I’m a lot like my mom when it comes to telling jokes. She’d often forget the punchline as do I, but she relayed a good one several years back, regarding the wise men of the Epiphany.
When on vacation in the south during the Christmas season, a young couple couldn’t help but notice the number of Nativity Sets displayed in front of the homes. It seemed strange to see them in a tropical place, but I guess that’s where it took place in the first place. As they continued driving, they saw something that puzzled them. Each of the wise men was wearing a fireman’s hat. Curiosity got the best of them so they finally stopped and went to one of the homes to ask about the hats. A kind woman answered the door and her reply was, “We’re just following what it says in the Good Book. It’s right there in black and white. Men from the East came from afar.”
The story of the Epiphany is a little deeper than that. We’re not told how many men came. We assume it to be three. We know they carried treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts held significance. Gold was a gift suitable for Kings and Jesus surely was a King. Frankincense was the aromatic spice used in the temple to worship God. Jesus was not only man, but God. Myrrh, was used in the burial process and we know that expensive spices were used to bury the body of Jesus after His vicious crucifixion.
The Magi were men of science who studied the stars. They’d seen the star of Bethlehem and it indicated to them that a king had been born. They also knew the ancient prophesies concerning the King who would be born from the lineage of David – the promised Messiah – the divine King who would save His people.
It took some time to get there – maybe as long as two years. When they arrived in Jerusalem they went straight to Herod and asked where they could find this new King. Herod set the next events into motion by asking for directions to see the child, so he could worship Him too. What this evil man was mulling over in his mind was the elimination of all firstborn sons in Jerusalem who were two years old or less. He wasn’t about to let another king take away what he’d worked so hard to establish. That and the fact that he had no qualms about destroying innocent lives.
We know that the wise men journeyed to a house where they found Jesus with His mother, Mary. They weren’t in a stable – they were now living in a house. The child, born in poverty, came to the world for the poor. Now it’s revealed that He was born for the very rich too. Jesus doesn’t just exist for one class of people. He was born to save the entire world. I think we sometimes forget that.
God isn’t selective in His forgiveness. It’s available to everyone. His requirements for obeying His law are great – too great for us to handle. Everyone needs a redeemer and Jesus was sent for that very purpose. The poor shepherds in the field knew that as well as the wealthy men who brought their precious gifts to Him. He also came for you and me. He loves each and every one of His creatures and was willing to sacrifice His own life for us.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gift of your precious Son. Thank you also for showing us through the visit of the Magi, that you came for all people – rich and poor. The true gift was given to us when you came to earth as a man. Now, by faith – that gift can be opened by all who ask for it. Amen!
Amen! That opening joke was cute, by the way 🙂
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I liked it too. My mom told it much better❤️
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Two things: About forgetting the punch line, I had a friend, who was getting old, who told the same joke over and over. “What’s the one good thing about Alzheimer’s? They can hide their own Easter eggs.” Then one day, he asked the question. We answered, “We don’t know. Tell us.” Then there was this perplexed look on his face. He’d forgotten the punch line. We laughed harder then than we had at his crude original joke.
As far as nativity scenes: I went on a interview to Lone Star, Texas. We stayed in Longview and our host took us on a drive through the ‘good’ neighborhoods in town. It was early December. In one neighborhood, the first house had a Nativity that I could call a Texan’s Nativity. It was made out of welded, bronzed twisted sheet metal and structural beams. It was Texan size, with the baby Jesus being the size of a second grader. The wise men were easily ten feet tall. The metal worker was a really good artist and sculptor, but he must have needed a crane to lift the various parts into place.
And I loved the joke.
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I loved your story as well. It reminds me of my concern for teaching drama to memory care patients. My husband assured me I could teach the same thing time after time and they wouldn’t know the difference.
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To us, it may seem so, but it makes a difference to you. And down deep inside, they may retain something that their conscious mind can’t express.
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I know and that’s why I encourage them to do exercises that will strengthen their brains. I know I need to keep mine active all the time.
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Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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My mom was from Kentucky, so maybe that’s why I got it!! Happy New Year!!!
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I would expect that to be true. I do not know if I’d had gotten it through f I weren’t a dialect coach.if
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Love that joke! Also love the rest of the post.
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Thank you❤️
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Obviously, a southern accent … Ha! Too funny. And I love that Jesus loves us regardless of who we are. Beautiful and encouraging post, Kathy!
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Thanks my encouraging grace giver❤️
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