<TITLE>14. Par 45-48</TITLE>L-45 The red--Nobody else seen it, because no one was expecting it but them. They got what they expected. They was watching for the star where Balaam said, their prophet, that there'd be a star of Jacob rise, and they was looking for it. And so they followed the star and found the Christ.
And there was a few shepherds out on the hillside herding their sheep; they found Him, and they knew about it. But word doesn't travel then--didn't travel then, rather, like it does today; they didn't have the news, the papers, and the radio, and--and the press, and so forth, that we got today, they didn't have it. So it only went from lip to ear. And many people had never heard nothing about it.

L-46 So after eight days, Jesus being born, well then Mary she come to the temple to offer the sacrifice, which was a custom after eight days every male child had to be brought and circumcised. And they had to offer an offering for her purification; that was according to the custom of the law. Let's take a little drama here so the little children can understand. It's Monday morning at the temple and I see the virgin Mary coming with her little baby, and she's got a peasants offering. A peasants offering was two turtledoves. Now, a rich baby could offer a lamb, 'cause they had flocks and herds. But Jesus, they had two turtledoves.

L-47 And now, all the babies coming along in their fine needlework, the mother's standing real finely dressed with little needlework with their babies, you know, little pink and gowns and so forth, on them. But there stood the little virgin with the baby wrapped in swaddling's cloth. You know what swaddling's cloth is? It's what goes on the back of a yoke of an ox when you're plowing with them; it's rags that's wrapped over the--the yoke. And they was hanging in the manger, so they just unwrapped that, Joseph and them did, and wrapped Jesus in it. Think of it, the King of glory, the King of [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... somebody. Would you think of it.
There was about two million Jews that day up in there, so there was perhaps maybe hundreds of babies borned every night. So every morning there'd be, after the eight days for each person, there would be a line of babies for their circumcision. It's Monday morning; here's a great line of mothers standing there over on that side, we'd say, with their little babies. And I could hear some of them saying, "Look at there. See, look at there; look at her; there she is; that's the one that had that baby without being married. Um-um, keep your distance from her." Isn't that just like persecuting the real true believer today.

L-48 She held that baby in her arms. She didn't care what the people said; she knowed who's baby that was. In her heart she knew that that was God's child. And every one that's borned of the Spirit of God, you might be called fanatic; you might be called that insulting name of holy-roller. You might be called anything like that, but in your heart, if you've ever cradled Christ, you don't care what they say. Don't make any difference. They can say, "Look at them." Sure you're marked." Right. She was too. Kept their distance from her, "Back, don't get around her."
But what was she holding in her arms? It didn't look very nice to look at, but it was the King of kings, wrapped in swaddling's cloth in its little virgin mother's arms. Think of it. They kept their distance. I wonder where those people are tonight? What if they could come back and try it over again? It would be different, wouldn't it? Don't let that be your fate; you do it now while you're sensible, and while you can, while you got a chance to do it; do it now. They kept their distance.


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