Roi

A Christmas Story

by Joseph B. Gentzel

Over this long time, these special dogs have developed extraordinary traits with their human handlers and the animals they protect. While they do not herd normally, they do herd if they decide the flock needs moving for its welfare. They notice and nurture the weak and injured members of the flock. Many flock guardian dogs have taken an abandoned new born lamb, cleaned it, and kept it warm. Even the males have this trait. If the shepherd is in the area, it will alert the shepherd to anything out of the ordinary. Otherwise, it will take care of it. In the life of a flock guardian dog, slow rhythms of daily routine are the norm. Just under the surface, the dogs are an ever-ready animal with a singular purpose in its life, the health and welfare of their flocks including its humans. When the sheep are not in pasture, they guard the dwellings of the shepherd in the same manner.

Roi was the latest edition of this dog. He was just over a year old. He was large at this age and had started his work guarding the flock. Roi was as tall as his sire, but had the look of a gangly, young, teenage boy. He received the praise of the shepherds. This made Roi very happy. Now maturing into adult behavior, Roi worked at nothing else except the security of the flock and shepherds. His unending focus involved his attention 24 hours per day, every day, and this routine would continue for the rest of his life. Even an old, frail, flock guardian dog, if allowed, will attempt to work. Sometimes, even young pups as young as four to five months will start the guarding behavior naturally, and will take a place in the hierarchy of the flock guardian duties.

Roi had just been fitted with his spiked, iron collar that the dogs who work wear. The collar protects the vulnerable throat area when attacked.

Roi was a particularly sweet, gentle, male dog. His tail always seemed to be flapping in his characteristic friendly, wagging gesture. Some had wondered if he had the attitude required of a flock guardian dog--until the day the traveler arrived on horseback asking for directions.

Roi had stood his ground keeping the traveler separated from the shepherds. His loud bark was of such intensity that it startled the shepherds. He had to be restrained, or he might have attacked the stranger. The shepherds knew and respected the fact that these special dogs had uncanny, legendary abilities to determine evil in those who would harm or otherwise abuse those that the dogs protected. The shepherds apologized to the traveler and suggested that he move on before their ill-mannered dog harmed him. A few days later they heard that this traveler had stabbed another on the trail and robbed him. This was no surprise to them, as they knew that this innate ability of the flock guardian dogs was very reliable. No longer did anyone speak of the large, sweet, young dog as one not able to take his place in the flock as had his ancestors.

This night sky was clear and full of stars. It was very cold, and the sheep were bedded down and very quiet. Thomas, the shepherd, was sleeping, as were all the other shepherds nearby. The field was fully illuminated by the brightness of the stars in the sky, especially the newest one. This star that had recently appeared, and it dominated the sky and illuminated the night like none other had before.

Suddenly, from seemingly out of the bright star, an Angel appeared surrounded by radiance. Neither the flock nor Shamira was disturbed. Thomas awoke suddenly and was on his feet calling to the other shepherds. Roi could see they were frightened, and this made him uncomfortable, but Shamira was quiet and made not a sound. The other dogs did the same.

The angel spoke. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! You will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

What a glorious sight--the host of angels singing and praising the lord. The shepherds joined in the celebration. The animals were all quiet completely, even though the sky was lit up and the rejoicing that occurred there and among the shepherds was great. None of this great celebration disturbed neither the flock nor the guardian dogs.

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other,

"Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

The shepherds were very excited. It was decided that all would go to see the Messiah; a Messiah about whom they had been told all their lives would someday come to lead them. They knew that the flock was completely safe left with Shamira and the other dogs.

Ham, Thomas’ brother, said they should take some gifts for the family and the baby. They gathered some goat’s milk, some cheese made from ewe’s milk, some sheepskins, and some dried lamb meat. Thomas decided to take Roi as a gift to guard them during their stay and afterward.

Bethlehem was full of people. Many thieves and worse were among the great crowd now in the small village. Many robbers were on the roadways now, because many people in the land were moving to the city of their family origin for the census. They knew their best, young, flock guardian dog would protect the Messiah and his family with his life. This they decided easily even though Roi was of great value to them. They had anticipated that he would, in a few years, take his Sire's place as the top flock guardian dog.

"The Messiah, praise God, the Messiah," they rejoiced on the short trip into Bethlehem.

