Andrew and I, John Zebedee, we were present when the Baptizer identified the dove that had descended on Jesus while He emerged from the water as the Holy Spirit. In due time, we would learn that God was Spirit and Jesus, the Man, was endowed with that Spirit. In Jesus, God was with us and Jesus could and did pass on that Spirit to all of His followers. He immersed us in the Spirit similar to being immersed in water. He, Himself, lived and worked in the power of the Spirit. We were not instantly impacted by the idea that there was a world of the Spirit and a kingdom that was not of this world. Like Nicodemus, we did not immediately grasp how the Spirit of God could work in us and through us. It would be some time and a number of miracles before we were ready to become instruments of the Spirit. The first among us was Simon Peter, who was touched by the Spirit of God and was able to identify Jesus as the Son of God for us. The rest of us were endowed with the Spirit of Christ after He arose from the grave.

James, my brother and I were the thunder boys that became loving and forgiving disciples. We aspired to run the kingdom with Jesus at His side and stopped those that did not follow us. In spite of our attitude, Jesus chose us, along with Peter, to be present when He performed miracles in private or withdrew on a mountain and said His last prayer in Gethsemane. At the time, I had no inkling that we were there as the eye witnesses to our Teacher's spiritual or heavenly origin. I would be the one, whom Jesus would entrust with sharing His Revelation and His Spiritual side with the world. Simon Peter was placed in charge of His followers and I was allowed to follow our Lord for another reason, yet to be identified. It was after I was exiled to the Isle of Patmos for life, that I received my instruction via revelation to publicize Jesus' message to the world. I was allowed to see what no man ever did. I was also permitted to select some highlights out of our Lord's life and have someone other and more capable than myself write them down.

We were the first to be endowed with the Holy Spirit, but not the only ones. On the Day of Pentecost, we were renewed in the Spirit and many others were likewise empowered to become witnesses for the Messiah. Thousands were beginning to follow Him. Greater things were happening than Jesus could have done by Himself or with our small group. With one outpouring of the Spirit, the message of Jesus preceded us into the world. We could not contain nor control the Spirit of God. The Spirit emboldened us to face foe and friend alike. We were not afraid to face our religious and secular authorities. Peter and I while we were on our way to the Temple to pray, we were interrupted by a lame beggar. We had no money so we offered him Jesus. As soon as the words of Jesus left Peter's mouth the man got up and walked. This was the evidence that we needed to be emboldened witnesses for our Messiah. At last, we became aware that Jesus' words were "Spirit and life." We too were living and working in the Spirit, like Jesus had promised we would. But, were we really obeying the Spirit when we did not leave Jerusalem, did not allow the other sheep (Gentiles) to join us and force Annanias and Sapphira to conform to our judgment? Would Jesus have done what we did? Apparently, we were not allowed to use the Spirit as we pleased. Shortly after that, we were dispersed into the world.

We also labored under the impression that our time was short. We expected Jesus to return in our lifetime. When persecutions took some of our people, among them my brother James, and we were imprisoned and dispersed, we began, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to recollect what our Lord may have intended. There were many witnesses but no completed accounts of all His deeds and teaching. Many years had passed when John Mark, a friend of ours, especially of Peter and a companion of Paul wrote a short account of Jesus. Paul's Gentile fellow worker Luke researched and reported the life and work of Jesus in greater details for his people. Someone else used Matthew to compile a guide for the Jews. Last, but not least, my companion added my recollections to the list of witnesses. Perhaps, the man that inspired us before we awaked to the need of a written witness was Paul, whom we had commissioned to preach to the Gentiles. He was not only a scholar, but was also filled with the Spirit to help him grow in grace and truth and put down in writing his insight into the mystery of Christ. My fellow worker and friend Peter recommended that we all follow the wisdom and example Paul had set for us.

There were many others; but, the Spirit guided the selection process of the accounts that most accurately represented the life and mission of Jesus, our Messiah. The One within us was greater than the one without. In our own strength we were not able to stand against the forces that were destroying us. Without God's Spirit we were not even aware that our own spirits were eternal and in danger of being lost. It was the Spirit that revealed our Savior, the Christ, to us. Yes, we were reborn by the Spirit and that is why we no longer identified the "Kingdom" Christ represented with the nation of Israel or any other nation. The Kingdom was spiritual or of the heart and for all the nations. There is a world beyond this one that is larger and more beautify; but the physical eye (I) cannot see it. It was when I worshipped in the Spirit that I received a glimpse of the eternal glory where our Lord Jesus is preparing our mansions. I was also shown a place for those that have not allowed the Spirit of Christ to change them. For the time being, all the spirits of the departed rest from their labors and await sentencing on Judgment Day. The ability to choose life has ended when the spirit (soul) leaves the mortal body. Do not delay to make your choice today!

Andrew and I lived in Bethsaida, Galilee. A fisherman built a house on the eastside, where the Jordan River enters Lake Galilee. When others settled, they continued to call the place Bethsaida or House of the Fisher. Most of us made our living by fishing. The Simon family and the Zebedees were partners. I am John Zebedee and I am the brother of James. Andrew was the brother of Simon, who would become Peter. Simon married a lady in Capernaum, just a short distance west and south from Bethsaida on Lake Galilee. Capernaum was a major small city with a Roman Garrison, a Synagogue and a tax office where Matthew was employed. The Roman officer in charge of the town was friendly toward our people and tolerant to our religion. He gave us the impression that he preferred our religion to his own and we soon learned that his faith was more visible than ours. He was the one who did not feel worthy that our Teacher should enter his home. All He had to do was say the word and his servant would live. Our Teacher also snatched his daughter from dying.

Simon and James did the fishing and Andrew and I did the traveling and selling. That is how we became acquainted with a lad by the name of John Mark from a wealthy family and with Judas in Jerusalem. And that is how we heard of John the Baptist who had stationed himself on the River Jordan, south of Lake Galilee. He looked wild, dressed in animal skins and spoke boldly about our sins. Crowds came to listen and were dipped in the river. What interested us was his insistence that God had dispatched the Messiah and that He was about to resurrect the kingdom. Naturally, we assumed that it would be similar to what Moses and David had done. Andrew and I began to spent time with this prophet and we were prepared to wait and see whom he would identify. Then, all of a sudden, the prophet stopped baptizing and arguing with a man. He demanded that the John baptize Him. The Man insisted and John obeyed, but not before some voice out of nowhere called this Man the "Son of God." And when He came out of the water and He was leaving, there was a dove sitting on His shoulder. The prophet pointed at Him and proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!" We were puzzled by the announcement and spent the night thinking about it. We learned that the Man was Jesus, a cousin of John the Baptist, a carpenter from Nazareth. He was no stranger at all, but one of our own people. It was the surprise of all surprises.

The next day, Jesus appeared again and the prophet and John reaffirmed that Jesus was "the Lamb of God." To Andrew and I, it meant that we had to follow and find out for ourselves whether He was the Messiah? He was alone and we followed at a distance between us. Jesus was aware of our presence. He stopped and asked us what we were looking for and we asked where He was staying. He invited us to join Him. Well, He took us to a lonely place where He spent most of the night meditating and praying. He was sort of engaged in a mental struggle with some invisible force. We could not see what was hindering Him from doing what He was sent to do. Whatever Jesus was doing, convinced us that He was in league with God and about to begin our deliverance. We carried home that impression while Jesus stayed on in the lonely place. Andrew was fully convinced that Jesus was the One and went to his brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah."

Simon was a hard man to convince. It was about forty days later that Jesus showed up in Capernaum and asked Simon to let him use his boat to address the people. Then He told Simon to try his luck at fishing. He had fished all night and he had come up empty; but, hesitantly obeyed Jesus and to our amazement our fishing nets were full and we required the help of other boats to bring in the catch. Simon fell on his knees and face begging Jesus to leave him because he was a sinful man. Jesus dismissed Simon's pleading and told him that he would be called Peter (a rock) and that he would fish for men. Instantly, Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did Andrew, James and I. A day later, Jesus asked Philip to follow Him and he invited his friend Nathanael. Nathanael did not think that "anything good" could come from Nazareth. Jesus surprised him by telling him that He saw him while he was resting under the fig tree. Whatever Jesus saw he was doing, made Nathanael declare, "Teacher, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!" It was then that Jesus assured us that we would see heaven open and angels carrying messages between God and the Son of Man. From that day on, we knew that we were in the presence of someone who was in charge of our destiny.

