Quite early the following day, the magi were back
at Joseph and Mary’s house.
Joseph was already hard at work, making a cupboard for another neighbour. Joseph was highly skilled with both wood and stone. In either medium, he had a particular gift of choosing the best piece for each task. A yoke shaped by Joseph was prized by all who cared about their oxen. His yokes never warped, nor did they rub the necks of any animal that wore them. His work in shaping and placing stones was also
outstanding, and he seemed to be able to recognise good and bad stones by touch. The foundation stones he shaped were not only unusually tough, but reliably square. Yet in Judea under the high taxes of Herod and the Romans, even an excellent artisan like Joseph had to work hard to feed his family. Wealth was out of the question, but hard work could ward off starvation.
Mary, too, worked hard. Not only was there a home to clean and maintain,
there was also food to cook, clothes to mend and a young son to care for – while the recent weariness that overwhelmed her at times suggested that another child might be on the way.
They had both been up before the sun, doing their best to get some work done before last night’s visitors returned. Mary was doing her best to ensure that the men would be welcomed with a quality of fresh food that would tempt their aging palates.
The visitors hadn’t stayed long the previous evening, despite their eagerness to see the child and speak with his parents. Indeed, they had departed as soon as their servants reported that lodgings were available at a local inn, promising to return in the morning. They had, they said, many more questions to ask.
They also wanted to see the special boy – the prince – awake!
And an opportunity to present a little
something to the child.
So now they were at the door, and Joseph feared that this would be the end of any opportunity for work that day. He lamented the lost income, money they sorely needed, but he couldn’t help feeling excited about what information these magi might have for them. Jesus might be just a little toddler, but he was undoubtedly unique, and a deep feeling of responsibility weighed heavily on Joseph at times. How should they treat the
child? What should they teach him? Most fathers with a new son could revel in the anticipation of teaching him their trade, secure in the knowledge that their son had a good chance of inheriting their own natural skills. But Joseph knew that he was not Jesus’ real father. Since Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit because God was his father, anything inherited from his father would be not be Joseph’s characteristics at all. What if he wasn’t even
interested in working with his hands? It was an uncomfortable thought, but there was no point in worrying too early. Time enough to learn his characteristics as they developed in the years to come. However, Jesus already showed signs of having a very quick mind and a surprisingly good understanding – for a child not yet two!
This time, the magi were accompanied by just three servants, leaving both the street outside and Joseph and Mary’s house
much less crowded than they had been the previous evening. In the light of day, Joseph felt that the magi looked even older than they had by lamplight, but also more distinguished: their faces showing firmness without arrogance and determination without stubbornness. These were men who commanded respect while still showing it to others. They also radiated kindness.
“Good morning,” said the oldest, bowing. “We are glad to see you again, but
we must apologise for our rudeness last night in coming so late unannounced. I hope we didn’t frighten you with our entourage and can only say that we were so utterly overjoyed at finding your house that we weren’t thinking clearly!” He smiled and continued, “Using the same excuse, please also forgive me for omitting to introduce myself. I am Rakhsha, a long-time student of the Hebrew scriptures.”
The second stepped forward, bowed and smiled as he
straightened up. “And I am Saman, at one with Lord Raksha in offering my apologies for my unintended rudeness. Your gracious welcome last night convinced us that this child-king is not out of place in your home.”
“I am Yervand,” said the third, bowing even more deeply, “the junior member of the trio. I was led here by the wisdom of Lord Raksha and Lord Saman but failed in my task of providing advice on the local customs. I too was overcome
by our heaven-sent success in finding your home, and in it the child we sought, of all the children in Judea. The one right house among all the thousands of houses in Judea with the one right child. The God of the Hebrews still works today as he did in Daniel’s day.”
Joseph had gone to the door alone and now welcomed them graciously once more, brushing aside their apologies. As he did so, Joseph heard pattering steps behind him and smiled as he
turned and reached down to pick up little Jesus. When he turned back again, Rakhsha almost cooed as he observed, “Ah, here is the child. Good morning, young man.”
