We all know about the three Wise Men that came to visit the Christ child. But did you know that there was a fourth one? See, the four of them had been watching the stars and studying the prophets for the promised advent of the Messiah, and they had agreed that when the sign came that they would all meet up with and travel together. They would each sell all of heir earthly possessions to be able to provide a suitable gift for the newborn King.
Well, the new sign came, and the four wise men began their preparations. The first sold all that he had in exchange for a large sum of gold. The second traded his belongings in for an ample amount of frankincense, and the third for a sizable portion of myrrh. The fourth was able to trade in his materials for three precious stones - a Diamond, a Ruby, and a Pearl.
On his way to meet the other three at their rendezvous, this fourth wise man came across an injured soldier laying on the side of the road. He wanted to help the soldier, but realized that if he did that he would most likely fail to meet the others in time for their departure. But, seeing the desperation that the injured man was in, he knew the right thing to do, and decided that it might not take that long anyways. He was able to bind the wounds well enough to but knew that he probably wouldn't last the night. So he strapped him to his camel and took him to a nearby village where an able physician could take care of him. Because the soldier had nothing of any monetary value, the wise man offered his diamond - one of the stones intended for the Christ child - to the doctor.Sure enough, when the fourth wise man came to the designated meeting spot with the other three, they had already left. Feeling sad that he would not be able to share the journey with his friends, he rode on to Bethlehem as fast as his camel could go. When he arrived he found that Mary and Joseph had already moved out, their house abandoned and empty. Feeling even sadder at having missed the Babe, he hung his head and started to leave. On his way out he passed by a crying woman with a baby in her arms. He knelt down and asked her what the matter was.
"It's Herod," she said, sobbing, terror in her voice. "He's ordered his soldiers to kill every baby boy in the city!" The wise man glanced up in time to see two soldiers coming down the street. Quickly, he reached into his pouch and pulled out his ruby. Handing it to the woman, he instructed her to use it to save her child's life. Wishing he could have done more, he saddled his camel and left Bethlehem. As the soldiers approached the mother, she offered them the precious stone. They took it, admiring its beauty, and passed her and her boy by, unharmed.For the next thirty-or-so years, the fourth wise man searched all of Judea, inquiring about what became of the Child born in Bethlehem. Finally he heard rumor that He had just been sentenced to death by Pilate, and that he was to be crucified on Golgotha. Wanting desperately to see Him for who he had searched for so long, he clutched his only remaining gift - the pearl - and ran towards the hill outside Jerusalem. As he was hurrying on, however, he came upon a Roman soldier dragging a crying girl of about eight years behind him. The wise man inquired as to what the matter was. The soldier answered, "This girls parents have failed to pay their debt, and because of this their daughter will be sold into slavery until they can repay." Without another thought, the wise man placed the pearl into the soldier's free hand.
"Here is the payment," he said. "You can let her go home." The soldier looked at the pearl, then the girl, and gave her to the wise man, pocketing his new-found prize. The girl, full of gratitude, embraced the wise man tightly, who returned the gesture. Having wiped her tears, he said, "Let's take you home."The scriptures tell us that when the Savior died, there was a great earthquake. The ground shook under the wise man and the young girl. It shook so violently that a stone from the roof of a nearby building came loose and fell to the ground. Seeing that it was heading right for her, the wise man leaped to cover the girl from the falling tile. The force was so great that he died upon impact, leaving the girl unharmed. Realizing what had just happened, she struggled to free him from the stone, and as she did so she seemed to hear a voice whisper in her ear -
"Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
