Strange Story: THE BIRTH OF JESUS PART 17 GIFTS AND MORE GIFTS

After hearing her story, all of these learned, wealthy, prestigious men knelt on the  dirt 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.

“Reb” knew that people of authority did not bow before someone based on the authority and status which they might one day hold, but based on the authority and status they held at that moment. But here were these aged, wealthy men bowing down to an infant who held no authority yet. It was as if they understood that this was more than a human baby. This seemingly helpless child was God in the flesh and therefore He deserved all worship, all honor, all praise at that moment, before the populous began to see who He really was.

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.

Meanwhile, the crowd of onlookers from town had grown considerably and was now half children and half adults, especially women because most men were still working. These women had heard that the large caravan of camels had gone to the cave-house of that undesirable couple from Nazareth and they wanted to know the reason why. They pressed their faces to the windows and tried to see into the dimly light cave. They pressed closer and closer to the servants and camel drivers until they were driven a few steps back with a harsh word, only to return moments later with more pressure.

Each wise man in turn took the opportunity to personally present to the baby and his mother some special gift he had chosen to give to this miniature savior and king.

The gifts just kept coming. It seemed to “Reb” that there was no end to them.

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.

When late afternoon arrived, one of them asked if there was a caravanserai in this town so they wouldn’t have to return to the big city and arrive long after dark. She told them there was and how to find it. They sent the cooks and a few camel drivers ahead to secure a spot at the caravanserai, explaining that the rest of them wanted to stay long enough to meet her husband.

At the mention of cooks, Mary remembered her own cooking fire, and remembered her manners, and told them she would bring them something to eat. Thankfully, out of habit, she had moved the pot off of the fire before moving away from the firepit, or it would have burned horribly. It was now cold, but she was able to rekindle the fire and reheat the stew in the pot. It was a humble meal, but it was all she had, and the wisemen expressed genuine gratitude for it.

By then it was well after dark. They really wanted to meet Joseph, but they decided they could not wait any longer to present the mother and child with the gifts they had reserved for last, the most important gifts. They hoped they would meet Joseph on the road as they headed back into THE HOUSE OF BREAD.

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.”

They dismissed themselves with joy for the privilege of having been able to give a few gifts to this special child. With this they went outside and mounted their camels.

As they left, “Reb” told them that there was a good chance they would meet “Up” before they got to the main road. It was too dark to see him coming, but he should be close by now and he would likely be the only one on this path at this time of night.