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MESSIAH IS BORN.

May be copied and performed freely.

“Water Wind & Fire” is a paraphrase of extracts from the four Gospels presented in the form of a dramatised reading. There is also a shortened stage version. Philip Collier.


COMMENTARY
Conjunction of planets
Clumsy bureaucracy
Nazareth
Joseph
Mary
The order of events
The death of Herod

TEXT
Text paraphrased from Matthew and Luke.

CONJUNCTION OF PLANETS.
In the year 747 AUC. (which we know as 7 BC.) there was a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces. It was visible in May, October and December and presented a brilliant spectacle in the night-sky. The following year another planet, Mars, joined this conjunction, by which time astronomers and astrologers alike were fully alerted.

Chinese records further noted the appearance of an evanescent “star” or comet. When the whole series of spectacles was repeated and observed by Kepler in AD 1603-4 this new, extraordinarily brilliant and peculiarly coloured heavenly body was visible between Jupiter and Saturn at the time of the later conjunction involving the three planets.

The evidence is that this star or comet probably showed itself again in February of BC 4.

Jews were scattered both East and West of their homeland and often held in high regard, the kings of the Yemen professing Jewish faith and whether in Persia, Media, Arabia, Ethiopia or elsewhere, astrologers looked for “something to do with Israel” in a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces.

Astronomers and Astrologers were not so clearly separated then as they have since become, nor was there such antagonism between them. A party of scholars, respected, wealthy and learned, could include both. Such a party, probably after the three-planet conjunction in BC 5, determined to travel to Palestine to find the new king they believed had been born.


CLUMSY BUREAUCRACY
The ageing vassal-king Herod had ruled in Jerusalem for over thirty years, having been appointed by Augustus Caesar, who had ruled in Rome for nearly forty.

Frequently Augustus had expressed a desire to have the population of the empire registered, and feeble attempts were made to comply with his wishes. Herod joined the ranks of those who had made such attempts.

The job was not done properly until Cyrenius was governor of Syria, ten years later (as Luke noted very discretely in his account, hinting to knowing readers that this was one of the bodged jobs they preferred not to say too much about).

This census failed to give Caesar the figures he wanted. It caused an immense amount of work to a large number of officials, disrupted the lives of thousands of ordinary people and achieved nothing. A sample of clumsy bureaucracy down the ages. Yet it remains the most famous census in history, because it brought a young carpenter and his wife from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

(Some modern translations of Luke’s narrative have put that “this was the first census under Cyrenius,” but the whole point of Luke’s comment is that it was not!)

NAZARETH.
Fifty four miles (87 km) north of Jerusalem, 1000 ft (300 m) above sea level, nestling against the slope of a broad, green, bowl-shaped valley of farmlands and surrounded by rocky hills, lay the small town of Nazareth. It was a quiet town of winding streets terraced into the hillside, quiet but not isolated from the world because a main overland trade route passed it close.

It was in the northern area called Galilee, separated from Judea by Samaria, also by accent, occupation, culture and prejudice. The hardy, rural Galileans were looked down upon by the religious elite of Judea, even though Judea needed the wealth brought in by Galileans on their regular pilgrimages to the Temple in Jerusalem.

If Judea claimed to be better educated, Galileans were nevertheless skilled craftsmen and not by any means unlearned. They had good primary education and there were opportunities for those who excelled to become well instructed in the Torah (Jewish law and scriptures.)


JOSEPH.
In such an area, a carpenter would be a respected member of the community, visiting everyone’s homes, for rich and poor alike needed their doorposts fixed and their barns repaired. Carpenters were tough, combining stonemasonry with woodwork, and having no power tools. Surprisingly little is known about Joseph, except that he was a carpenter in Nazareth. There is no evidence for the legends that he was much older than Mary (though he appears to have died before Jesus was thirty). He was probably in his late twenties, having completed his apprenticeship, and ready to marry.

Joseph taught Jesus his craftsman’s skill and also the teaching method we call apprenticeship or discipleship by which the learner learns on the job. Jesus used the same method to teach his own trainees.

