THE SON OF
THE HIGHEST
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Chapter l
”Angel Messengers from Heaven”
Chapter 2
”The Visit of the Wise Men”
Chapter 3
”The Boy Jesus in the Temple”
Chapter 4
”Jesus at Jordan the Holy Spirit Given”
Chapter 5
”Beginning His Mission”
Chapter 6 ”A
Ruler comes to See Jesus”
Chapter 7
”The Woman at the Well”
Chapter 8
”The Great Teacher”
Chapter 9
”Lessons and Miracles”
Chapter 10 ”A Stormy Night on Galilee”
Chapter 11 ”Parables and Miracles”
Chapter 12 ”Strife and Storm”
Chapter 13 ”Dark Sayings”
Chapter 14 ”Love Divine”
Chapter 15 ”At the Feast of Tabernacles”
Chapter 16 ”Learning to Pray”
Chapter 17 ”Raising the Dead” Chapter 18 ”Teaching Around Jordan”
Chapter 19 ”The Lost Coin and other Parables”
Chapter 20 ”The Triumphal Entry”
Chapter 21 ”Stories in the Last Days of Jesus’ Life”
Chapter 22 ”A Supper at Bethany”
Chapter 23 ”The Farewell Supper”
Chapter 24 ”In the Garden of Gethsemane”
Chapter 25 ”Jesus Pays the Ransom”
Chapter 26 ”The Resurrection”
Chapter 27 ”The Ransom is given to God”
PREFACE
This story is
intended as a sequel to”The Ten Camels.” Like its predecessor it was first
written to meet the demands of the Author’s little daughter for”Another Bible
Story, Mother.”
The Author
claims no credit for the viewpoints or interpretations presented herein. Other and wiser minds were used of god to
bring forth meat in due season from the storehouse of God’s Word for the
household of faith.
An attempt has
been made to present the glorious truths of the Word of God in language simple
enough for the child’s mind to grasp.
No”New Light”is offered but the events of the life of the”Prince of
Peace”are—as far as possible—placed in the proper sequence. This has not been easy, as the different
Gospels—being written so long after the events narrated therein took place—do
not agree in all particulars; some placing certain events early, and some later
in the life of the Master.
The Author
wished to express thankfulness to God for revealing through His wise and
faithful servant the Truths herein offered and to acknowledge the assistance
rendered by the compilers of the”New Self-interpreting Bible Library”in placing
the events of the Master’s life in proper order. Without the help of this work the task would have been more
difficult.
At the request
of her little daughter the author has ventured to intersperse sundry original
poems through the volume. It is with
humility and joy in His service that this book is offered for your perusal. May it prove a blessing in assisting our
little ones to a better understanding of the Mission of our Great King and the
appreciation of the Character of our Mighty Creator.
Yours in His
Service,
L.K.P.
THE ARRIVAL OF
THE HIGH PRIEST
(From the Order
of Melchisedec)
”Now what is
this?” The shepherds cry.
”This light
that slants adown the sky.
It is not time
for morning’s light
To scatter all
the shades of night.
What is this
music that we hear
That sounds so
sweet upon the ear?
Why seems yon
star to throb and glow
And o’er the
earth its bright rays throw?
”See how it
lights the sleeping fold
And turns the
foliage to gold.
Now who is this
that stands before us?
A hush of
wonder settles o’er us.
Bow low your
heads and worship God,
For surely Holy
is this sod.
List to the
message that He brings,
Who comes to
earth with shining wings.”
”Look up ye men
of Israel
And still your
anxious fear;
I bring to you
from Heaven
Glad tidings of
good cheer.
For unto you in
David’s town
Is born a
Savior King.
This is the
blessed message
Jehovah bids me
bring.
Lo you shall
find the Baby wrapped
In swaddling
clothes and laid
Within a lowly
manger.
Haste then, Be
unafraid.”
