"The Legend of the Star Cookie"

The Legend of the Star Cookie

December 13, 2015

            A long time ago in another land, there were three wise men.  Each man lived in a different country in the Far East.  All three studied the movement of the stars; today we would call them astronomers.  They didn’t have telescopes, or computers, but made drawings of all the different stars they viewed.  When they saw a new star in the sky, they would write it down on their sheets of papyrus, or record it on scrolls.  These three men also studied ancient writings and knew of many things to come in the future.

            The three men did not know each other, but one starlit night, all three were watching the sky. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a great star appeared.  It was bigger and brighter than any other.  They were amazed at the sight of it.

One wise man lived in an elegant tent in the desert.  He was a nomad whose tribe moved from place to place.  He was very wealthy and lived in luxury in the great tent.  The walls were hung with rich brocaded tapestries and the floor was made of beautifully woven oriental rugs.

Another of the wise men lived within a huge walled city.  His household boasted of many servants who were at his beck and call.

The third wise man lived in a palace of many rooms in a country called the Orient. He watched the stars from a tall tower in the palace.

The star puzzled the wise men and they began to pour through the old scrolls on which were written many things regarding the heavens.  Each wise man came to the same conclusion – this was the star that proclaimed a child was born who was to be King of the Jews!  For this to happen in their lifetime was an amazing thing. 

The wise man that lived in a rich palace called his people together and told them he must see this thing which had come to pass.  He had them prepare food, clothing and whatever he would need to take on a long journey.  He filled a jeweled box with gold coins to take as a gift to this newborn king.  He set out alone, always following the star, sleeping in the day and traveling by night.

The man who lived in a fine house inside the great walled city, called his servants and ordered them to prepare everything he needed to take a very long journey.  A lovely pure jade jar was filled with the finest frankincense and was a fit gift for a king.  It was very late in the evening when he passed through the gates of the great walled city.  Keeping his eyes on the star that shone so brightly in the heavens, he began his journey.

The third man left the comfort of his elegant tent and mounting the kneeling camel, started out across the cold, dark desert with only the star’s light to guide him.  As he swayed back and forth on the large camel, he suddenly realized the beast itself was being guided by the star.  Had he forgotten anything?  No, he had food, clothing and a wondrous container encrusted with gold that safely held costly myrrh.  This would surely be a wonderful gift for the child.

Guided only by the star, nights of travel turned into weeks for the wise men. One night, the star seemed to be much larger and shone far brighter than before.  The first of the wise men felt he was near his destination and stopped his camel near a brook that gurgled softly in the quiet of the night.  He built a fire and as he sat there, he pondered on the child born a king.  Perhaps nearby was a great palace where the child lay on a soft bed under silken coverings, while his nurse gently sang to him of years to come when he would sit on a throne and rule the Jewish people.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an approaching camel.  He quickly stood, his eyes trying to pierce the darkness.  “Who is there?” he called. 

“A weary traveler,” came the quick reply as a figure came into the circle of light made by the fire.

The first man could see this was no robber, by the fancy trappings of the camel and the rich robes of its rider.  “I am very tired”, declared the man as he climbed off the kneeling camel.  “I have traveled far, following the wondrous star you see there,” he said, pointing to the bright star above them.
He had no more than spoken these words, when out of the darkness appeared a third man astride a great camel.  “I, too, am following the star,” he exclaimed!

The three men greeted one another in excitement and wonder.  All had followed the star and believed they were very close to finding the child whom they sought.  They gathered around the warmth of the fire and began to share a meal talking all the while about the new little king.

The first man took little cakes from a small basket and lay them on a stone in the fire to bake.  Another opened a clay pot and took from it fruit, among which were juicy, plump raisins.  As he passed them to the other men, several fell from his hand onto the baking cakes.  The third one opened a wineskin of the very sweetest red wine, which when he passed it to the others, splashed out onto the cakes.  In the heat of the fire, it quickly crystallized and became a red, sugary substance.

When the cakes were done and removed from the stone, how amazed they were, for each cake had turned into the shape of a star.  Each star had a raisin in the middle and was covered with a reddish sugar.  They smiled as they ate the strange cakes, for they were very sweet and delicious.  This was indeed a strange night.

The next day, the three travelers arrived in Jerusalem and inquired about the newborn king and learned that according the prophets of old, he would be born in Bethlehem.  That night, the star again appeared to them and led them straight to Bethlehem.  There they found the Child with his mother; a young woman called Mary, and her husband, Joseph.  They fell down and worshipped the Child and gave him the treasures they brought.

After they had left, Joseph and Mary talked much about the visit of the wise men.  They examined the rich gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh with amazement.

It was then they noticed a fourth gift placed near the Child; a small cake with a raisin in the center and a red sugary substance that glittered in the lamplight.  Together, they shared the soft, sweet cake. They did not, of course, realize they were partaking of a symbol of things to come to the little King they named Jesus.  The cake represented his body that someday would be broken for all mankind, while the raisin was a symbol for the fruit of the vine, showing his blood would be spilled to wash away the sins of those who accepted him as their eternal Savior.  The red sugar represented the sweet love of God, who so loved the world he sent his son as redemption for all who believed in him. 

God spoke to the three wise men as they left Bethlehem and told them to go home another way, for the wicked King Herod wanted to find the newborn Child and kill him.  So the men journeyed together in another direction for some time far from Bethlehem.

At last they reached a parting of ways and each took with him one of the star shaped cakes, wondering why they seemed so special and so holy.  They only knew this, these sweet little cakes had something to do with the future of the Holy Child, born in the little village of Bethlehem, who would one day be a great King.  

This is just a story I wrote a long time ago.  It isn’t actually scriptural because the Bible doesn’t say how many wise men came to worship Jesus.  Neither does it say how old Jesus was when they arrived, but it does say the Holy Family lived in a house and not in a stable.  No one knows how long they lived in Egypt or when they returned to Nazareth; only that at some time King Herod had died.

There are many traditions that people follow and one of those is that the Wise Men also were at the stable the night Jesus was born and that there were three of them.  That is not true, but it makes a nice story.  Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us we should have a Christmas tree or give gifts to each other. However, there is nothing wrong in following traditions as long as we don’t forget that ‘Jesus is the Reason for the Season’.