From the market place you could loudly hear the question being asked, “Do you know Jesus?” As the crowds hurried through the streets of Ephesus, the sound of those words could be heard echoing, as a man standing in the square continued to ask this question over and over. Before the question could be asked again, the frail voice of an elderly man could be heard saying, “I knew Jesus.” As he spoke, the man standing in the marketplace quickly replied, “So you are also a follower of Christ?” With a pause that seemed to last a lifetime, the old man began once again to speak. “Yes, I am a follower. And it seems I have been following Him most of my life, ever since I was just a very young man.”
On hearing these words, the man in the marketplace stood puzzled, as a blank stare came on his face. “Sir, if I may ask, how old are you? You appear to me to be a man of elder age, so how is it possible that you followed Him almost all your life, when He only began His ministry a little over thirty years ago?”
As the old man heard the question, a smile came to his face. “My good man, I was first following Jesus over sixty years ago, almost thirty years before His ministry was to begin.” With an even more puzzled look on his face, the man in the square asked, “Sir, I am very confused. Are you sure we are talking about the same Jesus?”
As the old man smiled again, he quickly answered. “Yes my son, I am speaking about Jesus of Nazareth, the Word made flesh(John 1:14), that gave His life so that we might truly live(1 Thessalonians 5:10). You see, long before His ministry began, even as He was just a small child, I found myself following Him, drawn to Him, even before I came to understand He was God.”
“I must hear your story! Sir, do you have time to sit with me awhile, and explain all this to me? By the way, my name is Rufus, and I have just recently come to know Christ, and to give my life to Him. And as I stand in the square, here today, I am excited to let others know about Him too. But something in your words tells me, I still have so much more I need to learn.”
As the elderly man heard his word, he began to take a seat on the steps of the city square, inviting Rufus to sit with him. Young man, my name is Opis. And even though I have not been home in years, I am sure my accent leaves no doubt that I am from Parthia, from the area around Ctesiphon. More years ago than most would care to remember, it was there where my story of following Jesus began.”
As Opis continued to explain. “As a very young man. I was both a student and a servant of a Magi by the name of Balthazar. A powerful man, within one of the most powerful empires of this world. An empire whose territory stretches all the way to the land known of the Han Dynasty(China). An empire that even the mighty Rome has so often come to fear. As powerful as the king of the Parthians is, the Megistane, the governing body within Parthia, is almost equally as powerful. A governing body made up of two groups, the Sophi and the Magi, with the Magi holding the responsibility to choose the Parthian king. Men of great power, known this world over, who are often themselves referred to as kings.”
Opis continued, “It was one of these Magi, a man by the name of Balthazar, that I once studied under and served. Balthazar would study daily the ancient words of one all knew as the greatest of the Magi, Belteshazzar. A Jewish captive who had come to great power within the kingdom, who most might know as Daniel(Daniel 2:48). I watched as Balthazar, with two other well-known Magi, Gaspar and Melchior, along with a group of other Magi, would study the words of Belteshazzar in great depth, and would often point to the promise of a coming King who would save this world. Little did I understand all they were saying about what they read, and to be honest, little did I care.”
As Opis drew his breath, he began to speak again. “Then one day, or actually one night, I watched as these powerful men began to rush to put plans in place. Plans for a journey that would take them west, a journey that would lead to Jerusalem. A journey they not only began to prepare for, but one they quickly notified the king of. Quickly assembling the cavalry to ride with them and offer protection for them. The most well-trained of troops in all or Parthia, fully armored and riding the most powerful of steeds, that numbered for the journey as more than a thousand.”
Rufus listened anxiously as Opis continued to speak. “I watched as Balthazar brought in countless Jewish leaders, among the hundreds of thousands of Jews who lived in the kingdom, asking them question after question about their ancient writings that point to the promise of this King, and the timing of when He would arrive. As I watched him calculating the days(Daniel 9), I watched as my master would stare at the sky. And as the final preparations were made, he informed me to also prepare for this journey.”
Opis continued, “I just did not understand, but I remember the words clearly that Balthazar smiled and spoke to me. ‘Opis, the God above all gods promised He would come to this world as a King. And I promise with this journey, you will be introduced to Him, and will stand in His presence.’ Even though those words made absolutely no sense to me at that moment, it was something about the words he spoke that I knew would soon hold the greatest of importance.”
As Rufus heard these words, the light suddenly went off in his head. “So you were with the group that brought gifts to Him when He was a child? The ones that Matthew spoke about?(Matthew 2:1-12). That is incredible! Opis, please, please, could you tell me the rest of your story?”
On hearing the words, a smile came to the face of Opis. “My son, it is His story, not mine. But I would be glad to share it with you. Tell you what, meet me here, at the marketplace tomorrow, and I will gladly tell you more.
As Opis and Rufus meet again, I hope you will also join them, as more of this amazing story is told!
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