MARY.
Women then married young, but not so young as some legends make out. Mary was old enough to travel alone, 60 miles cross country to visit her aunt. She was engaged to Joseph - and engagements were formal and binding. The first ceremony, the betrothal, had taken place and the young couple were preparing for the final ceremony which would make them husband and wife.

Through the life of Jesus and afterwards, Mary is always there but never prominent. In later years she went to live with the disciple John, who settled in Ephesus; we have no evidence whether Mary did so too - or rather only one uncertain indication. It does seem that she told her story to Luke, a Greek historian, while Matthew, settled in Jerusalem, heard Joseph’s version from the younger brothers of Jesus who were leading the church there. Luke may have met Mary in Ephesus.


THE ORDER OF EVENTS.
BC. 7
First sightings of planet conjunction by scholars.

BC. 6
Planet conjunction joined by Mars. Scholars may have begun journey this year.

Vision by Zechariah in temple (approximately September)

BC. 5 March
Gabriel comes to Mary. Mary goes to aunt Elizabeth in Judea

BC. 5 June
Mary returns to Nazareth. Birth of John the Baptist. Joseph finds that Mary is expecting baby.

BC. 5 December
Joseph and Mary are legally married. Travel to Bethlehem for census. Jesus is born. Visit of Shepherds. Jesus circumcised and named on eighth day.

BC. 4 January
On 40th day Jesus is taken to the temple for the offering prescribed by Moses. The fact that they gave only two pigeons showed that they were poor at the time. This indicates that Joseph had been without work since leaving Nazareth, and that the Magi had not yet brought their gift of gold.

BC. 4 February
Scholars arrive and go to Herod. Last appearance of “star” which, if it behaved the same as when Kepler saw it in 1603-4 would have been ahead of travellers from Jerusalem facing Bethlehem.

Herod kills baby boys. Joseph Mary & Jesus escape to Egypt. (Scholars’ gold finances journey).

BC. 4 March. Death of Herod.

Date uncertain.
Joseph and Mary take Jesus back to Nazareth. (Did they stay long enough for Jesus to be brought up bilingual, Aramaic and Greek?)

BC. 1 This year was immediately followed by

BC. 1 Traditional but wrong date of Christ’s birth (there was no year zero)

BC. 9 Jesus taken to the Temple.

Jesus apprenticed to Joseph, also given a good primary education as normal in Galilee, but as a promising student, given special attention by Rabbi - hence his knowledge of Ancient Hebrew. His quotations from scriptures show He knew this and also Greek.

“He grew in - wisdom (noticeably a bright student)
stature (noticeably athletic)
favour with God (noticeably good character)
and man (noticeably popular.)”

THE DEATH OF HEROD.
Within a few weeks, Herod died in agony of mind and body, as if hell could not wait for his death but came to get him in life. The only person he had ever loved was his wife Mariamme, and he had murdered her. On his death bed, tortured by irrational terrors and meaningless remorse, he still cried for her.

The massacre of baby boys for fear that one might pose a distant threat to his throne was exactly what anyone who knew him would expect of him. He had reigned like that for thirty years, and dying had still more bloodshed to inflict.

Physicians advised him to be carried to the baths of Callirhoe, east of Jordan, for treatment, but to no avail. He knew, and all Jerusalem knew that his end was near; so two honoured and loved Rabbis named Judas and Matthias led a band of followers to remove the traces of his idolatry. They pulled down the great gold eagle from over the temple gate, and were arrested by Herod’s guards.

Alas, the tyrant was not quite dead yet, and had the Rabbi’s and their followers burned alive. Then he had all the noblest citizens imprisoned, with orders that they were to be killed as soon as he himself was dead - so that his death would not be an occasion of unmixed rejoicing in the land. (His heirs had the sense not to carry this order out and the prisoners were actually released when Herod died.)

Five days before his death he executed his son Antiper (permission to do so having been just received from Rome.)

