THE STORY OF
Mary was bored from being stuck inside the dark barn. She was feeling stronger and Joseph had gone out to look for work. He said he would be back to check on her at noon, but until then it was just her and the baby. She was tired of resting and the baby was sleeping, so she gently opened the front door of the barn.
“Who’s there?” demanded a stern but childish voice.
“It’s me, Mary. And who are you and where are you?” Mary didn’t feel threatened by the voice — just curious as to where it was coming from.
A mass of dark curly hair popped out from between some bales of straw that were stacked just outside the door. “Hi! You scared me. I didn’t know you were here. Usually I hear everything.”
When Mary looked closely, she realized that the girl in front of her was blind. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, I was just pretending that this was my house and well … you know. But what are you doing here? This is Uncle Omar’s barn!” the girl demanded.
“Well, your Uncle Omar said that we could stay here for a few days until we could find a place — as long as we didn’t mind sharing with a few goats and a donkey.”
Rachel liked Mary’s voice. She didn’t seem to be afraid of Rachel’s blindness and she sounded gentle. Rachel was a pretty good judge of voices.
“His name is Pete.”
“Whose name is Pete?”
“My donkey. And the goats are Rosa and Beta.”
“Well, that’s very good to know! And who might you be?”
About that time, baby Jesus announced himself with a loud wail. Mary turned and ran quickly into the barn with Rachel on her heels.
“A baby!”
Mary quickly picked up Jesus and tended to his wet blankets, then she settled him on her breast.
“Why don’t we go to your make-believe house and get acquainted?” Mary suggested. The child quickly moved the hay bales so that they could sit on them and talk.
“I’m Mary and this is Jesus. He’s four days old and seems to be very hungry these days. My husband and I came here from Nazareth in Galilee and now we need to stay until I can get strong enough to travel. Now, it’s your turn.”
Rachel was delighted that Mary seemed interested in her. “I’m Rachel and I have two little brothers. My Uncle Omar owns this barn and I come here to hide, I mean,” she quickly changed her story, but Mary noticed it. “I come here to check on Pete.
“May I touch baby Jesus? I won’t hurt him. I know how to be gentle.”
Mary agreed and Rachel moved to her side. She very gently touched his toes. Mary realized that because Rachel couldn’t “see”, she was using her touch to get a picture of him. She counted each toe and then found one of his hands.
Rachel giggled when baby Jesus clasped hold of her finger and wouldn’t let go. Rachel was so gentle with him, and Mary realized that she was an experienced big sister and could be trusted to keep Jesus safe.
Rachel was filled with questions and before Mary noticed, the morning had passed. She saw Joseph headed toward the barn. Rachel heard the footsteps and quickly scampered off without even saying goodbye.
Joseph kissed baby Jesus before telling Mary the big news. Because Bethlehem was so filled with people, lots of workers were needed — especially carpenters who could repair yokes and wagons. He had found a position already, and soon they would have something besides goat’s milk, and some stale bread to eat.
Joseph drank a cup of goat’s milk, but then needed to rush back to work. He promised to bring her something wonderful for dinner and reminded her to get her rest. He kissed them goodbye and started off at a run to get back to the shop on time.
Mary knew she needed to rest, so just as soon as she got Jesus fed again and settled into the little makeshift crib (a cow’s old feeding trough), Mary stretched out on the hay and was quickly asleep. Feeding a newborn every few hours was a lot of work and her body needed to heal.
It was late afternoon before Jesus woke her this time and she cleaned out his bed and washed him in a pan of water. He seemed to enjoy the bath. “Your Abba is bringing home a good supper and you need to be clean and smell good for him. He’s worked hard all day to take good care of us. He’ll be home soon.”
“Hello. Mary? It’s me, Rachel. May I come in?”
“Certainly Rachel, I was just finishing up giving Jesus a bath. Do you think you could hold him while I repack my bag of supplies? I don’t want the mice to get into them.”
Rachel sat on the hay and held baby Jesus on her lap just like her mother had taught her to hold her brothers. Pete kept sticking his head over his pen and kissing Rachel’s ears and neck. Rachel would giggle and shoo him away.