Then glory o’er
the shepherds spilled,
And suddenly the
Heavens filled
With an angelic
throng who sang
An anthem
glorious that rang
Adown the
starry night.
”Glory to God
in the Highest
and on the
Earth be Peace,
Good will to
men from this time forth
Begin and never
cease.
Begin and never
cease!”
See in yon
lowly cattle shed
On Mary’s arm a
downy head.
Two little
flower-petal hands
That flutter
o’er the swaddling bands.
The shepherds
kneel there in amaze
As on the
miracle they gaze.
Then back to
Heaven they wing their way.
The throbbing
star withdraws it ray.
They have
transferred a perfect life
From Heaven’s
glory to Earth’s strife.
Escorting thus
God’s Firstborn Son
Beheld His life
on Earth begun.
The mightiest
feature of God’s Plan
That should
redeem the sons of man.
He who created
all the stars
And flung the
red veil over Mars,
Before whom
angels worshipping
Were wont their
offerings to bring,
He—second
only to our god—
For love of man
has graced earth’s sod.
Now Mary tends
His infant cry
While wondering
shepherds kneel close by.
These verses
are included at the request of little”Linnet”who loves them very dearly. Perhaps other children will love them also.
L.K.P.
CHAPTER
1—ANGEL MESSENGERS FROM HEAVEN
”Mother dear,
you promised me that you would tell me all about Jesus,”said a little
fair-haired girl one winter night.
Linnet, for it
was our little friend, whom you met in the stories of the”Ten Camels,”was
sitting at her mother’s knee. Her
health had improved greatly since the days when Mother sat by her bedside and
told her those stories, but her love for the Word of God had not changed.
”Yes,
darling,”Mother replied, ”I have not forgotten. Now where shall we start the story? You know it will take many evenings to tell all about our
wonderful King. Perhaps there is no
better way we could spend the long winter evenings.”
”It is always
best to start at the beginning, is it not, Mother?” ”Yes, dear, it is. Now
where would you say the beginning of the story of Jesus would be?” Mother
smiled.
”Way back when
God made the earth and the stars, Mother.
You told me Jesus was with God then.”
”You are right,
dear. Jesus was ‘The firstborn of every
creature,’ ‘The beginning and the ending of the creation of God,’ ‘For by Him
were all things made that were made.’ I
am sure you have not forgotten how God was the first and how He made Jesus—who
was then called—can you remember, dear?”
”He was called
the ‘Logos,’ was He not, Mother?”
”That is right,
dear. Do you remember what the word
Logos meant?”
”Yes, Mother,
The Messenger or Word. He was called
Michael too, was He not?” Linnet asked.
”Yes,
dear. ‘The Logos’ was really His title,
and the name He was known by—in olden times—was Michael. It means ‘Like God.’ You will remember, dear, God promised to
send this great Messenger to earth. Can
you tell me the first promise about His coming, that is in the Bible?”
”It was when
God said He would send ‘The Seed of the woman’ to crush Satan’s head.”
”That is right,
dear. That was the very first promise
God made to Adam and Eve after they sinned.”
”Why did god
say ‘The seed of the woman’ Mother? Why
did He not just say He would send His Son?” asked Linnet. ”Why did He call Jesus by such a funny name?”
”You remember,
dearest, how Mother showed you that every thing has a father and mother. Even the trees and flowers have two
parents.”
”I think it is
so funny, Mother, that a big tree should have such a tiny father and mother as
those little yellow things in the flowers.
My father and mother are big and tree’s are so tiny.”
Mother
laughed. ”It does seem funny,
dear. The stamens and pistils of the
flower are the real parents of the plant.
Everyone who has ever lived (except Jesus) has had two parents. Jesus really had two also but only one on
earth. God was His Father and Mary His
mother. God was really giving the
people a sign by which they might know His Messenger. He put it that way so that no one would understand till He wished
them to. If Satan had understood he
would not have been in such a hurry to get Cain to kill Abel. It was because he thought every good man
might be the ‘seed of the woman’ that he had caused all good people
trouble. In this way Satan was used to
test and try those who wanted to serve God.
