Benjamin And The Cave

As Benjamin drifted off to sleep, his left arm gently covering a lamb just days old, he watched the stars play hide-and-seek behind the light, slow-moving clouds. He felt warm and safe.

His father, Jannai, was snoring just behind him and his Uncle Nathan slept nearby.

While they slept, Uncle Amos stood watch over the flock’s 33 sheep.

Benjamin and his family lived in a tiny village near Bethlehem. This night they rested in a small pasture east of Bethlehem, whose name means “house of bread.”

It was Benjamin’s favorite pasture. The grass was lush. Water gurgled from a small spring near a cave just up the hill from the tree which sheltered Benjamin in his deep sleep.

But it wasn’t long before his sleep was disturbed by a light that seemed to sneak in beneath his closed eyes. He slowly opened one eye to see the western starlight grow brighter and brighter. Uncle Amos was shielding his eyes from the brightness.

“Father, Father!” Benjamin turned to shake Jannai awake. “What’s happening? What is this bright light all about?”

As he moved toward his father, Benjamin let go of the lamb, which wandered off to find its mother.

As Jannai and then Nathan shook their heads to clear the sleep away, Amos, too, shouted his confusion. The shepherds tried to use the olive tree’s large trunk to hide from the light, but that did no good.

Then, just as they were talking about rushing up to the cave for protection, they began to hear voice-like sounds come from the lighted sky. Their confusion and fear increased.

Finally, Jannai began to recognize a phrase repeated over and over by the voices in the sky: “Do not be afraid, dear friends.”

Slowly, Jannai moved out from behind the tree. He motioned for his brothers, then Benjamin, to follow him.

Crouched together, shielding their eyes from the bright light, the four shepherds heard what could only be described as musical sounds.

Fright and wonder filled Benjamin’s eyes as he looked at his father. Just as Jannai was about to give his son an assurance he didn’t completely feel or understand, the words from the sky came clear and strong.

“Again, we say dear friends, do not be afraid! We are here to tell you of a great event you and your people, even the whole world, have awaited for centuries. Tonight, in King David’s town, Bethlehem, a Savior has been born.

“He is the one who will save all people. Go to Bethlehem and you will see what we tell you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly the background music became louder and a large number of angels were singing God’s praises: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to all men and women!”

In too short a time, the bright light and the music faded, and the shepherds stood in shocked silence for a few minutes. Amos was the first to speak: “I don’t know,” he protested. “It sounds too strange to be real.”

“Besides,” Nathan said, “even if we wanted to go, what about the sheep? Bethlehem is one hill away. They would slow us down too much.”

Amos echoed his brother’s fearful thinking: “And what if it’s just a false alarm, or a cruel joke? All that work for nothing, and in the dark, too. I just don’t know if we should go!”

Jannai listened to his brothers’ fears for a few more minutes. He could understand why they talked like that, even though he could hardly contain his own excitement and curiosity.

“We shall go to Bethlehem,” Jannai said at last. “Benjamin will stay with the sheep. But not here. It would be too dangerous, alone in the open pasture. He couldn’t protect the sheep by himself. Let’s move the flock into the cave at the top of the hill.”

“Why me? Why do I have to be the one who stays?” Benjamin’s initial fear was replaced with a 10-year-old boy’s natural thirst for adventure. Besides, he didn’t want to miss seeing the newborn Savior of his people.

“Because I want to be sure you are safe, my son,” Jannai responded. “We don’t know what to expect in town. We may not even find what the voices told us about. We will come back as soon as we can.

“Besides, it’s time I let you take charge of the sheep on your own. We’ve worked together enough,” he continued. “You know what to do, Benjamin. Your staying here is very important.”

As his father and uncles herded the sheep up the hill, Benjamin ran ahead. When he reached the cave, he turned to see the sheep moving toward him. The dog scampered back and forth, rounding up the stragglers.

“Don’t be afraid, Benjamin. Be strong,” Jannai called back to Benjamin as the men hurried down the hill toward Bethlehem and disappeared into the starry night.

Benjamin picked up two stones and threw them in frustration. He knew his father was right about his staying with the sheep. But he wanted to help find that other cave where the baby was supposed to be! That would have been so much more exciting than watching these smelly old sheep.

“Then again,” Benjamin said to his dog, “this is my chance to show my father just what a good shepherd I can be.”

With that, he pulled the nearest sheep to the cave’s entrance. His father’s words of months ago rushed into his thoughts: “Remember, Benjamin, these sheep not only provide the wool that helps us buy food and shelter, they are also our friends. So when you bring each sheep into the cave, check it over completely but gently.”

Swiftly but thoroughly, Benjamin bent down and began to feel for cuts and burrs the animal might have picked up as as they climbed the hill. Benjamin wasn’t tall enough yet for the sheep to pass between his legs like they did with his father and uncles. He wasn’t even tall enough for the lambs to go between his legs. But he was determined to do his best for the sheep anyway.

