I had recently purchased a new Nativity set. It came with an extra piece. This piece was a male. I didn't quite know where to place him. He was a handsome figure with very fine clothing. But he wasn't a wise man. I had three and they were bearing gifts. Maybe he was a servant and came along with them. He didn't have a shepherds crook like the other one did, so I put him behind the wise men along side of their camel.
I placed all the other pieces, took one last look at the simple beauty and workmanship that went into this set. The care that the artist took to capture the reverence and scriptural accuracy.
I soon was occupied with other household things. Every time I passed by the china cabinet that held my new nativity set I felt uneasy. I soon stopped and the piece I had put by the camel was out front looking down at the Christ child.
I couldn't believe what I had done. I always put my nativities up the same. I put Christ in the center. Christ to me is the center of the whole nativity story and the center of my life. Then Mary is put closest to baby Jesus to see to her infants needs. Joseph is put close to Mary as a support to her. My wise men, I always try to put them east of Christ because from the scriptures we learned they came from the east. Then on the other side is the Shepard. I even put the Shepard close by because I believe he came days or even weeks before the wise men.
I was baffled as to why I left the extra piece out front. I picked it up and looked it over. Maybe this is the Inn keeper or a stranger in town that over heard the commotion. I then placed him by the cow and donkey toward the back. Behind the Shepard. I closed the glass door and finished what I was previously doing.
The uneasy feeling came again as I passed later. I stopped and looked again. Once again the piece was out front looking down on Christ. I reached in and grabbed it. I decided to see what I could find on this particular set and the artist. I had noticed the pieces where signed.
I put the artist name, back slash, nativity set in the search line on Google. Only one entry came up. It was a web page from the artist. As I opened it and read, he told of how he developed each piece with careful and direct detail of what he believed they should look like. Each piece had a paragraph of how he felt on each one. The last paragraph is where he finally told of the extra piece.
He never read anywhere about this character but yet he couldn't leave him out. The artist wrote that it is Christ brother. The artist warned how this piece had a tendency to try to be front and center, to look down on all that come to worship the Christ child.
It sent chills down my spine. I put the piece back in the china cabinet but this time I put his back to the whole scene and pushed it to the furthest corner. There he stayed. In the back. Not worthy be a part but yet a part none less as Christ's brother satan.
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