The Wise Men, New Testament

Sometimes, we crave more information, more anecdotes, more details about a given person or event told of in scripture. No event so fits this description more than the birth of Jesus, which is recorded in just two of the four gospels. If added information isn't in the text itself, people may simply make things up to improve the story.
Such is the case with the Wise Men, mentioned only in Matthew. The scriptures do not specify a number of these individuals, though they are referred to in the plural. No homeland is mentioned, no names are included, and the notion of them visiting Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in the Bethlehem stable is also no doubt untrue, though it's easy to misunderstand without a careful reading.
What do we know about this little sub-story? The Wise Men are described as coming from the East, which isn't much help, since East of Judea could be as far as China. But they had some knowledge that the star they observed was related to the Israelite teaching of a future Messiah. Perhaps immediately, they set out to confirm this event.
We don't know where they started from or how long it took to get organized for this trip, but it would have been impossible for them to have arrived on the night of Jesus' birth. One clue that they traveled a long distance was their lack of knowledge about Herod's role in Judea. In modern terms he would have been the dictator of a Roman "puppet" state. Like all such rulers, he would have had no use for a competitor, either grown or an infant. Asking Herod about any new "King of the Jews" now seems very dangerous, even to the Wise Men themselves. Herod decided to enlist the aid of these foreigners, since his own advisers had done nothing to bring this matter to his attention.
No details are given, but the travelers achieve their goal of seeing for themselves what had taken place, though this probably took place back in Nazareth. We can only wonder at the reaction of Joseph and Mary, who are just starting to become used to unusual things happening in their lives. The gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh) are delivered, but then never mentioned again. Was their value used to finance the flight into Egypt? Possibly. The Wise Men avoid trouble with Herod by following the instructions of a dream, completing their role in the scriptural record, though Herod curses them for skipping out of the country without aiding his lethal plan for removing this tiny threat to his power.
The lesson we may take from the Wise Men may not be electrifying, but it could prove useful. If, upon observing the star, they had merely turned knowingly to one another and said "Oh, it must be that great thing prophesied by the Jews. How wonderful!", we would know nothing of them today. Sometimes an event is so large that we must do all we can to be a part of it, lest the opportunity be lost forever.       

Rehoboam, Old Testament

We just observed Fathers Day. The scriptures are full of stories of family relationships. Many turn out well, but others end badly. This is in the latter group.
Upon the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam assumed the title. We don't know what he was thinking at the time, but it's possible that he saw the job as more of a collection of perks to be enjoyed by himself and a few cronies. We don't know how old he was when he became king, but he spoke and acted for himself, and was therefore probably fully grown.
A matter was raised soon after the official coronation by representatives of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel (excluding Judah and Benjamin). They wanted tax relief, and felt that it was justified by the conditions of peace and prosperity of that time. Perhaps they were simply tired of seeing huge buildings (the temple and the king's palace) constructed with money collected from them.
Rehoboam listened, but he evidently had not been advised or prepared to respond immediately. He promised an answer in three days.
He met with a collection of his father's advisers, who counseled the new monarch to agree to the peoples' wishes in order to gain their loyalty. This was apparently not the advice Rehoboam sought, and he set up another meeting, this time with younger men with whom he was more familiar. Their advice (perhaps offered because they knew him well) was the opposite of his fathers advisers'. "You're the king. They're nothing, and you should take the opportunity to remind them just who is boss."     
The follow up meeting took place, and Rehoboam not only declined the request of lighter taxes, but added a little vulgarity which doesn't translate well in most English Bibles. We can only guess what he was thinking and expecting. Would he need more money for future military campaigns? Would other temples be built? Did the new king envision an even greater palace of his own? Did he expect the ten tribes to simply knuckle under to their new ruler?
Rehoboam certainly didn't foresee the disastrous response to his decision. It was nothing less than the partition of the nation, with ten tribes forming the new nation Israel with its capital in Samaria to the North, and the other kingdom (Judah) retaining Jerusalem and territory in the south.
No serious effort to reunite the two kingdoms was ever made, and this division proved disastrous. Instead of one rich, strong country there were now two middling states. Both were obliged to make alliances from time to time, and the leadership if Israel, in particular, was unsteady. Both countries saw an increase in idolatry, and the people of both largely ignored prophets called to reclaim them as believers. Both were eventually taken into captivity under the worst circumstances. Both Rehoboam and the first king of Israel, Jeroboam I, were despised long after their lives ended.   
Perhaps these events would have happened sooner or later no matter who was king, but Rehoboam should have been prepared for the job by his father Solomon, who, for whatever reason, neglected this part of his duties. Millions suffered over hundreds of years as an indirect result of Solomon's failure.
  