“Dood morning,” said Jesus, seriously, putting an arm around Joseph’s neck and looking frankly at the visitors.
“Come in,” invited Joseph, opening the door wide and stepping back to give the visitors room to enter.
Rakhsha entered
first, but paused as he passed to lay a gentle hand on Jesus’ shoulder. He was followed by Saman and Yervand, and Joseph beckoned to the servants to invite them in. They too entered, each studying the grave young boy as they passed by him into the house.
Joseph closed the door and followed the visitors into the main room where Mary was greeting the magi and their servants.
“You are a lovely young woman, and your young son
is a credit to you,” said Rakhsha politely, but he seemed to mean it.
“If neither of you mind, we have some more questions to ask,” said Saman, glancing at Joseph and Mary for confirmation.
“Not at all,” answered Joseph, knowing that Mary would be happy to agree. She was still trying to understand exactly where Jesus fitted into their lives and God’s plans.
“Thank you,” said Saman. “Firstly,
apart from the angelic instruction to name the child Jesus, were there any signs that this child was to be special?”
Joseph and Mary exchanged glances again.
“Yes,” said Joseph. “Many, but you have vital information yourselves – knowledge which prompted you to travel far from your homes to a distant land. Did you expect there to be anything special about the birth of this child?”
“Very well,
we will tell you what we know first. Then you can decide how much you want to tell us,” said Rakhsha, shrewdly, with a gentle smile and a gleam in his eyes.
Joseph silently inclined his head, and waited.
“We have already said that he was to be king of the Jews – the Messiah. That was the detail we were most certain of. However, there are several other prophecies in your scriptures that seem likely to apply to this
child.” Rakhsha paused, as if debating whether to give more detail or not. He gazed steadily at Joseph for a few seconds and Joseph thought he saw sympathy and regret in the old man’s eyes. Rakhsha turned and studied Mary also, then looked sideways at Saman and gave a little nod.
Saman spoke apologetically. “We’re sorry to mention it, but some of the prophecies appear to relate to his death – but,” he hurried on, “we aren’t certain about
them since the very subject seems to contradict the overwhelming presentation of your Messiah as an all-conquering king.”
Yervand took up the recitation with smiling confidence. “Others relate to the child’s genealogy, birth and longevity. From Sh’muel’s record he emerges as a son of Daood who reigns forever, and the outstanding prophecy Rakhsha is probably referring to comes from Jishaiyah, who predicts him to be, ah, born of, um,” he paused awkwardly
for a moment, “well, …born of a virgin,” he finished.
It took Joseph a few moments to recognise the names Yervand had used as referring to Samuel, David and Isaiah, but after that he quickly identified the prophecies mentioned. “So now that you see us a married couple,” he answered, “you’re wondering whether this prophecy came true.”
“It was indeed this prophecy that prompted my original question,” confirmed Rakhsha.
“The answer is ‘Yes’,” said Joseph, certainty coupled with wonder in his straightforward, honest eyes. “For the first time in human history, a child has been born without any human father.” He stopped and turned to Mary for affirmation. “Mary, my wife, can confirm for you that before we were married, she was told by an angel that she would have a child by the Holy Spirit.”
“I asked the angel how it could possibly happen,”
confirmed Mary, “and he said that the power of God would make me pregnant and that my son would be called the son of God.”
“You said that you were each told what to name the child,” said Saman. “Was this before the child was conceived?”
“For Mary, yes, but I was told later,” answered Joseph.
“Did you learn that Mary was pregnant from the angel?”
“Ah… no. The
angel told me not to worry about the fact that she was pregnant because it didn’t reflect any unfaithfulness on her part. For me, that was good news.”
“It still must have been a shock,” said Rakhsha, sympathetically.
“Yes,” said Joseph, simply. “After all, you don’t expect something like that when it has never happened before in history. Nevertheless,” and the smile Joseph directed at Mary was one of utter
admiration, “since such a birth was in God’s plan, it was quite reasonable that he would choose Mary to be the special mother.”
Mary’s look at Joseph conveyed gratitude for his public support of her unique situation, despite the hint of colour his praise had brought to her face.
