Story: Balthazar, one of the astrologers from Persia that came to see the new king (Jesus), had great misgivings about the trip, especially after the audience with Herod, king of the Jews. Yet, when he finally saw the baby, he was struck with the presence of God in him.
Cast: Man dressed in a rich costume: Balthazar
(lights up as Balthazar walks slowly onto the stage, exhibiting the mannerisms of aristocracy, and talks to audience as if they were one person)
I told them that this trip was poorly conceived and unadvisable. We have seen many stars over the years, and each of them, EACH OF THEM I TELL YOU, have portended some bad event. But I have to admit that the intensity and location of this star is unusual,.....even unique....and I had more than a passing curiosity myself about the king to which this star belongs.
Oh, forgive my impertinence...(bow slowly as you talk)my name is Balthazar, and I am a magus from Persia. I have spent my entire life, since I was a young lad, studying the stars and learning the ways of the magi so I could guide and refresh the great leaders of Persia. I have stood by kings who cringed in fear of what their dreams implied, until I was able to interpret them correctly. As you can see, (hold up your garments as if displaying them) being a magus can be very rewarding! And I have had great success in being able to discern the warnings that the stars give us....and this particular star has a very evil pall about it! Nevertheless, the enthusiasm of my more mercurial companions infected me also, so here I am...camped just outside a little town called Bethlehem. It has been a very...how shall I put it... "enlightening" experience, and before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you what has happened. As is our practice when we visit foreign countries, we sent an emissary ahead to greet the king, whoever he might be, and tell him of our purpose for visiting. You canât be too careful about these things, you know! You never know how you will be received! So, we sent one to Jerusalem....to greet Herod, the king of Judah and ask him where this new "King of the Jews" was to be born. What he said when he returned only served to confirm my fears. The king wanted a secret meeting with
us! "Itâs time to pack our things and return to Persia" I said. But once again I was persuaded against my better judgement to see this thing out. Later that night, as we met with Herod, I thought I had misinterpreted the signs! We were all treated like, well, like kings! Food, fine wine, entertainment...it was a wonderful evening! Herod seemed to be especially gracious, offering us private chambers for the duration of our stay. He told us all that the "kingâ we sought was in Bethlehem, which was only a short distance from Jerusalem. The only thing he asked of us was to return after seeing this new king and tell him where he was so he too could worship him in person. I probably should have seen through this ruse, but I think the wine blunted my keener senses. In any case, we graciously declined his offer to stay the night, because we wanted to see this new king immediately.
That same night, we left for Bethlehem. You canât imagine the stir that our entourage created! I saw lamps being lit in every window as we noisily proceeded down the streets of this little rural town... The star that had led us to Judah now seemed to stand directly above this one certain house in Bethlehem. I tried to dissuade by companions from going to this unremarkable hovel, but they would hear nothing of it. The occupants, like everyone else in town, were well aware of our presence, and stood at the door of the home as we approached. We we graciously welcomed in and saw, for the first time, the goal of our journey: the baby king! Of course, he bore no resemblance to any king, child or otherwise, I had ever attended. They were just common people! It was as I mused about these things, that my companions began to present their gifts to him. Gifts! I had brought no gifts! I truly believed that we would find nothing, and I would deride my companions for their wasteful idealism! Yet, here was this young child, and I had no gift! Then, I remembered my money purse, that it had 20 pieces of gold in it. That would be a great gift for these people who were obviously poor. So as my turn came to present my gift, I (kneel) knelt before him and his mother and extended the purse (reach out as if giving something). It was then that the child looked directly at me. (Slower with feeling)Never has any child looked at me in that way...it was as if he knew me! It was as if he knew that my gift was hastily prepared, but he accepted it anyway. His mother took the present saying something about how grateful she was, but I was entranced by the babyās gaze. (Stand slowly) Slowly I stood and backed away from the child, but our eyes never broke their connection until one of my companions told me it was time to leave. Now, as I consider what happened last night, I realize that I was in the presence of a different kind of royalty. Not just human royalty, but something much more...almost divine...(pause, collecting self)
I was right about one thing, however...there is an evil pall associated with that star. Last night as I slept, I dreamed that an angel stood at the gates of Jerusalem and barred our way to Herodās palace. This morning, we all shared our dreams as we usually do and discovered that we all dreamed the same dream. I think this was the first time we all agreed on the meaning of a dream.... "itâs time to go back to Persia, and go as fast as possible!"
So, here I am just outside Bethlehem, preparing to return to Persia. I donāt know how to interpret what I experienced last night, other than by saying that the god of the Jews must be a very powerful, yet very personal god. I truly hope my gift was acceptable to the baby king.... (stand reflectively facing audience as lights go down)