NOTE: This post concludes my series of five short stories for the Advent season. This story, as well as the previous four, have been my gift to you — as faithful readers of this blog. If you are new to my blog and missed the first four posts, i invite you to go back and read them. Though each story stands alone, it is helpful to have the context of the full series. i have endeavored to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels, but please bear in mind that by their nature these stories are fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been woven into each story. My prayer is that, through the telling, you have experienced anew the glorious arrival of our Lord and Savior through a different set of lenses. To that end, join this final “eyewitness” as he tell his story.

The Series:

Joseph – A humble carpenter (December 4)

Achim – Joseph’s cousin (December 11)

Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (December 18)

Simeon – An expectant prophet (December 25)

Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (This week – January 1) 

i pray you have a joy-filled and God-blessed new year!

My name is Balthazar. I am a life-long student of the science of the stars. I have been so ever since I was a child. I grew up and live in the city of Babylon. Once the center of the greatest empire on the face of the earth, we are now a provincial capital within the somewhat lesser Parthian Empire. The empire encompasses the whole of the Levant along the Mediterranean Sea, excluding the city of Tyre. Our province within the empire includes all of the region that makes up the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. The Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty of China passes through our province, making us a prosperous center of trade and commerce.

As the satrap of our province, my father governed our region – paying proper tribute and supplying soldiers to our king. Because of this arrangement, our king is often referred to as the “King of Kings.” I am my father’s second son; therefore, I am not his primogeniture. He did not groom me to become the next satrap. Rather, I have been permitted to pursue my love of science, and have become one of the leading magi of my province. I have enjoyed a life of privilege and was educated in the palace by some of the finest scholars in the world. Over the years, our empire has adopted the art, architecture, cultures and religious beliefs of the ancient Babylonians, the Greeks and the Persians. And now, through our commerce, our beliefs and culture are also being greatly influenced by the Romans and the Chinese.

At an early age, I became intrigued by the patterns that existed between the movement of the stars and the earthly events effected by those movements. There is of course a very clear correlation as it relates to the rising and falling of tides, as well as the changes in the seasons. But the Persians identified ways that events could be predicted based upon the movement of stars – such as the rise and fall of kingdoms, the foretelling of the births and deaths of rulers, and the like.

During King Darius’ rule of Persia, he called upon a Hebrew magus by the name of Daniel to give him counsel. Daniel employed many of the Hebrew writings, as well as some of his own, to help interpret coming events. Some of those writings pointed to a coming King who would become the King of all Kings. For generations, first the Persians and then the Parthians studied the stars to determine when this King would be born. One of my teachers was preoccupied with this study. He ignited that same passion within my own heart. So I have dedicated my days – and nights – for decades, watching the movement of the stars in anticipation of their announcement of this King’s birth.

And then that singular event occurred! About a year ago, a new uncharted star arose in the eastern sky. It was brighter than any other that had ever been recorded. Travelers from China confirmed that my fellow magi in their country had also identified this star as a new celestial phenomenon, and they too had begun to chart it. The discovery appeared to coincide with the Hebrew writings that a special king would one day be born. He would not be just any king – He would be the “King of Kings.” And the star had appeared in order to lead us to Him! 

I had prepared for this moment for my entire life! My older brother was now our ruling satrap, so I petitioned his approval for me to undertake a royal expedition to follow the star and convey our good wishes to this King. It was agreed that I would bring Him a gift worthy of such a king. We decided that I should bring a weight of highly fragrant frankincense. It comes from the trees in the valley of our province and is the finest in the land.

Preparations were made within a matter of days. My protégé, two servants and I set out astride our camels on this – my life’s quest. The star was leading us to travel to the west – but in order to avoid the pitfalls of traveling through the Arabian desert, we headed northward toward the sea, along the bank of the Euphrates River.

We had been traveling for several days when we came upon another caravan of travelers who were embarked on our same quest. I soon discovered that they were actually two different caravans who had encountered one another several days earlier and had made the decision to travel together. They were from two of the other provinces within our empire. They graciously extended an invitation to us to join them in following the star.

When we reached the Mediterranean Sea, it was obvious that the star was leading us south into Judaea. The star appeared to be getting brighter – and though I knew better, it appeared to be inviting us to follow it. As we discussed our course of action, we determined that we should travel to Jerusalem. We were told that King Herod was in residence in Jerusalem; therefore, we would stop there, pay homage to him, and inquire of him as to the birthplace of the King.