The bright star in the sky, even though it lit the whole sky, mysteriously guided them to a stable behind the only inn in town. When the six of them arrived at the entrance to the small stable, they found a young woman with a baby suckling at her breast and an older man dozing quietly next to them. Chickens, an oxen, and couple of goats also were sharing the stable.

Thomas quietly entered into the stable. It was very cold, and they offered their sheep skins to them immediately for comfort. Joseph and Mary were surprised, but not alarmed, to see them.

"What business do you have here with us?" Joseph asked.

Thomas replied, "A host of angels told us that today here in Bethlehem the Messiah was born. The star led us here. If you please, we bring gifts to you and the child. We are overjoyed to be chosen by God to announce this great event. We have brought some food, and some sheep skins that will keep you all very warm on these cold nights. "

Joseph and Mary were very happy that the good Lord continued to make provisions for them during this difficult time.

"Praise be to God Almighty. Come in, all of you. We will eat together, and let Mary and the baby rest still."

The group spent the night there in the little stable now crowded with people and animals. Roi immediately took up his place outside at the entrance as he did when the shepherds were not in the field and Shamira had not already assumed that position. Joseph, Mary and the Christ child was able to rest completely now without worry of any intrusion.

At twilight, Thomas told Joseph that they must return to their flock, but would leave Ham to help them that day. Roi was now their guard dog. He would protect them from this day forward without question and reservation. Joseph and Mary praised God for his attention to their needs.

When the shepherds arrived back at the flock, all was well. Thomas decided they would slaughter a young lamb and cook it for them to have fresh meat. They would now bring milk, both ewe’s and goat’s milk for Mary, as she needed to make good rich milk for the Messiah baby. They also cooked lentils and took more sheep skins for warmth and upon which to lie. Every day someone from the shepherd group would go to the little stable.  Bethlehem remained crowded with more hordes arriving daily for the census.

Roi would be allowed to come into the stable, and the baby Messiah would take his abundant fur in his little hands. Roi would give an unmistakable smile when any human gave him attention, but it was a radiant smile when the baby Messiah twirled his fir in his tiny hand. Always that tail was flapping. Mary would let Roi sniff Jesus. She recognized that God had provided Roi to guard and protect his Son and his earthly parents.

Roi would not stay inside the stable long. He would allow people to enter without interruption, although they had to step over him coming and going. Even then he would flap his tail once or twice as if to say, "Enter friend, into my house”.

One night some men, apparently with too much to drink, stumbled toward the stable, likely looking for a place to use the bathroom. Roi was up on his feet when the men were 100 meters away with a huge booming bark that echoed off the small buildings in the area. His tail was wheeled over his back, his head up, and his four feet firmly planted just outside the entrance. There was no flapping of his tail now. One look at Roi, and the men quickly went the other direction. Two minutes later Roi was lying back in his customary place blocking the entrance.

Mary would occasionally call to Roi in a friendly gesture of respect. Roi would always answer with his tail flapping in its customary manner. He seemed to know when they were getting up to move about, and when they were going outside. He would not get up from his post if they were moving around the stable, but if they were going outside for any reason, he was up on his feet at their first movement. Certainly, he knew quickly every nuance of their movement and schedule. One might wonder if Roi could read their minds. The chickens had some biddies, and they soon found the warmth and security of Roi's coat in the doorway. Quite a sight--Roi lying in the doorway with several biddies nestled into his abundant fur coat.

On the eighth day after his birth the Messiah child was circumcised, He was named Jesus as told by the angel that had appeared to Mary even before he was conceived. Then it was time to make the trip to Jerusalem for the purification offering. Mary was doing well now. All the good food, and milk had helped both Mary and Jesus thrive. On the trip into Jerusalem Roi always positioned himself between his little group and any fellow traveler they would pass on the roadway. Once in the crowded city of Jerusalem and especially when the crowds became too large to move freely, Roi walked right at Mary's feet dangling from the side of the donkey.

Just outside the temple Joseph had to buy the offering necessary for the ceremony. Here the crowd was shoulder to shoulder, and Joseph knew this was the place for thieves and pickpockets. Roi stayed with him in the crowd, and never seemed to be nervous. As they pushed up to the vendor, Joseph heard a man behind cry out for the dog to release him. Roi had taken the man’s arm in his mouth, but had not broken the skin. The man had been attempting to pick Joseph's pocket, because he knew he had money to purchase the offering.

Joseph said: "Roi, release this man. He has made a mistake. May the Lord forgive him."

The thief looked at Joseph in amazement.