He died at the end of March, or possibly beginning of April, BC. 4

THE TEXT FROM MATTHEW & LUKE PARAPHRASED AND DRAMATISED (FROM “WATER WIND AND FIRE”).

Characters in order of speaking.
Luke. Gabriel. Zechariah. Elizabeth. Mary. Matthew. Prophet. General Narrator. Simeon. Herod. Boy Jesus.


LUKE
Theophilus, Your Excellency. The following events have been reported by reliable eye-witnesses and several people have written accounts of them. Since I have been personally and accurately informed from the beginning myself, I am doing the same. I want you to know that what you have been told can be trusted.

When Herod was king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah. He served in Abia’s team of priests and was married to Elizabeth, a descendent of Aaron. Both lived blameless lives, obeying God’s laws. They were growing old and had no children.

The priests used to draw lots to find which one would go into the temple to burn incense and Zechariah was chosen. He went in, leaving the crowd praying outside. When he approached the golden alter to burn the incense he saw, standing on the right side of it, an angel of the Lord. As you would expect, Zechariah was terrified;


GABRIEL
Don’t be frightened, Zechariah. You and Elizabeth have been praying for a child, you shall have one, a son. Name him John. He will bring great joy to you and to many others. What is more he will be great before God - full of the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. He will turn many people to the Lord, as Malachi prophesied that another Elijah would come, turning the hearts of fathers to children; making rebels see sense and people ready for the Lord.

ZECHARIAH
But - but I and my wife are old. How can I be sure this will happen?

GABRIEL
I am Gabriel. I stand in God’s presence. He sent me to tell you this good news. These things will happen at their proper time, but you will not speak again until they do, because you did not believe me.

LUKE
The people outside were wondering why Zechariah was so long. At last he came out and had to make signs to them because he couldn’t speak. They realised he had seen a vision in the temple. When his duty ended He returned home and Elizabeth conceived. For five months she kept the secret, saying to herself,

ELIZABETH
It’s real! I’m pregnant. The Lord has actually done it at last - taken away my disgrace.

LUKE
Then in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town called Nazareth in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary who was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.

GABRIEL
Greetings, most highly favoured lady. The Lord is with you, happiest of women.

LUKE
This came as a shock to Mary and she wondered what it was all about.


GABRIEL
Don’t be frightened Mary. God is really pleased with you. Now listen, you are going to have a son. Call Him Jesus. He will be great. His title will be “Son of the Highest” and God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David, to rule the house of Jacob for ever. His kingdom will never end.

MARY
How is this possible when I have not had a man?

GABRIEL
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest cover you like a shadow. The Holy One you bear will be called the Son of God. Nothing God says is impossible to Him - why even your aunt Elizabeth who is old and was thought to be sterile is now six months pregnant.

MARY
I am the Lord’s servant. Let it happen to me as you say.

LUKE
Then the angel left her and Mary hurried off to the hills of Judea (several days’ journey to the south) to the home of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. When she heard Mary, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, even the baby kicked inside her.

ELIZABETH
Bless you! Bless your baby! But why this honour - that my Lord’s Mother should visit me. Even my baby skipped for joy when we heard you come. God’s promise will have a great fulfilment, happy is she who trusts Him.

MARY
Yes, listen, I wrote this on the way here.

I’ll sing the greatness of the Lord for joy in God my Saviour
For He has looked on me His humble serving maid with favour.
How happy now shall every generation call me truly.
The mighty one has done great things for me. His Name is Holy.

From age to age His mercy is the same
My soul shall magnify His holy Name.
From age to age His mercy is the same
My soul shall magnify His holy Name.

His mighty arm has scattered those whose thoughts and hearts are haughty
Pulled down the strong from off their thrones and lifted up the lowly.
The hungry He has filled with food and sent the rich out empty,
Our Nation helped as promised long ago to Abraham’s family.

From age to age His mercy is the same
My soul shall magnify His holy Name.
From age to age His mercy is the same
My soul shall magnify His holy Name.

LUKE
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home to Nazareth.