As we road into Jerusalem, our arrival created quite a stir. The Jews are a more austere people; whereas we Parthians tend to be somewhat flamboyant in our attire and our demeanor. The size of our traveling party also served to bring greater attention to us. It soon became apparent that the people thought we were a royal delegation sent on official business to their king. The people began to flock around us as we made our way closer to the palace. As we neared the palace, we encountered two priests who appeared to hold positions of authority. We asked them if they could direct us to where the King of the Jews had been born. They looked at us incredulously and told us we would need to speak to King Herod.

When we arrived at the palace, our welcome wasn’t much different from what we had received from the crowd. Those in attendance seemed to be greatly disturbed by our presence. Those who were milling around our servants and animals questioned our servants as to why we did not bring the gifts that they could see were astride our animals into the palace. We were hurriedly brought before King Herod. After we had been presented to him, I asked him, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”(1) The king appeared to be troubled by my question, as if this was the first he had heard of it. He told us to remain where we were as he exited the room.

He was gone for quite a while, and we were left to attend to ourselves. This was a very unusual royal visit! Finally when he returned, he asked us when the star had first appeared. We told him that it had appeared about a year ago. He told us that aligned with what he had seen – though I honestly doubted if he had even seen the star until we mentioned it to him. He told us that the baby had been born in Bethlehem. That information aligned with what I had studied in the Hebrew writings. But then he said, “Go and search diligently for the Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.”(2)

It seemed very strange that he would wait for us to find the King and then return with a report. I couldn’t help thinking that we Parthians appeared to be much more interested in paying homage to their newborn King than the Jews were themselves. But nonetheless as we departed we again saw the star arise – leading us to continue our journey. 

When we arrived in Bethlehem we knew better than to ask any of the townspeople where the Baby was. After our reception in Jerusalem, we knew that they would not be able to tell us. So we watched the star as it came to rest over a house built beside a hill. As we presented ourselves at the door, the master of the home greeted us. He told us that his name was Achim. As he looked at our entourage, he appeared to be quite astounded by our appearance.

“Greetings, strangers. What is your business here?” he asked.

I explained that we were seeking the newborn King of the Jews and that the star had led us to his home. A woman, who was apparently his wife, stepped out from behind him and bid us to follow her. As we entered the courtyard of the home, the other people inside also seemed astonished by our presence. If there was truly a newborn king in this house, they were not expecting Him to have any visitors!

We followed the woman up to a small, plain room on the third floor. She remained outside the doorway but pointed for us to enter. As we entered the room, we saw a Baby that appeared to be about six weeks old, together with His young mother. The mother and Child were dressed plainly, and the room was furnished very simply. This was a very surprising abode for One who is a King. But there was an atmosphere in the room that was undeniable. We immediately knew that we were in the presence of royalty and that this was the Child! The mother was the first person we had encountered in all of Judaea who was not surprised to see us. It was as if she had been expecting us. She gave us a knowing look and nodded for us to enter. Immediately we fell down and worshipped the Baby.

After a time, we presented the gifts we had brought. I presented the gift of frankincense. As we opened the boxes, their aromatic scent filled the room… the entire house… and the whole town. Next, one of my companions presented his gift of gold – gold that was fit for a King. Finally, another companion presented the gift of myrrh. Myrrh was well known for its medicinal qualities. The oil also emitted a fragrant scent that mixed well with that of the frankincense.

There was an atmosphere of reverence in the room. Very few words were spoken. We did learn that the woman’s husband was away on business in Jerusalem. She asked us how we had found the Child. We explained about the star. We explained how it had appeared and how we had been watching for a celestial sign. She listened intently to every word we spoke, but her only response was a gentle, understanding smile.

As we prepared to leave, the young mother thanked us for coming and honoring her Son. She bid us God’s blessing as we continued on our journey. Without any further ado, we departed.

We decided to camp in the hills outside Bethlehem for the night. It was late. We would return to Jerusalem the next day to bring our report back to King Herod. However that night as we slept, all of us had the same dream. In the dream we were warned not to return to Herod. We were warned that he only sought to harm the Child. So in the morning, we decided to return to our provinces by a different way.

We feared for the Baby and His parents if Herod found them. But something told us He never would. As we travelled, our hearts rejoiced because we knew we had seen the One whose coming had been foretold so long ago. No other King has ever been born under a star like this One. He will be a King like no other. He is truly the King of Kings. He will be the King over all. And one day at His feet every knee will bow.

Little did I know how true that would be….

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Watch for the release of my new book Little Did We Know in September 2020. It is a collection of twenty-five short stories for the Advent season – the five from these blog posts plus twenty more “fictional eyewitness” accounts – about the prophecies and events surrounding the arrival of the Messiah.

(1)Matthew 2:2 (ESV)

(2)Matthew 2:8 (ESV)

First published on kenwinter.org. Copyright © 2020 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.