Jacob, The Book of Mormon

Jacob was one of two younger brothers of Nephi. He was born in the wilderness after the family's departure from Jerusalem. This must have been a difficult time for them because they were obliged to be as unobtrusive as possible. The scripture, in fact, mentions no contact at all, either in the wilderness or after the crossing of the ocean, with any other people, Israelite or Gentile.
This means that, as far as we know, Jacob spent his life exclusively with members of his extended family, who may never have numbered more than a few hundred during his lifetime. It is easy to see how Nephi would be the greatest influence on his thinking, and would have presented the main example of a life spent in serving the Lord through laboring on behalf of those around him.
Jacob's teachings are similar to Nephi's in one other way. Nephi made a point of speaking and writing "plainly", only rarely speaking in metaphors or teaching symbolically in the fashion of Old Testament prophets. When he did use figures of speech, he was always quick to include an explanation of the lesson's meaning to his audience. What's more, he saw this type of instruction as the model his successors would use thereafter.
Jacob's teachings followed this pattern. On one occasion  he apologized for having to speak against sins he had noticed creeping into the community instead of speaking of love and eternal happiness. He had little use in speaking of  "gray" areas of conduct, but drew clear lines between righteous and lives diminished by pride and adultery, two sins he specifically rebuked.
He also spoke about things that might seem unusual for a person whose own education had been informal. He recognized the value of education, but warned that it may cause people to be subject to pride. Riches, he said, should not be sought for the purpose of mere accumulation, but for the good of those with less. His record, like other Book of Mormon prophets, carried an unmistakable Christian message even though his own life preceded Jesus' ministry by more than five hundred years.          

Joseph - New Testament

As the New Testament gospels begin, the Israelites are long removed from their glory days, and exist as a minor captive people in a corner of the Roman Empire. Prophets have not addressed the people in something over 400 years, and the church's remaining leaders, the Pharisees, cannot not be trusted to act in the interest of anyone but themselves.
With all that, there were still some people who were believers, harking back to the days of Moses, Joshua and others, hoping against all evidence that God would once again appoint someone to represent Him and deliver His message again. 
One of these was Joseph, a carpenter in Nazareth. He was a direct descendent of King David, a fact which might have made a difference in his life about six hundred years earlier, but was now so obscure a fact that not even Romans saw him as different from anyone else.
In fact, Joseph wasn't too much different from the people around him, but he somehow retained the belief that men could be inspired when God had a task for them to complete. We know this because he exercised faith in the dreams he began to receive. His betrothed, Mary, was with child, but Joseph was instructed to continue with her, because she would need help. Another dream directed the family to go to Egypt in order to escape the danger presented by Herod's murderous nature directed at, of all people, baby boys age two and under for fear that one of them might grow to be "King of the Jews". Another dream counseled Joseph when it was safe to return to Nazareth.
The scriptural record of how Joseph and Mary managed this huge assignment is pretty bare. The family grew larger over the years, and we don't know if the young Jesus received any special attention or was just seen as one of children, all of them equally loved and cared for and taught the Law and the Prophets.
The lesson from Joseph's life is just this: serving in an obscure place and time, without special fame in one's lifetime, is still a pretty good way to go through life. We cannot know what difference our efforts might make, nor to whom. Children don't have little signs that say "I'm learning now!", but, in fact, they are learning all the time. While they're learning, they could do much worse than getting the hang of being, if not famous or admired, at least respected and kept in remembrance for all the good things they pass on to others.   

Samson Judges, Old Testament

The Book of Judges covers over two hundred years of Israelite history following the death of Joshua, Moses' successor and the man charged with purging the Land of Canaan from all the native peoples  when the Children of Israel finally arrived after their decades-long trek from Egypt.
This command, however, was never fully carried out, and so Israel's occupation of the land was uneasy, and made more so by their rivals to the West, the Philistines.
Israel at this time had no permanent ruler, and existed in a kind of confederation of the twelve different tribes. When times became perilous, one or more individuals would rise to the rank of "Judge". A better term for our understanding might be "hero", "leader" or even "strong man". Some of them were faithful servants, but not all.
It was in this environment that we meet Samson, a man who had taken the oath of a Nazarite, which was supposed to mean that he was more fully dedicated to God. In addition to following certain dietary laws, the Nazarites let their hair grow as a symbol of their allegiance.
Almost everyone with any acquaintance with the Old Testament is familiar with Samson's physical power. What might not be as evident is that Samson was also, for lack of a more accurate term, "smart".
Though the Philistines made him their sworn enemy, it didn't seem to bother Samson, perhaps because he had never been bested before, and saw nothing to concern himself with from this group, either.
Of course,  the real threat to someone like Samson was that he might become a victim of his own hubris. We have known people like this who, if anything, seem a little bored with the challenges being put before them, and push the odds a little the other way just to give themselves a real test. Not to express too strong a political thought on this blog, but Bill Clinton as president may have had a little of this tendency.
But, to return to our subject, I think Samson had a clear idea, for example, of who Delila was, and for whom she was working. What else could he have concluded in response to her pestering questions about the source of his strength and how to defeat it? Why else would she care, unless there was something "in it" for her? His decision to tell her his secret says much more about him than her. "Go ahead", he seems to be saying. "You can't touch me no matter how much you think you know."
What we now know is - how this story ends. Samson's power is lost with the use of a pair of scissors, and the Philistines take delight in imprisoning him, forcing him to work like an animal at a grinding wheel. He finally earns a measure of vengeance against his captors, but the whole story leaves us shaking our heads sadly and wondering what might have been if only Samson had remained true to his covenants.  
 

