The Bethlehem Star

The Bethlehem Star
Pg. XII
which, as you know, readers, is only a distance of about VI
miles to the south of our Holy City. It was there that I was
able to catch up with them.
For the first hour or so, I underwent a long ritual during
which I must have finally convinced them of where my
loyalties really lie.
Then I turned to one of the
III, Kasper, a tall, stately man,
although with a rather pale
countenance, much like a ghost
to this writer’s eyes, and asked
him about the elaborate gifts
they had brought.
He told me, “Those were
supposed to be for the family of
the one who has been born. We
believe that he is the Messiah
that we have all been waiting
for, and we wanted to be sure
that his family is well provided
for. We expect that he will be of
humble heritage.”
Kaspar, the Spokesman
“Are you kings?” I
asked them, seeing how large
their entourage was, how
ornately dressed they were, and
how lavish were their materials and gifts.
“Not at all,” Kasper said, with a slight smile on his face.
“Like others in the East,” he explained, “we have spent much
of our lives in the study of the stars. They always have much
to tell us. And we have been rather successful in helping
various businesses arrange their affairs based at least partly
on the knowledge that we have gained. For this we have been
compensated rather handsomely, even by several of the
monarchs in that land on a fairly regular basis. In fact, our
families have been involved in this type of study for many
generations now, and the reputation of the families, as well as
our financial status, has been carried on from generation to
generation.”
“So how is it, then,” I continued, “that you saw fit to
undertake such an arduous journey as this, over dangerous
mountain passes where surely robbers and gangs of brigands
would be anxious to lie in wait for such bearers of wealth as
you three?”
Kasper looked at his two companions. They thought a
moment, and then I noticed Balthasar laying his finger aside
of his nose and beginning to develop a sort of a gleam in his
sparkling eyes. He was a short, chubby fellow whose heavy
white beard only slightly concealed dimples and surprisingly
rosy cheeks—rare, but appealing features on the jolly face of
a man of his advanced age.
And then he spoke.
“Somehow, we all knew not to be worried. We
knew that this star was a sign that peace was about
to fill the land. We knew we would be okay. Of
course, we consider ourselves wise men, not fools,
so we always travel with our hired mercenary
soldiers, more for a deterrent to robbers than
anything else. We’ve never yet been subject to any
attack in our travels.”
“How did it happen that you all decided to
travel together, then?” I asked.
Melchior, a large-framed, healthy-looking, yet
older man, who seemed to be a much more serious
fellow, answered me. “It was Kasper who brought
us together for this, soon after we happened upon
one another in a city park on the west side of
Babylon one night as each of us had come there to
get a better look at what appeared to be a new
revelation in the sky.”
“You mean our star,” I said.
“Yes, that’s right,” he nodded. “You see, when
our father in the Heavens wants to tell us something
special, He often uses
His stars. And He
places them up there
for us with their own
special color,
brightness,
twinkle, ...and even
with their own
individual feel about
them.”
“A feel about
them?” I asked. I
wasn’t sure I
understood. “What do
you mean?” I said to
Melchior, the Elder
them.
Melchior
continued, “When we
realized that each of
us that night was gazing at the same exact star, we
began to discuss it together. And each of us had the
same exact feeling about it. As we studied its
movements each night, we couldn’t help but feel a
tremendous calm, and yet, at the same time, a
wonderful excitement, that it was a sign from on
high of the beginning of an era of worldwide peace.
Never before had we seen or felt any other star like
this one. We watched it together for nearly a month;
and then, when we were pretty sure we knew what
it meant, we decided to follow it, and find out for
ourselves.”
“Yes,” added Kasper, “but, oddly enough, once
we stopped in Jerusalem, the star disappeared. It