Dr. Mike Murphy
December 27, 2022
He was not prepared for what the stars had shown him. The night before had shown a sight he wondered if his eyes would ever truly see. The stars had revealed a promise, a promise that had been past down for generations. The night before the sky had opened itself up for the world to see, and revealed a star that showed all the future had to offer.
As he stood on the terrace of his roof, dawn was just beginning to appear. As he looked to the east, he could watch the white haze of the morning clouds forming. The beauty he saw filled his eyes, and the thoughts of what this day would hold filled his heart. Today, the world had forever changed. And today, a future promise had become the glorious promised future.
But this was a day he had prepared for, a day he had so longed for. He had sold much of the wealth he had known in readying himself for this day. With it, he had purchased three rare jewels. A flawless blue sapphire, that shined with the brilliance of the night sky. A perfect ruby, that glistened like the flames of a fire. And a treasured, once in a lifetime pearl, that shined like a snow capped mountain. Three perfect gems for a perfect King, that he would place in the hands of a perfect Child.
He prepared that morning to find the child, the promised Messiah who had entered the world the night before. He had made plans to meet with three of his fellow Magi on this morning, the day after the star had appeared in the sky. He hurriedly got all he needed together, gathered his prized steed, and rode off to meet the other Magi at the destination they had prepared to meet at. He knew the time was short, and he would be pushed to arrive in the short time he still had to get there.
As he swiftly rode to their predetermined meeting place, his horse slowed and began to react with caution as he neared a large grove of date palms. Soon his horse froze with fear, and as he looked ahead he could begin to see an image emerge from the shadows of the trees. He watched as the figure collapsed, and soon found himself dismounting to see if he could help. From the dress of his clothes and the wear on his face, it did not take him long to determine that the man who had collapsed in front of him was one of the poor Hebrew men that toiled in the area of the groves. As he reached the man, he found him motionless, clinging to the little life he had left in him.
His first thought questioned whether he should just leave the man. He would surely not survive in his condition, and even the slightest of delays might cost him all he had prepared for. But as he looked into the man’s eyes, his heart would not let him leave this man. He hurriedly lifted up the man, and carried him to a small mound at the base of one of the trees. He gathered water from one of the nearby canals, and moistened the brow and the mouth of the struggling man. With his knowledge of medicine, he reached into his pouch and mixed a remedy he hoped would help the man, restoring what little strength he might still have left. For hours he labored in healing the man, and soon the man’s strength began to return.
“Who are you?” “To whose hand to I owe so much?”, the Hebrew man asked. “I am Artaban”, he replied. , “A Magi, and I am on my way to Jerusalem to honor the King that was born this past night. One who will be more than just the King of the Jews, but the Prince who will deliver this world. I am sorry, but I can no longer delay, as the caravan I am meeting may have already rode off without me. Here is all the bread, and most of the water I have. As your strength continues to restore, I am now sure you will be able to make it back to the city.”
“I have no way to repay you for all you have done for me”, the man told Artaban. “I am poor by all standards, but I can give you information that will help you on your journey. I remember the words the prophets taught us well, and the Messiah you seek will not be found in Jerusalem, but was foretold to be born in a small, neighboring town called Bethlehem. May the Lord keep you safe on your journey, and may your eyes see what they seek.”
Artaban mounted his horse, and rode his prized steed that night with the greatest of speed. But as he arrived at the place they were all to meet, not a sight of his fellow Magi could be found. As he searched the area, he found a note they had left for him. The note simply read that they had waited for him as long as they could, asking him to ride on into the desert and catch up with them. But without food, and limited in the supply of water he now had, Artaban knew what they asked would be impossible. He decided that night that he would now have to take this journey alone, and must return to the city to gather all he would need. And with the reality of the moment, he was now faced with an even more troubling thought. He would have to sell one of his gems in order to pay for the trip he would now face. As he neared the city, he reached into his pouch, and pulled out the sapphire he had purchased for the King.
As the days turned into weeks, Artaban made his way across the vast desert, seeking the face of the child who he knew was his King. As he wearily arrived in Bethlehem, he could feel his heart again fill with hope. At last he had found the place he sought, and at last he would look into the face of the One who would change the world. But as he sought the house where the child would be, he soon became eerily aware of the desolation and quiet of the streets. No one was present, isolation was all he saw.
Suddenly, he saw a light from the door of a small cottage. As he approached, he could hear the voice of a mother softly singing to her infant child. As he entered, he introduced himself to the woman, and asked about the child he sought, and about his fellow Magi that had come before him. The mother told him of three Magi who had appeared in the village days before. She told Artaban of the story they had told all in the village, and how the star had directed them to the place where Mary and Joseph were lodging with their child. She went on to tell him that as quickly as they had appeared, they had also disappeared. And soon after they left, Mary, Joseph, and the child had left also. Rumor had spread through the village that they had left for Egypt.
The mother graciously offered all she had to Artaban She placed the baby in a cradle, and prepared a meal for her guest. Suddenly, the sounds of panic and chaos could be heard from the streets. They could hear soldiers yelling and woman crying throughout the village. As one woman came running by, Artaban caught her by the arm, asking her what was happening. “The soldiers of Herod, they are killing the children!”