Rachel chatted happily and Mary found out that Rachel was eight years old, and that she had been blind since birth. Her two little brothers were a handful for her mother and there was another baby on the way. Rachel was supposed to be sitting by the street leading to the synagogue to beg for coins. But apparently, she often sneaked away and hid at her uncle’s barn and played with Pete instead.
Mary realized how much she missed her younger brothers and sisters. Having Rachel around helped pass the time even though she was only half listening.
“So, do you?” Rachel asked.
“I’m sorry, Rachel, I was thinking about how hungry I am and hoping Joseph will be home soon. What was your question?”
“I was just wondering if you believed the shepherds?” repeated Rachel.
“Oh, Rachel, I must have missed something because I’m not sure what we are talking about.”
Rachel’s face fell and Mary thought she saw a look of distrust. Mary took both of Rachel’s hands in hers and assured her that she wanted to listen, and she wanted to answer her question. She apologized for not listening carefully. “Please start all over at the beginning and I’ll try my best to answer you.”
Rachel seemed pleased with that and began her story all over again. It seemed that four nights ago there had been some commotion out in the street with people running and shouting. She had gotten out of bed, but her parents would not let her go outside to check out what was happening.
They told her it was probably the Roman soldiers celebrating something, and it would be no place for a girl. Rachel had obeyed, but she heard enough from the shouting to figure out that these were not Roman soldiers — they were shepherds who had seen something that had excited them and they were intent on waking up the whole town to tell them the news.
The next morning, Rachel had gone to beg outside the synagogue as usual, but all the beggars could talk about was what the shepherds had said the night before.
The shepherds said that an angel had appeared in the sky and said:
... “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”1
“Mary, did you hear the noise that night?”
“Yes.” Mary was not sure what to tell the child, but she knew that she would not lie to her.
Excitedly Rachel asked, “Did they come here, Mary? Did they come here?”
“Yes, Rachel, they came here.”
“Mary, does baby Jesus sleep in a manger?”
“Yes, Rachel, he does.”
Now Rachel could hardly sit still.
“Mary, is baby Jesus the Messiah? Is he the One we’ve been waiting for? Oh, Mary, I got to touch him! I got to hold him. Oh, Mary, is baby Jesus the Messiah?”
“Well, Rachel, I believe he is.”
Rachel sat perfectly still as if she were just listening to the air around her.
She kept saying, “Oh! Oh my!”
But Jesus had other plans and let out a pitiful wail that made them both laugh.
He was a four-day-old man demanding his dinner. Mary quickly cleaned his makeshift crib, and he began to nurse greedily. His smacking noises made Rachel giggle.
“Gotta go!” and Rachel quickly disappeared.
This time Mary realized that Joseph was approaching. What an exciting evening they shared! Joseph had been paid well and he had purchased a feast for the two of them. He had bought two pomegranates, two cucumbers, an onion, and two fresh rounds of bread. With the goats’ milk, they felt that it was a feast fit for royalty.
The carpenter had told Joseph he could continue to work if he wanted the job. Joseph planned to get caught up on their food supplies, and then start saving a little to be able to move out of the barn. But in the meantime, they were content.
Joseph held Jesus while Mary cleaned up their dinner and packed it all securely away. While she worked, she told Joseph about her visitor that day. He was glad that she had made a new friend.
Together they watched Jesus and agreed that he was much, much bigger than the day before. They discussed what else she could have said to Rachel. They didn’t want to lie, but they also didn’t want to draw attention to him. They knew that God was depending on them to protect Jesus as much as they could, but they weren’t always sure of what they were supposed to do.
Mary was still talking about Rachel when she realized that both Joseph and Jesus were fast asleep in the hay.
ZZZZZ zzzzzz
Mary picked Jesus up and put him in the manger to keep him safe and then lay down to think over her busy day.
Early each morning, Joseph had to feed Pete the donkey and then milk Omar’s two goats and carry the milk to the nearby inn. That was their payment for the use of the barn, but Omar had told them they could keep as much milk as they needed for their own use. Then Joseph had to take the water jar to the well and fill it, because Mary was supposed to be resting and not lifting heavy things. She would need fresh water to keep Jesus clean, wash his clothing, and of course for drinking water.
