Chapter 1
Arriving in Egypt
We’ve got to answer one question and the question is, why didn’t the holy family settle down in one place in Egypt. But they travel down the coast to the south. Why is this, because as we know Egypt is a different country where King Herod has no power. They arrive in Pelusium at the time, in the night. And without any money or property, but the clothes they have on them. And the present given to Baby Jesus by the three wise men. Pelusium at that time is a bustling city with trades flowing through its’ large port daily. At night, the city takes to the inns which remains open through the nights. When Ships docks in the port in the night, shipmates and traders have to find accommodations. This keeps the city open through the night. Pelusium is the largest city outside Jerusalem and its’ close to Israel, therefore it houses many Jews who have taking abode in Egypt. Walking into the city at night, Joseph walking the donkey in front which Mary sits on carrying baby Jesus. Mary is breastfeeding baby Jesus as they go along. The worry of leaving Bethlehem in haste and the journey falls on her. She feels sad and a tear falls from her eyes. She wipes it off with her headscarf then she can see houses before her since they’ve been travelling through desert lands. She calls to Joseph realising that they’ve finally entered Egypt. Mary ask Joseph.
‘Where would we stay for the night.’ Her weariness from the journey showing on her while she tries to concentrate on feeding baby Jesus.
‘Lets’ go into the inn there.’ Joseph replies. Pointing to the inns on the road.
And of course, he knows that Mary had seen them as well before she ask. Joseph is still worried even near to paranoia about the new baby. Even the woman he got married to is a worry on its’ own. He knows that if not for the warning from the Angel of God he would have divorce her.
‘We might find a bed there.’ He says.
‘But we have no Money Joseph.’ Says Mary.
Joseph stops the donkey and goes into the bag they have with them where the presents the three wise men gave to baby Jesus are kept. He takes out the Frankincense and says.
‘This should pay for our stay.’
When the Inn keeper sees that they have a baby with them he takes compassion on them especially when Joseph says they’ve been travelling all day with the baby. He takes a look at the frankincense and seeing that it’s of superior quality he’s instantly amazed.
‘Where did you get this from.’ Suspicion grows in his voice.
Joseph senses the suspicion in his tone and says.
‘It’s a present given to our baby when he was born. But since we have no use for it, can we trade it in for a room to stay and some food.’
Cocking his head to a side the Inn keeper looks them up and down. Mary gets down from the donkey and approach closer bringing her baby into view. Seeing the baby, the Inn keeper walks in and comes out with drinks for them. He invites them inside and sign them in for a room.
‘My name is Al Hamond Gosham. You call me Gosham, everybody does.’ He says seeming overjoy by something. ‘Stay as long as you want.’ He adds giving them a key.
He keeps bowing his head down to the baby as they walk away to their room. And they haven’t settled in their room when food and clothing arrives from Gosham. They also learn that they’ve been giving one of the best rooms in the inn. Mary set about to bath baby Jesus while Joseph goes into the city. Coming into the city he has seen the port still busy and shipmates working, unloading their boats. Leaving the inn, he walks by the harbour and arrives at the port. By trade Joseph is a carpenter which he was trained for in Galilee, but on this occasion he’s open to any job on offer. Joseph is still pondering on what the Angel told him that Herod seek to kill the baby. He believes it would only be in Bethlehem, being the place where baby Jesus was born. However, on reaching the port a surprise awaits him. They did travel by land but to his surprise he’s seeing Jewish people arrive in the port by boat in hundreds. He’s surprise and baffle at the same time, so he wants to learn more. He walks close to a family, the mother seems to be in tears and the rest of the family are in the same mood.
‘Hello friends.’ Joseph says. At which the father stops and ask Joseph what he wants.
‘What do you want.’ The man says. ‘Can’t you see we’re in sorrow.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Joseph says. ‘But why are you in sorrow.’
‘It’s Herod.’ The man says. ‘He has gone mad. He’s killing all the male children in Bethlehem. He killed my son. He was only a year old.’ And he burst into tears.
Joseph immediately hugs the man and condone with him. He feels sad with them for their lost knowing immediately that they only might have miss it by a fraction of time. Being the reason, the Angel of the Lord had sent them out into Egypt in the night. He grows fearful knowing the extent of the damage Herod have caused just to kill baby Jesus. He allows the family to go while he walks down into the port. He meets more Jewish people bearing the same horrible story of king Herod’s massacre. When he reaches the harbour, he talks to a foreman there that he needs a job to keep his family.
‘What can you do.’ The Foreman ask.
‘I’m a Carpenter by trade.’ Joseph says and adds. ‘But right now, I can do anything.’
‘Good.’ The foreman says. ‘It just happens that we need some carpentry work done on the boats. Come with me.’ He adds.
He takes Joseph into a boat and hands him a set of tools before he shows him damage places around the boat which he wants him to fix. For the past three months they’ve been traveling, he’d taken time to think about why Herod wants baby Jesus dead. Of course, he knows and believe the Angel of the Lord but as human we can’t but wonder. But he’d not imagined something this big or even think King Herod would go to this extreme length just to have baby Jesus killed. Thinking from what he’d just heard. Although he feels like running back to the inn and pack and get going with baby Jesus, but he stayed knowing that they would need every penny he can make. What frighten Joseph is the fact that it’s King Herod, and in his fear, he forgets that God is greater than the King. The mess room of the boat where the boat crew dine is in a big mess with most of the desk and benches broken. Joseph set about at fixing them seizing the opportunity to associate with the boat crews. At the end of the night when Joseph returns to the inn Mary is sleeping while baby Jesus lays in a cot beside the bed. Joseph sees that the Inn keeper have offered them everything they need but he doesn’t want to take privilege of the situation because he doesn’t know how much a Frankincense worth and not knowing how long or how far the reach of the Inn keepers’ hospitality would go seems to put a caution on him. Since he’d decided to Marry Mary when she was in pregnancy and knowing that the baby is not his. Even though he has been told by the Angel of the Lord he still knows that he has taken on a responsibility and a great one at that to act as Earthly father to Jesus. He eats and falls in bed beside his wife till the brake of dawn when Mary wakes up. Mary wakes up to baby Jesus soft cries. She knows that he’s hungry by then and prepares for his breakfast. But on waking up she sees Joseph still fast asleep and wanders what he was up to when he went out in last night. But she continues to care for her baby. And by noon when Joseph wakes up, she gets to hear everything. She’s playing with baby Jesus with a soft toy when Joseph wakes up.
‘Mary, you have to hear what I heard at the port yesterday.’ He says.
Then he tells her about the families coming into Egypt from Bethlehem and what news they brought with them. After he’d told her, he adds.
‘That’s why I know that God is with us. His Angel told me to go into Egypt because Herod seek to kill the child. How are we to know that King Herod would go this mad. It’s really crazy, a complete madness, killing all these children just to get to your son.’
‘What about his spies.’ Mary says. She’s quickly thinking ahead now that she knows. ‘He has spies everywhere. They will talk to him if they see us.’
Joseph knows she’s right King Herod have spies everywhere and he pays them well enough for them to talk to him of anything they sees. But for the meantime he reckons they should be safe where they are. He doesn’t want to go running again and since he hasn’t heard from an Angel telling them to leave, he feels they’re safe at least they’re in Egypt. Joseph doesn’t want to loose his job at the port as well seeing that he’s making good money.
‘We’re in Egypt.’ Joseph says. ‘His spies won’t come here.’
He dresses up and goes into the city to spend some money. Having a hundred debens -which is the Egyptian currency at the time on him makes him proud of himself. He buys clothes and nappies which is a woollen clothe cut into squares and hold in place with pins. Joseph buys provision and he even buys clothes and flower for Mary his wife. Mary tries to keep baby Jesus out of sight of too many people because she’s worried that someone might see him and recognises him. However though, once Joseph presents her with the gifts he’d bought for her, she let go of her worries and accept his offer to take her out with baby Jesus. They walk out of the inn and follows the street towards the sea before they choose a path along the sea and walks on for a while. Joseph is looking here and there across the road at different restaurants opened. Then, Joseph asks them to turn back and return towards the inn. The city of Pelusium is still busy as they walks on and people pass them back and forth. He stops in front of a restaurant and says.
‘This’s it. This one would do.’
Mary looks up at the sign on the door and sees that it’s a Jewish restaurant. A worried look set on her face she looks at Joseph and says.
‘Joseph the baby. They would recognise him in there.’
‘But we’re in Egypt. All that crazy stuff was in Bethlehem and the whole of Judea. Come on let’s go in and I promise you if anyone says anything about the baby we’re leaving.’
Mary thinks it over but seeing that she can’t change Joseph’s mind, she eventually agrees but not without a push. Standing there on the pavement there for a long time before she makes up her mind must have look odd among the Egyptian passing them bye. However, Joseph seems not to be bothered only Mary is wearing a worried look. Her push comes when she looks up and down the road which is laid with cobble stones. There’re some carriages passing at that time, and it appears like a high- ranking Egyptian official since other carriages stops along the way in their path. Mary with the baby in her arm rushes towards the restaurant in panic. She fears every authority since Joseph told her of Herod’s massacre. She knows the fear is not a holy fear, but it serves to protect her baby. Fearing that any authority would want to seek her baby’s death. Her back is turned and she’s at the door of the restaurant as the carriage pass. Joseph didn’t waste time in leading her inside. A line of benches and tables are set around in rows in the restaurant. While far in the corner against the far wall is a desk which happens to be the cashier and attendant. Joseph leads Mary and the baby straight across and demands a table.
‘I would like a table for three please.’ He says.
‘The baby don’t count.’ The female attendant says. ‘You two can choose any table.’
Joseph looks at the attendant as she brings out a paper and pencil. Then ask them.
‘What would you two like.’
‘The baby counts.’ Joseph says. ‘He counts a lot if you don’t know but I would leave it at that.’
The female attendant seems amuse by Joseph eccentric about the baby. She smiles at him and shakes her head in wonder, then she asks him what they want again. Joseph orders their meal before he leads Mary and baby Jesus to a seat. When they’ve sat down Mary move close to Joseph and ask.
‘What were you getting at there with the baby counts thing. Don’t you realise how important it is to be quiet about this.’
‘I just want to correct her.’ Joseph says. ‘He’s going to be the king of the Jews why won’t he count.’
Mary realises that Joseph have got this baby Jesus coming to life and being the Messiah issue worked out in his head. And she says nothing further on it. It’s the basic fact that Joseph is able to provide for his family and that they’re safe in another land which makes him happy. Although he still doesn’t know how to address the fact that the baby is a holy baby, a child of God. It looks like a mighty task before him. However, he’s happy and that is enough for the moment. He pulls Mary closer and plant a kiss on her lips.
‘Don’t worry about anything my sweet. God is watching over his child.’ He says.
‘I know.’ Mary says. ‘But the heart of the king is wicked.’
When their food is served and the attendant walks away Mary attempt to eat and feed baby Jesus on food from her plate. Since baby Jesus is almost three months old, he’s able to sit on Mary’s lap with her holding him up and that happens to be the only place he can sit in the restaurant. They have no facility for babies or children. On Mary’s lap, baby Jesus is trying to pick on food from Mary’s plate and put it into his own mouth. At the same time his arms are flapping around, touching this and that. His arms goes around Mary like in a hug and at that time he stands up on Mary’s lap. Mary holds him with one hand while she uses the other hand to eat. In the restaurant people are coming in and out frequently and they’re mostly Jews living in Egypt. It happens that they keep a close community around Pelusium and knows every Jews that lives around them. Most of them have been looking toward Joseph and Mary with a curious gaze as new faces around. However, nobody have approach them until a woman walks into the restaurant with a walking stick. She walks towards Mary and Joseph and attempt to walk pass them. But baby Jesus is looking behind at the time standing on Mary’s lap and chewing on the bit of food he have been able to pick from the plate. He suddenly focuses on the woman as she approaches them. And as the woman walks pass behind them, he reaches out with his little hand towards her. The woman stops and smiling reaches out and touches baby Jesus hand.
‘What a beautiful baby.’ The woman says and touches baby Jesus outstretch hand. Just at the finger she touches and instantly she drops her walking stick and shouts out loud.
‘I’m cured.’ She shouts out.
And people around come closer and one person among them looks at baby Jesus after listening to the woman.
‘Lord, where have you been all this time.’ He says.
Mary and Joseph gets uncomfortable, and hurriedly they get up without finishing their meal and carry baby Jesus out of the restaurant. On getting back into their room at the inn Mary is cross with Joseph for talking her into going to the restaurant. She feels incompetent to deal with baby Jesus even though she knows that he’s doing a good deed. But she feels it’s not just the time to get notice. Without raising her voice, she says.
‘I told you it’s not a good idea. But you won’t listen.’
‘It’s not my fault that your son decides to do a good deed. How am I to know what he would do.’ Joseph says and adds. ‘He’s just a baby how did he know how to do that.’
‘I don’t know.’ Mary replies.
‘He can’t even speak yet.’ Joseph says. He moves close to baby Jesus where Mary lays him in his cot. Joseph stares at him and says.
‘What a wonder. God’s own child.’
And flapping his arms around in the cot, baby Jesus looks directly at him as to say he understand his puzzlement. Joseph adds.
‘How do we know how to handle you now.’
It’s clear that Joseph haven’t come into terms with having baby Jesus. He’s frustrated as well as lost as a young man having such a burden dump on him. He’s just waking up from being single into a married young man and looking towards having a family of his own. However, the twelve weeks they’ve spent on road have worn him off and he can’t think of getting on road so soon again. So, Joseph didn’t think of running away. He agrees with Mary that it’s for the best if Mary and baby Jesus should be staying indoors as from now on. And another reason Joseph is not looking at running away is that he wants to work and earn more money. Because as it stands, they have nothing to live on. They’ve spent the gold giving to baby Jesus as a present from the three wise men on their twelve weeks journey from Bethlehem. And the frankincense he’d exchange it for a room. They’ve only got the mirth left and he can’t think of how to turn it into money. And, it so happens that he’s working on a boat at the docks at the moment and he wants to finish it because he would be paid more on completing the job. So, he goes to work and continues for the next two weeks until he finishes the job while Mary and baby Jesus spend most of their time in the room. On Joseph’s last day on the boat, he’s clearing out his tools when he overhears people talking and he listen.
‘They said the Holy baby escape to Egypt, and someone said he has spot him here.’ Says a man.
‘I haven’t heard that.’ One of the boat crew says.
Joseph moves closer. The person speaking is a Jew who is asking about from people if they’ve seen the holy baby. He’s an old man dress as an Egyptian in what appears to be a common wear. A long white gown with a head band which he wraps around his face as well. Joseph looks at the man and he looks back at Joseph and seeing that the first man has no response for him any further he tries to move toward Joseph. Joseph picks up his tool-box and walks out quickly leaving the man staring at him. He quickly finds the captain and collects his money before leaving. On reaching the inn, he finds Gosham the Inn keeper in talk with some men and as he approaches them Gosham says.
‘These men don’t believe me that there’s a holy baby in this inn. I know because I’ve seen him myself.’
Then when he sees Joseph coming, he stops talking until Joseph walks past and as soon as he’d walked pass, he can hear Gosham soft whisper as he says.
‘That’s the man with the baby. I had to let them stay for free.’
Joseph runs into his room and shut the door behind him. Mary is sleeping with baby Jesus laying beside her on the bed. Joseph wakes Mary up and tells her what he’d overheard. He even tells her about Gosham the Innkeeper blabbing his mouth away about a holy baby in his inn.
‘We’re not safe here anymore.’ Mary says instantly in panic. ‘They can be any body. I mean, anybody can be Herod’s spy.’
‘Let’s leave tonight.’ Joseph says. ‘I’ve made some money which would keep us going for a while.’
Joseph have realised that he was wrong to assume that Herod’s spies won’t come into Egypt. And without another thought about it, both of them gathers their stuffs and get baby Jesus ready. Within a few minutes they’re ready to go. They leave through the back door without letting the Inn keeper know and they travel out of the city towards a destination they don’t know. They leave Pelusium and goes down south towards the next city to find refuge for their baby. This is their aim to keep baby Jesus away from Herod’s spies because they know that anyone asking around about a holy baby could only be Herod spy. And being a stranger in Egypt doesn’t help much because Joseph realises that he have to rely on passing Jews in Egypt or a good Egyptian which there’re only a few of them. The worry lays in him as they travel with baby Jesus. He thinks of what baby Jesus would call him when he starts to talk. He thinks about how he’s to become the king of the Jews and saves them from their sins. And more of Joseph’s worry is how to handle baby Jesus as he grows up. He also wants to know how to control his good deeds so that it did not give them away. Somehow, he knows that there would be more good deeds to come but where and when he doesn’t know. Joseph knows this because he believes in the prophet, what they’ve spoken about Jesus. He believes he’s the Messiah and appreciates the honour that is bestow on him to be an earthly father to baby Jesus.