In addition to the six of us, Jesus asked Bartholomew, Matthew Levi, Thomas, James Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon Zealot and Judas Iscariot to follow Him. Except for Judas, we were all from Bethsaida, Capernaum and Nazareth. We were not educated in the knowledge of our teachers and religious leaders, nor did we know how to make speeches or write stories. We were simple folk with dreams and hopes that Jesus could fulfill. It was for that reason that we traveled with Him and ended up suffering for Him. Jesus spoke to us of a kingdom that would never end; only, we linked it with Israel, while Jesus had God's will for man on earth in mind. His kingdom was spiritual, while ours was temporal. When our Teacher died on the cross, we assumed that the end, for us, had come. It was when we met the Risen Jesus that we realized that Christ had not ceased to exist, but that He continued to build His kingdom with and through us. We still had not fully understood what our Teacher had in mind because we expected Him to return and lead us. Slowly, His Spirit opened our eyes and we began to put in writing some of the events that were significant to keep the memory of Jesus alive. I, John Zebedee, was especially privileged to share my insight regarding our Lord and so would others, for we were with Jesus on His earthly mission in our behalf.

I am John, the man that introduced the Christ to the public. I was predestined, born and prepared for that task. For that purpose, I was endowed with the spirit and power of Elijah. It was still in my mother's womb and He in his mother's womb, that I felt that my Cousin was the future Christ. From that day on, I knew who He was, but I had to wait thirty years to announce Him to the world as the "One" chosen to take away the sins of the world. Even then, I was uncertain as to what the Christ had planned to do for us. I had mistakenly expected different things from our Messiah. We were hoping and praying for a man with the power of Moses or for one with the military skills of David. When Jesus appeared before me and demanded to be baptized, He did not carry a miracle rod, but was accompanied by a dove - the symbol of peace. Then, when He began to preach and the crowds grew around Him and there was no indication when He was going to move against our enemies, I became disturbed and send some of my students to ask Him directly whether He was the One or were we to wait for another?

Jesus did not give my messengers a direct answer but pointed at what He was doing. He was healing the sick and preaching hope to those who, in no way, could assist Him in disposing of the Romans and our false leaders; particularly, our adulterous king. The crowds He gathered were not in a position to carry a sword or knew how to use one. To my dismay He told his follower to love our enemies, make peace with them and return kindness for being abused. We were to turn the other cheek, walk the second mile and hand over our coats. My Cousin was not at all what I expected from Him being our Messiah. I envisioned and understood that God was giving me a glimpse of a man that was on fire. He had a winnowing fork in His hand and the power to clean the wheat and burn the chaff. I was certain that He was the ax that was about to purge us of our leaders that were in my estimation "a brood of vipers." I became confused as to what kind of a kingdom my Cousin Jesus was sent to establish. It did not occur to me that God had a totally different idea as to what the Messiah's kingdom would be like. Even my idea of repentance was too severe for a society to be transformed overnight. That is what got me into Herod's dungeon. I should have consulted Jesus before I took matters into my own hands and not after I got myself in trouble.

Cousin Jesus spoke well of me. In His eyes, I was told, that there was no one greater born of women than I was. Somehow, I was not even as big as the smallest in His kingdom. How could I have been so great and yet so small? Obviously, the Messiah saw greatness differently than I did. He also told the people that I was the expected Elijah, and that I was the last one to have something to do with His Coming. He ranked me with the greatest of our prophets and informed the people that the Messianic predictions had come to an end. Herein after, people would force their way into His kingdom. I would not be privileged to see how men would turn the Messiah's kingdom into their advantage. I should not be surprised because I was in the hands of such people that have used what God had intended for all of Israel to their advantage. My hope for my people, like that of Isaiah and Malachi, was vanishing before my very eyes.

It was not easy to carry the mantel of an Elijah. Elijah, the prophet, was a hermit and spent most of his life in the wilderness. In a noisy public, he could not hear or understand what God's message was. He took on single handed the false prophets and the idolatrous king. God protected Elijah and took him away before he could be harmed. I had similar notions. I, too, had convinced myself that God would protect me when I began to assault our adulterous monarch and announced that God was about to bring back His kingdom. All my dreams that were being stored in me from the day I was old enough to learn and understand, began to unfold. My father Zechariah had kept reminding me endlessly that I was to be great in the Lord and possess a spirit and power similar to what Elijah had. I was to arouse the people and get them ready to follow the Son of David, to free us from our enemies and thereby, from our sins. Our sins were being associated with our enemies and not with our guilt. For us, freedom from our enemies meant freedom from our sins. We longed for change, but not for changing our hearts. We were in a vengeful mood and ready to cast the first stone.

My priestly parents expected me to follow in my father's footsteps, but I was drawn to the kind of life Elijah had. I bonded with nature because it was free, pure and undefiled. My clothes came from animal skins and my food from the bees and the locusts. I did not touch wine or women and no one was allowed to touch my hair. It looked wild and curious. I drew crowds and pointed to the Christ. My followers declined and His increased. The biggest difference between my Cousin and me was that He out foxed the fox and the fox outfoxed me. Imagine what I could have become by joining Jesus' followers instead of attacking the immorality of the king and his mistress? My life is an example of what happens to great people when they become seduced by small, even very serious problems, but miss taking part in much greater opportunities. I, myself, had cut myself off from the people that needed me to lead them on to greater blessings. I had to tell them not follow me, but to follow Jesus!

It was because of our son James that I believed in Jesus before Jesus' own family did. I tagged along with my son as one of the first women. I did it to support my son but ended up supporting Jesus and all the other disciples. You might say that I was actually responsible of convincing others, including my sister-in-law, to follow Jesus. In the beginning, His family regarded Him as being beside Himself. It took a lot of convincing that Jesus was the Messiah. Most of the people, in our town of Nazareth, were ready to throw Him off a cliff. But when the news about Jesus' fame kept spreading then His mother and brothers also began to follow Him. By then, we too had to leave Nazareth. The people became intolerant towards anyone who was connected with Jesus. It was beyond their grasp that a simple carpenter could be God's "Choice." Especially our teachers behaved as if God should have consulted them before He chose His Messiah?

I also decided to follow Jesus for the way He treated us women. Before He came, we were not allowed to come near a holy man or a teacher that had come from God. Most of the time we were considered unclean. On one hand, if we became mothers, we were honored. On the other hand, when we pleased our husbands, we were regarded as unclean. No matter what we did, we were not even second-class human beings. If the men were tired of us, they could place a sandal in our hands and send us off into the world. What were we supposed to do when the law was on their side and we were labeled as undesirables? Jesus did not endorse a male-made and male dominated system. He held men accountable and forbade divorce. My heart cheered when the men dragged an unfortunate woman before Jesus and demanded that she be stoned and He told them if they had not sinned to go ahead and do it. I watched their faces turn and saw them disappear faster than they had come. Yes, we had found someone who was able to defend our rights and that was more than enough reason to support Him.

Furthermore, I followed Jesus because I believed firmly that He was God's Chosen One. I liked His miracles but more so His teaching. No man ever taught with such assurance and conviction as He did. Those of us who were with Him daily could not help but dedicate our lives and substance to His cause. Hence, I counted it a rare privilege to assist materially and physically in Jesus' ministry. I traveled with Him and His chosen twelve from Galilee to Jerusalem several times. I too was a witness to His deeds and words. I am one of the few that were first hand witnesses to what took place on the day our Lord was sentenced and crucified. I saw with my own eyes how Jesus looked, after Pilate's soldiers were through with Him. I, along with some of the women, followed up the hill to Golgotha. I saw how the soldiers nailed our Lord to the cross and heard how they mocked Him. I was with Mary Jesus' mother when her heart broke over what was being done to her Son. And when our Lord cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I too felt that all was lost.