MATTHEW
Soon Joseph her fiancé realised that she was pregnant, but not by him. Being a decent sort of man he did not want to make her face a public scandal, but engagements were legally binding and he needed a divorce to break it off. While he was wondering whether he should find a way to do this privately he had a dream in which the angel came to him.

GABRIEL
Joseph, Son of David, don’t be afraid to marry Mary, her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will have a son and you must call Him Jesus, which means God-to-the-Rescue, because He will rescue His people from their own sins.

MATTHEW
Had not the prophet said;

PROPHET
Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His Name, Emmanuel, which means, “God With Us.”

MATTHEW
Joseph woke and did what the angel told him. He and Mary were married but slept apart until after the birth of her firstborn son, and they named Him Jesus.

LUKE
Meanwhile, back in Judea, Elizabeth had her baby. She told her neighbours and relations about God’s great goodness to her and they joined in the celebrations. They wanted to name him Zechariah after his father.

ELIZABETH
No, name him John.

LUKE
They said, “No one in your family is called John,” and they made signs to his father who, to their surprise, wrote down, “His name is John.” As soon as he had done this he found he could talk again and began to praise God.

All this caused quite a stir in the neighbourhood and people of the Judean hills remembered and wondered what kind of man this child would become. His father Zechariah was filled with the Spirit and prophesied,

ZECHARIAH
Bless the Lord the God of Israel
Who has looked upon His people.
He has worked redemption for them
Set on high a mighty Saviour
Come to us from David’s household
Promised by the holy prophets
Since the age’s earliest dawning,
Rescued us from living fearful,
From the hand of those who hate us.
He has made us free to serve Him
All the days throughout our lifetime
Righteous and devout before Him.

You my child, you have your calling
To be prophet of the Highest.
You shall be the Lord’s forerunner.
You shall clear the way before Him
Make the people know for certain
Where it is their rescue comes from,
How their sins can be forgiven
Through God’s deep heartfelt compassion.

See on high the bright new sunrise
Shining on the folk in darkness
Now begins a new Day dawning.
Those who sit beneath death’s shadow
Find a light to show their pathway
In the way of peace to guide us.

LUKE
The child grew up spiritually strong. He lived in the wilderness until the time came for him to appear publicly to Israel.

In those days, Caesar Augustus ordered a census of his whole empire (this was actually the first attempt at a census, it wasn’t done properly until a few years later when Cyrenius was governor of Syria). Everyone had to go to the registration centre allocated to their family group. Joseph went from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea - the city of David - because he was of David’s family line. He went to register with his wife Mary who was expecting her baby soon.

While they were there, her time came and she had her first-born son, wrapped Him in cloth and laid Him in a manger because there was no room at the inn.

Some shepherds were in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks at night. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood beside them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were really frightened.

GABRIEL
Don’t be scared. I’ve got terrific news for you; great joy to everyone. Today, in David’s town, your Rescuer has been born - the Messiah - the Lord. You will know who it is because you will find the baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger.

LUKE
Suddenly, with the angel there was a great crowd of the heavenly host.

ALL READERS TOGETHER
“Glory to God in the highest.

GABRIEL
Peace! - Shalom! - Greetings! - from all us angels to you lovely people down there on Earth.”

LUKE
The angels went back into Heaven and the shepherds said to one another, “Come on, let’s go and see for ourselves what the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and there was the baby lying in the manger. When they had seen Him they spread the news around, talking about the child and what they had been told of Him. Everyone was amazed.

The shepherds went back praising God for what they had seen and heard, while Mary quietly thought through the implications of what was happening.

On the eighth day the boy was circumcised and they named Him Jesus, as the angel had told them before He was conceived.

They stayed on in Bethlehem and on the fortieth day, went to Jerusalem to present the child before the Lord and perform the ceremonies required by the law of Moses. They brought the smallest permitted offering, two young pigeons.

GENERAL NARRATOR
Meanwhile, a party of scholars from the East was heading in the direction of Jerusalem, bringing gifts. But they had not arrived yet; so Mary and Joseph were still really short of money and could only afford to offer young pigeons.