You see if we are good when everything goes right it does not mean much,
but if we are good when it is easier and more pleasant to do wrong, just because
we want to please God, then He knows that we really love Him. So He has allowed Satan to make it hard to
be good, during this age. When God said
that the ‘seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head,’ He was showing
us that we must look for someone who had no earthly father,”Mother
explained. ”All down through the years
of the world’s history, people watched for the promised Messenger of God. For many years He did not appear and people
could not understand. Had God
forgotten? When a good man DID come and
did some great deed, the people hoped that he was the one for whom they were
looking, but the good men all died and sin went on. Soon people grew weary of watching for the Prophet and turned
from god to worship idols. Noah tried
to lead them back to the True God but he was only able to save his own
family. Then his children began to look
to idols and to turn from God also.
”After many
years God called Abraham to leave the city where the idol worshippers lived and
to go to Palestine. You remember what a
good man Abraham was. God talked to him
and told him many things.”
”God told him
that Jesus would be born in his family, did He not, Mother?” Linnet asked.
”Yes dear. I see you have not forgotten. Abraham thought that Isaac was the promised
seed but he was only used as a picture.
God made many
pictures in those days. Some day we
will tell you about them all. When
Moses came to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, the people thought that
he was the Messenger whom God had promised, but Moses himself, said, ”A prophet
shall the Lord your God raise up to you from among your brethren. He will be like me and you must listen to
Him. It will come to pass that whoever
will not hear Him, will be cut off from among the people.” That meant that they
would die if they disobeyed the true Seed.
So Moses showed them that he was not the real Messenger but that he was
another picture. God sent many people
to the children of Israel to help them when they were in trouble and each time
they hoped that it was the one who would take away sin. All died in time and Satan and sin lived on.
”Satan hated
these good men and always did all he could either to make them turn from God to
sin, or to kill them, because he was always looking for the one who was to
destroy him. When David came and was
such a fine king and destroyed their enemies and made them a great nation, the
Israelites were sure he was the Messiah.
Then he died and Solomon came who was so rich and wise at first, that
the people felt sure the time had come at last. But Solomon sinned and died and the kingdom was divided. Many grew discouraged but David had left
many prophecies that showed that the Messiah was still to come and he and
Solomon were just pictures of some one greater. They all had earthly fathers so they could not be the ‘Seed of
the woman,’ but the people still did not understand. They had no way of knowing that God had permitted Satan a time to
rule over the earth and see what he could do with it.”
”That was a
week of God’s days, was it not, Mother?”
”Yes, dear, and
one of God’s days is as long as one thousand years of ours. Nearly four of these great days had passed
when the time came for the next part of God’s Plan. God had already sent word through His prophet, Daniel, that Jesus
would come four hundred and eighty years after the king of Persia ordered the
rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem which the people of Babylon had
destroyed. He showed, what they could
not believe or understand, that they would refuse their King and He would be
killed, and their nation punished.
”That was why
the people were expecting Jesus to come, but they expected that He would come
as a great king and prophet and would lead them to battle against their
enemies. The prophets had told them
many things about Jesus and what He would be like, and the pictures God had
made, told them much more, but they did not search His Word to see what the
coming King would be like. Isaiah told
them that the new King would be the son of a young, Jewish woman, who would be
of the family of King David, but not of Solomon’s family. The prophets said He would be born in
Bethlehem but would be called a Nazarene.
They told them that God would call His son out of Egypt; that He would
have no riches or beauty that they should wish Him to be their King. They told them that he would take away their
sicknesses and heal their diseases, and that they would refuse to have Him and
would kill Him. One prophet told them
of how He would ride into the city on an ass, and another said that one who
shared His food would betray Him.
Another said that He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver, and His
clothes would be divided among His enemies.
Another told how He would be buried with the rich but His body would not
decay; that none of His bones would be broken.