"Good sir, are you going to turn me into the authorities?"

"No, you must have needs that have driven you to steal from those who are meeting the laws of their religion. I would give you money if I had any to spare, but I will pray to God for your soul from this day forward. May you ask the Lord for forgiveness, and he will provide for you as he does for all of us."

Roi released the man, and in an instant he was lost in the crowd.

After purchasing the offering, Joseph had no more money.

In the Temple that day they came across Simeon, who was a righteous man, and Anna, who was a profit. They both recognized Jesus as the Messiah immediately. They worshiped him and each was overcome with joy and emotion. Both made a great commotion over the baby Messiah.

Simeon said to Mary,

"This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul."

Joseph and Mary were surprised by all this. When Joseph and Mary came out of the temple, Roi was with the donkey and some children had surrounded him. Roi smiled broadly at the attention of the children and at one little girl who had sat herself right next to him and was stroking his white fur. The tail was in constant flap-flap mode with all the attention from the children. This was a wonderful day for Joseph and Mary.

Roi always seemed to know where to be, and he quietly and silently took up his position so that no man or beast could harm Jesus, Mary, or Joseph. They had become comfortable in the stable even with the presence of the animals, mainly due to the generosity and daily attention of the shepherds.

That night after arriving back at the stable from the temple, they were surprised to have three men approach the entrance of the stable. The men had come on camels and were dressed not in the fashion of anyone they had ever seen. Thomas was there with them at the time and was concerned, but Roi was quiet and not disturbed by their presence. Roi gave them his flap-flap greeting with his tail. This was a very good sign to everyone that these exotically dressed strangers, riding camels, were friendly.

The three men come into the stable. They asked,  "Is this baby the Messiah?"

They introduced themselves as Magi from the east. They said they had traveled thousands of miles, starting their journey many months ago when their astrological observations and scripture studies indicated the approaching arrival of the Messiah in Bethlehem, an arrival foretold in the scriptures.

"Yes, I am Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, and my wife Mary is Jesus' mother."

The three men went to the manger that held the sleeping baby Jesus and fell to their knees and wept tears of joy and gratitude that the event for which they had lived their lives had occurred, as they had believed and had been foretold. They told Joseph and Mary that the child would grow up to change the world as no other had before him or would thereafter. They understood he was the incarnate of God himself in human flesh and sent to earth to save the souls of sinners, and deliver the people of God, the Jews, from their suffering and oppression. They presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The rest of the night was spent in talk and thanksgiving for the blessed baby so long awaited by the world for its salvation.

When the Magi departed the next morning, they said that Herod had asked them to return to him so that he would know of the baby. They said that God had told them that Herod wanted to harm the baby, and they must be extremely careful. Herod was an evil man. The Magi returned out of Judea by another route in order not to alert Herod that they had found the Messiah.

That next night Joseph had his second visit from the angel, this time telling him to take his family and flee to Egypt, because Herod was sending guards to find and kill the baby Messiah. Little did Joseph and Mary know that Herod had commanded that all male children of Bethlehem below the age of two years be killed.

Joseph woke Mary. He went to Thomas and said they must leave immediately and told him of the angels visit. Thomas went immediately and got the little cart they used to transport milk and cheese to market. He gathered food for the trip. He and the shepherds went to the stable and loaded up the belongings of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Mary and the baby could now ride on the cart as opposed to the bony back of the donkey. The trip to Egypt was very long and would take many weeks. Joseph insisted that Thomas take a small amount of gold to replace the cart, because the shepherds would not have one when this one left them.

In the very early morning hours, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, accompanied by Roi and the donkey pulling the cart, left the stable in Bethlehem. They were headed south away from Jerusalem on the way to Egypt as instructed by the angel. They did not take the main road by which they had come, because they feared seeing the guards of Herod. Thomas showed them the way and accompanied them until he could be sure they could follow the remainder easily.

As they parted ways, Thomas said, "Roi, take good care of our Lord and his family."

They did not pass anyone all morning. Later in the day they began to come upon a few travelers. After several kilometers they had to join the main route to Egypt. It was here that they might encounter any of Herod's men but hoped they were far enough out from Bethlehem that they might not. In the late afternoon they heard the sound of a horse coming up from the rear. Joseph brought Roi to him so he wouldn’t attract any attention if he tried to protect them. Mary lay down, and they covered her with lamb’s skin, and Jesus was at her bosom under the lambskin.