I think that God the Father heard our Master's plea. Loud and clearly our Messiah declared, "It finished!" Shortly thereafter, He said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Having said that, He bowed His head and stopped breathing. What followed took everyone by surprise. It no longer was that gentle voice from heaven that once had identified Jesus as a Son who pleased the Father. This was an angry voice from heaven that spoke in thunder and lightning and through an earthquake and total darkness. Even the sun hid from that mighty force that tore the curtain in the Temple and carried the glory of the Lord up the hill to Golgotha. There was no doubt that these men had crucified the Son of God. This was a victory for Jesus and not a defeat. Evil men had tried to destroy His humanity; but, they could not touch His "Divinity." He proved to us that His soul was in the hands of God, the Father, and not in the hands of men.

It would take three days before I too would realize that the cross was a victory and not a defeat. I was one of the women that had brought spices to embalm our Lord and were met by angels to remind us that we were looking for a living Lord among the dead. They sent us to tell the disciples that Jesus was alive, and that He would meet them in Galilee. It took some doing to convince these men that our Lord was alive. On our first try, we failed. Our words sounded like a fairy tale. We were not very convincing ourselves. And why would anyone believe the women? I no longer had to believe. I was there when it all happened. It was not the end but a new beginning. Our Christ lives on!

I am James and I was born and raised in Nazareth. Jesus and I grew up together. We were much more than playmates - we were family like cousins. My mother, the other Mary, was married to my father Alphaeus who was a brother to my uncle Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We played as children and wrestled as boys. We were loved and respected, not just by our parents. I tended more toward mischief than Jesus. He was not always as playful as I wanted Him to be. Still, I felt attached to Him and for good reasons. He kept me out of many things that could have embarrassed me. Jesus seemed to sense what we could and could not do. I liked to follow Him and learned the way He behaved. Unlike other children and the boys, He tended to occupy Himself more and more with what adults did and talked about. It did not take long and the adults were surprised with what He knew about morality and religion. I was not surprised when He challenged our religious leaders at the age of twelve in the Temple. In our local synagogue, Jesus began to read early and our teachers encouraged Him. I felt elevated in His company because He made me feel smarter that the other boys. At that time, I had no idea that our attachment would last endlessly. Even the notion that Jesus, my cousin, would grow up, leave town and start a new movement was not on my mind. That announcement would take us all by surprise. But because of our friendship, I remained faithful to Him after the town tried to throw Him off a cliff. Because of me, my mother, the other Mary also joined our small group that began the new mission of Jesus. Uncle Joseph had passed away, but my aunt Mary and my cousins were not ready to regard Jesus as the One whom God had called. Gradually, my mother must have convinced Mary, mother of Jesus and her sons to follow her Son. At the end, my mother stood by her sister-in-law Mary while her Son was being crucified.

I was not going to be known for my opinion or accomplishment. But then those who express opinions and accomplish things need men like me to back them. It takes quite a few of us to make one of them famous. We, the silent ones, are those that labor and sweat in their behalf. We carry their burdens and ease their pains. If things go wrong, we get the blame. If things go well, they get the praise. We are very much like buffers between the main leaders and the people. We are ordered to do things. Woe unto us if the orders do not turn out and woe unto us if they do. In essence, we are the scapegoats. For instance, a father brought his demon-possessed son to us while our leaders were with our Lord on a mountain. We could not handle the situation and were reprimanded for it as being men of little faith. This was one time when I felt that too much was expected of us. After all, we were hardly more than hewers of wood and carriers of water. Our Teacher reminded us often enough that we were to serve rather than be served. And serving we did.

Before I go on almost feeling sorry for myself, let me tell you a little about my name. I was called "Jacob" (James) son of Alphaeus. Like my more prominent colleague James Zebedee, I too, bore the name of our father Jacob-Israel. I suppose I knew how to make out in life by hanging on to someone's heel and when I got a good hold of him, I could easily end up in his place. Perhaps, this is how I became attached to Jesus as a boy, a man and as a disciple. In hanging on to Jesus, I proved myself worthy to be His follower. To me, he was what He claimed He was. Perhaps, this is what Jesus may have appreciated while Nazareth did not. I, too, was of the House of David, but I did not possess the qualities Jesus displayed. Like David, we were good shepherds that could tend flocks, even human sheep. We definitely regarded Jesus as our head-shepherd. I was not exactly thrilled when James Zebedee was chosen as one of three to accompany Jesus. I was, nevertheless content that our Master needed my loyalty elsewhere.

Tenacity was my virtue. I must have impressed Jesus, for when the time came to appoint twelve men to supervise His mission, I too was chosen. For once, I had done something that was right. I had been enlisted as a member of a group that was going somewhere. Jesus promised us that what we were doing for the kingdom on earth would also count in heaven. Of course, we had no idea what the kingdom was all about, but it most definitely boosted our hope in the restoration of our nation of Israel. We understood that our twelve tribes would reappear and we would be their governors.

I also paid close attention to our Teacher's wisdom sayings. One was: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." That was right down my alley. I did everything the humble and quiet way. I made sure that whenever any task had to be done, no matter how menial, I did it. In fact, it pleased me greatly that the others began to depend on me in our daily chores. As I said at the start, I was the silent disciple. I let the others toot their horns. I recall when we returned from our first mission. How most of my fellow disciples boasted over their success. Some of us had forgotten our lesson on humility. Jesus was not too pleased with us. Our pride was getting in the way of our mission. Far too many pretenders lost their lives to bragging. We too were playing roulette with Satan. We just did not understand what kind of a kingdom Jesus had in mind. It was after Jesus was removed forcefully from our midst that I, too, began to recall that He spoke of a world that could not possibly exist on earth. If we had only paid attention to the prayer He taught us, we would have grasped that His kingdom was not of this world. It had something to do with what God wanted us to do. We were to guard against evil and be content with our daily bread. It had something to do with the human heart and the way we lived. Jesus had come to reclaim the human heart for God and not the world. Then it became clear to us why He wanted our names written in heaven rather than on earth. This moral kingdom had universal applications and would not be limited to Israel. How could I have missed that there would be no earthly kingdom for meek James Alphaeus?

I am Rachel of Ramah and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. I am weeping with Leah, my sister of Bethlehem, mother of the Jews (Judah). Yes, we are crying because our daughters are crying for their children that were taken from us by the brutal hands of Esau's son Herod. They were taken from us before they could become boys, teens and young men. They left nothing to remember them for, nor can we honor their names. They might as well never have been, nor caused us pain when they were born. You ask us, "Who or what has caused us such sorrow?" It happened because we kept our Christ Child and Christmas and our hope of redemption alive. We sacrificed our children so that "Jeshua" could complete His mission. You ask, "How can you weep when you no longer live?" But, we do live in the spirit and see what mortals do not. That is why we weep with the mothers whose hearts are being pierced by their losses.

Christmas is all about our Messiah or the Eternal King. He was born in peace and brought us great joy and hope. The angels sang at His birth, proclaiming peace on earth and good will to men. Shepherds and Sages bowed at His feet. A star sparkled brightly in the sky, pointing directly at Leah's town. Bethlehem, the house of bread, was being raised to feed man with "Manna" from heaven. It was God returning to us in person and we delighted in His presence. Jeshua, our Deliverer had come and we anticipated that His heavenly army was on its way. At last, long last, Jeshua would reclaim the throne of David and our land from Rome.

Our joy was short. It all seemed like we had been dreaming. The evening before, we chanted "Immanuel, Immanuel" (God with us) and in the morning dead silence had fallen on Bethlehem and Ramah. Jeshua and His parents had left and so had the caravan from the East. Soon thundering hoofs were heard and men of violence were clashing their swords. "Gives us the baby king of the Jews," they shouted, " or we kill all your male children under two!" We begged and pleaded, but there was no mercy in their eyes but vengeance. Esau's children were killing Jacob's children to keep Herod, the Edomite on the throne. No male child under the age of two was left alive. Our children were sacrificed to save our Deliverer. It became the bloodiest day in our history.

