Naki and Balo Find a Home

Naki and Balo Find a Home
John 20:24
Karl Evans



Nakim pulled the rag of a blanket closer around his body. Only stars and a little of the sun's early rays lit the scene. Part of that light was beginning to come in the east so far this morning.
The boy wanted to get a few more minutes of sleep before rising. Actually, it was very warm and cozy here. Balo curled up in Nakim's arms under the blanket. The air felt cold on his face.

Nakim and Balo had been together as long as Nakim could remember. Nakim was not really sure how long that was, because no one knew for sure how old Nakim was. Nakim thought he could remember at least nine or ten Passovers, but most people thought him to be about seven or eight.

Balo was just a little fellow with lots of hair and big floppy ears. He didn't eat much. That was very good.

Nakim worried sometimes about Balo getting old. He might get too old to run and play. But since he did not know how old Nakim was, he surely did not know how old Balo was.

Actually it didn't matter too much how old Nakim was. There was no school for someone so poor as Nakim. It only mattered when he thought about going to the synagogue with the men.

When the boys turned twelve were they allowed into the discussions and debates and teaching in the synagogue. Until that time they could go with their families, but they had to be quiet and just listen.

Nakim used to go to the synagogue sometimes with his grandmother Nona. Nakim had lived with Nona for a long time. He lived with her from the day his mother died.

Now Nona was very old and very weak. Nakim spent most of his time on the street with Balo. They went to Nona's house sometimes to see how she was doing, or when he did not feel well himself. Sometimes he went there to sleep a night or two.

The women from the village brought in only a little food. Usually enough only for Nona. Nakim and Balo left again to find food by begging or scavenging.

Early in the morning Nakim and Balo went to the back doors and scrap heaps of the wealthy homes around Nazareth. At these homes they were sometimes given lamb or goat bones or pieces of meat for Balo. Sometimes there was some bread or fruit for Nakim. In the scrap heaps Balo often found other food wasted the day before.

Just a little later, early every morning, Nakim and Balo went to the village oven where the less wealthy people came to bake their bread.

Almost everyone who came there gave them a little something to eat. Sometimes it was the first slice off a fresh, hot loaf. It might be still so hot Nakim could not even hold it in his hand. Sometimes it was a piece of flat bread or a hard roll. A roll could be soaked in warm goat milk.

This morning Nakim knew it was the time of the Passover. He hadn't been to the synagogue for several weeks. He just knew it was spring.

At the back doors of the wealthy homes Nakim could smell the strong odor of maror, something like strong onion or horseradish. Cinnamon smell was everywhere. At the oven, several people gave him matzoh for himself and Nona.

Today Nakim filled his little shoulder bag nearly full of fruit and matzoh. This should be enough for Nakim and Nona for several days.

He knew Balo didn't like matzoh, so they would have to find something else for the little dog. But Nakim was very good and didn't eat too much, so they should be all right.

When Nakim came to Nona's home, the neighbors were already there. It was just a little house, just one room large enough for a bed for Nona and a bed for Nakim and a table. There were two chairs at the table and some shelves along the wall. All the ragged clothing was on the shelves.

The visitors that morning were very good people. They lived in the house just behind Nona's, with a little fence between the two families. Nakim often played with Jesus in the streets of Nazareth and in the fields around town.

Jesus' mother was one of the nice ladies at the oven who often gave Nakim and Balo and Nona something good to eat. Nakim was glad to see Mary and Jesus at the house.

Nakim worried a lot about Nona. She was very old now, and getting weaker every day. The grandson knew his beloved Nona would die one day soon. Sometimes her breath seemed to rattle in her throat as if life itself were escaping.

When Nona died, Nakim and Balo would be all be themselves in the world. That would not be good, because someone could come and take Nakim away as a slave. Nakim did not want to have to be someone's slave just to have food to grow up. He was very worried.

Mary gave Nakim a good hug and a smile when he came into the little house. Nakim went to Nona's bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

She smiled a little and squeezed his hand. "You are such a good boy, Naki. You are so good to an old woman. I hope you are always good to people when they get old."

Nakim liked it when Nona called him `Naki'. It just sounded loving and warm and homey. He laid his supply of food on the table. The food Mary and Jesus had brought was also on the table.
The bread didn't seem like much, but it would do for a while. None of them ate very much. Then Nakim and Jesus went outside.

Jesus and Nakim took turns throwing a stick for Balo to fetch. Sometimes Balo brought it back to Nakim. Sometimes he brought it back to Jesus.

On some days, though, Balo had a little fun. When he wanted to tease the boys, Balo brought the stick back toward the boys and just kept on running right past them.

Then he ran down the street a little way, laid the stick down between his paws and just barked. "Wark. Wark. Wark. Jesus and Nakim, come try to get the stick. You can't catch me."

So Nakim and Jesus ran to catch Balo. They wrestled with him to get the stick. Then they threw the stick and the game started all over again.

