“Bible animals: Camels”
Matthew 2:1-2
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Let’s start today with a quiz, a simple ten question True-False quiz. (What could be so hard?)
The first one’s this--when the wise men came to meet Jesus, they didn’t come till after He was born. True or false? The correct answer is true. As it says in Matthew chapter 2: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2:1).
Next question--the Bible says that there were three wise men. True or false? The correct answer is false. While we often say that there were three, (hence the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh), the Bible never says just how many came. There could have been three. There could have been more!
Number three--when the wise men came, they went directly to Bethlehem. True or false? False. As Matthew wrote, “Behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2:1).
Number four--the wise men were kings. True or false? False. The wise men were most certainly wise, but they weren’t kings. But we’ll get back to that later on.
Number five--the wise men gave their gifts to Jesus on the night of His birth. True or false? False. While they did give gifts to Jesus, it wasn’t on the night of His birth.
Number six--after finding Jesus, the wise men realized that Herod wanted to kill Jesus, so they went home another way. True or false? The correct answer is true. As Matthew wrote: “And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another route” (Matthew 2:12).
Number seven--the Bible hints that Jesus may have been as much as two years old by the time the wise men found Him. True or false? The correct answer is true. Matthew wrote: “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the magi, he was furious, and he gave order to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under” (Matthew 2:16).
Number eight--when Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where the Christ was to be born, they quoted the prophet Isaiah. True or false? That’s false. They quoted the prophet Micah. As he wrote: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be counted among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
Number nine--the wise men found Jesus not in a stable, but in a house. True or false? True. As Matthew wrote: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him” (Matthew 2:10-11).
And one more. Number ten--when the wise men came to meet Jesus, they traveled on camels. True or false? The correct answer is, probably. In fact, it’s rather likely! But we can’t say for sure, because the Bible doesn’t say. So let’s call it true anyway!
Seeing as how we’ve been talking a little bit about animals lately, let’s talk about camels, because they’re our Bible animal for today.
As far as we know, the word “camel” comes from an old Arabic word that means “to bear” or “to carry.” And how appropriate, because that’s exactly what they do! In fact, depending on what kind of camel they are, they can carry anywhere from three hundred to a thousand pounds and can travel as far as forty miles a day and as fast as forty miles an hour. (That’s how they got their nickname, by the way. People call them the “ships of the desert.”)
Let me try some camel facts on you. Did you know that there are two main types of camels? Two-humped camels are called “Bactrian camels,” and one-humped camels are called “Dromedaries.”
Did you know that each camel has three sets of eyelids and two rows of eyelashes to keep sand out of their eyes?
Did you know that their lips are so thick, they can eat shrubs, grass, and plants--even thorny ones(!)--that other animals can’t eat?
Did you know that they can completely shut their nostrils in a sandstorm?
Did you know that their humps aren’t hollow? Instead, they’re filled with fat, as much as eighty pounds of fat, that they can live off of for weeks, and even months at a time!
Did you know that thanks to thick pads of skin on their chest and knees, they can sit very comfortably even on very hot sand?
Did you know that they can drink as much as fifty gallons of water in less than three minutes?
Did you know that mother camels carry their calves up to fourteen months before giving birth? And when they’re born, they’re usually white. They don’t turn brown till later on.
Did you know that camels are pretty useful? You can drink camel milk and eat camel meat. You can even make tents, blankets, rugs, clothes, and rope out of camel hair.
(By the way, do you remember what John the Baptist wore? The Bible says: “He wore clothes made of coarse camel hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4)).
And last, but not least, do you know what happens when you make a camel mad? He’ll spit! And there’s not much worse than a camel’s spit!
Now that you know something about camels, let me tell you a little about those wise men.
The story of the wise men is a story that’s shrouded in mystery. Legend says they were kings, and that there were three. It even gives their names--Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. You could even visit a cathedral in Cologne, Germany to see what some say are their remains, encased in gold boxes, wrapped in white silk.
But as we look at Scripture, it seems there’s not much we really know.
For example, how many were there? Were there three or were there more? We really don’t know. And where did they come from? “From the east,” you say. Good. Where in the east and how far east? And how long did their journey take? Was it weeks or months? We really don’t know that either. In fact, as we read the Gospel account, this remarkable group of men showed up suddenly and mysteriously and, just as suddenly and mysteriously, they were gone!
Even more, can you imagine their king’s reaction? They were his royal advisors, you know.
“So, you’re going on a journey?” he asked. “Yes, we are,” they answered.
“Just where are you going?” “To Jerusalem, we suppose.”
“How far will you travel?” “We don’t know.”