Moroni Mormon, Ether and Moroni, The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon has two prominent characters named Moroni. The first is chosen at a young age to become a military leader. The second, who may have been named for the first, lived about five hundred years later. He also serves in war when his people, the Nephites, are in danger of annihilation at the hands of their enemies, the Lamanites. His life is lived during the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. Moroni may have spent most of his life in Central America, though that is not confirmed by the scriptural record itself.
Moroni courageously carries out his military duties, but the numbers favor the opposition, and the Nephites, because of their own corruption, have lost the help of the Lord, much in the way of ancient Israel and Judah in the Old Testament. The scenes of his early life must have been horrific, as the slaughter of his people  leads to their final disappearance from the earth.
Moroni himself somehow outlives most of this, and he takes up the most important work of  his father Mormon's life. That work is abridging most of the records comprising the current Book of Mormon. Moroni proceeds to finish the volume.
This latter is no easy task. Moroni is, by this time, a hunted man. Both his days and night are, as far as we know, spent in complete solitude. He probably was obliged to move often and quickly, seeking safety. Could he build a fire? Did he have time each day to add to the record, or did he have to abandon it from time to time just to stay alive? His own record says little about the conditions of his later life, but he evidently had to live this way for decades.
When he does have time to write, it is not on paper, but on thin plates of gold, a process no doubt much slower than we can manage with a pen or pencil. He finishes the part of the volume known as the Book of Mormon (relating specifically to the life of his father), then takes up the task of abridging the record now called the Book of Ether, and finally, somewhat in the style of an appendix in a work of non-fiction, leaves some evidence showing how his people had once lived, both successfully, and as their society declined and, finally, disappeared. This last part is known as the Book of Moroni.
It would be easy to see how someone in these circumstances might become cynical, hateful or even crazy, but that isn't the case with Moroni. Even left alone, he looks toward the future and wishes the best for people of future generations. He never ceases to express Christian love for people he will never meet, and leaves to them, the people of  the era since the Book of Mormon was first published in 1830, the challenge of reading and pondering the contents of the book to see if it carries the weight of truth. Millions of people have done so, using  Book of Mormon versions which are now translated into dozens of modern languages. Having read the record, many have been willing to make enormous changes in every aspect of their lives. For his part, Moroni's statue is found atop all the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints throughout the world.   


    

The Man Born Blind - John 9

This chapter tells a story in such a way as to be told by a readers theater group. It is completed in just one chapter. In it, we are able to see from many points of view, as the story heads toward a surprising conclusion.
The man referenced in the title is probably a younger person, as evidenced by his parents, who are both living. His condition has lead to life as a beggar. That changes, however, when he meets Jesus, who demonstrates powers far beyond those of any mortal and grants to the man the gift of sight.
His new status is noted by many people, including the pharisees, who appear to want nothing more from him than the facts of how his sight was restored. But when the explanation is offered, they reject it out of hand. Years of begging at the city gate trying to make begging pay off  helps the man realize that these men, for whatever reason, are not his friends. His parents, out of fear of being banned from the Temple (Herod's), give only brief, vague answers to questions. The pharisees, in turn, lose patience with the man when his unschooled but sound reasoning confounds their "advanced" thinking.
Since he has no part in the pharisaic world view, the man is banned from the temple. Jesus finds him again, offers a brief explanation regarding his real mission, and invites him to join his small group of  believers, which he does. The chapter concludes with a sharp clash between the pharisees, who are not accustomed to experiencing any disagreement from common folks, and Jesus, who sees them for what they really are.
In fact, it's the pharisees who we learn most about in this chapter. Our own time and place has common decency as the norm, though evil (and evil motives) are also easy to find. But if a similar miracle happened among us, wouldn't we at least offer warm, sincere congratulations? Wouldn't we at least offer to assist the man in learning to read? And wouldn't we be happy to see him gain skills which  would allow him to become self sufficient?
I cannot imagine that we would treat him as rudely as do the pharisees. Of course, to them, the real problem is Jesus. Recognize his works and one is forced to concede that his power surpassed their own parlor tricks, promoted as "healings". They chose the other option - trying to make the man disappear while plotting to retain their scrap of power in the Roman hierarchy. This meant eliminating the Nazarene upstart,  the self-described "King of the Jews".