LUKE
There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, a good devout man who looked forward eagerly to Israel’s coming deliverer. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Lord’s Messiah before he died.

The Holy Spirit was on him that day when he came to the temple, met Mary and Joseph, took the baby in his arms and prayed.

SIMEON
Right Lord I’m ready now. You can let your servant die in peace. I have seen with my own eyes, just as you promised, the Rescuer you have prepared for all people. To every nation, tribe and ethnic group, He shall be light; and to your people Israel, glory.

LUKE
While Joseph and Mary were marvelling at what he said, Simeon turned and blessed them. Then he said to Mary,

SIMEON
This child will cause many people to rise, and many others to fall. He will meet strong opposition and you will feel its effects, in fact a sword will go through your own soul. The secret thoughts of many hearts will be made public.

LUKE
There was also a prophet named Anna, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, an eighty-four-year-old widow, whose husband had died seven years after their marriage, since when she had devoted herself to the service of God in the temple, with fasting and prayers. She came up to them at the same time, gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all the others in Jerusalem who were looking forward eagerly to the arrival of the coming Redeemer.

MATTHEW
Soon after they had returned to Bethlehem, a party of scholars from the East arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the new-born King of the Jews? We saw the rising of His star and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the King heard this he didn’t like it a bit, and whenever Herod was upset, all Jerusalem was upset. It meant trouble. He asked the chief priests and experts in the Jewish scriptures, where the Messiah would be born.

They told him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for the prophet had said,

PROPHET
Among Judah's rulers, you Bethlehem are not least, for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

MATTHEW
Herod then called the scholars privately, asked them exactly when the star had appeared, and directed them to Bethlehem.

HEROD
Search carefully for the child and when you have found Him, let me know so that I can come and worship Him too.

MATTHEW
They set off as directed and there, right in front of them, saw the star again. In fact when they arrived at the house, they realised the star was directly overhead. They went in, fell down and worshipped Him, opened their treasures and gave Him their gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh.

They never went back to Herod, a bad dream about him made them realise that God was warning them against him. So they slipped out and went home by another route. No sooner had they gone than Joseph too had a dream. An angel told him to take the Mother and baby to Egypt at once. Herod would try to kill Him. He woke, roused the family and left while it was still night.

GENERAL NARRATOR
With the scholars’ gift of gold to finance the journey they could go right out of Herod’s jurisdiction, safely into Egypt, where they stayed until Herod died. Had not the prophet said,

PROPHET
Out of Egypt I have called my Son.

MATTHEW
When Herod realised that the scholars had tricked him he was livid with rage and ordered that all boys in Bethlehem be killed. He had asked the scholars when the star appeared, and to make quite sure he killed all boys under two years old. Had not the prophet said

PROPHET
Hear the mournful voice in Rama
Weeping with great lamentation
Rachel weeping for her children
Words of comfort go unheeded.
They shall never be returning.

MATTHEW
At last Herod died. His son Archelaus ruled in his place but only in Judea; so they returned to Galilee in the North, right back to Nazareth in fact. Had not the prophet said

PROPHET
He shall be called a Nazarene.

LUKE
The child grew up strong and wise. God’s favour was on Him. His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year for Passover and when He was twelve they took Him with them. When it was over, the party from Nazareth set off together and they thought He was with the other youngsters. Only at the end of the day did they realise he wasn’t there. He had stayed behind in Jerusalem.

They hurried back to look for Him and on the third day found Him in the Temple courtyard where the teachers used to sit. He was listening to them, asking questions and astonishing them by His understanding answers.

MARY
What do you think you are up to. Dad and I have been really worried about you.

JESUS
Why did you look for me? Didn’t you realise I have my Father’s business to attend to.

LUKE
Well they could not make head or tail of it. But He obediently went back with them to Nazareth. Once again His Mother thought carefully about these events and remembered them.

As Jesus grew up people were impressed by His intelligence, His physical strength, His obviously good relationship with God and His popularity in the village.