5" Enoch the Story Teller #52506

5” Enoch the Story Teller figurine
Enoch arrived in Bethlehem many years ago. He walked with a limp and used a crutch, but if he felt pain, no one knew it. He always had a ready smile and an interesting story to tell. Unable to earn his living in a usual way, like shepherding or farming, Enoch depended on the kind citizens of Bethlehem for a dinner invitation and a warm bed to sleep in.

Late one afternoon, Enoch was sitting in a mossy spot under a tree. David, nephew of the innkeeper, walked up and sat down next to him.

“Enoch, if you are able, would you take supper with us at the Inn? Afterwards we hoped you would entertain the guests with one of your wonderful tales. The Inn is completely filled with travelers in town for the Census, and one of your stories would surely make a great impression on them.”

“I am honored and I accept,” replied Enoch. David helped the man to his feet.

“May I walk with you, Enoch, and ask you a question?” David inquired. “Will you tell me the story…of Enoch?”

The other man leaned back on his crutch and studied David’s face. “Well, no one has asked for that one yet!” he replied with a twinkle in his eye. The pair headed toward the Inn in the setting sun.

“I was born in a tiny town miles from here,” Enoch began. “I was not a perfectly formed baby, and many people in that backward village were afraid to befriend my mother and father. We were left out. Ignored. We learned to make up stories to amuse each other. When I became a man, I decided to support myself by telling stories for bread and lodging. I traveled from town to town, making my way across the country.”

“When did you arrive in Bethlehem?” David asked.

“It seems like a long time ago, and also like yesterday,” Enoch replied. “When I walked through the town gate I instantly felt that Bethlehem was different from other towns. And it is! The citizens here accepted me. Now I feel as though I belong here.”

David smiled. “The name of Enoch the Storyteller is known far and wide. It is our honor to call you one of us.”

David and Enoch arrived at the door of the Inn, and Enoch glanced up. “See that bright star, the one that shines more brightly than the rest?” He pointed to a glowing spot in the darkening sky. David nodded. Enoch continued, “It’s a happy omen. I feel that a very great story, better than any I have ever heard or told, will happen here tonight.”