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Introduction to this post:

This is the fourth of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Week #1 - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

Week #2 - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

Week #3 – December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

This week - December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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My name is Balthazar and I am a lifelong student of the science of the stars. I grew up and live in the city of Babylon. Once the center of the greatest empire on the face of the earth, it is now a provincial capital in the somewhat lesser Parthian Empire. The empire encompasses the whole of the Levant along the Mediterranean Sea, excluding the city of Tyre.

Our province 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.

My father was the governor of our province, paying proper tribute to 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, so he did not groom me to become the next governor. 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 influenced by the Romans and the Chinese.

I was just a boy when I became intrigued by the patterns between the movement of the stars and the earthly events they affected: for example, the rising and falling of tides as well as the changes in the seasons. The Persians predicted events based on the movement of stars, too – but events such as the rise and fall of kingdoms, the foretelling of the births and deaths of rulers, and the like.

During King Darius’s rule of Persia, he sought a Hebrew wise man named 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 in my heart. So, I have dedicated my days and nights for decades, watching 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 ever recorded. Travelers from China confirmed that my fellow magi in their country had also identified this star as a new celestial phenomenon; 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 my entire life! My older brother was now our ruling governor, so I asked for his approval 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 the gift would be a weight of highly fragrant frankincense. It comes from the trees in the valley of our province and is the finest in the land.

My young servant, Yanzu, also was becoming one of my best pupils. I decided he would join me on the expedition, and I gave him charge over the chest containing the frankincense.

Preparations were made within a matter of days. My protégé, two of my servants, including Yanzu, and I set out on our camels. The star was leading us 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 also following the star. I learned that they were actually two caravans that had met several days earlier and decided to travel together. They were from two of the other provinces in our empire. They graciously extended an invitation for us to join them.

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 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 demeanor. The size of our traveling party also drew attention. People apparently 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.  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.

Our welcome at the palace wasn’t much different from what we had received from the crowd. People seemed to be greatly disturbed by our presence. Several questioned our servants as to why we did not bring the gifts we were carrying into the palace. We were hurriedly brought before King Herod. 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 unattended. This was an unusual royal visit! Finally, when he returned, he asked us when the star had first appeared. We told him 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 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 more interested in paying homage to their newborn King than the Jews themselves. As we left, we again saw the star rise, 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 – especially after our reception in Jerusalem. So, we watched the star as it came to rest over a house built beside a hill. The master of the home greeted us when we knocked on the door. He told us his name was Achim. He looked 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 told 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. Inside, we saw a baby who 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 surprising abode for One who is a King. But there was an atmosphere in the room that was undeniable. We immediately knew 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 were 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 sent word to our servants to bring up 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 street below. 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 frankincense.

There was a hushed reverence in the room and few words were spoken. We learned the young mother’s husband was away on business in Jerusalem. She asked us how we had found the child. We explained about the star and told her 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 child’s 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 since it was late. We would return to Jerusalem the next day to bring our report back to King Herod. However, that night we all had the same 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 route.

We feared for the baby and His parents if Herod found them. But something told us He never would. As we traveled, 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. And one day at His feet every knee will bow.

Little did I know how true that would be …

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More about Balthazar

In this story, i have used the name of one of the wise men from the East, who according to Western Christian tradition, was one of the three biblical magi, together with Caspar and Melchior who visited the baby Jesus  after He was born in Bethlehem. Balthazar is traditionally referred to as the King of Arabia and gave the gift of myrrh to Jesus.

The Gospel of Matthew does not give the names of the Magi (or even how many there were).  As a part of the group of magi, Balthazar followed the Star of Bethlehem first to the palace of King Herod the Great, who instructed them to return to him when they had found the Christ Child. Matthew records that when they arrived at the house, the Magi worshipped Him and presented their gifts. Balthazar gave the gift of myrrh, an expensive item at the time, which symbolized the future death of a king. Following his return to his own country, avoiding King Herod, it is purported that Balthazar celebrated Christmas with the other members of the magi in Armenia in 54 AD but later died on January 6, 55 AD, at age 112. The feast day of Balthazar is recognized on January 6, among certain religious groups.

i include this story in this Advent series for two reasons. First, for the understanding that those who diligently seek the Savior will find Him (Proverbs 8:17), and second, that though we may make our plans, it is God who directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9).

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This story is taken from Little Did We Know, a collection of twenty-five short stories for the Advent season. The book is available through Amazon in standard print, large print, and for your Kindle or Kindle app. It is also available as an audiobook. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy.

I am grateful for the narrating talent of Kyle Bullock and all that he brought to the audiobook version of this story. i hope you will avail yourself to the print and audio versions of the story in order to capitalize on the full experience.

Again, you can listen to the audiobook version of this story as narrated by Kyle by tuning into this week’s episode of my podcast by  CLICKING HERE.

Also, i encourage you to click the link below to listen on YouTube to this contemporary rendition of the Christmas favorite, We Three Kings, as performed live at the Opry.

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(1) Matthew 2:2 (ESV)

(2) Matthew 2:8 (ESV)

 

Copyright © 2024 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

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