“And how long will you be gone?” “Maybe weeks…maybe months. We can’t say for sure.”
So what prompted these men to leave their king and their kingdom to set out on such a long and dangerous journey? What would make them leave the comfort of their homes to follow a star?
The answer’s found in the words they said: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2).
Now it’s beautiful to picture those wise men riding camels across the desert, to see them traveling night and day over land and sea. But in reality, they probably weren’t alone. In those days, the only way to travel through the desert safely was in a large caravan of camels, with a full military escort, not to mention a band of servants and supplies, a group numbering as many as three hundred people. No wonder then that, when they arrived in Jerusalem, the Bible says the whole city stirred.
And what led them there? Day after day, as they charted the stars, they saw it, every morning, just before sunrise. Jupiter and Saturn were so close together that they looked like a single star. And of all places, they converged in a constellation called Pisces. And when they saw it, they knew a king was born to the Jews.
So they gathered their gifts, assembled their traveling party, left their homes, and journeyed for weeks, following that star. And when they arrived in Jerusalem, in the very heart of Israel, the capital city of a small, but very influential nation, they sought an audience with the king.
It was a big deal! There were formalities and protocol to attend to. This was, after all, an official visit of one important nation to another. As you can imagine, King Herod quickly summoned his advisors to meet with these strange, remarkable, out-of-town guests.
So who were they exactly and why had they come all this way? Was there some new trade agreement in the works or a new trade route? Or maybe it was a new political alliance? What a boon this could be for Jerusalem’s economy, if only they could work out all the details. Whatever it was that these astute, learned, wealthy representatives of a foreign nation had on their minds, they would all soon find out.
But to everyone’s surprise, there was only one question on their lips: “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and we’ve come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2).
Imagine the shock and awe that hung over the room as the wise men looked in earnest to the ministers of Israel and their king to answer their question.
And what did they get? Stunned silence. It must have been an incredibly awkward moment.
You see, the magi assumed, of course, that the birth of someone so noble would have taken place in the royal city and in the royal palace, for that’s where kings are born. And they, of course, hoped to be immediately ushered into the royal nursery to pay homage from one ruling nation to another.
But just as soon as they asked their question, it became abundantly clear that no one had a clue. As far as the Jews were concerned, it was business as usual. No dancing in the streets, no ticker tape parades, no national holiday. Nothing! And for their all-important question, all they got was stunned silence and a blank stare. Somehow, somewhere, there was some other King of the Jews. But who was He and where?
And wasting no time at all, Herod shot down the halls of his palace to convene a meeting of his Sanhedrin. He said, “Tell me, you teachers of the Law. What does Scripture say? Where is this newborn King of the Jews?”
And for them, it was as plain as the nose on his face. For in the book of Micah were the words: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you shall come forth One who will be Ruler over Israel” (Micah 5:2).
And that was the answer! The Messiah, the Christ, would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David, not even five miles away. And taking them aside, Herod said, “Go and make a careful search for the Child. And as soon as you find Him, tell me, so that I too may go and worship Him” (Matthew 2:8).
In October of 1999, a little after one o’clock in the afternoon, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma called for a cab to take him from Central Park West to the Peninsula Hotel on Fifth Avenue to prepare for a concert the following night. As usual, he loaded ever so carefully his 266-year-old, $3.5 million, one-of-sixty-in-the-world, Stradivarius cello into the trunk, then sat in the back seat for the brief ride. A few minutes later, after he arrived, he paid the driver, stepped out of the cab, then walked into the hotel.
There was just one little problem. He forgot his cello! And seeing as how there are about thirteen thousand cabs in the city of New York, there was little chance, if any, he would ever see it again.
Fortunately, he kept the receipt which also happened to have the cabby’s ID number. And so about four hours later, with a little help from hotel security and the New York City Police, they tracked that cab to a garage in Queens. So Yo-Yo Ma and his priceless cello were back together again.
But far more important than the search for a one-of-a-kind instrument is our search for a one-of-a-kind Savior. For those little baby hands, so soft and chubby, will one day be held fast to a cross. Those tiny baby feet, still unable to walk, will climb an awful hill and be nailed to a cross. That sweet infant with sparkling eyes and an easy smile, will have a crown of thorns pressed down hard onto His head. And that newborn infant’s body, so soft and warm, wrapped in swaddling clothes, will be pierced by a spear.
He was born to save. He was born to die.
And so was fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah: “A multitude of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:6).
Lord Jesus, Child of Mary, Word of the Father, King of nations, Savior of mankind, may Your light shine on us that we, just like the wise men, may kneel and behold Your glory. This we ask in Your name. Amen