They said He would be pure, harmless and good.
”With all these
things to show what their new King would be like, it seems hard to see why they
did not know Him when He came, but we must remember that He was also to be a
greater Prophet than Moses, a greater Leader than Joshua and a greater King
than David or Solomon. So the people
could not picture such a man. We must
remember, too, that most of the people could not read for themselves and had to
trust the Scribes and Pharisees to tell them what god’s Word said. Now everyone can read for themselves, but
they do not always do it. Many trust
leaders still, just as the Jews did and so never really know what the Bible
does teach.”
”That is why I
want to learn all about the Bible, Mother.
I want to know what God really said so I won’t make mistakes. I want to be able to teach other children,
too,”said Linnet, leaning on her mother’s knee and looking up into her
face. She was only seven and just
starting school, but her heart was filled with love for God and the Great King.
”We must lean
before we can teach, darling. Remember
how Elijah had to stay three years by the brook and feed on the bread the
ravens brought and drink the water from the brook? So you, too, must feed on God’s Word and drink deep of Truth
before you can teach others,”Mother said.
”Our great
Father, God, and the Logos, were watching the things that were happening on the
earth. They knew the time had come for
the next part of God’s Plan. We can
imagine Jesus—who was the Logos then—saying to His Father, ‘There are so many
fine people among them, Father, and even those who are wicked have much that is
fine in them, but they are deceived by Satan and are dying. I long to lift them up and help them.’
”Then God might
say, ‘You know, dear Son, that nothing can be done to help them till Adam’s
debt is paid. I cannot change my ruling
that death must pay for sin.’
”Then Jesus
would say, ‘If someone else paid Adam’s debt and died for him, the penalty
could be lifted. I would gladly pay
that debt, for though they are so sinful and weak, I love them. I know you love them, too, Father, and that
you have planned that if someone will take Adam’s place they may yet be
forgiven and taught how to live right.’
”’Do you
realize, dear Son, that the one who pays that debt must be born among them as a
babe and live and suffer with them? Do
you see how they will hate him and kill him?’
”’Yes, Father,
I know. I understand many of the
pictures you have told me to make. I
know that Isaac pictured the one who would lay down His life willingly for
them. I am willing to face anything, to
suffer and die for them. I know you would
do it yourself but the Universe cannot be left without a God to govern it, and
You are Divine and cannot die. Let me
go Father. I will do my best to help
them.’
”Then God would
say, ‘If you do that work for Me I will give you back your life. Indeed I will do more. I will make you Divine, as I am, and you
shall sit at my right hand and I will give the world into your hands to lift up
and bless all the people there and teach them how to live. You may restore them to the perfect life
Adam had—if they will obey our laws.
Then the will of God shall be done on earth even as it is done in
Heaven.’
”’I am ready,
Father. I love the people of the earth
even while they are sinners, and I know they will be well worth any
sacrifice.’ So Jesus, who was still the
Logos and the very greatest in Heaven, next to His Father, God, agreed to be
our Savior and Helper.”
”Does it not
make you love Him, Mother? I want to
show Him how much I love Him. I want to
be true to Him.” Linnet spoke earnestly and there were tears in Mother’s eyes
as she said, ”You will, my darling.
Now, we can picture god and His dear son talking over the best way the
Plan could be carried out. When
everything was arranged, the angel Gabriel was sent to the earth with a message
to one of the people of Judea.
”Zacharias was
a priest at that time and it was the time of the Atonement sacrifices. He had taken the incense into the Holy Place
and was burning it on the golden Altar when he saw a man standing near the
Altar. Only the priests were allowed to
go into the Holy Place so Zacharias felt sure he was dreaming, but he was a bit
frightened.
”The stranger
said, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias. God
knows how much you have always wanted a child.
He has heard your prayers and your wife’s prayers and has sent me to
tell you He is going to give you a son and you must call him John. He will go before the Messiah and tell of
His coming.’