Herod was not satisfied with Bethlehem, the house of David, son of Leah. He also laid his bloody hands on Ramah, the house of Saul, a Benjaminite, and the home of Samuel, the Seer that was close to God and the one that anointed my distant son Saul as the first king over Israel and his successor David son of Leah. Edomites, sons of Esau, killed our children. Herod, the Edomite imposter, was occupying ours son's throne and ruled the land as he pleased. He imitated our true kings by building us a Temple and filled them with his priests and teachers. Traditions had replaced our laws that Moses gave us. He used our religion for his profiteering and his tax collectors to rob us blind. On top of it, Herod outfoxed Caesar by pretending to be his friend. But nothing was as evil as taking our children from us for his own selfish aspirations.

My sister Leah and I wept and mourned. We also prayed that God would spare our Messiah, and He did. The Baby King of the Jews was not among the dead. We mothers paid a heavy price to protect Jeshua. We were thankful that God's Anointed did not fall into the hands of the evil king. We were soon to learn that Herod would meet his fate. His body gave out and worms had him for their meal. His sons continued in their father's sins that would ultimately end our beloved state and with it the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. When Herod died, he had ordered that more of our people be killed so that the world may think we mothers were mourning for him. These were tears of joy for justice being done.

Thirty years passed and Jeshua came out of hiding. He offered a new kingdom to our people but they did not accept nor understand Him. They had no room for Him when He was born and no place for Him when He announced to them that He was their Deliverer. They apprehended Him and lead Him to a hill where they shamed Him by crucifying Him. Again, we mothers mourned and wept for our children, not because they were being killed but because they were doing the killing. Some mothers mourn for Him but Jeshua told them to save their mourning for a time when their enemies would destroy our homeland and scatter us among the nations where we shall be hated and killed until the end of time. Jeshua merely reminded us of what our prophets predicted would happen to our children's children. To the end of time, our people shall look for a wailing wall where they can complain to God for not sending them the long overdue Messiah.

A people, that are not our people, have seized our Jeshua and think they can hold Him captive. But, they, too, have begun to honor Him with their lips and not with their deeds. They attached His kingdom to their earthly domain instead to their hearts where Jeshua can reign. He is not after their fame and fortune but after their eternal souls. Now their mothers have joined us in mourning; for, their children that are following another Herod and for those that are being killed for following Jeshua. How long will God wait to avenge the Herods for misleading or killing our children? We cannot stop mourning because our cradles are empty. There is no one that can comfort the hearts of us mothers! Where are peace and good will that the angels promised?

We were fascinated by the stars and spent our lives studying them. We believed that every important event in history had its leading star. We also believed that the Gods were guiding these stars. Most of the stars were not visible to naked human eyes. We were able with mirrors to penetrate deeper into the galaxy of innumerable stars. We observed that some of the more distant stars would travel closer to the earth and display a greater brightness. Over the years, we got to know quite a few stars. In fact, we were prepared to travel anywhere in the world by just following the stars. We were professional students and traveled in groups to discourage bandits and marauders. That was how we made our living and we were handsomely paid for our service. We were advisors to kings and queens. We were highly regarded and even called "Magi" or "Great Ones."

One night, a new star appeared and some of our Jewish captives believed that it pointed to their Messianic King. The star began to travel toward the Jewish homeland and we decided to form a small caravan and follow it. We could only observe the star by night and that required a substantial preparation for a lengthy journey. In addition to an adequate supply, we traveled with bodyguards, ladies in waiting and our servants. On this occasion, we traveled in the company of royalties that were in search of the King of Heaven. We were a small impressive force traveling under the flag of truce. We had no idea how long this journey would be, except that it would end somewhere in Judea. The appearance of the star suggested that the King of the Jews was already born. We hoped to catch up with the Baby King before He grew into manhood. We, too, had come to believe that He would play a major role in bringing peace to our hostile world. We also wanted to be among the first to pay tribute and homage to the King of the Jews. The star led us to belief that He was the Son of the Gods and according to Hebrew tradition, He would be mightier than Moses that humbled mighty Egypt. We were on a mission of peace and were prepared to welcome the He King of the Jews that one day would rule the world.

After several months, we lost sight of the star and ended up in Jerusalem, the capital of the Jews. Our arrival was not exactly inconspicuous, but our mission to find the newly born King of the Jews caused unusual curiosity. These people acted as if nothing had happened. Their wise men knew nothing about a star or a baby king. Their present King Herod was all ears and welcomed us into his court. We were unaware of the reason that he was so eager to learn when the star appeared and where the King of the Jews was to be born. The king consulted the religious leaders and they informed him that Bethlehem was the likely place of the Jewish King's birth. It had something to do with being related to their Great King David. Herod seemed overly friendly when he sent us off to find the Baby King and bring him news back so he too could celebrate His arrival. All that mattered to us was that we were pointed in the direction of Bethlehem and when we left the city of Jerusalem, the star appeared again. We were overjoyed and did not wonder why the star hid from view in Jerusalem. We were also simple minded enough to believe Herod, and promised to comply with his wishes. We did not suspect the King of foul play.

With Jerusalem behind us, we had no problem following the star to the place where the family of the Baby King had settled. The place where the family stayed was ill prepared to receive all of us. Our servants made arrangement to meet outdoors. The parents were surprised; nevertheless, allowed us to bow down and worship the "Baby King." We had not come empty handed but brought gifts that we in the past gave to kings. These were gold, incense and myrrh. Our generosity was greatly appreciated. The people were friendly and happy. It was the most peaceful town we had been in on our long journey. We intended to stay several days and learn more about the newly born King before we returned to King Herod. But that night, several of us had horrifying dreams warning us not to return to Herod because he meant to harm the "Child" and with it all the baby boys in the area. We obeyed our dreams and pretended to go to Jerusalem. When Bethlehem was out of sight, our caravan changed direction and as fast as we could, we left Herod's territory. We should have been suspicious to begin with when Herod looked surprised by our inquiry. We had assumed that one of his sons was to be the future great one. He appeared a bit foxy when he tried to talk to us in private about learning more concerning the King of the Jews. How could we have known that he was not a Jew and that he plotted to wipe out any claimants to the throne of the Great King David? Rumors did reach us that Herod was enraged by our failure to show up at his court. He forthwith, sent his soldiers and instructed them to kill every male child under the age of two. We also learned that the Holy Family and their Son were able to leave Bethlehem before the death squad arrived. Nevertheless, so many little boys had to die to save the "One."

The cry of these mothers had reached our home country long before we returned. How could one be so brutal and cruel to kill something so helpless and so good? We had no conception that things would turn out the way they did. We were blessed in meeting the Savior of the world and thankful that we were able to supply for some of their needs. But we wondered if we could have avoided the atrocity of Herod? If we had been more careful in following the star, we would not have stopped in Jerusalem and aroused Herod's evil intentions. And when we reached Jerusalem, we could have been more discrete in our inquiry. We were so concern with finding the Christ that we did not envision any harmful consequences. We assumed that everyone was anxious to find and worship the "King of Kings" that could bring us lasting peace. What good is peace to dead children and to crying mothers? How wise were we in discovering a star that would cause more heartaches and hostility?

I was called Anna, but my real name was Hanah. It was sort of descriptive of me. In the language of my Hebrew ancestors my name stood for "grace." Believe me, I had to learn to be gracious. It was not easy. I was a very young bride and after seven years of marriage I lost my husband. Now I am eighty-four. All these years, I remained a widow. I was not able nor was I interested in a second marriage. Good men were scarce and bad ones were unfaithful and unreliable. My husband gave his life for the freedom of Israel. He had believed in the redemption of Israel but he followed a false deliverer. He was not of God. Had he been then the death of my husband would have been reward enough. So many of our men were being misled and ended in an early grave. The Romans were too many and too powerful to be driven from our land. What we needed was another Moses or another King David.

