the newborn King himself.”
The shepherd and his wife exchanged uneasy glances. Could Herod really be waiting for the Messiah? As far as they knew, he was not that kind of man. Yet at the same time, they wondered if it might be true-after all, though he was an Idumean by birth, he had converted to Judaism. If he truly wanted to worship, maybe the newborn Messiah could become king, and perhaps something good would come to those who had helped Him. If the child inherited the throne, their own grandchildren might rise to high positions. How wonderful that would be!
Until now, they had helped Joseph and Mary with pure hearts, expecting nothing in return. But seeing the wealthy wise men and their gifts, thoughts of their descendants’ success crept in. They forgot what they knew of Herod, blinded by hope and ambition, unable to see the danger approaching.
That night, as they talked with the wise men and finally lay down to sleep, their hearts were filled with dreams of the future. But just as they struggled to fall asleep, so did someone far to the north in Jerusalem-King Herod, once a hero and symbol of human triumph. If the wise men brought news that the Messiah had been born, he would stop at nothing to destroy the child and all who knew of Him. His heart was consumed with jealousy.
The king’s star, which had shone so brightly, was now sinking slowly in the western sky.
The passage from Ezekiel 34:1-10, 30-31 quoted in this narrative is taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation.
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