As the horse that was moving at a gallop overtook them, their worst fears were realized. It was a guard of Herod. As he came upon them, they stopped.

"What is your business on this road?" the guard inquired.

"We are on our way to Egypt. We are from Nazareth."

The guard looked at them intently for a brief second and moved forward up the trail. As he got up the trail, the little cart hit a big hole that jolted the cart severally. The jolt momentarily caused Jesus to be disturbed from his sound sleep, and he cried out for just a brief moment. The guard was up the road 200 meters. Joseph at first thought he had not heard the baby cry, but suddenly he stopped and turned around, and at a full gallop rode back toward them.

Roi broke free of Joseph's hold and charged toward the guard with a fury. The guard drew his sword. As Roi neared the horse, he appeared as if he would charge directly into the horse. This startled the horse to stop abruptly and caused it rear up. In a flash Roi circled the horse and leaped up toward the guard. The sword of the guard was swift and hit Roi in the side of the head. Roi hit the ground and was motionless. Was he dead?

The guard continued back to them, never looking further at the large dog lying in the roadway. When he arrived back at the cart he said, "Your wife is with baby?"

"Yes,” was Joseph's reply.

"This road comes from Bethlehem. How old is your baby?" was his next question.

"My baby is ten days old,” Mary replied.

"Is he a male child?"

"Yes, he is my first born."

The guard pulled back the sheepskin, and there lying close to Mary was Jesus. The guard pulled his sword and reached toward the baby.

The words of Simeon rang in her ears, "And a sword will pierce your very soul."

Mary rolled over Jesus begging softly, "Please, do not harm my baby!"

Joseph came around and tried to keep the guard from striking Mary and Jesus with his sword. The horse reared so that the guard could not deliver the blow with the sword. As the guard righted his horse, he raised his sword to begin a long downward slash. A blur of white came across the cart from the other side, directly over Mary, who was huddled over Jesus. Blood spattered on Mary. She was sure the guard had delivered his blow to the both of them.

The white blur had leaped first upon the cart. Then in one swift, continuous, powerful lunge from his rear legs, Roi leaped to the guard. The guard was dismounted by the force of the lunge. He landed hard, hitting his head on a large stone beside the roadway. The sword flew straight up as his blow had reached its zenith and was but an instant from striking down. Joseph and Mary observed a severely bleeding Roi with the guard’s throat in his mouth, shaking him like a rag doll. The guard never moved once. Roi was ferocious! The intensity of his attack actually frightened Mary and Joseph. In what seemed like a long time but was only a few seconds, Joseph took the sword lying on the ground and went to Roi. Roi continued to shake and maul the dead guard. Joseph told Roi softly to release. Roi stopped immediately. The ferocity was gone now. Roi looked at Joseph with his usual sweetness, and with his tail gave his usual flap-flap gesture he constantly gave to those who he protected and loved.

The guard had likely broken his neck when he hit the rock so hard from the force of Roi's lunge. There was blood running down Roi's neck from the first blow up the road. Joseph was sure Roi would soon be dead. He took a small lamb’s skin and had Roi get on the cart and lay very still. He applied pressure on the open gash. It looked like the guard's sword had hit his neck just below the skull but had partially crossed the iron collar. The force of the blow had knocked Roi momentarily unconscious. The iron collar had done its job, and the sword had not severed any of the large arteries or veins in the neck or fractured the spine, but the wound was large and the bleeding was great. Joseph did slow the bleeding down with the pressure on the lamb’s skin. Joseph then took some frankincense and myrrh and rubbed them into the wound. This mostly stopped the bleeding, which was seeping slowly. Roi was weak now and lay still. His gums were almost white. Joseph was sure he had lost a lot of blood from the amount on him. The dead guard was covered in blood from being shaken so savagely by the bleeding dog. Joseph and Mary both had blood spattered on them as well. Joseph continued to apply pressure on the wound with the sheepskin. Finally, the bleeding stopped.

Joseph left the guard’s body on the side of the roadway. He knew the horse would be found by someone and recognized quickly. He hoped that from the teeth marks in the guard’s neck and upper torso plus all the blood, it would be thought that he had been killed by a pack of wolves or other animals.

They resumed their journey to Egypt with Mary, Jesus, and Roi riding on the little cart. Roi lay very still, but he would flap-flap his tail against the cart at times, as if to say, "I am still here on duty."

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Glory, Glory Hallelujah