NOTE: Four weeks ago i began posting a series of five short stories surrounding the incarnational birth of Jesus. This is the fifth and final story in that series. These stories are fictional first-person accounts of the prophecies and events surrounding the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is that, through the telling, you are reminded of the Good News of Advent this Christmas season. To that end, let’s look at the account through the eyes of Levi:
Mary – the virgin (November 18)
Eli – the father of Mary (November 25)
Miriam – the hostess (December 2)
Sarah – the granddaughter of Miriam (December 9)
Levi – the rabbi in Bethlehem (This week – December 16)
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I am Levi, the chief rabbi in Bethlehem. Before you become too impressed with my position, remember that Bethlehem is ordinarily a small town – when the census is not taking place – and there are only three rabbis in our synagogue.
During my younger days, I was a student of Hillel the Elder in Jerusalem. Hillel is still recognized as the highest authority on all spiritual matters among the Pharisees. I remember fondly those days as his student. My friend Gamaliel and I would sit at the feet of our master for hours on end discussing – and at times debating – the finer points of our written Scripture and our oral traditions.
These are the guide for our daily lives as Jews. And my role as a rabbi is not only to teach those truths, but also to be a counselor, a role model, and a guide. I am grateful to Jehovah God for the opportunity to serve Him and guide the people of Bethlehem in following Him.
My personal passion is the study of the prophetic writings – particularly those that talk about the coming of the Messiah. It has been four hundred years since the last prophetic writing, the Book of Malachi, was written. The prophet predicts the coming of a messenger who will clear the way for the Messiah. There was a time I thought that messenger might be Hillel because of his wisdom and understanding. But he himself acknowledged that he is not the one. We still await the messenger – who will soon be followed by the Messiah.
Even when the Book of Malachi was written, we were under the rule of conquerors. In that day, it was the Persians. Today, it is the Romans. So, we continue to hunger and hope for the arrival of our Messiah to deliver us from the bondage of pagan rule. I wake up each morning hoping it will be the day the Messiah comes.
And I am in the right place to watch for His arrival. The prophet Micah wrote, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, One whose origins are from the distant past.”(1) The Messiah will come from Bethlehem! Could He already be here? Each day I wait and watch!
Today, I returned to Jerusalem for the celebration of Hillel’s 107th birthday as I have done for the past eighteen years I have lived in Bethlehem. It is a rare privilege and blessing to honor this one whom God has seen fit to grant with such a long life. But today, there was something even more unique – and more important – about my time in Jerusalem. Before I tell you what happened, I must first recount some of the events of the past few weeks.
Six weeks ago, I was out unusually late. I rarely have trouble sleeping, but that night I was restless. I decided the best remedy was to go for a walk through town in the hopes it would tire me out. It was a cool, clear night. The stars were shining brightly so I could see clearly.
It was well after midnight when I saw a group of shepherds. They were leaving town and going back to their fields – but I could not help but see their jubilance. One of the shepherds named Moshe told me they had just come from visiting a baby. He told me the most amazing story about an angel who had come to him and the others earlier that night while they were watching over their flocks. The angel announced that the Messiah had been born that night in Bethlehem.
Moshe went on to explain that the angel had been joined by a large celestial host that had praised God in the announcement of the baby’s birth. The shepherds decided to come to town to see the baby for themselves. They had worshipped the baby and now were returning to their fields.
I could not refute their enthusiasm. They truly believed what they were telling me. As they departed, they directed me to the stable where the baby had been born and told me to go see for myself. But as wonderful as their story sounded, I couldn’t help but question some of the obvious problems with their account.
First, angels had not been seen for hundreds of years. It was hard to imagine that God was sending angels to earth.
Second, if these really were angels, why would they choose to announce the birth of the Messiah to shepherds on a hill? I had spent most of my life studying the prophecies and I had been watching every day. Honestly, if anyone was going to see the arrival of the Messiah it was me. I knew exactly what to look for! Surely, Jehovah God would not entrust such an announcement to a group of uneducated shepherds! He would give that news to men who had been educated in His Scriptures.
Third, the Messiah would not be ushered into the world in an animal’s stable! We were talking about the King of kings! Such an idea was preposterous. I wondered if maybe the shepherds had consumed too much wine that evening. If a baby had been born that night, of course it was cause for celebration – but saying that the baby was the Messiah was just too hard to believe.
I wrote off their announcements to the ramblings of well-meaning men with very active imaginations and continued with my walk through town. There was no need to seek out a stable! I decided to put their ramblings out of my mind.