My family name precedes the history of my people. The Greek "Phanuel" stems from the Hebrew "Penuel" or "Peniel." Our ancestor Jacob wrestled with an angel of the Lord and called the place Peniel. He had "faced God" and did not know it. He and Lea's maid Zilpah fathered Asher, head of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Asher had a special meaning, namely "to be a bearer of salvation." Unfortunately, when my tribe settled in Canaan, it bordered the prosperous coastal region and fell to the influence of Tyre. My branch of the family escaped being paganized by moving to Jerusalem while the Temple was being built and remained behind as servants of God's house. To the pagans my family name Phanuel meant "a god of fortune." Our ancestors were industrious craftsmen, traders and workers and added greatly to the prosperity of the region. My ancestors were some of the people that the king of Tyre sent to Solomon to build the Temple. King Solomon gave part of our land and some twenty towns to the King of Tyre for services rendered. Materially my people were blessed, but spiritually they were dead to the faith of our fathers.

I did not to give up on my faith. I began to live up to the name of Asher. I became a prophetess. My mission was to proclaim the coming of our Deliverer. I stationed myself in the Temple and spoke to those that were willing to listen. The Temple had become my home. I stayed there day and night. I worshipped God with all my heart and strength. When I did not share my hope for the coming of our Messiah, I fasted and prayed a lot. I found enormous cleansing in fasting. It helped me to identify with the needy in my world and there were so many of us. We were orphans and widows with no one to care for us. Many times I fasted because there was nothing to eat. Then there were times I fasted because I had fed someone else. When I fasted, I thought of the prophets that had gone through similar trials and temptations. Above all I felt I was doing it for my people. I prayed for their delivery and not for mine. So many had given up hope in a Messiah. I was there to remind them that God would not renege on His promises. I had done this all my life. Now I too was close to the end and where was that promised deliverer? God does not seem to be bothered by time. This was hard for me to grasp, but I kept on believing and prophesying.

During the years, I had witnesses many dedications of children. But this dedication was different. What made it different was the excitement my friend Simeon was experiencing. I had never seen old Simeon in such a jolly mood. I had to see for myself and hurried over to find out what was moving him? There he was holding up a male child in his arms and making predictions to the audience and the parents of the child that astonished the listeners and puzzled the parents. He was not only moved himself, but he attracted and enthusiastic crowd. He was showing off the baby boy and those that looked upon the child in his arms felt elated and strangely warmed. At least that was what I felt in my heart when I too approached the parents and their baby boy. I too felt the urging in my spirit as I had never before. Instantly a number of prophecies flashed through my mind that this child had to be the Chosen One of God. "This was He." There was no doubt that this child was surrounded by a mysterious love. The little baby boy radiated a mysterious pull. I felt drawn to him and began to say things I never thought I would. I found myself agreeing with what Simeon was saying. I was completely overcome by a Spirit that brought peace to my restless heart. At long last, the Lord God was compensating me for all the years of living for Him by allowing me to look upon His Deliverer for my beloved Jerusalem.

I must have stunned my friends and acquaintances. They must have wondered what had happened to sad and somber Anna? Something wonderful had happened. My fasting and prayers were turned into joyous praises to God. I had met His Messiah and was given the opportunity to announce Him to my people. I had not waited in vain for our Deliverer. I had the greatest reason to praise the Lord God of our fathers to come through once again in a time of need. Yes, I was celebrating. The Deliverer had come as had Moses as a baby. God was working another miracle and I was privileged to see it begin. Like Simeon, I too knew that I would not see how God would deliver our people when the Baby Savior has become a man. I did go back in my mind and wondered what powerful acts the Messiah in the defeat of the Romans would do. I did believe with all my heart in the all - powerful God of our fathers. And like Egypt, Rome would be no match for Him.

I had become a witness in identifying the Baby King of the Jews and when we heard what Herod's soldiers had done to Bethlehem and Ramah, we too were in danger for our lives. Fortunately, I did not know where the parents had taken Jesus and I prayed that our enemies would not find the Baby King. This was one time my prophesying caused me to worry that I might have disclosed what God wanted to keep secret. I became more cautious and made no mention of the prophecy that the parents could have gone to Egypt. It also reassured my faith in God's protection and that the Deliverer would come out of Egypt. I then continued praising and thanking God quietly that He had begun to undertake our deliverance. I also hoped that it would not take another forty years, as it did under Moses.

I am Simeon. I was named after my ancestor and founder of the tribe of Simeon, second son of Jacob and Leah. My name means, "the Lord has heard." Indeed, He heard the prayers of Leah, the mother of my tribe, but He also heard my prayers. All my life, I hoped that the Lord would let me see His Deliverer. I had devoted my life to righteous living. I opened my heart constantly to the prompting of God' Spirit. I always sensed His presence. There were times I even could hear Him whisper. It was a message of reassurance that I should believe Moses and the Prophets. God would send us a man with His Spirit who would bring comfort (relief) to my people Israel. But my concern was, "when Lord, when Lord will you send us such a man?" How long must we wait before deliverance shall come? I was disturbed with the way my fellow men had obliterated the Law and the Prophets. Foreigners were running our country and our leaders profited from the poor. We had a king that detested us and hunted down anyone that wanted reform or to a return to the days of our great and godly king David. King Herod, our self-imposed king, kept up killing babies that were suspected to be the rightful heirs to the throne of David, especially in the surrounding area of Bethlehem where David came from. Those were some of the reasons why I wanted a sign that the Lord God would once more step into our nation's destiny and deliver us from this grave evil.

The Lord was gracious toward me and His Spirit whispered into my heart that I would see the Man of Consolation before I died. At first, I thought that He would commission some grown man with His Spirit to lead us. But all those pretenders that appeared did not indicate that they had the presence of the Spirit of God. They were mostly warmongers and merciless bandits. Then, I began attending the dedications of babies. If He was to be another like Moses, then like Moses He has to be spared from death and be dedicated to the Lord in His Holy Place, the Temple. I cannot recall how many dedications of children I have attended. There were many and they all looked promising. They all were the first-born sons. Anyone of them could have been the Deliverer. But I felt no movement of God's Spirit in my heart. By now I had grown old and I began to wonder whether I had misunderstood my Lord God. Many of us do when we set deadlines and cannot fulfill them. It also occurred to me that I might have seen Him yet missed Him in being overly anxious to receive a special revelation from the Lord. I labored under the impression that the Lord would use some sign that would point to a certain individual. Well, none of my anticipations came through.

One day, I felt rather renewed as if something very remarkable would happen. Whenever I had such elated feelings I would go to the Temple and share them with the Lord. During this particular time, the priest was dedicating a baby boy. His humble parents, an older man and a rather young woman, were offering up two young pigeons. Right there and then, the Spirit of the Lord urged me to go, pick up the child, hold it in my arms and bless it. When I took the baby boy in my arms, my mouth opened and I began to say words, not of my own prompting. "Now, Supreme Lord and according to your words (promise), let your servant depart in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation; that You have prepared before all people, a light of disclosure to the gentiles and a light of glory to the people of Israel."

The parents of the child named Jesus were amazed at what I had said. I felt that I had to bless them and when I touched the young mother, known as Mary, a jolt went through my body. More words were placed in my mouth. These were painful words - words I had not anticipated. He was not going to be the kind of Deliverer people were hoping for. He would not unite the people but divide them. The people will turn against Him because He will point out their sins and the need for repentance. He will not be a man of war but one of peace. What hurt me even more was what I had to say to this young mother. Still she listened attentively as I spoke the following words, "Behold this One has been set for the fall and rise of many in Israel, as a sign (reason) to oppose and to disclose what is hidden in many hearts. And a mighty sword will pierce your heart."