”Zacharias had
prayed for many years for a son but none had come to them and at last he had
grown old and had given up all hope.
Now he just could not believe the message of the angel. He said, ‘How am I to know this is
true? I am an old man and my wife is
old, too. I know it is just a dream.’
”The angel
said, ‘Zacharias, I am the angel, Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,
and He has sent me to tell you this.
Now because you did not believe my message, you will be dumb and will
not be able to speak until all that I have told you has taken place.’
Then the angel
disappeared and left Zacharias alone.
When he went out to the people he had to show them his wishes by signs,
for he could not speak to them. The
people said, ”He has seen an angel.’
Zacharias finished his work at the temple in Jerusalem and then he went
to his home. The angel went back to
heaven and waited awhile. About six
months later God sent him again with a message to a young girl in Nazareth.”
”I know who she
was, Mother; she was Mary, and the angel told her about how God had chosen her
to be Jesus’ mother and to take care of Him,”Linnet interrupted.
”That is
correct. You will remember how she
asked the angel how she could be the mother of the Baby Jesus when she was not
married. She did not understand that
the Baby must have no earthly father.
The angel said, ‘The power of god will overshadow you, and the holy
child shall be called the Son of God.’
At last the ‘Seed of the woman’ was to come to the earth.
”Up in Heaven
Jesus gave himself willingly into God’s hands and the great Creator, who had
made both angels and men by His power, now caused a deep sleep to come over His
dear Son. Jesus must give up His life
as an angel and be changed into a tiny human being that was placed, by God’s
great power, in the ‘seed house’ of His earthly mother Mary.
”Even there god
was able to watch over Him and to guard Mary from all harm. Mary remembered that the angel had told her
that her cousin Elizabeth was to have a baby, too, so she went away to the hill
country where Zacharias and Elizabeth lived, to see her cousin. She must have wondered how she could make
Elizabeth understand the wonderful thing that had happened to her, but she did
not need to worry because Elizabeth knew all about it. The angel had prepared her for Mary’s coming
and she welcomed her cousin gladly. Her
first words were, ‘How is it that the mother of my Lord has come to me?’ Mary’s heart was full of joy and she praised
God. She stayed with her cousin till
the time came for the baby John to be born, and then she returned to her own
home.
”Perhaps
Joseph—her cousin to whom she was engaged—sent for her. You remember that in those days, if a girl’s
father and mother died, her nearest relative who was not married had to take
her to be his wife. Mary’s parents were
dead and Joseph was the one who must marry Mary and care for her. When Mary told Joseph abut the angel’s visit
and the Baby that was to come, he must have thought that she was just making up
a story. He was quite angry and was
going to send her away but God sent His angel to Joseph, and the angel said,
‘Mary has told you the truth. She has
been chosen of God for that greatest honor ever to be given to a woman. The child that will come to her is the Son
of God and the great Prophet He has promised.’
So Joseph took Mary to his own home to be his wife. He was very good to her.
”Elizabeth’s
little son came, as the angel said he would, and when he was eight days old the
priest from the temple came home to give the baby his name and to mark him as
God had commanded all boy babies born to the Children of Israel must be marked. Many friends of the family came, too, for it
was quite a ceremony, something like a christening to the people of the
churches. When they would have given
the baby its name the priest said, ‘What is the child to be called?’ Elizabeth said, ‘He is to be called John.’
”’But none of
your family is called by that name. Why
not give him his father’s name? Call
him Zacharias. What does his father
think?’
”Zacharias
could not speak but he motioned to them to bring a pen and paper and he wrote,
‘His name is John.’ Then the last thing
the angel foretold had come to pass and the old man found that he could talk
again. He said, ‘Blessed be the God of
Israel for He has visited His people and has raised up a horn of salvation for
us in the house of his servant David, even as He promised by the mouth of all
His holy prophets. He will save us from
our enemies for He will keep His promise to Abraham that we should be saved,
and should serve Him without fear. You,
my son, shall be called the ‘Prophet of God’ and will prepare His way before
Him.’
