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Matthew 2:12 (NLT)
When it was time to leave, they [the wise men] returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Night, dawn approaching

LIGHTING NOTES:
the pale yellow & pink rays of the sun can be seen in the sky to the top left of this scene. The torch, candle or lamp inside the cave provides a warm yellow glow to the scene.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
Mary holding Jesus, with Joseph by her side. They are standing outside the stable, watching the wise men leave. There is only 1 of the luggage bearers visible walking beside the wise men, many more are out of view to the left.
Joseph & Mary’s trusty donkey is still tied up to the stable!
There is a lizard on a rock in the left foreground watching the scene with interest.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
The colours & characters in this scene are all from the previous Nativity scenes that make up this set of cartoon.
The scene shows the wise men leaving the stable in which Jesus was born. They returned to their own country travelling along another route, since they were warned by the Lord God not to return to king Herod in Jerusalem. Clearly God wanted to keep the infant Jesus safe from Herod’s dangerous clutches.

The lizard on the rock is a Be’er Sheva Fringe-fingered Lizard (Acanthodactylus beershebensis.) These are found today principally in southern Israel & sometimes adjacent countries. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.