My last words to that delicate and young mother were no comfort. Who wants to go through life feeling constantly that at anytime a sword would bring pain to her heart? It would have been wonderful if I could have said good things about Her Son. Why did the Lord just let me see the baby without making me say those words about division, opposition and the sword? I went home with a heavy burden in my heart. The contentment and peace did not come with the revelation of God's Savior. How could I feel at ease when I told the young mother that she had to live on the edge of the very thought that something terrible would happen to Her Son? Could our Almighty God not pick a simpler way of salvation? Could He not just send several legions of angels and convert all of us? Why must He leave deliverance in the hands of man and in particular in the hands of a helpless baby? Why must men like Moses, the Prophets and now the Baby Jesus face opposition from those that need redemption most of all? There were endless questions with no answers, only more puzzles. The more I meditated on my questions, the more helpless I became. Then it came me. Why do I worry over what God only can resolve. If He wants to lead us through a baby then I am willing to accept it. After all, He did save Moses from the hand of Pharaoh, Elijah from Jezebel and He most certainly can keep Jesus safe from the bloodthirsty King Herod. How else could He send us a Savior without arousing the Romans and our leaders that wanted no Jewish King? God knew what He was doing.

It all happened unexpectedly. How was I to know what heaven had planned for my place? Caesar had ordered our people to return to their place of origin to be counted for taxes. I could not possibly pay all the taxes for the people that had left Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David. I liked what the Roma Emperor had ordered. It was a good and fair decree regarding taxation. There was another reason I had not given much attention. It was the rumor that our Redeemer was on His way and that He would arrive in Bethlehem. Both the Romans and our false King Herod were keeping watch over us. I did not expect that my humble place would attract the Prophet Moses had promised would come. Then, why would He come as a simple man from Galilee with a young pregnant wife riding on a donkey? What better disguise could anyone have used in order not to arouse suspicion?

I was not heartless. I just had no more room to accommodate more people. I was in the hostel business and rented rooms and space to paying travelers that arrived first. The carpenter and his wife were able to pay, but I had nowhere to put them. I felt for the lovely young woman and suggested that they settle in my animal shelter, because I knew that there were no vacancies in any of the homes. Our town was filled to capacity. People were living everywhere there was shelter. The couple from Nazareth was desperate and fortunate to find a spot in my stable. The woman was about to give birth. I had no idea that their Baby was about to attract so much attention. The couple arrived late and the evening turned bright. There was this mysterious star that seemed to hang low and light up my place. The "Baby Boy" was barely born when some shepherds came down from the hills and blurted about the "Baby Boy" being God's Deliverer of Israel. There was otherwise nothing unusual about the Child. After some guest had left, I moved the new family into a home. The young mother needed time to regain her strength from giving birth to her first born whom they named Jesus. The name had something to do with Joshua. He was the leader that settled our people in this land. The name meant, "God is our salvation."

I found it to be a bit amusing how a baby could deliver us from our enemies? After the counting had ended, I anticipated that everything would go back as it was before the Roman edict took effect. We did enjoy a brief time of rest while the parents met their legal obligation to the child in the Temple and then things really began to happen. One morning, while I stepped outside, I looked at a host of people that were camping on our property. I had seen caravans before camp and pass, but not like this outfit. They were not traders but travelers from afar. They had camels, servants, guards and portable huts. One hut was open and several men looked like royalties. They appeared to direct one of their servants to talk to me. He approached me quickly and knelt down in front of me and in my tongue delivered a strange message. "We have come from the East and we have followed a star that has brought us to your place. Our lords wish to see the one that was born "King of the Jews. It was his star that led us here." I stood speechless for a moment to gain my composure. Then, I merely nodded my head and the man understood that I had to ask permission from the parents of the child. While I went inside, a crowd gathered around the caravan.

Jesus' parents were not prepared to face such a public display. My inn was not large enough to host it. These visitors anticipated our predicament and rolled out carpets with cushions to sit on in front of my home. Hesitatingly, the parents brought out their baby and reclined on the cushions and then the unbelievable happened. These royal dignitaries knelt down before the baby Jesus and worshipped Him. Then they showered the Baby King with gold, incense and myrrh. They arose quietly and returned to their huts. We all retired for the night, contemplating what it all meant.

The next morning, I hurried outside to have a look at the caravan, but it had disappeared. I then hastened to inquire of the family that had brought all that had happened to my inn in Bethlehem; they, too, had gone. My first thought was that they had left with the caravan. Later that day, some one saw them leaving in a hurry going in the opposite direction of the caravan. In all that took place, I was not even able to learn their names, except that their boy was called Jesus. After the event had ended, Herod's soldiers appeared and began to kill all male children under the age of two. The King had taken the Seer's message of a Jewish Baby King seriously and felt threatened.

It was painful to hear mothers cry and mourn. They were paying an exuberant price for the life of one baby. I would have helped saving them, had I known who these strangers were and where they went. It was as if heaven had hid their exit and identity, and I never heard about them again. I wondered, who it was, whom God was protecting at the cost of so many other boys? We, of course, had to keep on hoping and waiting for our Messiah. From what had happen to us, it was unlikely that any one claiming to be our deliverer was safe from our authorities. It was sad that we had no room in the inn for a Joshua, but even more so when there was no place for Him in Israel.

It was a cold and starry night. Several of us huddled together for shelter and safety. We were shepherds. We guarded our flocks by night from larger animals like wolves and lions. It was a proud profession. Our great King David was a shepherd. From him we learned that it was dangerous to watch sheep alone. We were not as brave as David was when he faced a lion. But several of us deterred lions from attacking our sheep. We also had dogs that assisted us in watching. We felt quite safe and did not expect any diversions.

Our peaceful evening was abruptly interrupted by a vision. Out of nowhere a heavenly figure appeared before us. It was surrounded with lights full of glory - the kind we had never seen nor heard of. We did not have to be told that the being was an angel and that he had to come from the Lord. We became so frightened that we could hardly move. Before we had time to inquire what this was all about, the angel began to encourage us. He said, "Be not afraid. I bring you good news that all of the people will rejoice in. Today, in the town of David, a Savior was born for you. He is the Messiah and Lord. This is the evidence for you: you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manager."

As soon as the angel had finished his announcement, a huge choir comprised of a heavenly host surrounded us and the angel began to direct and lead the choristers in the most glorious praise to God. The song itself was brief, but the repetition made it sound endless. The heavenly choristers repeated three lines in perfect harmony. The words were: "Glory be to God in the Highest! On earth, let there be peace. The Lord has bestowed his favor on man."

After the heavenly choir with its director ascended heavenward, we began to ask each other what we should do? One of us suggested that we go to Bethlehem and see for ourselves whether the angel was right? We all agreed. We did not even think of our sheep. We all behaved as if we were in a different world. The message of the angel and the heavenly choir kept on ringing in our ears. Our feet carried us swiftly down into the town of Bethlehem. We had no trouble at all finding the place because it was one of our stables. It was one of our animals that had given up its crib for the Savior of our people. Just as the angel had told us, we found a mother, a father and a tiny "Baby Boy" wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a crib. Our hearts were filled with excitement and wonder. We began to astound the people with our message; not the parents that seemed to know how special their child was, but those that were already admiring the baby boy. The excitement grew when we told them that angels had told us who the new arrival was. We were the first to proclaim that this "Baby" was the "King of Israel" and that He would redeem His people. It seemed, to us, that those who heard what we were saying were more amazed at us than at our message. After all, we were only shepherds. Why would the Lord announce such an important event to us and not to the learned scholars and Priests of the people? If He had announced it to the leaders first, would they have believed His angel as we did?

I am Joseph of Nazareth and a descendant of the House of David. It was not something I could publicize. There were hopes and rumors that another David would come and deliver us from our oppressors. Our invaders forced us into service and molested our women. Our king was not a descendant of Jacob and therefore he feared the prophecy that suggested the rise of another David. For that reason, we lived in obscurity in Nazareth where no prophecy pointed at. I lived quietly, obeyed the traditions of our fathers and made my living as a wood worker. I, too, intended to be married and raise a family. I even became engaged to a very kind and lovely young lady by the name of Mary. I had no idea that a dream would alter my intentions in life. There were many with dreams and vision, but I was not one of them. I relied on facts and facts were difficult to dismiss.

