A census? What in the world is Caesar Augustus thinking? Why didn't
Quirinius step in and prevent this from happening? These evil men who always
think they can control our lives! What is this all about now? Don't they
understand that Bethlehem will become crazy and overcrowded? We do not have room
for all of the thousands of people who are of the line of David to come and stay
with us. This political move is nothing but a proof of power and will only cause
us all to have to pay more taxes, lining the pockets of these evil leaders. Oh,
that we would have a new king! It has been so long since we have seen any sign
of reprieve from the evil that exists in our world. As long as I can remember
there has been talk of the coming Messiah. Certainly it has to happen soon or
this world is bound for permanent destruction. I only hope that the king who
comes to take over can do it without too many lives being destroyed. After all,
there has never been a peaceful transfer of power, only those marked with death
and bloodshed. What I have learned though, it has been 400 years since we have
heard any new talk of a coming Messiah. I wonder if it will really ever happen
or if the prophets of old got the story wrong. Perhaps their predictions are
just made up theories that really have no accuracy. I personally am losing all
hope in ever seeing the powerful Messiah coming to power in this dark world
where everyone seems to be living only to benefit themselves. Now, that is
certainly obvious with this mandated census and impending tax.
It has been a
busy year for me as a midwife to the city of Bethlehem. Although we are a small
little area, there remains women who are working at increasing the population.
Tonight, as so many people are invading out little quiet village, I am hoping
for some rest. I have firsthand knowledge of all the women who were great with
child over the past month, they have all delivered and no one is due soon. A
break in the action. I am grateful for that. I can hopefully get some of my own
chores done at home this evening since there should be no new little ones
arriving tonight. Thankfully, I was able to get to the well early this morning
and we should have plenty of water for tomorrow. I have made plenty of bread and
will be all set for a relaxing day off tomorrow from the normal life of caring
for the women who are bringing new life into this world. With thoughts of that,
I am ready to get my family to bed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
What is that? Someone is
pounding at my door. Why? I know of no one ready to deliver today. No one is due
to have a baby. I have delivered them all. What is this all about?
“Haddasah!
Hurry, we need you!?” a voice was yelling at my door.
I am all tucked in, my
family is sleeping and I am not eager to wake them all as I climb out of bed.
Who is this insisting that I get up?
“Who are you, knocking at my door at this
late hour?” I called out, trying not to wake all of the children who were
nestled in for the night. My husband, sleeping right through the commotion of
this all. How is it that men can sleep so soundly? Perhaps that is my plight in
life as a midwife, to never really be able to sleep so soundly that even the
softest of sounds awaken me. But this? This is not a soft sound, this banging on
my door could potentially even waken the soundest of sleepers. I must figure out
how to climb out over the children and get to the door before this keeps on.
“Stop! I am coming,” I whispered as I carefully stepped between each of my
children. Getting to the door as fast as I could, I opened and was greeted by a
couple of very frazzled looking men.
“Come quickly!” they cried. “There is a
guest at the inn who has gone into labor. We need someone to attend the
delivery. We don’t know what to do.” Men, of course they wouldn’t know what to
do, they may help animals give birth, but a woman? Never.
“Grab my water,” I
said, thinking there is a potential there won’t be enough at an inn that is
overcrowded with guest. Thankful I had not just replenished enough for my
family, but I had convinced my children to visit the well with me and bring back
a surplus of water in hopes for one day off from getting the water supply. Once
more my mind wandered to the frustration I was feeling about the government
putting their noses into our business and demanding that we be counted and
taxed. One more reminder of the overreaching of government into the daily
affairs of life. Really, why do we have to just sit back and take this? When
will there be a solution to the tyranny of this government?
“Stop!” I tell my
mind. Quit dwelling on this negativity. There is obviously a much more serious
issue to deal with-right now, someone is in labor and needing my professional
assistance. “Concentrate on what you can do,” I told myself.
Running quickly,
trying to keep up with the men who woke me up, I am surprised that we run right
past the entrance to the inn.
“Where are you leading me?” I yell, “The inn’s
door is right here!”
“The woman is back here,” they explain as they lead me back
to the stable.
“An animal? I was called to attend a calving? What is happening
to me?” my mind had a million thoughts. I am not an animal midwife, why was I
called to a stable? I entered the outer area of the stable and in the dimness I
could see a very nervous man not from around this area. Even in the darkness I
could tell I didn’t recognize him as a local.