Finally Nakim and Jesus were tired for a moment. Balo sat with the stick in his paws and barked at the boys. Jesus and Nakim sat under an olive tree to rest.

When Jesus talked, it was very soft. Nakim could barely hear Jesus. "Nona is very old, isn't she? She just seems to lie on the bed most of the time now. Whenever we come that is all she does."

Nakim was worried now, but he needed to talk to someone about Nona. "I think she will die before long. She doesn't have much strength now. Sometimes she can't even feed herself. I'd like to help her, but I don't know what to do."

The boys were silent now for a while. Jesus tossed some pebbles at a piece of broken water jug a few feet away. "I guess all you can do is help her eat sometimes. Well, I suppose you could keep the house clean. Well, a little, anyway."

Nakim and Jesus both laughed at this. No one would say the house was really very clean right now. But the word "house" brought another worry to Nakim's heart. What would he do when Nona died?

Jesus watched as Nakim's eyes began to shine from the tears. He knew what Nakim was worried about. The two had often talked about Nakim living on the street all the time. What a big adventure it would be!

But both Jesus and Nakim knew the dangers. Both boys knew living on the street was not the thing for Nakim.

Jesus began to make a little picture in the dust. Nakim could see it was a map of the area around their houses and the other houses around them.

With a stick, Jesus drew in Nona's house with the door and the window and the two beds. He even put into the plan the table and the two chairs.

Jesus sat for a long time looking at the little map. Then without a word he stood up and went inside. Mary was washing Nona's face. "Mama, I need to talk to you and Daddy. It's really important."

Mary was always excited when Jesus spoke in that tone. It meant he had thought something through with his special way. He was ready to do something important.

"Yes, Jesus. I'll be through here in just a second. Then we can go home. Joseph said he would be working at home all day today."

In a few more minutes Joseph and Mary and Jesus sat at their own table. It was time for Jesus to speak. "See, I know Nona is going to die pretty soon. She is very old and very weak. That is okay. I know what death is. I know it is all right to die."

"But I am worried about Nakim. We have been feeding Nona most of the time, and sometimes Nakim. And, oh yes, Balo likes to eat, too."

"I think we can keep feeding them. But where can Nakim live when Nona dies? What will he do?"

Mary and Joseph looked at each other in silence. Jesus went on. He had a plan. "Can Nakim come live with us? I don't want my friend to be hungry and not have a house."

Now it was Joseph's turn. "Jesus, I know you like Nakim. He is a good boy. Mary and I like him. We are glad you play with him. But we have no room. I cannot build a house big enough for all of us, and we are crowded now."

Mary spoke softly, but with real feeling for Nakim in her voice. "Yes, Jesus, I think we could feed Nakim, but your father is right. There is hardly enough room for the three of us now."

"And you are growing bigger and stronger every day. So is Nakim. Where would we put you two?"

Now Jesus smiled. He had hoped his parents would say this, and he was ready. Again he started to draw a little map in the dust. "I think there is a better way for all of us. Look here. See, here are the houses. Here is the fence."

"Now, we can take this fence and move it around to the front of Nona's house. It would almost be one big house, wouldn't it? It would be a big house with three rooms rather than two small houses."

"There is only barely enough room to walk between Nona's house and the fence now. There is not much more than that on our side. When we take away the fence, this would make the two houses into one."

"Then I could move into the other room with Nakim. You two could have this side all to yourselves. Would it be all right?"

Joseph and Mary could only look at each other with surprise. What could they say other than it might work, if the boys wanted it to work?

Nona would have to sign her name in front of witnesses to say she was giving the house to Mary and Joseph. They would then give it to Nakim when he reached fifteen.

Then he would be old enough by law to own a home, even be married. He would be grown up. But there was even more work to do.

The fence had to go. The boys and Joseph and Balo took care of that. They dug new holes for the posts along the other side of the house. They were very careful to dig them in a straight line, and just so far apart. Then they took down the fence and rebuilt it on the other side of the house.

Many other tasks were difficult. The scroll giving the property to the Joseph and Mary had to be written up and signed. Two of the village elders witnessed the signing and then signed their own names.

Finally, after Nona died a few weeks later, the family agreed to one more step. It was Nakim's idea. "I am now a new person. I have a new family. I have a mother and a father at last. I want you to call me by a different name."

Mary and Joseph and the elders of the city listened to a voice that was suddenly older. Perhaps they heard him as mature, ready now to take the place of a man among men in the community.

"I have been thinking a lot about what you should call me. Many names sound good, but there is one that is best. It sounds strong and wise."

"One of the soldiers who stayed down at the inn had the name, and he was big and strong. He helped me once when Balo was hurt. I want to be big and strong and kind as he was. From now on, I want you to call me Thomas."

So from that day the two were always together. Many people who visited Nazareth or saw the boys somewhere around Galilee thought it was normal. Mary and Joseph had twin sons, Jesus and Thomas.

Nakim and Balo had found a home.