I was being confronted with a very unpleasant task. My Mary was not what I had expected her to be. It became apparent, that she was carrying a child and I knew that it was not mine. I was unable to accept a woman that had a relationship with another man while she was engaged to me. My pride was hurt severely. Yet, I could not drag her before the public and accuse her of infidelity. I was looking for some quiet way to trade her off, perhaps even to the guilty one. My scheming got me nowhere and my pride did not let me ask my bride how she became pregnant. Well, I did not have to resolve my dilemma. My rival did appear to me while I was sleeping. I, who was not paying much attention to dreams, paid full attention to this heavenly messenger and his instructions were very specific. What he was saying coincided with what our prophet Isaiah had predicted. God would use a virgin to bring our Deliverer into our world.

First of all, the messenger eased my mind and lessened my fear by telling me that my rival was the Spirit of God. The messenger assured me that Mary had not been with any man. Now, God was entrusting her and the child to me. I was to name the child and regard it as my own. God made me the child's father. The messenger instructed me that it was going to be a boy and that I was to name Him "Jesus" for He was the One that would save us from our sins. In Him, God would be with us. It sounded rather simple, but was it? Little did I know what it would take to protect the Son of God from our enemies? Our enemies kept tabs on us and we were ordered by Rome to go to the place of our origin and register for tax purposes. That is why we had to return to Bethlehem. Our return to Bethlehem also agreed with the prophecy that the Savior would be born in the City of David. Mary and I expected it to be an unnoticed event. Our trip and arrived were uneventful and unexpected. The only place we were able to find where we could stay was an animal shelter. This too was an act of kindness of the proprietor.

We barely reached Bethlehem and Mary gave birth to a baby boy,we wrapped Him in some clothes and we laid Him in an animal feeding crib. We were about to enjoy a quiet celebration of our firstborn when a number of shepherds appeared and began telling us that angels had told them that this "Baby Boy" was the Christ Child and that heaven, too, was celebrating the event. We, too, began to hear angelic music and see a starry sky. A kind couple made room for us in their home where Mary and the baby could rest for eight days. We took the baby boy to the temple and had Him circumcised. We offered up a pair of doves and two young pigeons. Then I named Him "Jesus." Near by stood two people that were anxious to lay their hands on our Son. An old man named Simeon blessed Mary and then he had a message from the Lord. This child would become the rise and fall for many and be the One that many will oppose. He added a sad comment that a sword would pierce Mary's soul. That prediction, I would never see. An old widow agreed with Simeon and uttered similar blessings and messianic expectations.

We returned to Bethlehem for more rest and to a much bigger surprise. Some wealthy stargazers had come from the East to search for a newly born king of the Jews. They had followed a star and lost it when they reached Jerusalem. They were taken to king Herod, who consulted his religious experts and they informed the king and the stargazers that Bethlehem was the likely place. Herod instructed these men from the East to find the child and report back to him so he too could pay homage to the newly born king. That was how these men found us, they bowed before our Child and gave Him costly gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. They told us that a star had directed them to where we were staying. The next morning, they were gone in a hurry. They left a message that a dream warned them not to return to Jerusalem. That night, I too had my second dream regarding our Son. The messenger from heaven ordered me to take my family and flee to Egypt, for Herod was sending his soldiers to kill all male children under the age of two. We lived in Egypt in different places until Herod died and heard of his atrocity in Bethlehem and Ramah.

Our Lord Yahweh used Egypt to save our fathers from starvation during the time of Joseph and now He had saved our rightful "King" from being killed by a false king. I took my family back to Nazareth and quietly resumed my trade as a carpenter. Mary and I kept the secrets about our encounters with our Son. I was only privileged to watch the boy mature at the age of twelve when He let us know that He knew who His Father was. It was apparent to us that He would surprise many.

I am Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah and mother of John the Baptist. I am also the cousin to Mary, mother of Jesus, my Lord. My husband and I were both descendants of Aaron the first Priest of our Hebrew people. I was named after Aaron's wife; namely, Elisheba. It meant that God was an "oath" and that He kept His promises. In time, my name became Elizabeth. There were three hidden meanings in my name. Eli stood for "the Lord is exalted," zabad meant "a gift." In this sense a gift from the Lord or Yahweh. The ending "beth" meant a house or a home. Together, my name meant that God's promise would come through and my house or family would exalt or praise Him. And indeed I became a miracle woman. Like Sarah and Hanna of old, I too was barren and the Lord blessed me with a son in my old age. And like the angel promised Abraham that his son Isaac would continue his seed, the angel promised my husband Zechariah that our son John would usher in the age of the New Israel. That, in itself, would have been the highest honor any mother could have. My son was to be the long-predicted forerunner of the Anointed One of God. What a thrill that was to be the mother of the one that would introduce the Savior to the world!

There was much more, a lot more that would cause my soul to praise the Lord. I was carrying my baby beneath my heart when an unexpected visitor arrived and greeted me with the best of wishes. It was the voice of Mary, my cousin. At her greeting, my baby within me began to be restless, in a way that it had never been before. Immediately, I experienced a spiritual filling and began to speak words that I would never have said on my own. It was definitely the prompting of God's Spirit. I told Mary, "You are the most blessed among women and so is the son you will bear. What have I done to deserve that the mother of my Lord should visit me? The very moment my baby heard your voice it leaped for joy. You are indeed blessed because you believe what the Lord has promised will be fulfilled." Of course, Mary joined right in with her words of praise to the Lord. She had accepted her role as a precious tool of bringing God's only Son into the world. For the next three months, we lived on the highest cloud of heaven. We had the best and highest reason to feel blessed and elevated. In our wombs we carried the fruits of the Lord God and the hope of redemption for our people.

Mary went home to be united with Joseph and I tried to communicate with a husband that had lost his voice. We were religious, but not to the point of believing the impossible. How could two old people produce a child at our age? That was what the angel of the Lord had told my husband and he could not believe it. To stop him from spreading his unbelief and prove that God will keep His promise, the angel took away his voice until he would name his son John. So, for nine months, we lived together in silence and my doubting husband watched God performing a miracle in my womb. When my day of delivery arrived and I bore a son, I named him "John." My relatives objected on the grounds that no one in our family was ever named John. They turned to my husband and wanted to know what his choice for a name would be. He pointed for a tablet to write on and then inscribed these words, "John is his name." Everybody was astounded. Then we all were even more amazed when my husband Zechariah began to speak words of praise, of promise and of prosperity. The words that touched my heart the most were that our son would be called the "Prophet of the Most High" and that he will go before the Lord and prepare His way. He will lead our people to repent and return to the covenant of our fathers. Once more God would be merciful, forgive us our sins and grant us peace. Never before did I see my husband so inspired and filled with the Spirit of the Lord. What an outpouring of blessing had come to our humble place and our longing and lonely hearts. I, too, could hold my head high among the women of our nation.

I, too, became a mother. What I had yet to learn was that my son was not normal by our human standards. He did not mix with or fit in with the other children. He had a yearning for the outdoors. He began to steal away into lonely places and began to fantasize that he was like Elijah the prophet. Like the prophet, our son believed that he should live off the land and not pollute himself with foods that were prepared by human hands. Just think, our son became a hermit and lived off locusts and wild honey? His only shelter was a heavy fur coat and his weapon a strong belt about his waistline. This was not at all the picture that we had in our minds what our son should be, and especially one that was going to play a major role in the arrival of our national leader, one like Moses. To us it seemed that we had failed in parenting. Perhaps we were too old to have a son. But then we asked ourselves, why God had given John to us in the first place? His purpose most definitely was different from ours. Again, we began to trust the Lord that He would direct our son where he should go and what he had to do. We took comfort in the fact that God was the Lord of promises and that He would carry out His purpose and that it may turn out contrary to what we expected. Our age was against us, for us to see how it would all turn out, and how our son John would make out in the larger scheme of God's plan? For us, the past and the present were sufficient to know that God would not let our son down. God will be with him as He was with us. He made real for us the impossible and so He shall for the one that is to be the Prophet of the Most High.