With hearing this, the mother reached for her child, and caressed him in her arms. She did all she could to quiet the young. infant boy, holding him close. As she held him, Artaban could see her begin to pray, and watched as the tears ran from her eyes with every word. Artaban made his way to the door. and closed it behind him. He stood statuesque in front of the cottage, standing out in his royal attire. As the soldiers approached the cottage, their captain came near him. Steadily, and with a low voice, Artaban spoke to the captain. “I am alone here, waiting to speak to the captain who will leave me in peace.” As he spoke, Artaban reached into his pouch and showed the captain the ruby. He effortlessly placed the ruby into the hand of the captain, and looked into his eyes. Quickly the captain turned to his soldiers and said, “There is no child here, move on.”
Artaban watched as the soldiers made their way down the street, then raised his hands in prayer. “I have failed you Lord! I have spoke words that are not true in order to save the life of this child, and I have now lost two of the gems that I have brought as gifts for You. I ask your forgiveness Lord, and I now wonder if i will ever be worthy enough to look upon the face of this Child!?”
Behind him he could her the woman praising God, and she reached for Artaban with the gentlest of touches. “You have saved the life of my child, may the Lord always be with you, may He always bless you, and may He keep you in peace!”
The words the mother spoke were hardly heard by Artaban that night, and for over thirty years Artaban wandered the countryside of Egypt in search of the child he sought. As Artaban searched through the years, he only found many in need. Often he would stop and do all he could to help, feeding those who hungered, helping clothe those who were naked. Soon Artaban found all his money gone, and made his way back to Jerusalem, fearing his years of searching had gone in vain.
As he entered Jerusalem, he noticed the crowds that filled the streets, and soon discovered that it was the Passover season. As he listened to the crowd, he could hear they were all talking about one particular man, one who was being crucified on the hill that overlooked the city. As Artaban asked about this man, the details he received shocked him. “They call him Jesus of Nazareth”. one of the people told him. “He was loved by many of the people, but the Sanhedrin ruled he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God. Pilate has also tried him, and has sent him to be crucified this day.”
Quickly Artaban thought to himself, questioning if this could be the One he had come to see, and wondered if the remaining pearl could be used to seek His ransom. He quickly made his way with the crowds to see if this was his Savior. But as he followed them on the streets, several soldiers cleared the path and brought with them a young girl in chains. As she neared Artaban, she broke away from the guards and fell at his feet. She looked at Artaban and pleaded, “May the Lord God lead you to help me! May you have pity on me! I am the daughter of a Jewish merchant from Parthia. My father has died, and I am to be sold as a slave to pay for his debts.”
Once again the old, familiar conflict found its way to Artaban. Would he help the girl, or make his way to his King? As he looked into the eyes of the young girl, his heart was no longer divided. One last time he reached into his pouch, and placed the pearl that remained in the hands of the young girl. “Here is you ransom. It is all that I have left, and I had brought it with me for my King.”
As Artaban finished the words, the sky suddenly turned dark, and the earth began to tremble. Stones began to fall from the buildings around them, and soon the crowds and the soldiers started to flee. But Artaban and the young girl remained still, beside the building she had ran to him at. Artaban felt no reason to flee, he had given away all he had purchased for the King, and now knew he would never see Him. But even knowing what he now knew, there was a peace in the heart of Artaban. As the earth made its’ last tremble, the building that was beside them began to give way. Instinctively, Artaban covered the young girl with his body, and a stone from the structure struck Artaban in the temple of his head. As the girl pushed the stones away from her, she felt the collapsed body of Artaban beside her. She could see the blood trickling from his head, and she placed his head in her lap.
As she stroked the head of the man who had just rescued her, she could her a faint voice somewhere near the building that had just fell on them. She could see no one, but she could hear Artaban trying to answer. “I have searched for years, but when did I ever see you my Lord?” Again the girl could hear the faint voice, and this time she could make out the words that were being spoken. “Many times you saw Me Artaban, many times. Each time you helped one of My children you saw Me. For each time I have been there with you.” As the words ended, the young girl saw a calm came over the face of Artaban. And as his last breath exited his body, she could see just how much he was at peace. Artaban had completed his journey. Each of his precious gems had been given to the One he had purchased them for. The last of the Magi had found his King.
Many times over the past years this story has been told in different versions. Often times as the Christmas season ends, and the New Year begins, I have preached my version of this little known tale. A story that shows us just how much each day we seek to serve Christ can matter. A story of hope, and a story that shows us just how valuable each opportunity is that Christ gives to us. Each time I have spoke the words, I have prayed the words will do more than just warm the hearts of those who hear them. That the words will call into action the hands and feet of all those who have ears to hear in the coming year.
The words of Christ that drives this story tells us, “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”(Matthew 25:35-40). These words do not lead us by what we feel, or by what we say, but by what we do. It is in our actions that our words take on meaning, and an example can be found. An example this world so needs to witness, that those around us so need to see. For it is in the actions that He calls us to do that His reflection can be found.
As you sing Auld Lang Syne to bring in this coming year, I pray that each resolution you set will be more than just words. That each resolution will carry with it a reflection of Him. I pray that His Will drives each day of your life in the coming year. I pray that each of your days will not just be viewed in the eyes of those around you by what you say about Christ, but by all you will do this year for Christ. I pray that each of your days will be like those of Artaban, that all of your gems will be used in serving Him. And as you finalize your list for the New Year, I pray above all that you will come to realize, the answer is not found in the life that we see so many choose to lead, but we can always find life in the Answer! May all of your examples reflect Christ this coming year!May each of your days be blessed!
