Toddler King
He was a toddler by the time we found him. Living in a home in Bethlehem. Ha! Bethlehem! Who would have expected that? I guess we should have read the prophecies more closely. But then, everyone expects a king to be born in the capital. And you expect a new king to be born to the old king. Who would have thought he would be so...ordinary?
We had studied the Hebrew prophets for longer than I can remember. And not only them, but many prophecies and scrolls from many different religions. The more we studied, the more there was this certainty that rose up within all of us that something what about to happen. Something important was near. Something big. So when we saw the star, the impossibly bright star, it just seemed logical to follow where it led. Oh, try explaining that to your family. "You followed a what?" But at the time it made sense.
We knew it would be a long journey. If our guess was right (and our guesses usually were right), we would be traveling all the way to the land of Judea. It would take many, many months to make that journey. But we were committed to finding truth, wherever it was, and so we set out. We traveled at night because we had to follow the star, and it was cooler to travel then, anyway.
Nearly two years it took us, but when we got to Judea, the star stopped. It seemed to be shining over Jerusalem, so we went to see the king. Like I said, that's where you would expect to look for a new king, right? Herod was his name. We told him what—or rather, who—we were looking for, and he invited us to stay for a while, to enjoy his hospitality, until he could find out the information we needed. I thought it was strange he didn't know right away. If a king had been born, wouldn't Herod know about it? But the hospitality was great, and so we stayed. Within a few days, Herod called us in. "I've learned," he said with an air of arrogance, "that the king you seek was to be born in Bethlehem. That's what the prophets promised."
Bethlehem? How had we missed that? Well, I guess that's what we get for following a star instead of purchasing a GPS. Bethlehem is just down the road from Jerusalem, so our navigation was just a bit off. "Thank you, King," we said, and headed down the road. "Be sure to come back," Herod called after us, "and tell me where to find him. I'd like to...go see him myself."
So we went to Bethlehem, and there in an ordinary, simple house, we found this toddler, playing with his toys. There was something within us that seemed to say, "This is the one!" After a conversation with his mother, it was confirmed. The strangest thing, though, is how ordinary he looked. He wasn't yet two years old, and yet there was a wisdom in his eyes that spoke of eternity. When we offered him the gifts we had brought, he just smiled up at us, almost as if he knew. Almost as if he knew he was here for more than we could imagine.
That night, as we were camping and preparing for the long journey home, I had a dream that warned me we should go home another way. Herod has murderous intent for the child. So we packed up early the next morning and took the longer way around Jerusalem. We didn't report back to Herod. I imagine that made him fairly angry, but I don't care.
I've seen the future king...of Israel? Or of something greater? There is more to this toddler than I can put into words. He is a king, of that I am certain. I'm just not sure he's a king of anything in this world. Time will tell, I suppose. For now, I am so glad I made this journey, just to see him and to know...to know...to know the one who was promised long ago is finally here.
We had studied the Hebrew prophets for longer than I can remember. And not only them, but many prophecies and scrolls from many different religions. The more we studied, the more there was this certainty that rose up within all of us that something what about to happen. Something important was near. Something big. So when we saw the star, the impossibly bright star, it just seemed logical to follow where it led. Oh, try explaining that to your family. "You followed a what?" But at the time it made sense.
We knew it would be a long journey. If our guess was right (and our guesses usually were right), we would be traveling all the way to the land of Judea. It would take many, many months to make that journey. But we were committed to finding truth, wherever it was, and so we set out. We traveled at night because we had to follow the star, and it was cooler to travel then, anyway.
Nearly two years it took us, but when we got to Judea, the star stopped. It seemed to be shining over Jerusalem, so we went to see the king. Like I said, that's where you would expect to look for a new king, right? Herod was his name. We told him what—or rather, who—we were looking for, and he invited us to stay for a while, to enjoy his hospitality, until he could find out the information we needed. I thought it was strange he didn't know right away. If a king had been born, wouldn't Herod know about it? But the hospitality was great, and so we stayed. Within a few days, Herod called us in. "I've learned," he said with an air of arrogance, "that the king you seek was to be born in Bethlehem. That's what the prophets promised."
Bethlehem? How had we missed that? Well, I guess that's what we get for following a star instead of purchasing a GPS. Bethlehem is just down the road from Jerusalem, so our navigation was just a bit off. "Thank you, King," we said, and headed down the road. "Be sure to come back," Herod called after us, "and tell me where to find him. I'd like to...go see him myself."
So we went to Bethlehem, and there in an ordinary, simple house, we found this toddler, playing with his toys. There was something within us that seemed to say, "This is the one!" After a conversation with his mother, it was confirmed. The strangest thing, though, is how ordinary he looked. He wasn't yet two years old, and yet there was a wisdom in his eyes that spoke of eternity. When we offered him the gifts we had brought, he just smiled up at us, almost as if he knew. Almost as if he knew he was here for more than we could imagine.
That night, as we were camping and preparing for the long journey home, I had a dream that warned me we should go home another way. Herod has murderous intent for the child. So we packed up early the next morning and took the longer way around Jerusalem. We didn't report back to Herod. I imagine that made him fairly angry, but I don't care.
I've seen the future king...of Israel? Or of something greater? There is more to this toddler than I can put into words. He is a king, of that I am certain. I'm just not sure he's a king of anything in this world. Time will tell, I suppose. For now, I am so glad I made this journey, just to see him and to know...to know...to know the one who was promised long ago is finally here.
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