Zachariah set by the bedside of his uncle as he slept. His uncle was very ill and on his deathbed. He loved his uncle and didn't know what he would do when his uncle was gone. Zachariah would not leave his side. He stroked his uncle`s hair and held his hand. He had lived with his uncle since he was about five years old. The Romans jailed his mother and father as zealots, and he had not seen them since that day. His uncle Eliezer, a wealthy tax collector, took him in.
His uncle had been a tax collector in the city of Bethlehem for many years until something changed him. Zachariah remembered that day a few years back because it was the beginning of a very pleasant and wonderful life with his uncle Eliezer who became a very different man.
Zachariah had always loved his uncle, but his job as a tax collector had made him cold-hearted, shrewd, and friendless. The only thing his uncle Eliezer cared about besides Zachariah was his money and his standing with the Roman leadership in Bethlehem. Zachariah sat by his uncle`s bed that night and recalled the day his uncle came home to tell him a strange story that changed his uncle—both of their lives were never the same from that day forward.
Zachariah`s mind drifted back five years ago to a December night when his uncle came bursting through the front door:
“Zachariah! Zachariah! Are you here?”
“Yes, uncle—I`m here in my room.”
“Come quickly” his uncle replied
“Yes uncle, what is it?”
Zachariah had never seen his uncle act this way. He seemed very excited, his eyes filled with a fiery flair, and he seemed completely consumed with an exuberance that Zachariah never had seen him display before. His uncle was normally a quiet, reserved, and emotionless man. He was usually direct, to the point, and never seemed happy about much of anything, and he certainly never came through the door like this. His uncle worked hard and never socialized much. Their lives were centered around work, money, and more work; his uncle was very attentive to him but was never one to give to compliments or small talk. Eliezer loved Zachariah but consistently stayed on him about his lack of discipline and his work ethic. But tonight, something was different, something had changed, his uncle was acting in a way Zachariah had never seen before—Zachariah was concerned.
“Uncle...are you ok?” Zachariah asked with a slight tremble in his voice.
“Yes, yes Zachariah...I'm okay...I must tell you what I have seen!”
His uncle sat him down and began to tell him a strange story about what he had experienced that night. He told Zachariah that he had been walking from the Tavern in Bethlehem when he saw a group of people staring up at a strange new star that, until that very night, no one had seen before in the skies above Bethlehem. Eliezer told Zachariah that he walked over to the group out of curiosity and began to listen to their questions and theories about this new star in the sky. There were others, his uncle said, who were speaking of a group of people who saw some wealthy dignitaries and wise men from other countries, along with their soldiers, who had come to Bethlehem by following the star. No one knew why they were here, and some even spoke of rebellion against the Roman occupation during the census. Eliezer wanted no part of any zealot plots to overthrow Rome, but he was curious to see what this was all about. He told Zachariah that something drove him outside of his usual comfort level—he felt unusually compelled to go to this cave.
Eliezer said he decided to follow the crowd down the road just outside of town to the cave in the hills. He said that the star seemed to shine right down on this cave and that there was a large group of people standing around the cave. Inside and out, there were Sheppard’s, townspeople, Rabbi`s, and all manner of people. He said that he pushed his way forward through the crowd until he could see in the cave.
“What did you see Uncle...what was in the cave?”
“It was the most extraordinary thing, but I did not yet understand it.” His uncle replied.
“I saw three exotic looking men, very well dressed, almost like they were Kings and a small group of the town leaders standing around a child who had just been born.”
“I was not sure why they were standing there or who this child was.”
“I tried to ask several people about the child, but they did not answer me.”
“He was in a feeding troth, wrapped in ragged blankets, and his mother and father seemed to me to be mere peasants.”
“The people...they were just standing there staring at the child, almost as if in a trance.” His uncle said.
“Was this child someone special?” Zachariah asked.
This question seemed to disturb Eliezer; he turned to the window and was silent for a while—he appeared to be in deep thought. His uncle seemed to fall into a trance, and he remained still and quieted for some time. Suddenly, He turned and looked at Zachariah as if he was petrified, and yet, he said nothing. Zachariah became concerned again and could not figure out what could have frightened his uncle so—he knew his uncle to be a fearless man. He sat with his uncle and did not say a word, but he could no longer stand to see him look this way:
“Uncle, what is it?”
“Are you ok?”
“What happened to you?”
“Uncle!”
Eliezer finally turned to him, his eyes fixed like a laser glaring into Zachariah`s soul, and then, he began to tell him what happened next. He told Zachariah that he was not sure what he was seeing. He asked a few people in the crowd, but they all just shushed him and turned back to stare at the child. He said that finally one man told him the child was a king—the new King of the Jews. He told Zachariah that it made no sense to him, and he decide to leave this nonsense behind him and return home before the Romans came to break up this treasonous gathering. Eliezer had seen once before what happens to zealots and wanted no part of such talk about a “New King.”
He explained that as he walked back up the hill toward town and was suddenly in the presence of a bright light, his body was frozen, and he fell to the ground on his face in total shock and fear. Eliezer said that in spite of his fear he noticed an overwhelming fragrance of beautiful flowers, the night air was suddenly warm as if it were summer again, and the ground he lay on felt almost hot. He said he was terrified and could not move. Suddenly, he heard a voice as loud as thunder:
“Eliezer!”
“Eliezer!”
“Where are you going?” said the voice.
Eliezer said he wanted to run or crawl away but his body was frozen, he could not move a muscle.
“Who...who are you?” replied Eliezer.
“I am an Angel of the Lord your God who is sent to watch over the child.”
“Please, please, don`t kill me...I have done nothing wrong. I am a tax collector, but I have always been fair and honest” said Eliezer.
“Do not fear Eliezer for the Lord God in heaven has chosen to reveal a thing to you tonight that you may be of service unto his Kingdom.”
“Me?—what...what is it I must do?” Eliezer replied in fear.
“The child you have seen this night is the son of the living God sent to take upon him the sins of the world,” said the Angel.
“This night you have seen the Lamb of God, the King of all Kings, the Messiah of whom the Prophets have spoken.”
“Believe in him and you shall have everlasting life.”
“You shall live the remainder of your days in service to God`s people in his land.”
Eliezer told Zachariah that as he lay there, face down and still unable to move, the light slowly faded and was gone. Eliezer said that he slowly stood up, and he knew at once that he must return to the cave. Eliezer said he walked back to the cave and watched as the strangers from foreign lands gave the child gifts and prayed over him and then he left and came home.
“Zachariah...the Messiah has come, and we must be prepared to follow him someday.” His uncle said.
“What is his name?” asked Zachariah.
“His name is Jesus” his uncle replied.
His uncle Eliezer was never the same from that day forward. He never collected taxes again, and he used his wealth to help others in the community. Every year on the anniversary of that day his uncle Eliezer would hold a special dinner in honor of the coming King. His uncle would always give a small gift to those who came to the dinner—he said it reminded him of God`s gift to the world that December night.
Zachariah returned his thoughts to his uncle lying next to him in the bed. He wished his uncle could stay and see the coming King in all his glory.
Suddenly, Eliezer raised his head and grabbed Zachariah with both hands on his cheeks. His eyes were weak and his breath very shallow—slowly, and in a faint voice, he spoke his final words to Zachariah.
“Zachariah, it is time; I go to the Kingdom.” His uncle said.
“You must take your belongings and follow this Jesus when I am gone.”
“He is God`s greatest gift of mercy to mankind...he is the Messiah.”
“Yes Uncle, I will do as you say,” Zachariah replied.
His uncle lay back down, closed his eyes, and passed on.
(Scott Biddulph: Copyright, 2012)
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