Joseph had barely left for work when Rachel knocked at the barn door. Mary invited her in and decided to put her to good use. “Rachel, do you think you could hold Jesus while I wash my hair? I feel much stronger after eating such a good meal and Joseph brought me some extra water. It would feel so good to have my hair clean.” Rachel happily agreed and settled onto the hay so that baby Jesus would be safe in her arms. Mary quickly washed her hair and began combing it out when she heard Rachel singing to baby Jesus. Rachel was such a little girl, but her voice was big and strong and pure and beautiful. Baby Jesus was fascinated by her voice and was soon fast asleep. Mary felt tears in her eyes because of the amazing beauty of the child’s voice. “Rachel, who taught you to sing like that?”
“My Grandmother taught me all the Psalms. I love to sing.”
The eighth day for a Jewish boy baby is very special. Usually the entire family and sometimes the whole community gathered for the Naming Ceremony and birthday party. But here in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph didn’t know anyone and couldn’t afford to feed them if they did.
Joseph had asked the priest to come for a private ceremony in the afternoon and Joseph’s boss had generously given him the entire afternoon off. They had planned for a quiet time for just the three of them. Joseph had not had much time with Jesus, and this would be the perfect time. But they didn’t know that Rachel had other plans!
After noon, there was a knock on the door that they assumed would be the priest, but instead Rachel had brought quite a crowd. There was Rachel’s mother and dad and her two little brothers. Thankfully, her mother was carrying a large raisin cake and her dad was carrying a loaf of honey bread.
Uncle Omar and his wife were bringing some jugs of fruit juice. Behind them were a couple of Rachel’s friends who begged with her every morning at the synagogue.
Mary and Joseph were thrilled to meet Rachel’s family and friends. When the priest arrived for the Naming Ceremony, Jesus was given his name, and everyone proclaimed the party a success.
Long after the women had taken the children home, Joseph stayed up late in the night to talk with Rachel’s dad, Obadiah; her Uncle Omar; and the two beggars. They sat in front of the barn on the hay bales and talked about Israel’s future. They, too, wanted to know what all the excitement with the shepherds was about. Joseph answered their questions as best he could. These were fellow Jews who were looking for the Messiah as eagerly as he was. But he decided to not volunteer any information — just answer questions.
They all agreed that Jesus must be going to be very special, and that God had great plans for him as they shook hands and parted ways. They also agreed to be on the lookout for a house for Joseph and Mary to rent.
About a week later, a small one room house had been found that Joseph felt they could afford to rent. When Mary told Rachel about the upcoming move, she was sad until they discovered that the house was actually closer to her house and they would live on the same street just a few doors down.
Since Mary had carried all she owned on her back, moving day was not a big operation. With Rachel’s help, Mary had just about everything moved before Joseph got home. He had assured her that he would stop by the barn after work and pick up his heavier pack and check to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything.
The days passed a little quicker now that Mary was feeling stronger. She could prepare a meal over a fire in the backyard and keep the house tidy without mice and spiders in every crevice. It felt more like camping-out than being at home because they had no furniture, but at least it was cleaner.
Mr. Omar offered Joseph the job of continuing to feed the donkey and milk the two goats in exchange for all the milk they could use, and Mary began to dream of having butter and cheese on a regular basis. Rachel visited often and Rachel’s mother also stopped by occasionally for a quick visit.
When Jesus was 40 days old, Mary and Joseph woke early as usual. Today would be a special day. Mary got up and tended to Jesus while Joseph left to go feed Pete and milk the goats. By the time he returned, Mary had fed and dressed Jesus and prepared a quick breakfast. Joseph helped Mary strap baby Jesus to her so that her hands would be free to carry a few small bags of baby supplies. Joseph carried the bedding and some extra food just in case the trip took longer than expected.
They shut the door to their little house and prayed for God’s protection as they traveled. It was only six miles to Jerusalem, but this was their first time to make the trip together as a family with a baby. Joseph wanted to make sure they had everything they needed. They began their walk just as the sun peeked over the hills. Mary thought she might could see the sparkle of the temple even from there.
