Stray currents fluttered through the cave’s entrance, breathing life to the dying embers. Two men hunched over the glowing coals, coaxing the last of their warmth into their outstretched limbs.
The older mans skin was wrinkled, fashioned by the wind and darkened by the sun …. it recorded years of tending sheep in the rugged Judean hills.
The younger man’s features were youthful, clean shaven, smooth, as yet unmarred by the passing of time and elements of outdoor life.
“Abba…Something mysterious happened today.”
Ephraim rubbed his hands over the coals, as he sent a questioning glance in his sons direction.
“When I left the lambs at the Temple, I went to the river to see the prophet. The Baptiser was teaching from the passage in Isaiah; …a voice crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord …”
Benjamin paused with a puzzled expression ….
“Abbah. Could the Baptizer be the one Isaiah was referring to? A voice crying in the wilderness? He’s a voice crying in the wilderness nu?”
Ephraim, weary from the day and mesmerized by the slowly dancing coals, looked past Benjamin for a moment before answering;
“Maybe____For certain … the prophecy wasn’t of the scribes and Pharisees.”
Benjamin scoffed.
“He called them a generation of vipers!” He glanced at his father for a reaction before he continued.
“The baptiser is fearless … and the scribes and Pharisees hate him. They boast of being Jews, God’s chosen, but the Baptizer is unimpressed. He just looked at them and said God could raise up descendants of Abraham from the rocks they were standing on!”
The older man threw his head back and laughed.
“He’s an honest prophet I’ll give you! Not like that pack of wolves!”
He motioned for Benjamin to continue.
When they began whispering among themselves; He looked at them;
“Who warned you escape the wrath to come? Where are the fruits of repentance? The ax is laid to the root of the trees: every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit will be cast into the fire.”
Ephraim sprang to his feet.
“Yahweh be praised!”
He thrust his arm heavenward, his index finger stabbing the air for emphasis.
“Scribes and Pharisees..” He scoffed.
“They profane the temple for filthy lucre. They offer a pittance for our lambs, and then force pilgrims to pay usury! Shameful!”
Benjamin reached for a small twig as Ephraim returned to warming his hands, waiting for him to continue. He gathered his thoughts, snapping the twig, verbalizing the question he was puzzling over;
“Abba… The Baptizer is so different from the religious ones; He says there is one greater then he, coming after him;”
His voice took on the tone of the Baptizer:
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to tie: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
Eye’s gleaming he turned to face his father.
“Abba, while the baptizer was teaching, a stranger made his way to him. He seemed like one of us … but still … he had an air of authority, but not like the scribes and Pharisees.” He paused;
Ephraim stopped rubbing his hands together and listened more intently.
“We didn’t know what was happening but the Baptiser and the man seemed to know each other, yet, they were very different. John wears only a tunic of camel’s hair and a leather girdle.”
The older man grunted.
“The “Prophet” would make an ordinary shepherd seem dressed like a king!”
Benjamin chuckled nodding;
“He’s a wild man and his fiery words bring conviction, but the stranger was different. He was kind. I felt drawn to him…”
Ephraim leaned forward.
“What happened?”
The boy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly … He began again.
“ John knelt before him.”
“The prophet?”
“Yes … But the man reached down and brought him to his feet. They talked for a little and then he was baptised. It was just like the others, except …. That’s when it happened!”
Benjamin felt a tingle move up his spine.
“When the stranger came up from the water, the heavens parted and a dove alighted on him!”
Ephraim fastened his eyes on Benjamin as he continued.
“Abba, after the dove alighted, a voice spoke! ….. We all heard it! ‘This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased!’
The quiet of the night settled over the pair. Ephraim was moved with a deep emotion as an event on a chilly winter’s eve many winters before pushed into his consciousness.
“We too heard a voice from the heavens once … long ago.”
Time slowed and stopped. The low crackle of the dying embers amplified the stillness as a hush awaited the tale to finish. Ephraim began softly intoning the passage from the prophet Jeremiah;
“In Rama was there a voice heard …;”
He paused, and then the monotone voice continued, an involuntary trail of tears making their way down the craggs of his face;
“Lamentation, and weeping … and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children; and would not be comforted; Because they are not.”
Angelic Hosts
Benjamin’s eyes grew wide, the moments seemed like an eternity. He could no longer contain his question; He spoke gently to his father, sitting quietly, lost in thought;
“Abba. What is this that you speak of?”
Ephraim’s mind was back to an earlier time in search of memories long hidden.
“The sun had set and it was night.”He began slowly;
“The sheep were in the folds and I had placed my mat to guard this very entrance; Suddenly, the sky was ablaze with light and melodic sounds of celebration. Many voices, too numerous to number, all excited and all speaking at once. It was a chorus of sound and light filling the sky, but we understood the message of the heavenly host of angels perfectly!”
Benjamin’s eyes grew wide as Ephraim continued his account.
“They were angelic beings proclaiming glad tidings of great joy; A Holy birth: God’s son … had been born in a stable in Bethlehem! They said we would find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger!”
As Ephraim finished the recollection, his voice tailed off in wonderment.
Benjamin gasped.
“In Bethlehem? In a manger?”
“We went to see of course! It was fearful and wondrous at the same time! We gave no thought to the sheep, only that we must go to Bethlehem and see for ourselves.“
“Abba. Why have I not heard this before?” Ephraim shook off the questions and continued.
“When we got to the village we found everything exactly as the angels had said. A light streaming from the heavens shone over a house and stable. We knew it was the sign. It was there, we found the newborn baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in the manger.”
Benjamin interrupted
“The stable? Yaweh’s son born in a stable?”
