Jesus stopped and ordered
the man to be brought to him.
—Luke 18:40
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for the last time when a blind man shouted, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” The disciples told him to hush, but Jesus stopped and asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
What impresses me most in this story is not the persistence of the blind man, though that’s touching, nor the rebuke of the disciples telling him to knock it off, though that’s disappointing.
What impresses me most are these two words, “Jesus stopped.”
He was moving toward the final hours of his life—facing the agony of betrayal, torture, and crucifixion. How could he be concerned with someone else’s need?
Well, that’s why he came into our world—to respond to our need. When you call out to him, he stops, he listens, he intercedes.
Whatever your need, Jesus is concerned.