“Jesus stopped . . .” – Luke 18:40
Traveling in rural West Texas over the weekend, not too far from our destination, suddenly we heard a clattering sound that seemed to be coming from beneath our car. Quickly pulling off to the side of the road to inspect we discovered one of the tires had gone completely flat without warning, something I haven’t experienced in years. Now, while I like to think I am physically capable of changing a tire, the problem that occurred was that I would need to resort to the owner’s manual in order to study exactly how to locate and use the equipment properly, either that or call a professional for help.
Never mind all that, though, for before we even had a chance to consider our options a large black diesel pickup truck pulled up right behind us and out stepped a stout handsome young man who walked up and introduced himself as Casey asking if we needed some help changing the tire, said he managed a ranch nearby and was accustomed to changing flats, something he did frequently on the ranch. We accepted his offer immediately, of course, with deepest gratitude, and Casey went to work, needing no owner’s manual for instructions. Ten minutes later we were back on the road. Except that’s not all. I noticed in the rearview mirror Casey following us from a distance to ensure we arrived safely at our destination – an act of compassion above and beyond.
An amazing story is told about Jesus traveling to Jericho when he encountered a blind man begging on the side of the road who, when he learned that Jesus was passing by, called out to him for help. But those in Jesus’ entourage rebuked the man and told him to quiet down. Ignoring his travel companions, though, scripture tells us that “Jesus stopped,” offering compassion for the man and healing his blindness.
Several years ago a friend of mine, after reading that scripture passage, looked up with the most puzzled look on his face. “Isn’t that amazing,” he said, “Jesus stopped!” Exactly what I thought about the young rancher Casey, he stopped! It’s not so much what he did, although I am extremely grateful, but the mere fact that he stopped to help two total strangers, that’s what is so amazing. It got me thinking, if a busy rancher can stop to help a stranger, not to mention the King of kings and Lord of lords taking time to stop and offer compassion to a blind beggar, shouldn’t we all be doing more of that?