The book of Luke shifts with these chilling words:
"See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him..."
Until now, we have seen Jesus moving in the power of the Holy Spirit, setting the demonized free, healing the sick, preaching good news, and helping the despondent and the poor. A man on a mission who seems unstoppable. Until now.
Here for the first time we get a glimpse of his ultimate objective. Not the palace in Jerusalem but the cross outside the city. Jesus at this point has become a national celebrity. Yet, he has not changed. He has come to lay down his life as a ransom for many.
So, in this passage, we are no surprised to see him stopping for a desperate, blind beggar and an equally desperate yet greedy tax collector. When Jesus could have been mourning his fate or enjoying his last moments of celebrity status, we instead find him (as we always find them) caring for the deepest needs of those around him. Giving the blind man back his sight and the despised man back his reputation. He is indeed the friend of sinners, and he aims to demonstrate it fully on the cross.
"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all..." (2 Corinthians 5:14)
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