As they walked further and further, they were joined by fellow travelers, all headed to Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph enjoyed the time to be together, but they also joined some of the other travelers in singing the Psalms as they approached the temple.
Jesus stirred and Mary reminded Joseph that they needed to find a place to change him and feed him before going into the temple. Joseph suggested they go into the olive garden just outside the gates. There, they could rest from their walk and make sure Jesus was at his best before taking him into the priest for the ceremony.
It was good to sit in the cool of the garden. Mary hadn’t walked that far in a while and needed to catch her breath. Joseph produced a couple of apricots from his sack and they just relaxed for a few minutes.
Joseph left Mary and the baby in the cool of the garden while he sprinted across the ravine and into the temple grounds to purchase a lamb to sacrifice. He was shocked at the increase in prices and discovered that they could only afford two turtledoves.
He carried the birds carefully in one hand, while helping Mary with the sacks and other supplies for Jesus. They entered the courtyard of the temple and began to walk up the steps to the court of women. There, two things happened that Mary and Joseph would never forget.
They got home late that night and Mary was so tired she hardly remembered shutting her eyes. Thankfully, the fresh air helped Jesus sleep through the night, but it was still early when he woke and demanded attention. The sacrifice at the temple had been to thank God for their firstborn son, and the priest declared Mary fully recovered from giving birth.
She wanted the day to be special. Maybe she would go to the market later, or maybe to the synagogue. She hadn’t realized how tired she was of being cooped up in the house.
When Rachel knocked on the door, Mary was eager to see her young friend and make plans for the day. Of course, Rachel wanted to hear every detail about the trip. Mary tried to describe the magnificent temple and all the people that she had met.
“But Rachel,” Mary said, “two incredible things happened when we walked into the temple, and I can’t wait to tell you!”
“You know I want to know everything! What happened?”
“Rachel, do you remember asking me about the shepherds and the angels?”
Suddenly, Rachel was quiet and still, “Oh, Mary, I think about that all the time. Did you see an angel? Do you know if Jesus really is the Messiah? Oh, Mary. Please tell me everything!”
“Well, Joseph and I walked into the temple courts. We had just walked up the steps into the court of women when this old man — they said his name was Simeon — came and held out his arms as if he wanted to hold baby Jesus. I wasn’t sure whether it was safe, but Joseph nodded — so I placed baby Jesus in his arms and let him hold him.
He began to pray very loudly, and he told God that he would be happy to die now because he had seen the Messiah.”
“Oh, Mary,” Rachel gasped. “That’s the second time someone has said that Jesus is the Messiah. What else did he say?”
“I didn’t understand all of it, but he said something about Jesus being a light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel. Oh, and he also said that the Holy Spirit had told him to come to the temple courts yesterday morning to meet us. Isn’t that amazing?”
Rachel was very quiet and still. Then very quietly she whispered, “You said there were two things that happened? What was the other one?”
“Well, while that man was just standing there holding Jesus and praising God, a very old lady came up. She looked like she was over 100 years old. I’ve never seen anyone so old.
“Her face was radiantly beautiful, and she began to tell everyone around us that Jesus was the redemption of Israel. Some people told us that she was Anna, a prophetess. Everyone was crowding around wanting to see Jesus. I guess I felt a little afraid for him, but he seemed to be having a great time and was just looking around like royalty.
“Well, after we gave our sacrifice, we went back to the olive garden to rest a while before starting home. Joseph didn’t want me walking in the heat. We ate an early dinner and rested until closer to sundown before we started home. And today is my first day of being free!”
“Mary, it seems like a lot of people think that Jesus is the Messiah.”
“Yes, it does.”
“I wonder why suddenly everyone is talking about the Messiah. We’ve waited forever. I wonder why now?”
“God keeps his promises, Rachel, no matter how long it takes.”
The next few days were exciting ones for Mary, and she was determined to get to know her new community.
The first thing that changed was Mary getting to go to the water well instead of Joseph. It was a little awkward to figure out how to hold Jesus and still manage to carry the water jar on her head, but she soon figured it out.
