If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.
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NOTE: This is the last of four stories i have posted for this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. Each one, as you already know if you have been following along, is a fictional first-person account of the events that surrounded our Savior’s birth. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!
Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th)
Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7th)
Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (December 14th)
Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (This week - December 21st)
This week you will hear from a scribe named Annas. His name should sound familiar to you. He would eventually become a high priest in Jerusalem, and he, together with his son-in-law Caiaphas, would be instrumental in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. At the time of Jesus’s birth, however, he would have been a young man. So, let’s consider the possibility that his first knowledge of the existence of the King of kings was at the time of Christ’s birth. Let’s listen to this young, ambitious scribe as he shares his eyewitness account of this portion of the Advent story.
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My name is Annas and I am a young scribe serving in the court of King Herod the Great. I already have the ear of the king though I’m only nineteen years old. However, I am not content with my current position – my aspirations are much greater. I fully intend to be High Priest one day soon. But I have gotten ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning.
My father, whose name was Seth, recently died. I am grateful to him for the life of privilege and political connection in which I was raised. With the advent of Roman administration over our land, the Sanhedrin was re-established. The Sanhedrin are our rabbinical courts, which have been established in every city of our land.
Since everything we do as Jews is guided by our religious laws and teachings, the courts are tasked with resolving any disputes or ruling on affairs that are in violation of our teachings. Our Roman rulers are concerned only with matters related to suspected rebellion or capital punishment. Therefore, the Sanhedrin is granted wide latitude in its decision-making process.
The Sanhedrin is divided into the Great Sanhedrin and the Lesser Sanhedrin. The Lesser Sanhedrin is made up of individual courts in each of our cities. The Great Sanhedrin serves as the supreme court of the land, taking appeals from cases decided by the lesser courts. My father was a member of the Great Sanhedrin. As such, he garnered significant influence and power.
I was an excellent student – not only under the teachings of my rabbis – but also the life teachings of my father. As I watched him and listened to him, I learned not only what to do, but also what not to do. My father became an ally of King Herod when he first rose to power under the Roman-given title of “King of the Jews.” That alliance continued to strengthen over the years as Herod’s grip of power over our land did the same.
Prior to the advent of Roman rule, two political influences dominated our land. One is the Pharisees, known for their doctrinal tenacity; the other is the Sadducees, known for their political savviness. Both groups are considered religious bodies, dividing most pointedly over their respective beliefs regarding the resurrection of the dead. There have always been good debates between the two bodies over that singular issue – and I venture those debates will always continue.
Sometimes I wonder if the debate is really over the issue of doctrine or the love of debate. My father was a Sadducee, as am I. Sadducees, because of our political alliance with the Herodian rulers, tend to carry the decision-making weight within the Sanhedrin.
Being a Sadducee fits me well. I am more politically and socially motivated than spiritually. My tendency is to use spiritual beliefs for political advantage. The current High Priest is a friend of my father by the name of Eleazar ben Boethus. He, too, is a Sadducee. Through his relationship with my father, and through my own cunning, I achieved the role of a scribe to the Great Sanhedrin.
Though my role is to give counsel to the members and not be a decision-maker myself, it has placed me in a position of influence over those who are making decisions – and the decisions they make. I am the youngest person to have ever held this position.
In recent years, King Herod has undertaken extensive building projects throughout our land. One of them was the reconstruction of our temple here in Jerusalem, which was completed just a few years ago. The other was the construction and establishment of a new port city along the Mediterranean Sea that he deftly named Caesarea Maritima. He established his palace and the seat of his governance in that showcase city. Caesarea has become our political capital, while Jerusalem remains the religious and accepted capital of our land.
I was honored when Eleazar ben Boethus gave me the choice of serving as a scribe in Herod’s court in Caesarea or here in Jerusalem with the Sanhedrin. Despite any rulers’ attempts to the contrary, I knew the center of power in our land would always be in Jerusalem. So, I determined to remain here.
But Herod also knows that the center of power is here, so periodically he comes here to stay at his palace in Jerusalem. I told Eleazar that I would be available to give counsel to the king as a scribe in his court whenever he was here. That way, I could maintain visibility in both centers of power.
Such was the case a week ago. Herod was staying in his palace here in Jerusalem, and I was attending him in his court. That afternoon, news reached the palace that a royal entourage from the east was making its way through the city in the direction of the palace. The king had not received any message that an envoy was coming. So, the surprise visit created quite an uproar in his court. Who had the audacity to show up at the king’s door without royal permission or invitation? What matters could be so important that protocol would be so disregarded?
The king decided to refuse them an audience, even before hearing their purpose. Even the Romans extended that courtesy to him! He had been told that this was a Parthian delegation. And he would not condescend to their breach in protocol.
