Do you know what we did when our little girl was born? … Let me tell you. I immediately called the grandfathers, the grandmothers, the whole family because everyone was impatiently awaiting the birth, and then we wrote cute little cards, and sent photos. In short, we were so overjoyed that we just had to tell everyone about it. We told all our friends: – Just come and see how cute she is! But back to the days of Jesus. There was neither Post Office nor telephone, let alone the Internet. So how was God going to get people who were waiting for the promised Savior to come and see and just how was He going to announce to those who lived on the other side of the world that Jesus was born? Would He send them an angel like he did to warn the shepherds? Well, this is what we are going to find out in the story that we are going to tell us now and you can find it at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. Ah! The question of the day: why are these men making such a long trip?
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Full text of this story :
HOW THEY WILL FIND THE KING CHILD?
In a place, very, very far from Bethlehem, somewhere in the East, men heard that God had promised to send a savior and they believed it with all their hearts. These men, called Magi, were highly educated scholars. They studied the planets. One night, whilst watching the stars, something surprised them. – Look at this star; it is shining more brightly than all the others! – Yes, its brilliance was different to that of the other stars. – What if this is the one we’re waiting for? – Certainly, it is a sign from God! He wants to tell us that the King of the Jews, the promised savior, is born. – We will go and see Him and worship Him. – We will offer Him royal gifts.” They prepared their luggage and their treasures. They loaded the camels and off they went on a journey. So many kilometers to travel! 1000, 1500 maybe even 2000 kilometers. It was a trip that would take several months. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they asked: – Where is the King who has just been born, for we have seen his star appear in the East and we have come to worship Him. A king? How could a king be possibly born? Nobody knows of such an event, we haven’t heard of a birth at the palace, but it ‘s all very odd and the arrival of these rich foreigners is very disturbing. The news reached the ears of King Herod. He took the matter very seriously. – How could he be a king? The king of the Jews! But I am the king of the Jews! He was very confused and above all very angry. He summoned the religious leaders and asked them – Where is the promised savior to be born? – In Bethlehem, the prophet said he would be born in Bethlehem! He was absolutely furious upon hearing the news and he secretly summoned the Magi and asked them exactly at what time the star appeared. Then he said to them: – Go to Bethlehem, and try to get as much information as you can about the infant , then come back and tell me where he is, I too will adore him. At nightfall, the Magi headed for Bethlehem. – Oh! Look!” said one of them, the star that is shining before us is the one that we saw in the East! – Look, it’s moving and showing us the way. Without a doubt, God is leading us to His King. They followed the star and when it came to a standstill above a small house, they knew that they had arrived. They entered and found Mary and the baby Jesus. They fell to their knees, bowed down and worshipped Him. They opened their precious gifts and took out their treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They offered them to Jesus, the child King. They then set off on their long journey back home. But that night, as they slept, God warned them: – Do not go back to Herod but go back to your country by another way. The caravan therefore, took another route. That same night, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said to him: – Joseph, get up quickly, take the little child and his mother, and flee to Egypt because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. Without delay, Joseph left in the night with Mary and Jesus. They took refuge in this foreign country where they lived for some time in safety. They came back later when God told them and it is in Nazareth that we will find them in our next stories.
1, 2 3, 4 AND YOU AND ME! Imagine the children of Jerusalem who saw these wise men pass by. – Oh! Look, they’re not like us! – Did you see their clothes? – We don’t understand what they are saying! – What are they doing here? – They seem to be very rich … and did you see that caravan of camels! – And all this luggage! … – Yes, these foreigners really did come from afar! Speaking of foreigners, do you think God makes a difference between people? No! This story reminds us that He loves all men, all women, all children, regardless of their country, race, age, and that He will bring about circumstances in which everyone may come to know Him. If you want to know Jesus better, then He will help you and guide you. It may not be with a star because I believe that you may not understand what He wants to say to you but He can speak by other means. He may ask you to listen to His voice, read the Gospel, and pray. All these things will enable you to have a better knowledge of Him. We can now answer our question: Why did these men go on such a long journey? Simply because they wanted to know Jesus, the promised savior and worship Him.
4, 3, 2, 1 AND WE PARENTS! The Magi decoded the message that God was sending them and they believed it. Personally, I do not understand this language of the stars ; maybe you understand it. Not sure! Fortunately, God speaks in different ways. But, do we hear His voice? Do we understand what He is saying to us? Do we have the eagerness of the Magi to know Jesus? Do we also have this eagerness to obey Him as Joseph and Mary did. God miraculously protected the little child but he asked the parents to cooperate. They had to leave everything to flee to Egypt. Their protection required their obedience to God.