”They did not
realize that the rulers of the people would kill Jesus, for they did not know
that the Ransom must be paid first and many years must pass, while god was
choosing out the Church to be the Bride of Christ, before the promises of God
could come to Israel.
”John grew up
and lived in the hill country, till the time came for him to give his message
to Israel.
”Six months
after John was born, another wonderful thing happened. Do you know what that was?”
”It was the
coming of Jesus, was it not, Mother?”asked Linnet.
Mother had been
knitting steadily as she talked, and now she stopped to measure her work before
she went on with the story.
”Yes,
dearest. Mary was living in Nazareth,
and you will remember the prophets had said Jesus must be born in
Bethlehem. Perhaps Mary wondered about
that, for Nazareth was quite a long distance from Bethlehem and there were no
cars or trains. One day a messenger
arrived in the little town and told the people that the Roman Emperor had made
a law that everyone must pay a tax. In
order to make it easier to collect this tax he said everyone must return to
their own tribe and to the town from which their family came. There they must have their names written in
a big book and they must pay the tax.
It meant a lot of trouble for the people, but the rulers did not care
about that. Joseph and Mary were both
of the family of David and their hometown was Bethlehem. They had to get ready at once and take food
and water for the journey. It was too
far for Mary to walk, so she had to ride on a donkey. Perhaps Joseph rode one, too.
The poor people mostly had donkeys to travel on. Only the very rich could afford horses and
chariots. They rode or walked slowly
along the dusty roads. It was about the
first of October and the weather was quite mild so they could ride or walk and
not be too cold. Palestine has very
little really cold weather. At night
they would either sleep in one of the little towns or camp in the hills.
”It was getting
late when at last they reached the little town of Bethlehem. Mary was very tired and they went at once to
the inn, or hotel, as we call it in our country. The innkeeper was very sorry, but there were so many visitors
that all the rooms were taken, and there was no place for them.
”‘Could you not
give us some kind of room for the night?
We are not particular, but my wife is not well and she is very weary
with the long journey. Just a shelter
and some place where she can sleep.
Surely there is some place,’ Joseph urged.
”The innkeeper
looked closer and saw that here was real need.
‘I am very sorry. The only place
we have that is not taken up is a small room at the back of the house. It is not much more than a shed, but we
could fix a place there for your wife.’
”So Mary did not
have to sleep out in the hills. A bed
was prepared for her in the little shed and the innkeeper’s wife was very kind
to her. People did not then, have beds
as we have; they slept on thin mattresses placed right on the floor. Mary was glad of any place to rest and
something warm to eat. Some say the
room was a cave, and most pictures show it as a stable, but there is nothing in
God’s Word to say that Jesus was born in a stable or cattle shed, nor that any
animals were there. The mistake has
come through the fact that Jesus laid in a manger and in most places a manger
is only in a stable, but in the East people carry little net hammocks which
they hang up to put food in for their animals and these are called manger. It was possible that when the Baby was born
there was no cot for Him, and Mary used the little net manger as a bed for her
little Son. It would be a rather
unusual but very comfortable bed for the tiny Baby.
”Out in the
hills not far from the little town of Bethlehem were some shepherds, keeping
watch over their sheep. The Eastern
shepherds lead their sheep through the hills and valleys in the daytime and at
night take them to folds, which are enclosures where wild animals cannot hurt
the sheep. The shepherds sleep by the
gate of the fold, so nothing can get in to kill the sleeping animals. Several shepherds often use one fold and in
the morning each one calls his own sheep out and they follow him.
”On this night
several shepherds were lying around their camp fire talking and watching over
their sheep. Some of them would be
dozing. Suddenly, a bright light shone
round about them. It seemed as if a
door in Heaven had been opened and the light shone out on them. Then they saw a stranger dressed in bright
clothing standing near them and they knew it must be an angel and were afraid.