She made friends with the ladies who all met at the well each morning. Her head was spinning with recipes and advice on raising Jesus and which vendors had the best prices at the market — all the things that women throughout the centuries have discussed together. She soon knew everyone’s name and the names of their children. They all welcomed her to the community.
Many mornings, if Jesus was being cooperative, Mary would walk to the synagogue to pray. Rachel was usually sitting with her friends begging — but would come running when she heard Mary’s footsteps. They would hug and let Rachel play with Jesus for a few minutes before Mary would take him into the synagogue with her. But as Mary began to pray day after day for her family back home and her new friends here, she prayed often for little Rachel. She had become a really good friend, and Mary was praying that God would show her how to help Rachel.
One afternoon as Rachel visited and tried to play with baby Jesus, he was being fussy. Mary asked Rachel to sing a Psalm for him. Rachel very naturally began to sing to baby Jesus these words:
and make music to your name,
O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad….2
Jesus calmed down immediately and fell asleep. Suddenly, Mary had an idea.
“Rachel, I want to ask you to do something very special for me.”
“I will try, Mary, you know I will. What can I do for you?”
“Rachel, tomorrow morning when you go to beg by the side of the road, will you sing this Psalm for me?”
“Oh, Mary, I can’t sing for people. I would be so scared. Besides, I would disturb the people and they would tell me to go away.”
“Rachel, will you sing for Jesus? You know he loves your songs. I will bring him and let you sing to him. That’s my request. Will you do it?”
Rachel tossed and turned all night. She had never sung in front of other people. In fact, Mary and Jesus were probably the only ones who had heard her sing since her grandmother had died. Oh, she was scared. But she had promised, and a promise was a promise.
The next morning, sure enough, Mary and Jesus came to Rachel’s spot. Mary knelt on the ground beside Rachel and held baby Jesus in her lap. She whispered to Rachel to just sing to Jesus and pretend there was no one else around.
Rachel took hold of baby Jesus’ hand, and he clung tightly to his friend. She began very, very quietly. As she relaxed, Mary could tell that she was enjoying just lifting her voice in worship.
By the time she finished, a small crowd had gathered. They clapped appreciatively and asked for another song. With Mary’s encouragement, Rachel began to sing one Psalm after another. Baby Jesus kept trying to put Rachel’s fingers in his mouth, and that kept Rachel from paying attention to the crowd that was gathering. When Jesus began to get fussy and hungry, Mary had to leave. By then Rachel was enjoying singing, and the crowds were encouraging her to keep on. Mary thanked God for showing her how to help Rachel use her talent.
Rachel began staying longer and longer at her spot by the synagogue because she loved helping the people prepare their hearts for worship.
She became known as the little girl with the big voice. Rachel was able to help her parents with expenses. No longer did Rachel feel like she was begging. Now she considered herself a singer who was paid for her ministry to the people.
And often, she could contribute to her friend’s buckets. That made her feel really good inside. Her two crippled friends had protected her when she was just a scared little girl, and now she could help them.
“Rachel, what are you doing up? You are usually asleep by now.”
“Yes, Abba. I’m sorry to disturb you, but don’t you hear it?”
“Rachel, you know that I can’t hear the things you hear. Just tell me — hold it — there is something going on.” He went to the door and looked out. Rachel was right behind him.
“What is it, Abba?”
“I’m not sure….”
“Abba, I can’t see but my ears tell me that there are camels and lots and lots of people. They are going east toward the synagogue, but Abba, what do they look like?”
“Rachel, I’m not sure, but it looks to me like they are royalty from somewhere. They are not Roman or Israeli or Egyptian. I don’t know where they are from, but their robes are beautiful and so colorful with lots of jewels.”
“Abba, they have stopped! Why are they stopping?”
“I can’t tell, Rachel.”
“Abba let’s go see! I think they have stopped at Mary and Joseph’s house!”
“No, I think we should stay here and not get involved. We don’t know who these people are or what they might do.”
“Abba, I must know. I don’t want to disobey you, but I think it has something to do with baby Jesus being the Messiah. Please, please go with me.”
