tition, Bartimaeus took up
for a blind man born into a poor home there was this
or starvation. There was no social safety net, no train-
ing programs for the visually impaired, no monthly
check to counteract a harsh life.
were a message about his poverty. He learned to sense
look with what both he and the passerby knew were
sightless eyes. He learned to plead, to grovel if neces-
sary. Coins, tiny, nearly worthless coins, were the
fruit of his labor.
He could taste a piece of fruit yet had no idea what it
looked like on a tree. He could feel the texture of cloth,
but to the sightless, all robes are the same color.
up the steep road that led to Jerusalem. The constant
traffic of people on pilgrimage for the great celebra-
tions of the Jewish faith meant that there were days
when begging wasn't so bad. These times made the
lean days easier to take.