Meditation of a Wise Man
Roger Forster
A piece of festive fiction, as Roger imagines the contemplations of a Magi. First read at our 2008 Advent Reflections service.
I was always fascinated by stars. Probably because I was privileged to be brought up amongst the wise men of Persia. My father had been one and his father before him. Astrology was fundamental to our studies. Of course we also spent hours pouring over many ancient clay tablets and documents. These were preserved in our archives, many of them going back over 1000 years or more. We observed and experimented in many ways in order to predict world events, their politics and outcomes. Many people even called us kings – kings of learning and truth. Yes we were a privileged class!
However to tell the truth we didn’t always predict too successfully, but we were convinced, nonetheless, that heavenly forces effected movements on earth, and if there was any light to light our path it must come from outside to lighten everything that goes on inside and everything there is. We were philosophers as well as budding scientists. So it was to the stars that we still looked, believing it better to follow whatever light we might have, however little it might be, trusting it would bring us into more. And indeed it did!
We had observed shooting stars before, their path was what we termed “its rising” as we watched its movement. Of course we hadn’t become aware in those days of black-holes and retreating galaxies over the horizon of curved space to distract our attention so this moving star caught our attention. We continued to observe this phenomenon and consulted our records, particularly those from our neighbouring country of Babylon, which we had conquered some years before and apprehended their libraries to safeguard their learning and posterity of course. It appeared that a certain seer called Balaam, who had lived on the sacred river Euphrates, had prophesied “A star will come forth from Jacob and a sceptre shall rise from Israel”. This Jacob was the founder of Israel, and he had prophesised also about “a sceptre not departing from Judah”. Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until he comes to whom it belongs”. This word, my colleague Melchior assured me, was spoken at least one and a half centuries ago, and Judah and the Jews were still waiting for this ruler. Quite a few of us – not just three – were so excited they thought we should travel to King Herod of Judah and pay respects to such an important person who had been foretold long ago, and for so long.
Another one of our guild, one Caspar by name, remembered a Jewish book written in Persia. It was only 600 years old but it was written by one of our politicians – a cabinet minister, or prime minister, or something. No matter what, these politicians change their jobs and portfolios so quickly – almost like a jack-in-the-box – I don’t know how they get their heads round a new assignment to do a decent job. We scientists have to apply ourselves to study, and work hard all our lives to do a thorough work. You may have heard of Tony Flew, his father was a religions man, but not Tony (I call him Tony affectionately). He was an atheist for around eighty years, and only then came to be a theist, i.e. a believer in God, that’s real hard work.
Einstein, have you heard of him? He is another of our paid-up members. I quote him, “My religiosity consists of a humble admiration of the indefinitely superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God”. Darwin is another of our band but I’m not sure if he did pay his subscription, but let him speak for himself; “[Reason tells me of the] extreme difficulty, or rather impossibility, of conceiving this immense and wonderful universe, including man, with his capability of looking far backwards and far into futurity, as the result of blind chance or necessity. When thus reflecting, I feel compelled to look to a First Cause, having an intelligent mind, in some degree analogous to that of man, and I deserve to be called a theist”. We must admit that one or two of us have not had a good press but we do have to work hard. But back to my story.
This politician, named Daniel, prophesied that a great Anointed Saviour would come some 483 years after the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the capital of the Jews. Now that time was roughly passed, we thought it must be time to go and pay our respects. Following the light, the star shone on our way, we were led to a house in Bethlehem, Judea. It was not much of a place but a bit better than a stable we later heard was the birthplace.
We went in and saw the child with his mother, she did not look much like a queen mind you, nor his father a king when we met him. But we did know nevertheless that we had indeed arrived. I’m not sure how you do, but you do, don’t you? The light inside us, the star shining above us, and the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus.
That was his name, Jesus, Saviour, for he shall save their people from their sins. I’ve wanted to know my sins are forgiven and their grip on me broken, removing them from my life, so I have been one of his people since that day. We had brought some gifts for the family – seeing that a recession had set in, I thought a bit of gold, amongst other things, would not go amiss, a more stable currency really. Dreams from God took us back to Persia, and the royal family to Egypt, to avoid another politician putting us in jail and murdering the child.
Well, we were known as wise men, so we listened to God and obeyed. Which is all and everything that such people like us – and any, for that matter – should or could do. It was because we were known as wise men we came to Jesus in the first place, and gave him first place in our own lives. |
Roger Forster, 15/12/2008 |
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