”‘Do not be
afraid!’ said the angel, ‘I have come to bring you good news of great joy that
shall come to all people. There is a
Baby born in the City of David tonight, who is to be Christ the Lord. You will know Him by the fact that He is
sleeping in a manger.’
”Then there was
suddenly a great crowd of angels; they seemed to fill the Heavens, and they all
started to sing a wonderful song of Praise to God. Part of it the shepherds remembered and have passed down to us—
‘Glory to God
in the Highest, and on earth peace
And good will
to all men,’ they sang.”
”That is the
hymn we sing on Christmas morning before we open our gifts, is it not,
Mother?”said Linnet.
”Yes,
dear. It was sung by the angels on the
morning Jesus was born, and we sing it still at Christmas, for that is the day
the world keeps by which to remember the birth of Jesus.”
”I think it is
one of the loveliest hymns we ever sing, Mother,”said the little girl, ”and I
love it more because it is a song from Heaven.”
”Yes, it is the
only song we have that we know came from Heaven,”Mother answered. ”The angels went back to heaven then and the
shepherds stood there talking. ‘Let us
go down to Bethlehem and see this wonderful thing that has come to pass,’ they
said. Soon they were standing at the
door of the inn.
”‘Was there a
Baby born here, tonight?’ they asked and the surprised innkeeper said, ‘Why
yes, there was a Baby Boy born in the shed at the back, a short time ago. How did you know about it?’
”‘We saw a
vision of angels who told us that a Baby was born here who is to be the
promised Messiah. We came to see Him.’
”The innkeeper
took them to see the Baby and when they saw that He was indeed sleeping in one
of the little mangers, they worshipped Him, for they knew that this was no
common baby but the Son of the Great God of Heaven. You may be sure the innkeeper and his wife were pretty good to
Mary and Joseph and the Baby after that.
”Now, dearest,
it is getting late, even for a big girlie, and you must run off and get ready
for bed, ”Mother said.
”You will tell
me more tomorrow, will you not, Mother?”
”Indeed I will,
darling. I would like you to try and
learn the little verse tonight and remember it.
”‘Glory to God
in the Highest and on the earth peace and good will to all men.”
”That is easy
to learn, Mother. Now I will get ready
for bed. Come and kiss me goodnight
when I am all ready.”
THE VISIT OF THE WISE MEN (POEM)
On camels tall,
that rock and sway,
With vestments
bright and trappings gay,
We see a little
band.
With swarthy
face and haughty air
They seem to
scorn the squalor there
That reeks on
every hand.
The narrow
streets that teem with life,
The quarreling
urchins’ constant strife;
The curs that
snarl and bark.
”A Holy city!”
One protests.
”‘Tis filled
with poverty and pests
And odors vile
and stark.”
Then—in the
open Market Place
Where cattle
stamp and sheep find space,
Their mission
they proclaim.
”Where is the
Palace of the King
And where the
New Born prince? We bring
Him gifts. His power acclaim.
”His star
ascended in the East.
We’ve ridden
fast with tiring beasts
To worship the
Messiah.
Come show us
where He may be found
That we, with
worship true, profound
His favor may
acquire.”
Then
consternation settles down
On Palace great
and through the town.
The King his
wise men calls.
The strangers
wait with haughty mein
While hasting
messengers are seen
In street and
Palace halls.
”In
Bethlehem,”the wise men speak
”The prophets
say the Prince you seek
At this time
should be born.
His coming we
have long expected
Tis well that
He should be protected.
He brings our
Promised Morn.
”If you should
find Him, learn His name.
Our mighty
monarch of great fame
Requests that
you return
And bring him
word—for Palace gates
Will ope’ to
Him whom Israel waits—
The King for
whom we yearn.”
Thro’ dusty
roads the wise men speed
To seek the
King—the promised”Seed”—
For God their
steps now guides.
Night falling, finds them on their way.