Merry Christmas Dear Reader,
We know about Bethlehem in the time of Christ. Do we really ponder the import? Do we think about how this ancient town is
changed forever not by the birth of King David but by the birth of King Jesus? An
excerpt from The
Foster Father of God is my meditation today.
A syphilis maddened king sits upon his cold marble throne
waiting, watching, wondering when the Magi will return with the location of his
enemy. He rants from the palace balcony
each day. He demands that soldiers
patrol the Bethlehem road to scout for the caravan of the Magi. By the time he realizes that the seekers of
the new king are not returning, the Son is safe in Egypt. The family makes their way through the desert
and settles in Memphis, a city large enough to provide work and anonymity. Joseph easily finds a small house in which to
set up a carpentry shop. Though there is
some resistance to a Jew in the community, his skill with the chisel and hammer
soon have him working enough to meet the family needs. After a harried journey, things begin to
unfold quietly for the carpenter. This
is not so in Bethlehem.
Micah, surprised to find his tenant gone, assumes that he
has journeyed to Jerusalem to present the Son at the temple. Although he sees this as an unnecessary waste
of time, he is thankful for the consistent flow of free goat’s milk provided by
Jared’s faithful care for Mary’s small flock.
A month passes before Micah listens to Jared’s concern for the family’s
lateness in returning. Naomi enters the
house to find that all of the personal possessions are gone and a note left for
Micah and Naomi. It simply states that
they are not sure when they can return.
Some coins are on the table, intended to settle any debt that Micah
feels Joseph owes to him. Naomi pockets
the coins and chooses to convince Micah to keep the home open for a while in
the event of their return.
Unknown to Joseph, his friend Longinus, newly reassigned to
lead Herod’s palace guard, rides to Bethlehem.
Unknown to Longinus, he seeks the life of Joseph’s Son. In his madness, Herod has devised a plan to
find the rival King and kill him.
Longinus and forty men ride into Bethlehem at sunset two months after
Joseph leaves. The men bunk at the garrison
but Longinus and Patrius spend the night in comfort at the inn on the edge of
town. They both note the skill and
craftsmanship that are in its design.
They also note that the innkeeper has a young child, obviously under the
age of two.
The following morning, just before sunrise, the wailing cry
of their Son awakens Joseph and Mary with a start. For all their efforts, they cannot comfort
him as he kicks and cries. The Son
refuses to nurse. Even when he becomes exhausted
from crying, he sobs fitfully throughout the day. With no sign of illness or fever, the parents
are perplexed as to what action will calm their Son. They take turns holding and comforting him
throughout the day. By late afternoon,
he succumbs to a fitful sleep marked by whimpers and the occasional cry.
The cries in Bethlehem will go on for days. As was planned, the soldiers begin their task
at first light. Staging themselves on
the outskirts of Bethlehem, they work systematically inward, going from house
to house, searching for children under the age of two. Soldiers like Patrius, however, are too
enamored of the killing to remember the limitations of their task. Parents resisting the soldiers fall to the
Roman swords as well. Late afternoon
arrives before the soldiers, bloodied and weary begin to reach the center of
town. Patrius last act for the day is to
visit the inn, collect his belongings, and kill the innkeeper’s youngest child.
The soldiers, including Longinus and Patrius go to the
garrison where they will soak away the day’s work in the hot bath prepared for
them by the local servants. While the
steam and water leach away the weariness and bloodstains, Longinus discusses
the work with the local captain.
The captain offers, “This is the second time in the last few
months we have had excitement here.”
Longinus stretches out in the hot water. “What do you mean second time? Has there been an uprising or some other
event that set Herod off in this way?
The captain looks confused.
“No, but I thought you would know about all the noise over your father’s
friend. He came here for the
registration and his wife gave birth.
All the locals talked about Messiah this and Messiah that. There were bright lights and singing and
people went on about if for days.”
The color drains from Longinus’ face so rapidly that the
captain thinks him ill and calls for wine.
Longinus stops him and stepping out of the bath speaks, his voice
trembling. “You will not speak of this
to any of my men. Neither are you to
tell anyone of our conversation. Our
loyalty is to Rome and this king of the Jews, Herod, is not long for life. I have done as ordered. All that I require of you is that you tell me
where Joseph is and that you keep silence concerning your knowledge of him. That same order applies to all your men as
well.”
The captain, certain that he understands none of this,
answers. “We have not seen Joseph in two
months. He was to journey to Jerusalem
for some ceremony then return. Your
father had warned him of Zealot activity in Nazareth and so Joseph had planned
to stay here for some time. A rumor said
that they departed with a caravan from the east. That is all I know and I will obey your order
of silence.”
Guilt and uncertainty grapple for control of Longinus. He leaves the bath and secludes himself in
borrowed officer’s quarters. Physically
he is clean but he still feels innocent blood on his hands. For the third time in a year, his path and
Joseph’s have crossed and for the third time the ground has tasted blood for
it. Both this man and his wife have
given the soldier friendship and trust.
The politics surrounding them has brought nothing but cruelty and death,
first to his own men, then Joseph’s father, and now, unwitting innocents who
were simply in the wrong town. Rage and
remorse course through the soldier who once took up his sword to defend the
ideals of a noble state. He signed on to
serve for honor and a republic not the whims of a maddened puppet king. He wonders how he drifted so far from his
ideals that he did not even question the order to kill hundreds of innocent
children.
The centurion dines alone and will see none of his men. As he turns in for the night, he is certain
that he can hear a sound carried throughout Bethlehem on the dessert wind. The sound will haunt his dreams for the next
three decades. Night after night when
Longinus is on the edge of sleep, he will hear the mournful wail of a woman
weeping for her children who are no more.
Far away in Memphis, Joseph prepares to turn in for the
night as well. Exhausted from the day’s
ordeal, Mary and Jesus are both already asleep.
When he first hears the crying, he thinks that it is his bride and goes
to her, but she rests soundly, her breathing even and soft. It becomes obvious that the weeping, carried
on the night wind, comes from outside their home. The carpenter offers a silent prayer for the
unknown woman who sends her sorrow into the night, asking God to comfort her in
her anguish. The carpenter drifts off to
sleep not knowing that there is no comfort for the land that wails from the
pain of being gorged with so much innocent blood.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment