The Bethlehem Gazette
Rumors Abound about New Birth
Rumors about a strange happening are
circulating around town this morning. In
the midst of the anger and frustration about yet another Roman required
registration some people are actually believing that the long awaited Messiah
was born in a stable last night.
While many think that such an event
would be ridiculous, it just goes to show how desperate many people are for
some good news in the midst the hopeless feeling that seems to pervade the
culture. One of our reporters actually
happened upon the strange scene and discovered a group of shepherds kneeling
beside a feeding trough for animals.
Knowing the reputation of the local
shepherds it seems quite absurd that the one who is supposed to “deliver” God’s
people from bondage would be greeted by a group that is not allowed or welcomed
to come into Bethlehem. Shepherds are
known for lack of cleanliness and have often been caught stealing from some of
the residents who live at the edge of town.
On top of all this, part of the
rumor mill includes whispers about the character of the mother of the
child. Word from Nazareth tells of some
of the elders in the town going to the local rabbi demanding that the woman be
stoned for adultery. It was only the
firm insistence of her betrothed husband
that quieted the gathering storm. It
seems he agreed to go ahead and take the young woman as his wife in spite of
the remaining questions about exactly who the father is..
If the accusation is true about the
child’s linage then surely the assertion that the child is the Messiah would be
ill founded. However, word has come to
our politics editor that King Herod is troubled by this “news.” Why a man who holds such power as Herod would
even bother with such idle tales is surprising to say the least.
Most of these rumors would probably
be dismissed quickly if it were not for the discovery of a group of pilgrims
from far away who inquired late last night about “where he who is born King of
the Jews” might be found. These men
stated that they had come from the East because of research they had conducted
on the movement of a certain star. They
further claimed that this particular star was a sign that a new king would be
born.
Why they would travel so far based
on such strange news leaves some people wondering if there just may be some
truth in all this. The local innkeeper
was questioned by our reporter and his only response was, “If what they say is
true I sure feel terrible about not being able to find a place for them except
in my stable.”
You are reading this in the “News
Around Town” section of the paper because our religion editor thinks that to
print such a story is simply to add to people’s false hopes. He went on to state that God surely would not
do such a thing and that all of these rumors would soon be quieted by reality. I decided to include this story because,
well, you never know.
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