Luke 18:35-43 - Taking time out to minister
Scripture:
Luke 18:35-43
35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.
36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was.
37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, " Son of David, have mercy on me!"
40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him,
41 "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!"
42 And Jesus said to him, " Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."
43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
NASU
Thoughts:
I'm always amazed by the tenderness and compassion of the Lord. In this account, Jesus is making His way to Jerusalem (via Jericho) where, at the conclusion of the week referred to as the passion, He will be crucified. Yet even in what would have to be a time of nervous anticipation at the least, Jesus takes time out to heal a man who asks Him (verses 41-42). Jesus is walking in His final days before His brutal torture and death -- knowing full well what lies ahead of Him -- and yet He has time to extend mercy to this man that others simply see as a nuisance (verse 39).
Jesus behavior is so unlike our natural reaction would be. We tend to think like the crowds around this man. We think that whatever we're involved in is too important for us to be bothered by the needs of someone else. When we're rushing in our cars to work or some other important destination, we may often feel we don't have time to drive courteously or stop to help someone. When we're working at home or in the workplace, or even serving at our church, the tasks that we do can become more important than the people there with us. We so easily tune them out as we tune in to what we're doing.
But Jesus didn't think this way and therefore, neither should we. Rather than this blind man being a nuisance, he became a unique opportunity for Jesus to minister. Though He had healed other blind men, He had not healed this particular one. This man's life would never be the same as a result of Jesus taking just a few minutes to meet with him. And the crowd that was there, was impacted as well by this simple act of compassion, giving glory to God (verse 43).
Prayer:
Lord, Your compassion is amazing. Your love for people is moving. Your focus on ministering to others is humbling.
Help me not to miss the unique opportunities to minister that come my way today, in the midst of my busyness. Help me to turn aside from the rush of the crowd as You did, and touch those that You bring my way. Help me to think in this way, today.
Amen
