Jesus had “steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51, NKJV). It was His primary purpose and mission. He was going to Jerusalem to offer Himself as the only possible substitutionary sacrifice for sin. He was going to Calvary where He would be crucified, where He would satisfy God’s wrath, where He would be buried in a borrowed grave, and where He would overcome the powers of death and hell.
Jesus was on an important mission.
He’d come south from Galilee, along the Jordan River to Jericho. Here, he would turn back to the west and go up the hill to Jerusalem. “As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ ” (Matthew 20:29-30).
The crowd traveling with Jesus was made up of pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, and, of course, Jesus’ disciples were among them. When the crowd heard the clamoring of the beggars, “the crowd demanded that they keep quiet” (Matthew 20:31). Mark reported that “many warned (the blind men) to keep quiet” (Mark 10:48) and Luke writes, “those in front told (the blind men) to keep quiet” (Luke 18:39).
I think it was the disciples… and especially Peter, that demanded that the beggar would cease and desist. I think that they fancied themselves as the Secret Service’s presidential detail. They were Jesus’ bodyguards, and Jesus didn’t need to be interrupted on His important mission. So, they told the blind men to shut-up, back-off, and sit-down!
Jesus wasn’t too busy! He had “come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and “moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see” (Matthew 20:34).
He’s never too busy!
“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).
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