“The couple from Nazareth had arrived in Bethlehem when it was nearly dark. Because of the census, there was no room for them in the Inn; all that remained was the stable at the Inn.”
“The Messiah in a stable? How could this be?” Benjamin stammered.
Ephraim looked fondly upon his son.
“Angelic messengers … the wonder of it all; We gave no thought to the strangeness of the Messiah born among simple shepherds, we were excited and amazed!” He chuckled.
“When we told of our angel messengers, we discovered they too were were visited by angeles and even told what they were to name the baby.”
Before long, the Innkeeper awoke to find us all gathered around the manger telling our stories. He paused as the memories came to life.
We revelled for a time, telling and retelling our stories; Our commotion caused a small crowd to gather before we remembered we had left our sheep unguarded and returned to our folds.
When we left, the Innkeeper insisted the new family be moved from the stable into the Inn.” He smiled and added. “There was room in the Inn after all.”
Benjamin jumped to his feet.
“Abbah! Such a tale! This should be told many times around the fire at night. What a wonder.”
Ephraim sighed quietly as buried memories bubbled from their hidden vaults deep within.
“There’s more.”
His shoulders dropped as though a great weight had suddenly been placed upon them. A sadness filled his countenance and he began to speak.
“You have two older brothers!”
“Abba!”
Benjamin interrupted.
“Why have I not known of this before!”
Ephraim ignored the question, grabbing the stirring stick, he poked the dying embers.
Benjamin sat quietly waiting. a cautionary sense of foreboding tempered the thrill he had felt moments before.
Ephraim began slowly recounting the story.
As we were returned to our flocks, we encountered a caravan of Magi.”
“Magi!” Benjamin exclaimed.
Ephraim continued. “They had traveled a great distance from the East and arrived at Jerusalem earlier that morning. They were told by the scribes, the prophet Micah had prophesied the king they were seeking was to be born …!”
Benjamin broke in excitedly;
“In Bethlehem! The Messiah will be a descendant of King David and will be born in Bethlehem!”
“Yes, yes, you are correct.” The Magi’s servants told of the appearance of a star. The same star that had begun their master’s quest; It had long since disappeared but had returned to guide them just as the Heavenly Hosts appeared to us.”
Benjamin was ready to burst.
“They saw the angels … from Jerusalem?”
“Our angeles were their guiding star.”
He paused for a moment as the long hidden memory flooded back.
“Their tale was as fantastic as our’s!”
Ephraim chuckled quietly as the memories of the time so long ago flooded over him.
Rachel’s Children –
“Abba, what happened to Magi and the baby?”
Ephraim sighed heavily as the shadow returned.
“On the second morning after their arrival, the Magi left Bethlehem before dawn, but they did not return to Jerusalem as Herod had requested. For a short season, we gathered in the evenings around the fire to relive the angel messengers and the appearance of the magi.”
Benjamin shook his head slowly, deep in thought.
“Abba, the angels said you would find Yahweh’s son in the manger, no? The Magi told of following the star and the birth of a king in Israel, no?”
Ephraim bowed his head as the old questions with no answers tumbled through his memory.
“Yes____ yes my son. We too wondered at the thought and events to wonderous for shepherds.”
Benjamin’s eyes grew wide.
“Abba, what became of the baby king? In the manger?”
There was a long pause before Ephraim went on.
“The young couple remained with the Innkeeper until the time for her purification had passed …”
The sudden muffled sob jarred Benjamin! Never had he witnessed his father overcome with emotion. Ephraim struggled to speak as his breathing became labored.
“No sooner had they gone; then the Roman soldiers came!” He spit out the last words with uncharacteristic venom.
“Romans!” Benjamin gasped. “Yes.” Ephraim whispered.
“The Magi had enquired in Jerusalem concerning the newborn KING of of the Jews. After consulting with the Sanhedrin, Herod sent them to Bethlehem, with instructions to return when they found the newborn.”
Benjamin shuddered involuntarily as Ephraim relayed the account.
“Herod heard rumors of a disturbance in Bethlehem and awaited the Magi’s return. When he discovered they had left, without returning to report, as he had requested, he was furious! He issued the order….”
Pausing, Ephraim continued with great effort;
“All the male children in Bethlehem and the hill country, from the age of two and under were to be slaughtered!”
“Slaughtered!” Benjamin gasped.
“Yes my son, Herod thought only to kill the baby! A rival king!” Ephraim paused. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly.
“You are our third born Benjamin. Yaakov was our first born, Avram our newborn.” Benjamin burst in.
“My brothers?”
He felt confused by the new revelations.
“I was in the hills tending the sheep when the Roman soldiers came. Your mother had our sons, torn from her arms; Slain before her very eyes.”
Benjamins voice broke,
“My brothers?” Ephraim continued,
“Yes, my son. Grief nearly destroyed us. Fifteen seasons passed before Yaweh soothed our sorrow; I AM THAT I AM gave you to us, my son.”
A look of horror came across Benjamin’s face. “Father I never knew.” His voice broke. Ephraim nodded.
“I know my son. There were no answers or understanding of these things or their meaning. The grief and pain sealed the memory to the past. I have refused to think or feel the grief for these many years, as have the others. The pain of memory has kept them buried.”
Father and son sat quietly, each deep in thought. After some time Benjamin spoke. “Abba, you said the baby in the manger had a name?”
Ephraim thought for a moment.
“Yes. The father said his name was Jesus.”
Exclaiming, Benjamin jumped to his feet!
“Abba! … The man today; The one who came to the Baptizer at the River: His name was Jesus! … Jesus of Nazareth …. I heard the Pharisee’ talking, after we heard the voice from heaven; The Pharisee’s said, the voice we heard could not have been God’s voice, because God’s son would not have come from Nazareth.”
