Thursday, January 8, 2004

A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. Isaiah 60:6

Camels. What funny creatures. Big lips, shaggy fur, humped backs. These are the majestic creatures that we imagine the three kings riding upon as they travel to see the baby Jesus.

But when we take a close look at the gospel narratives of Jesus' birth, nowhere are camels mentioned. It simply states in Matthew that the men came from the East and wanted to pay homage to the boy child; no camels, no horses, no donkeys are mentioned.

We also assume that there were three men, although scripture doesn't specify a particular number. Perhaps our folk stories say there were three men because there were three gifts offered to the child: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And in fact, there were no kings. The words "wise men" or "astrologers" are the preferred translations from the Greek.

No camels, no three kings? What else do we think we know about the Christmas story but don't? What else do we assume that's in the gospel but is not? It's time to return to the scriptures.

The myth that surrounds us at Christmastime is strong. And with hundreds of years of tradition, it's hard to break with what's familiar. But, without much consideration or scriptural justification, seemingly, we put kings on camels off to see the baby Jesus.

Returning to the scriptures realigns our thinking and helps us from making such mistakes. If we study the Bible and look at Isaiah 60 (v. 6) we can see that the presence of camels was a sign of the Lord's arrival. And, if we examine Psalm 72 (v. 10) we see that kings of Tarnish and the isles, Sheba and Seba will fall down before the Messiah and bring him gifts. Camels and kings are part of the story, but enter through the Hebrew, not the Christian, scriptures.

Reading and studying the Bible keeps us honest about what we think we know and challenges us when we make assumptions. By returning to it again and again we find new insights and we are inspired to learn more.

PRAYER: Holy God, continue to show us new insight. Tell us again the stories of old and push us to read, study, and relearn our tradition. Make every Christmas new and amazing to us through your wisdom and beautiful word. Amen.

Amanda Stein

All contents copyright 2003 by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Permission is granted to United Methodist congregations, individuals and groups to reproduce and distribute this devotional without charge. All other use requires the advance permission of the editor.