“All right, Rachel, but stay with me and don’t go running off. Hold my hand tightly.”
The road was completely blocked by the large, ornately dressed crowd. But Rachel and her dad were able to squeeze around the crowd and get close enough to tell that indeed, everyone was focused on Mary and Joseph’s house. Rachel’s Abba, Obadiah, later said it seemed to glow like a spotlight was shining on it.
Rachel’s Abba saw that Joseph was in the front yard talking with a group of men who were dressed like kings. Rachel and her Abba couldn’t hear what was being said but everything felt friendly and safe.
The men talked a few minutes and then Joseph went back into the house. Shortly he returned with Mary. She was carrying Jesus in her arms.
A bright star seemed to shine down on all that was happening. Rachel’s Abba, Obadiah, watched as the men who looked like kings and all their attendants fell on their faces and worshiped Jesus. Abba fell to his knees to worship and Rachel joined him. He watched as Mary and Joseph held Jesus up high so that all could see him. Even the camels and horses knelt, and there was absolute silence.
Rachel wanted to ask what was happening but knew that her whisper would be heard. So, she waited. Mary would tell her in the morning.
Then the men talked with Joseph some more, gave him some packages, remounted their camels, and the entire group left as quietly as they had come.
Rachel and Abba walked slowly back to their home. Her Abba tried to explain to her what he had seen, but he couldn’t explain what he felt inside his heart. Somehow, he knew that this was the Messiah and that these foreign kings were in some way pledging their allegiance to him.
He wasn’t sure what it all meant, but he knew that God had plans for Jesus that were most unusual. He was grateful that Rachel went straight to bed without a fight. He sat up for a while and debated walking down to talk with Joseph, but finally decided he’d better try to get some sleep.
He had just managed to doze off when he heard a tap at the window.
“Obadiah. Wake up! Can you help me?” Obadiah recognized Joseph’s voice and he quickly ran to the front door.
“Joseph! What’s wrong? How can I help?”
“You have been a good friend and I need a friend tonight. An angel has told me that King Herod will try to kill Jesus and that I must be gone by morning.”
“Gone! Where will you go?”
“I don’t want to tell you because it would put your family in danger. God will protect us. But we must leave. Now!”
“How can I help you, my friend?”
“I have a long list, so listen carefully.”
“I’m listening.”
“Here is my rent money for this week. Please give it to my landlord with my apology. And please tell my boss that I had a family emergency and had to leave.”
“Okay. No problem. What else?”
“Please tell Omar I can’t take care of the goats and donkey and thank him for all he’s done for us.
“And Obadiah, please tell Rachel how much we love her and thank her for being Mary’s friend.”
Suddenly a blur launched itself into Joseph’s arms. “Oh, Joseph, I can’t bear for you and Mary and Jesus to leave. I heard what you said, and you must hurry. And Joseph, you must take Pete. You will need to take your tools and baby supplies and food. It will be a long journey, and Jesus is getting too heavy to carry. Take Pete.”
Joseph tried to protest, but Rachel insisted. Joseph tried to pay for the donkey, but Obadiah insisted that it would save them from having to buy food for him.
So, it was decided. Obadiah went to Omar’s barn to get Pete and the sacks that they would need to pack a load on his back. Joseph and Rachel ran to the house to help Mary pack. Rachel held baby Jesus and told him over and over to not forget her.
Long before daylight, they had everything they owned packed on Pete and were headed south into the hill country after tearful goodbyes.
“Abba, if Jesus is the Messiah, we’ll see him again, won’t we?”
“Yes, Rachel, I’m sure we’ll see him again.”
“Abba, I know he’s the Messiah. I just know it, deep down inside of me.”
“Rachel, I’m proud of you for giving them Pete. Are you sure that’s what you wanted to do?”
“Oh, yes, Abba! Jesus loves Pete as much as I do, and Joseph will take good care of him. And, Abba, it feels so good to be able to help. They have helped me so much.”
“I love you, Rachel. Try to get some rest. It’s almost morning.”
“I love you, too, Abba. I hope you can rest, too.”
__________________
