Three Visitors

The tiny newborn had been crying for so long that Mary feared he was ill. Yet when she placed her hand on his forehead, she felt no fever. A comforting thought flashed into her mind: “He is just frustrated: He has much to say and share, but his little tongue won’t yet obey his commands.” So, despite his continued crying, she laid him back in his cradle. After a few minutes his wails changed suddenly to joyful coos and gurgles.

A few moments later there came a knock on the door. Expecting yet another shepherd, Joseph sighed and rose to see who had come. He was amazed to see three dark-skinned strangers, their robes dusty from long travels.

“We have come from afar to honor the child,” one of them said. In spite of their dust-covered attire, they seemed somehow not of this world, almost as if they were above it. Mary called out, “The child is lifting his little arms toward them expectantly. Let them come to him.”

The child smiled and cooed as they passed him from one to the next, treating him as tenderly as if they were his parents. After a time, parents and visitors all sat together talking and laughing quietly. It seemed like they had known each other always.

There was an atmosphere of joy even though the talk soon grew serious. One of the three, the youngest and somehow also the oldest, began to talk of the future as if he saw it more clearly than the walls of the shabby stable.

“Beware of King Herod, for he is terrified of your child and will seek to kill him. You will have to flee in a few weeks. I will send you a warning in a dream.”

Another said to Mary, “You must become a healer and learn to help those who are in distress. Here are some precious herbs to aid you in your work. In the future you will suffer deeply. Don’t despair, for through this you will earn the compassion needed to be a source of comfort and strength to the countless people who will turn to you in their hour of need.”

The third pulled a small purse from his robes, the coins clinking as he set it upon the table. “You will find this useful in the months and years ahead,” he remarked with a sparkle in his eyes.

To the father their leader said, “Your son will be a great teacher and a healer of men’s hearts. When he is just growing out of boyhood he will insist on going to India to visit us and learn. Your natural tendency will be to hold him back, to think he is too young for such a journey, but you must give him your blessings when that time comes.”

Suddenly a large, lustrous pearl appeared in his hand. “On the day of his leaving, give him this and repeat these words: ‘This is a symbol of “the pearl of great price.” You must return it to the three who visited you at your birth.’ He will understand the message.”

From time to time, the child awoke and smiled contentedly as they cuddled him and sat him on their laps. His bright little eyes followed the conversation as if he understood everything that was being said and more.

When evening fell, the visitors said their goodbyes to the family, blessing each one in turn. The parents wept as they left: Their time together had been so short, and now it felt as if their dearest friends were departing. As the three men walked slowly down the lane, though they held no lantern, Joseph and Mary saw a golden light surrounding them and lighting the path ahead. When they closed the rickety door, they saw the same aura enveloping their tiny babe.

Joseph asked Mary, “Did you understand what they meant when they said our son would live forever and bless all nations?”

She nodded with a motherly wisdom, for the heart often understands what the mind cannot grasp. “Yes. A vision flashed into my mind of a group of people some two thousand years from now sitting together, talking and laughing just as we have this afternoon. Strange though it seems, they were celebrating our son’s birthday.”

Happy Christmas.

Nayaswami Jyotish

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