Here I was with Gabriel in our kitchen all alone trembling with fear. Before he announced the reason for his appearance, a thousand thoughts flashed my mind. What did the Lord want with me or what had I done that He took notice of? And when the angel opened his mouth and called me, "Hail, you favored one, the Lord is with you!" I became even more afraid. He noticed how troubled I was with his greeting and quickly added, "Be not afraid, Mary, God has taken a liking to you. You will become a mother and you will name your son, Jesus." If the angel tried to boost my spirit, the opposite was true. I was in total disbelief. But Gabriel did not give me any time to object. He just went on about the Son I was to have. Only, He was to be God's Son and not mine. He was to sit on David's throne and rule over Israel (Jacob) and there would be no end to His reign. This sounded great but it came at a time when Rome ruled the world, not just our tiny Judah. In addition to Rome we had the murderous king Herod, a descendent of Jacob's brother Esau that killed any one that pretended to be of the house of David.

I threw up my arms in despair and interrupted, "Wait a minute, Mr. Angel! In case you have not noticed. I am not married. I am a virgin. I do not intend to be with anyone else but my husband to be when we are married." Gabriel was fully aware of my apprehension. He went on to tell me that the Holy Spirit would be doing the fathering and the Most High the overshadowing. I was not at all certain what it meant and my face must have registered more questions than Gabriel had time to answer. He dismissed himself by telling me to see my cousin Elizabeth who was far beyond the age of child bearing and that with God all things were possible. I, too, dismissed Gabriel with words that were not at all what I would have said to anyone else, "I'll be a handmaid to the Lord and may your words come through."

While the Lord dealt with my future husband, my curiosity took me to Elizabeth. There was no doubt the Lord had been busy. But what startled me was how she greeted me, "You are blessed among all women. Why has the Lord favored me with a visit of the mother of my Lord? My baby leaped for joy in my womb when you entered my house." Now I was already being called the mother of the Lord. While I spent time with my cousin, the fruit in my womb prospered. Joseph had come to terms with my condition and prepared to take me to Bethlehem where I would deliver the Son of God to the world. It would not take place in David's palace, but in one of his stables in a manger. There was no royalty to welcome my son but shepherds reminiscent of the days when David himself was a shepherd. No leaders of Israel were present, but wise men from the East paid homage with substance that would sustain us on our flight to Egypt and our return to Nazareth, after the death of the child-killer Herod.

While we dedicated our son to the Lord in the Temple in Jerusalem and offered up two young pigeons, Herod had decided to exterminate all male children under two in Bethlehem. The Lord informed my husband in a dream to stay one step ahead of those that were after the life of our son. In the Temple we met Simeon who had more puzzling predictions. He called our Son the, "Glory of Israel and a light for the Gentiles." Now that Simeon had seen the Lord's salvation, he was ready to die. But he had words for us that were even more puzzling. The Child would become a blessing for some and a stumbling block for others. People will be against Him because He will disclose their secretes. Then Simeon turned to me and told me that I, too, would feel pain like the piercing of a sword. How could I know that the pain would not be caused by a sword but by a cross? I kept all the things that were said about our Son in my heart and wondered what our life would be like, safekeeping the identity of the Son of God, our Messiah.

When we returned to Nazareth, we continued living inconspicuously as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened to us. We left it up to Jesus to disclose His identity and mission. He almost did at the age of twelve, but then remained a good and obedient son. The way He grew in wisdom and behavior endeared him to God and people. Even as a youngster, Jesus made us feel better about ourselves.

My name is Zechariah. It means, "The Lord has remembered me." Indeed, He has heard my prayers. Among my people, it was disgraceful not to have children. No one would be around to take care of us when we no longer could function. It was particularly painful for my wife. In my world, only women were barren. They were guilty of not bearing children. It was believed that they must have done something that displeased the Lord. Being a priest, without a male heir, made my future look even bleaker. I belonged to a long and reputable line of priests. I dated back to Abijah and Aaron and so did my wife Elizabeth. We were God-fearing and law-abiding Levites. We tried to lead a blameless life before God and men. I was faithful to my priestly duties. And without a son, my chain link, in the priesthood, was about to end.

Due to our advanced ages, we had resigned ourselves to a childless fate. In spite of the odds, I kept on praying. But, I did not think that my prayers would matter very much? How wrong could I have been? Prayers always matter. They never cease to reach the throne of the Lord our God. When the lot fell on me to go to the Temple and burn incense, I still prevailed in doubt. And when an angel appeared, called my name and told me that my prayers have been heard, I was scared to death. And what Gabriel said was even more unbelievable. Elizabeth was going to bear me a son, to call him "John" and he will delight us. He will be like Elijah of old by preceding the Lord and leading the people back to God. He will love the outdoors and live under the influence of the Holy Spirit. And he will prepare the way of the "Chosen One" of God. I did not think I was hearing right. "How can this be at our age," I asked?

Apparently, that was not the right question. It was obvious that I had displeased the messenger of God. He became firm and announced, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to you to bring you this good news. But since you did not believe my words you will be silent until the day my words come true."

I do not know how long I lingered in the Temple. But when I emerged, I saw concern on the people's faces. I tried to open my mouth, but nothing audible would come out. I motioned with my hands about some vision I had and that made no sense to the audience. I staggered home and into the arms of my beloved wife. Lo and behold, we were overcome with love and Elizabeth took on a youth-like look. She was indeed with child and there was anticipation and joy in our home - the kind we had never felt before. Our friends, neighbors and relatives came to wish us well. Six months into Elizabeth's pregnancy, we had a special visitor. Cousin Mary from Nazareth came to see Elizabeth and that elated my wife enormously. She was dabbling that Mary's child was the Lord whom our child would serve. She called Mary the most blessed among women and the mother of her Lord. She was so excited that she composed an entire song of praise to God for delivering His people from bondage and sin. I, too, sensed God's Spirit in our home, but I did not realize that I, too, was close to the Lord while He was in His mother's womb. That was as close as I would ever come of meeting the Savior at my age. Even in His prenatal state, He was a blessing to my wife.

Elizabeth did deliver a healthy baby boy. I heard the boy cry but still I could not speak. On the eight day, the baby boy was circumcised and without my input, Elizabeth named him "John." The relatives objected and argued that he should be named after me. There was a tradition that should not be broken. Then someone realized that I should have a say in the matter. I signed for a tabled and I wrote, "His name is John." Instantly, my mouth opened and my tongue began to release praises to God. Everybody was stunned. The whole hill country of Judea shared the news of our miracle. People marveled and wondered what it all meant. It was very apparent that our son was under the umbrella of God's Spirit. Of course, I knew what he was going to be. Gabriel had told me what his mission would be. To share Gabriel's message with the people did not have made much sense, just as it did not to me when I first heard it.

In the eyes of my fellow men, disgrace had been lifted from my family. We, too, had a son but he would not be my successor. He would not become a priest and serve incense on the altar of the Temple. Instead, he would tramp off into the desert and stay clear of other humans, so that he will remain holy in order to welcome the Lord of lords. He will have to keep his hands holy so that he can lay them upon the One who is to save us from our sins. Our son was born to point out the Chosen One to the people. Our John was to prepare a way for the Lord. He was to get the people ready for His coming. I, too, was filled with the Holy Spirit and words of joy and wonder proceeded out of my mouth. They were words about the Savior or Deliverer who would free our people from sin and restore our covenant with God of old and return our nation to holiness and righteousness. Our son would be the Redeemer's prophet, the highest rank among all prophets. Probably, Elizabeth and I will not be present when our son meets the Messiah or how his life will be structured? I am confident, however, that God has things in His hand and He will let me see in glory the completion of His plan. And that too will be an answer to my prayers.