One last sheep pushed Benjamin against the cold rock wall, but with all his might, the boy shoved the bleating animal back in with the rest of the flock.

Benjamin placed his coat at the cave’s entrance. Like his father and uncles, he was determined to keep the family’s flock safe from wild animals. They would have to get past him to get any sheep this night.

Benjamin was too churned up inside to sleep. Even in his strong disappointment about not going to Bethlehem with the men, his heart was filled with pride because his father trusted him so much. With all the excitement, he was sure his eyes wouldn’t close all night long.

As dawn began to waken the countryside, the men returned to the cave.

“Benjamin! Benjamin!”

Jannai’s voice jerked the boy from the sleep he had vowed would not overcome him. Benjamin was surprised and embarrassed. He looked down the hill and saw his father and uncles as they ran past the olive tree where their night had been interrupted just a few hours earlier.

Once assured of the flock’s safety, Jannai began to tell Benjamin about what they saw in Bethlehem. Both uncles kept interrupting with their stories.

“Oh, I do wish you could have been there, Benjamin,” said Uncle Nathan. The boy’s disappointment returned to his face. He didn’t really understand what it was he missed, but he knew it was something very important.

Jannai interrupted Benjamin’s pouting. “We must hurry home. Your mother will be concerned if we aren’t there soon. Besides, we have some amazing news to tell her!”

“Ruth! Ruth! Come quickly!” Jannai called to his wife well before arriving at the front door of their small house.

“What’s wrong, Jannai? Are you are all right? Is Benjamin all right? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Ruth,” her excited husband assured her. “In fact, we had an incredible night.”

Then the three men began talking at once, telling Ruth about the angels who sang them awake in the dark of the night and told them to go to Bethlehem, and what they found there.

“Please! One at a time!” Ruth pleaded. “I can’t understand a thing you three are saying.”

Jannai took a big breath and spoke more deliberately. Nathan and Amos tried to wait their turns. But if Jannai missed a detail in the story, one of them was right there to quickly throw in his version.

Jannai’s voice softened as he told the most important part of the story.

“And when we finally found the stable cave where the baby was, we were surprised no one else was there,” Jannai said. “We wondered if the angels forgot to tell anyone else about this.

“The animals inside the cave were a little upset, but I suppose that’s because they aren’t used to so many people invading their home like that.

“We squeezed as close to the manger as we could. At first, all we could see was the father. His name is Joseph. He was trying to keep us all away from the manger, where his wife, Mary, was stroking the head of their new baby boy. She looked very tired.

“And I began to think about when Benjamin was born, Ruth. I remembered how tired you were. So I motioned to Nathan and Amos to follow me. We backed out of the stable and into the starry night.

“The little baby didn’t look like a Messiah. But I guess you have to grow up to be someone like that!”

While his mother listened to this amazing tale, Benjamin retreated, unnoticed, to a corner of the house. Soon, Ruth turned to find him.

“Benjamin, what did you see?” she said.

He told his mother about being disappointed because he had to tend the sheep. His pride of responsibility had evaporated in the excitement of the men retelling the story of the angels’ visit and the wonderment of Bethlehem.

Jannai and Ruth thanked their son for his skill and faithfulness with what his father needed him to do. “I’m sure God knows you wanted to be in Bethlehem,” Jannai said, “but that you were needed to care for our sheep.” His father’s words sounded thin to Benjamin, but he smiled his gratitude for their effort.

The adults returned to their conversation of Bethlehem and Benjamin was alone again. Neighbors stopped by to hear the amazing tale and began to fill the house.

Benjamin wandered outside. He walked to the top of the hill behind his home where the sheep quietly grazed. He saw one lamb had separated from the flock.

He sat down beside the lamb, put his arm around it and gazed off toward Bethlehem. The town wasn’t far away, but it was hidden behind the rolling hills.

Benjamin wondered if God thought caring for the sheep was as important as the birth of the world’s Messiah.

He wondered about the baby in the Bethlehem stable cave. Jesus, his father called him. It means “God saves.”

Benjamin wondered why God would choose a cave for the King of Israel’s birthplace. It surely was no better than the place he spent last night caring for his family’s sheep. He also wondered why the angels would announce such a birth to a low class of people like shepherds. Benjamin was very puzzled by all that had happened the night before.

What will it mean when the baby grows into a man? What kind of Messiah will he be? How will he save our people?

His wonderings were many.

“Benjamin.” His father’s call broke the string of questions in his mind. “Let’s get going, son. We need to get the sheep back out to the pasture.”

“Yes, Father. Just a minute.”

Benjamin got up and gave the lamb a nudge of encouragement. “We must go, little one. You eat and I’ll watch out for you. What we do may not be as important as the Savior being born, but it will do until something better comes along.”

So off they rushed to spend the day on the hillside pasture. For a brief moment, Benjamin’s imagination was gently pulling the little lamb between his legs at the shepherds’ cave tonight.

He especially liked taking care of the littlest lambs.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = A Christmas story by Paul R. Graves Special to IN Life