“Can you help?” his voice
quivered. “We did not expect that labor would happen here. We have come from
Nazareth to participate in the census. I thought we would have time to get back
there before this happened…” his voice wandered off as he tried to explain even
to himself what was happening.
“I can,” I assured him. “My name is Haddasah, I
am a midwife. I can take care of your wife.” He gave me a look of relief. I
headed in further to the area near the manger. “Heat up the water on the fire,”
I ordered the men before I left them. “We will need warm water and as many rags
as you can find, this is a less than ideal place to be delivering a child,” I
had been in many homes to assist in many deliveries, never had I had a woman
laboring in a stable. “What a mess this overcrowding has caused! Did we not have
anyone more hospitable in this whole village?” once again, my mind straying to
the plight that this census had caused.
I approached the woman, “What is your
name?” I whispered softly as she finished a contraction.
“Mary.” The young girl
stated. As I looked, I knew this was her first. She was so very young. No chance
that she had done this before. She had to have been barely married before
conceiving based on my observation of her young age. Another contraction began.
“Breathe, Mary,” I instructed softly. As the contraction ended, I performed my
duties as a midwife in assessing the progress. “It won’t be long. Your little
girl or boy will be here soon.”
“He’s a boy,” she spoke as the contraction
ended. “He is a boy!” She repeated with such assurance. I have seen many births
and women very sure of the gender being pleasantly surprised once the baby
reveals itself. This one was different. Her confidence was stronger than any I
had seen. She convinced me, a skeptical midwife, this child was going to be a
boy.
Mary cried out in pain. The baby was coming. There was no time to get her
moved into a cleaner area. No time to move a paying guest out of a clean inn
room in order to accommodate a soon to be mother. We will just try to make the
best of the situation here. The inn keeper’s wife, Rachael, had supplied the
area with fresh straw while she waited for me to arrive. Her daughter had
followed my direction of getting some rags ready. Other women had assembled to
bring in water and supplies as needed. The men were all pacing out in the yard,
some attending to the fire, some attending to the father to be.
One long cry
from the pregnant woman as the infant moved from her body to the world. Wet with
water and blood, he entered the world. Yes, it is a boy. I used some cloths to
dry his wet slippery body off as I placed him into the arms of his mother. Sweat
pouring off her brow, her face glowing in wonder and affection for this tiny
human being. As he cried and assured us that his lungs were working, I assessed
his skin. Even in the darkness I could tell his was becoming pink as his heart
was doing the work it needed to pump that blood through his body. I continued my
job and cut the cord. As Mary held him to her chest, he did what he knew to do
and found his way to her breast. Her placenta delivered right on schedule. No
complications. I was so grateful. It was bad enough to think of where she had to
deliver, certainly she deserved an easy transition from being pregnant to being
a mother.
What was it though? There was something about this baby that seemed
different to me. He cried like a normal baby, he nursed at his mother’s breast,
he pooped. He did all of the things a baby was supposed to do, but somewhere in
my heart, I felt there was a difference.
In the hours that followed, it was a
very unusual occurrence. Out of nowhere, what seemed very odd and unusual,
shepherds came to see the baby. Seriously? Shepherds? Why would those dirty
animal tending less than human creatures be hanging out looking at this baby? I
overheard one telling someone nearby about a bright light waking them while they
were in the field. Then, because I love to hear a good story, I kept listening.
“We were all sleeping except Jacob, it was his turn to be awake to protect the
sheep,” he started to say. “We thought the commotion was an animal or a thief,
but NO, it was in the sky. Not a human or an animal but angels telling us that
in the city of Bethlehem a child had been born.” He continued to explain how the
angels spoke and told them where to go. It sounded like the most frightening
thing that could have ever happened, worse than a bear or a lion. I decided I
would forgive them for bringing their dirty bodies to the site where a child had
been born. I was convinced they were in the right to be there. I wouldn’t argue
with angels. Angels? My spirit was once again moved to realizing there was
something different about this child. I hoped to see what would happen in the
next few days.
The story will continue. I am working on more...I didn't want to hold on to this as I developed it, I needed to share. Please let me know what you think. Thanks~Christine
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