Chapter 17 - Jericho

Heat and Desire

One of the things I most appreciate about this book is the author’s ability to put the reader “right there” where the events of our Lord’s ministry took place.  My mouth went dry, I felt parched, as I read his description of the intense heat that he and his traveling companion experienced as they visited the area around Jericho.  Heat so strong that you feel faint.

Father Martin in Galilee

Father Martin mused as to how it must have been for Jesus and his disciples, that itinerant band, walking the dusty roads of Galilee. 

I had never considered that the intense heat may have caused Jesus and The Twelve to travel at night.  But then I remembered that some of the main roads, like the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, were populated by robbers and thieves (the Parable of the Good Samaritan takes place on that road).  So, travel by night would have been a dangerous option.  And I remembered, too, the story of the Woman at the Well who was drawing water from the well at midday—an odd time to draw water, given the intense heat of the place.  Local women would draw water much earlier in the day.

Jesus and the Twelve must have looked weather-beaten from the intense sun and the desert sand beneath their feet.  Long before they were nailed to a cross, I imagine that the feet of Jesus were bruised, callused, leathery, from the miles of walking from town to town.  And as he nears Jericho, he crosses paths with Blind Bartimaeus and later, Zacchaeus.

How wonderful it is that Bartimaeus does not beg for money.  He begs for something much deeper, more profound.  He begs for mercy.  He asks Jesus to restore his sight!

In this chapter, Father Martin encourages us to look at our longings.  He encourages us to be honest with God:

Jesus sees something liberating in identifying and naming our desires.  Once we scrape off any surface selfishness, our deepest longings and holy desires are uncovered:  the desire for friendship, the desire for love, the desire for meaningful work, and often the desire for healing. . . .People often need to be encouraged to recognize these deep longings. . . .especially if they have been told to ignore or eradicate their desires. (Page 299).Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus ask for what they most deeply desire.  They do not give in to the pressures of the crowd to “shut up.” 

  

To Ponder or Discuss:

1.  Jesus again poses a seemingly obvious question when he asks Bartimaeus, who is blind, "What do you want?"  Why does he ask this?

2.  Gerhard Lohfink notes that besides those who followed Jesus on the road, there were "resident adherents" and "occasional helpers."  How does this influence your idea of discipleship?

3.  Jesus offers to visit Zacchaeus's house even before Zacchaeus has made his promise of restitution to anyone he has defrauded.  This would have been seen as a sign of Jesus' acceptance of the "chief sinner" in the region.  Why does Jesus do this?  What implications might it have in your life?


Steven Olson