Paddy Ponders Providential Protection
Third in a Four-Part Series Celebrating the Third Sunday of Advent
By Pastor Jim Allen and Paddy the Golden Doodle
The Rose Candle of Joy (Gaudete) is shining bright! This is my
favorite part of Advent because it means the darkest time is over, and we get
to talk about the greatest escape plan ever made.
Paddy, my Golden Doodle, was practically vibrating with excitement. “Dad!
Dad!” he insisted, forcefully bumping my hand with his nose. “Can I tell the
grandkids the best part? The part about the Space Guys?”
“Hold on there, buddy,” I said, trying hard to keep a straight face. “The
Space Guys? No, Paddy. The Magi weren’t astronauts. They were the Spice
Guys—they assisted the King by controlling the trade routes for incense and
spices.”
Paddy’s head tilted. “Oh! The Spice Guys! I have all their albums!”
“No, Paddy,” I corrected, completely stifling a laugh now. “Those are the
Spice Girls. The Magi were the Spice Guys because
they used their wisdom to manage the trade and bring valuable spices. They
weren’t pop stars, they were diplomats.”
Paddy paused, thinking hard, his brow furrowed. “But didn’t you say they
were kind of... hot?”
I felt a sudden need to clear my throat. “Ahem.” My dear wife,
Carol (Grandma), gave me one of her signature looks—the kind that says, ‘Stick
to the theology, Jim, and quit giving the dog ideas.’
“Let’s continue with the story, Paddy,” I directed quickly. “The Magi
were wealthy dignitaries from the famous rock city of Petra! They weren’t
from distant lands like China or Persia; they were super rich, next-door
neighbors.”
“Right!” Paddy recovered quickly, settling back into his role. “And Dad
said they were like, ‘Half-Jewish!’ That’s why they knew all the Bible
prophecies about the star! So, they went straight to Herod and asked, ‘Where’s
the King of the Jews?’”
“And that, kids, is where the trouble started,” I interjected, setting
the scene. “Herod the Great was an Idumean, the ancestral son of Esau (Edom),
whose people were forced to convert to Judaism centuries earlier during
the Hasmonean dynasty. This made Herod a hated ‘half-Jew’ in the eyes of
the Jerusalem elite. The term Magi by the time of Christ had ceased
being just an ethnic tribe of the Medes; it applied to any wise person who
advised leadership. The Magi in the Nabataean Kingdom of Aretas IV were potentially
from a similar mixed, Hellenized Jewish background. In any event, because of
their knowledge of the Scriptures, they were seeking a legitimate king. There
were political tensions between Nabataea and Israel. This immediately
threatened Herod’s deeply insecure throne.”
The Dragon’s First Strike
“And they found the baby!” Paddy continued with gusto. “But not in the
straw box. They found Him in a house—a οἰκία (oikia,
[oy-KEE-ah])! That’s because this happened two years later!”
“Precisely,” I affirmed. “Paddy, you are doing well with your Greek
studies! Yes, the Gospels indicate that by the time the Magi found Mary, she
was in a house. We assume that after Jesus was born and the census was
concluded, they moved in with relatives in Bethlehem. And remember, the Magi
journey from Petra to Bethlehem was over 200 miles—a serious 4–5 day
journey for an ancient caravan. The fact that Herod later ordered the death
of all male children two years old and under confirms the substantial
delay. This was an act of a desperate king, but it was also a moment of cosmic
war.”
I explained that the Prophet John’s vision in Revelation 12
describes the Dragon (Satan) standing ready to “devour her child as
soon as it was born.” Herod became the Dragon’s earthly proxy,
making his decree the first military strike against the Messiah.
“But the Satan’s war in heaven was lost a long time ago,” Paddy insisted,
his voice firm. “And God always has a plan!”
God’s Pathway: Provision for the Exile
“You’ve got the key right there, Paddy. God’s plan is the ultimate
pathway, as Proverbs 16:9 tells us: ‘A man’s heart plans his course,
but Yahweh directs his steps.’ Herod intended evil; God used it for good,
just like Joseph in Genesis.”
I explained the divine detour: “The Magi were warned in a dream not to
return to Herod. Then, an angel told Joseph to run.”
“Where did they go?” Paddy asked rhetorically. “Most likely Alexandria,
Egypt!” He answered his own question with a proud tilt of his head.
“Exactly. Because there was an emerging Jewish population and Alexandria
was not only culturally welcoming but also offered a crucial chance for Joseph
to make a living with all the massive building projects being done at the time.”
Paddy could not contain himself. “And that escape is the reason for our
Joy!”
“It is, Paddy. The flight to Egypt was the prototypical fulfillment
of the woman (Israel) being protected in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6).
This divine detour ensured our Paschal Lamb was protected.”
- The Provision: “The Magi’s
gold became the treasury of the exile. It funded Joseph’s work as a
τέκτων (tektōn, [TEK-ton]), a skilled builder, in
Alexandria—a city experiencing a building boom.”
- The Network: “Joseph found
safety and employment because his brother, Cleopas, who was also a tekton,
most likely had family and a tekton network there, ensuring the security
of the believer was met with physical provision.”
Paddy looked confused. “But I thought Jesus was a carpenter?”
“That is how the word is translated in most English translations,” I
replied, “but the job of a tekton was more involved than just carpentry.
Joseph and his brother had to work with masonry materials as well.”
“Wow!” Paddy replied. “I never thought about that, Joseph, Cleophas and I
assume Jesus would have had bodies like Arnold!”
“Perhaps!” I smiled. “It certainly was not easy work, and it was
physically demanding.”
I continued, “Because the Christ Child escaped the destruction
mentioned in Revelation 12 by Herod, Jesus spent his toddler years in
Alexandria. We have the true Joy of knowing that God’s plan cannot be thwarted!”
“But how did Jesus become a Nazarene?” Paddy replied anxiously.
“Well,” I said, giving him a final pat. “That is for next week, when we
light the last purple candle.”
Pastor Jim is the shepherd of Trinity Evangelical Church and he invites
you to read the fourth part of a four-part series next week regarding the true
story of Christmas in the Posey County News. Pastor Jim wants you to attend the
Church of choice but if you are looking for a Church home, please feel free to
join us for Advent Sunday Worship at 10:10am Worship and for our Christmas Eve
services at 5pm, 8pm, and 11:30pm.
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