Voices of Christmas - A Wise Man

I have imagined the reactions and thought processes of those people involved in the Christmas narrative. 

I hope that it will assist your meditations  on these events with fresh thoughts.

It seemed such an ordinary event when we were looking up into the night sky, plotting the course of the planets and the constellations of the stars as we normally did. The view was clear and bright so that we could perceive everything in its full splendour.

Suddenly, something caught my eye. There was an unusual light that appeared to be unworldly and yet was not threatening. It was not like an asteroid that was threatening to obliterate the planet, but was like a signpost that  directing us in a certain direction.

At first, I thought that I was hallucinating  - I was not sure if it was the result of eating a raw vegetable or drinking too much tea. In order to make sure that I was not deceiving myself, I looked repeatedly and the light was still there – getting ever brighter.

I referred the matter to my colleagues, who confirmed my observations with excitement. Nothing like it had ever been seen before – there was no precedence for such an event. It was somewhat of a relief as I didn’t want to be known as a crackpot. There is nothing as humiliating as being a wise man who is no longer considered to be wise.

Someone put forward the hypothesis that such a supernatural occurrence could only mean that someone of significance was born or was about to be born.

We looked for supporting evidence and someone else reminded us of the teachings of Daniel, a Jewish man who was placed in charge of the Babylonian magi over four hundred years ago. He told of a Messiah who would come to the Jewish people to redeem all people and bring them into relationship with God. He used several passages of the Jewish scriptures to support what he was saying.

After that confirmation from external sources, there was a general consensus among us that we would get on our camels and donkeys to follow this light. We wanted to ensure that we would see the result of our observation. We felt as though we had nothing to lose, after all we were explorers in search of the truth.

I suggested that we bore gifts as, after all, if the assumption was correct that the light signalled the birth of a person who was historically significant, we were to bring him honour in the way that we knew best. It was agreed that we would take presents of gold as the most precious metal, myrrh as a perfume and frankincense to be used in sacrifices.

The conversation on the way was one of anticipation because none of us had ever come across such a remarkable phenomenon.  We were on the edge of the change in world history and we were privileged to observe the shift in the relationship between man and his Creator, for we were convinced by this time that it was God being born among us.

The light took us all the way to Judea, passing by the fortifications that had been set up to stop intruders – there was nothing to stop us reaching our destination. We had a slight problem as we thought that the conclusion was to be found in Jerusalem, the capital of Judea, only to find that we had not read one of the prophecies that clearly stated that the child was to be born in Bethlehem, five miles away.

After we re-aligned our bearings, we went to that city still following the light. It showed clearly that our destination was the animal pen in a house. We were somewhat surprised as we were expecting more ostentatious surroundings.

And yet, we knew in our hearts that the baby – that looked so ordinary and small in the manger – was God who had come down. There was no hesitation in our minds that we had to honour in our small way by presenting our gifts to the great One who had come to earth to rescue us.

There in that humble surroundings was the confirmation that we were right in following the light, to listen to the evidence from the Scriptures and so experience for ourselves the goodness of the God who come from majesty to squeeze Himself to man’s level so that we can be raised to be with Him for eternity.

Points to ponder:

·        What are your motives for worshipping God?

·        What preparation are you making for the future?

·        How do seekers of Jesus come to see Him today?