Words, the Blind Man, and the Road to Bethlehem

Words have always held a great fascination for me. Although I do not remember the actual process of learning how to read, I knew from a young age that words in books could take me into a new place and time, introduce me to interesting or unusual characters, and draw me into stories I relished with child-like delight. Learning to write prose and poetry – using my own words – opened up a whole new horizon of story-telling possibilities.

Particular words can bring joy or cause sadness; rile or soothe; hurt, but also heal. The right words, put together with creativity and thoughtful consideration, can convey ideas, evoke emotions, and bear witness to the truth. Spoken with love and faith, words have the power to transform lives and give vision to God’s presence in everything and everyone around us.

Words of Sacred Scripture

The world will not want for anecdotes, essays, novels, prose, and poetry. Every person has a story, after all, but the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us why the Holy Bible is not just any other history book, to say the least:

In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, “but as what it really is, the word of God”. “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them (CCC 104).

Scholarly theologians and holy men and women have carefully studied sacred scripture throughout history; yet, it is not an exercise reserved for academics and those whom we may suppose to have reached a certain “level of holiness”. If it is where the Church “finds her nourishment and her strength”, it is then for us, as well, who are ordinary laypeople, in the middle of the world, to be spiritually fed and energized from the same source. As His children, the word of our heavenly Father is the word of God. His words are food for our soul.

Of One Highly Prized

The Gospels hold a particular significance for us as Christians, being “the heart of all the Scriptures “because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior” (CCC 125). Within these sacred texts, we read about those whom Jesus encountered, affording us a priceless opportunity to know and understand Him more deeply. This is the case in point when we read about His meeting of the blind man in Jericho.

And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimae′us, a blind beggar, the son of Timae′us, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-47)

Bartimaeus is identified, not just by his physical condition and what he does, but by who his father was. This intrigued me enough to look up the etymology of the name Timaeus. A Greek name, it “comes from the word τιμη (time), meaning value”. Further:

The noun τιμη (time) describes something that is dear, valuable or honorable. It stems from the verb τιω (tio), to honor, revere, prize highly or simply: to value or price.

I am neither a scholar nor a theologian. What this information does for me, though, is it fires up my imagination and I find myself diving into the contemplative waters of Jesus’ life and words. I find it remarkable that – should this etymological meaning of the name Timaeus be thoughtfully considered – this blind beggar, whose only mention in sacred scripture was in this beautiful scene with Jesus, was the son of one who is highly prized.

Highly prized by whom, you might ask? Certainly not by the people who surrounded him in this situation. His beggarly state spoke to his poor social standing – he was nobody… until he called out to Jesus. For Jesus, addressed by Bartimaeus as “son of David”, this blind beggar was not a nobody. He was somebody worth listening to. As the son of one highly prized, he too was precious. He was a child of God!

The Boldness of Faith

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; rise, he is calling you.” And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, let me receive my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:48-52).

The blind man was used to begging, to calling out for help even if none or very little came his way. What did he have to lose? Perhaps this was what was most attractive about Bartimaeus to our Lord at that moment: his faith was as strong and sure as his eyes were blind. He “sprang up” – he did not falter, it seems, but made his way to Jesus, determined to have his moment.

His faith had made him bold and it did not fail him. Just like that, Jesus’ very words affect the miracle that his heart must have been aching for. What an inspiring example of child-like confidence and trust Bartimaeus is to all of us! This, in spite of the fact that he was a grown man who must have faced rejection and derision from others. Bartimaeus’ words manifested faith, which helped his eyes to see what his heart and mind already knew to be true.

Messages from God

This sort of faith, unyielding in the face of a long wait and the uncertainty of what is to be, was not exclusive to Bartimaeus. In fact, over three decades before this providential meeting of the son of Timaeus and the son of David in Jericho, words were spoken as well by Gabriel, a messenger of God. To one, God’s plan was revealed in person:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”. But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:26-31)

To the other, the will of God was given voice in a dream:

and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:19-23)

Mary’s response to the angel’s pronouncement was full of faith and humility: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Joseph, as far as sacred scripture is concerned, was a man of few words. His response to God’s plan when he awoke from his dream was to go and do “as the angel of the Lord commanded” (Matthew 1:24). Their words and actions can be summed up in one word which reverberates through time and space: YES!

En Route to Bethlehem

I have to confess: I love a good plan! I am the type of person who likes to look ahead to what needs to be done or the destination, perhaps, of a trip and work backward to iron out the little things of organization and preparation. It is good to anticipate what the possibilities are, what could go wrong, and what alternatives there are. (I consider the fact that I have twelve children to be an on-going inside joke between God and my flawed character.)

There is that – and then there is this whole scenario with a very much pregnant Mary and Joseph (whose instructions came in a dream, of all things – I guess almost like a soft copy version of a written plan?) on the road to Bethlehem, far from what they were familiar with. It has the makings of something that would make me very nervous or anxious. On the face of things and from my very limited and scared perspective, it does not make good sense to leave home and venture to a faraway place when one is on the verge of giving birth. Yet, this couple did exactly that and the world has never been the same since then.

Joseph and Mary started on this journey – the end of which was known only to God – and did what they had to do by the grace of God. It was not luck, fortune, or fate, as some would reduce divine providence to many times. More than a donkey, it was their faith which carried them through the many trials and tribulations which they faced along the way. Woven in this same fabric of the most incredible story the world has ever known are the many others who found themselves on a similar road to Bethlehem, led by a big, bright star in the sky: the joyful shepherds who were happy just to be there; and the magi who wanted to revere a king and found God Himself.

The Geography of Eternity

Many of us find ourselves on this path to Bethlehem. Perhaps we stumble upon it on our way to wherever it is we are going, or we do not even realize we are walking this way. It is not a road for those who want bells, whistles, and surety. It is not for those who travel the by-ways and highways of life on cushy, leather seats, requiring unlimited data for their phones and GPS.

This road to Bethlehem is for those who may not know exactly what tomorrow brings, but they know God is in charge. They know that if their Father is in charge, no harm can befall them. Their confidence is sound and strong – like the voice of Bartimaeus when he called out to the son of David that day in Jericho.  We are constantly being invited by God Himself to walk down this road towards Him and the fulfillment of His Word.

Eternity does not have broken paths and no-through streets, after all. It is where the road to Bethlehem begins and remains -where it is possible for Mary and Joseph to meet a man, who once was blind, called out to their Son – the Word made man – for sight and was rewarded by God for his faith.

Make your way to Bethlehem, go up to the Child, rock him in your arms, say warm and tender things to him, press him close to your heart… I am not talking childish nonsense, I am speaking of love! And love is shown with deeds. In the intimacy of your soul, you can indeed hug him tight. (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Forge, 345)