Over the next few days, I did not hear anyone else in town talking about a baby in a stable. No one else had experienced angelic visitations. No one was announcing the birth of the Son of God. As a matter of fact, no one had announced the birth of any son since the birth of Moshe’s newborn son, Eliezer. As the chief rabbi, I was always alerted about the birth of any baby in town – for the purpose of spiritual blessing, if nothing else. But no announcement came. No baby had been born. Perhaps the Messiah will come tomorrow, I thought. I would continue to wait!
I thought nothing more about it until one week later. A stranger came into the synagogue. He told me his name was Joseph and he was from Nazareth. He had come to Bethlehem with his young wife and she had given birth to a son eight days ago. He went on to explain that he was working in Jerusalem while his wife was recovering in Bethlehem.
“The baby is eight days old today,” the man said. “We have no place to circumcise the child. Would you circumcise Him here in the synagogue?” He was carrying the baby in his arms swaddled in cloth.
I told him I would be honored to do so. I asked the child’s name, and he proudly declared, “His name is Jesus!” Since a rabbi is not only a spiritual leader, but also is often called upon to assist with medical needs, I have often been asked to circumcise baby boys. So, there was nothing unusual about this request. I recounted the covenant that God had made with Abraham and that through circumcision, this child was entering into that covenant.
After Joseph left with the child, I thought of the shepherds. Was this the baby they had seen in the stable? This family obviously did not live here. Perhaps they had nowhere to stay that night. And there would have been no reason for anyone to tell me about His birth at the time. But now that I’d seen the baby, I didn’t detect anything special about Him. If He was the Messiah, the father had made no such pronouncement. Again, I dismissed the thought.
That was five weeks ago. But last night something unusual happened. I was having trouble sleeping again so I went walking through town. To my amazement I came upon a royal processional! I could tell from their attire and bearing that they were from the east. “These men must be lost,” I thought. “Surely, they are traveling to Jerusalem to see the King. No such group of men has good reason to be in Bethlehem.” But they appeared to know exactly where they were going.
Curiosity got the best of me, so I followed them. They stopped at the home of Achim the carpenter. After exchanging a few words, I saw Achim’s wife usher the entire party inside. The visitors’ servants removed chests from their pack animals and brought them into the home. It appeared the men were coming for an audience with someone … in Bethlehem … in a carpenter’s home.
I decided to wait in the shadows and keep watch on what they did. They remained in the house for quite some time. When they finally exited, I noticed the servants were no longer carrying the chests. I could faintly hear some of what they were saying. But one thing I heard clearly as they passed me on their camels – “Truly, He is the King of kings.” I kept thinking about that statement as I made my way home.
That brings me to today. I left Bethlehem early this morning to make my way here to Jerusalem. As I arrived at the temple, I saw Achim and his sons. They were with Joseph and a young woman who must be the baby’s mother. Among their animals was a donkey bearing the chests I had seen the servants carry into Achim’s home.
At that moment, it all began to make sense. The shepherds. The announcement they had heard from an angel. Royalty from the east who acknowledged a King of kings. The prophecy from Micah. And then my own words came back to me, “If anyone was going to see the arrival of the Messiah it would be me. I would know exactly what to look for!” Perhaps I didn’t know what to look for – but God had caused me to be restless two times in order to see those who had known what to look for!
And God, by His grace, had permitted me to circumcise the child! But He didn’t need to be circumcised to enter into the covenant – He is the fulfillment of the covenant! God had permitted me to see the One for whom I had waited and watched.
As the parents and child entered the temple to bring their offerings of purification and redemption, I realized that this first-born Son does not need to be redeemed – He has come to redeem us! I wanted to shout the words throughout the temple, but God quickened my spirit that it was not my news to tell. He would reveal His Son in His way and in His time. As I stood there watching, I praised God and worshipped Him and His Son.
When I arrived at Hillel’s birthday celebration, I thought about sharing this good news with him and with Gamaliel – but again I sensed God telling me not to do so. As Hillel made reference to the coming Messiah, it was all I could do not to tell them of His arrival. But that still small voice inside of me said, “His time has not yet come. I will reveal it in the proper time.”
Little did I know what that would mean …
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This story is excerpted from Little Did We Know. The complete book of twenty-five stories is now available through Amazon in standard print, large print, for your e-reader, and as an audiobook. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy.
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In multiple instances the dialogue in this story comes directly from Scripture. Whenever i am quoting Scripture, it has been italicized. The Scripture references are as follows:
(1)Micah 5:2
Copyright © 2020 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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