For our final interview of Mary, Luke asks her about the visit of the Wise Men.
MARY: That’s true. It was a while after Jesus was born. We had some astonishing visitors.
LUKE: Some people say they were kings.
MARY: No really kings, but they were important and wise men who had traveled a long way to see Messiah.
LUKE: How did they know about the birth?
MARY: Joseph asked them the same thing. It is not every day that a caravan of camels arrives in Bethlehem. “We are seeking the one born King of the Jews,” one of the men said. “We have seen his star in the east.” I was grateful that Joseph spoke to them. I was a bit frightened of the grandeur.
LUKE: They saw a star?
MARY: They were wise men who watched the stars for signs. “A new star formed in the sky,” we were told. “It foretells that a great One has been born.”
LUKE: I think it is amazing that they found you in such a small place as Bethlehem.
MARY: It surprised them, too. “We sought the Baby in Jerusalem,” the eldest of our visitors said. “Instead of paying attention to the sign in the sky, we deduced that a Child of such importance would be in a palace. We were wrong.”
LUKE: They must have seen Herod.
MARY: Yes, they told us that they met with King Herod. He was angry and frightened that there might be a child born who would threaten his dynasty. The wise men said, “We knew we were wrong as soon as we saw Herod. He called his advisors. One of them gave us the guidance we sought. He quoted the prophecy, ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel’
LUKE: I have heard that prophecy.
MARY: It is from the book of Micah. “As soon as we were able, we left Herod and hurried away from Jerusalem,” the Wise Men told us. “God is good, because the star was in the sky, low to the south, over Bethlehem. We followed it here.”
LUKE: What did they do after they found you?
MARY: The men brought gifts for the child. They gave them to us. I was astonished by them because they were more like offerings than the gifts the shepherds left.
LUKE: What did they give Jesus?
MARY: There was gold and frankincense and myrrh. Each was a symbol of my Son’s life and ministry.
LUKE: Gold for kingship, incense for priesthood, but why would they bring myrrh?
MARY: (smiles sadly) It was a warning that my Son would be anointed for burial. I had already been warned. When we presented Jesus in the Temple, two aged prophets met us. Simeon told me, ‘this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel.’ I nodded and he added, ‘A sword shall pierce your soul.’ When I saw the myrrh from the sages, I knew what it was for.
LUKE: Did they stay with you?
MARY: (shakes her head) No, they hurried away. ‘Herod will seek the Child,’ they warned Joseph. That night he had a dream of an angel who told him to take us to Egypt. Before dawn we had left Bethlehem. It was a long, hard journey to Egypt, although we were fortunate to find a caravan that we joined.
LUKE: Thank you for telling me all that happened. My readers will be interested to learn about this.
How often do we think we know the way God means for us to go? How often do we neglect to watch for the signs along the way? Very often our journey takes us in a different direction than we expected. I hope your journey in 2010 will be filled with blessings and led by the signs God puts in your path to follow.
On January 10, I will start a six week series on Epiphany. During the season of Epiphany the Church remembers how Jesus was made manifest to the Gentiles and started His ministry. Perhaps you and I will find some signs for our journey in those weeks.
There is also still time to join the Dancing in the Footsteps of God Yahoo discussion. You can join here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dancinginthefootprints/