I knew, however, how important our trade relations are with the Parthian empire. Also, they are our gateway to the Han Dynasty of China. We could ill-afford offending this strategic trade partner. Fortunately, over recent months, I had begun to develop a trusted relationship with Herod’s son, Antipas. More than likely, he would one day become a ruler of our land when Herod died. So, our developing relationship would be invaluable in the days ahead – but it also was beneficial now.
I sought out Antipas, explained my assessment of the situation, and recommended that he counsel his father to accept the visitors. His powers of persuasion prevailed, and Herod agreed to grant an audience to the Parthian delegation. The king invited Antipas and me to join him in receiving them.
As the delegation entered the king’s throne room, I was taken aback by one detail. I had been told they were bearing gifts befitting a king. And yet the servants reported to me that the gifts remained on their pack animals. The gifts obviously were not intended for this king!
The group was quite ostentatious – as Parthians tend to be. After they had dispensed with the prerequisite pleasantries, the magus by the name of Balthazar asked, “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)
We were all taken off guard by their question. But to his credit, King Herod maintained his composure and instructed the delegation to remain in his throne room while he momentarily excused himself to go get the information they wanted. His composure quickly faded once the three of us were standing in the privacy of his personal chambers.
“The King of the Jews!” he ranted. “I am the King of the Jews! How dare they suggest that anyone apart from me has been born into those ranks! Antipas, my son, you are one of my heirs. Has news of your birth taken seventeen years to make its way to Babylon? How dare these people suggest that one has been born who will displace me and my seed!”
I realized that calmer heads needed to prevail, so I said, “Your majesty, though you were not born a Jew yourself, you are well-versed in our Scriptures and our prophecies. You know that the prophets foretell of One who will come – the Messiah – who will lead our people to rebel against foreign authority and return our nation to its position of glory.
“Our people have prayed for His arrival for hundreds of years. Perhaps these magi have read those writings and seek that One. If truly that prophecy has come to pass, your Majesty will want to know – so that you are able to preserve your own position of authority within the kingdom.
“As I recall, the prophets foretold that such a One will arise out of the town of Bethlehem. Would the King not be prudent to advise the Parthians to seek the Christ there? And if by chance they find such a One, they could return to tell you of their finding. Then you could determine what further action, if any, you need to undertake. That is, if it pleases your Majesty.”
The king’s rage began to subside as he warmed to my suggestion. Antipas added his endorsement to the plan. I arranged to have one of the priests brought to the king’s throne room to read the ancient prophecy to our guests as they stood before our king.
We returned to the throne room, where the priest repeated the prophecy at the king’s request:
“The Christ will be born in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’”(2)
King Herod then turned to the magi and told them, ”Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”(3) That last statement seemed to ingratiate the king with the magi.
After the men departed, Herod was quite pleased with himself. If these Parthian magi did in fact find that such a child had been born, they would tell him about it – and he would do what needed to be done. And if, more likely, they did not find a child, then Herod would be seen as magnanimous in his response and the Parthians foolish in their expedition. It truly was a “win-win” situation for King Herod. He was very pleased that he had come up with the plan. And I was pleased that he thought it was his plan!
For the next several days, Herod walked around the palace quite delighted with himself. On several occasions, he asked if there had been any word from the Parthian magi. The longer they delayed in their return, the more certain he was that their expedition had been fruitless. Obviously, they didn’t want to admit their error – or so he thought.
After several more days passed, I decided to send out spies to find out what the magi were doing and why they had not returned. The spies returned the next day and gave me their report.
I sought out Antipas and together we requested an audience with the king. “The Parthians did in fact make their way to Bethlehem as the king directed, your Majesty,” I said. “Several people witnessed their arrival. But no one could tell our spies if they visited anyone or saw a child while they were there. They apparently camped for the night on one of the hills overlooking the town. The next morning they departed. But instead of returning by way of Jerusalem to bring you a report, your Majesty, they traveled due east through the Arabian desert in order to avoid you. They obviously will not be returning to bring you any report.”
“I knew it!” King Herod responded. “Those Parthians, who thought they knew something we did not, discovered their error and were too embarrassed to return to me to admit it. I will use their disrespect to my advantage in the days ahead!”
“You see Annas, there was no cause for concern,” the king continued. “Our plan was successful, and we will reap the benefits in the days to come.”
“But your Majesty,” I replied, “there is one other matter. Apparently, the gifts the magi brought with them to give the newborn King remained in Bethlehem! Our spies learned that when the magi departed the next morning, their pack animals were not carrying any of the chests. The men must have given them to their intended recipient – but our spies were not able to learn who that recipient is!”
King Herod once again flew into a rage!
Little did I know that one day – many years later – I would come face-to-face with the One who had been the recipient of those gifts.
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You can listen to the audiobook version of this story as narrated by Kyle Bullock by tuning into this week’s episode of my podcast by CLICKING HERE.
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.
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(1)Matthew 2:2 (ESV)
(2)Matthew 2:5-6 (ESV)
(3)Matthew 2:8 (ESV)
Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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