38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 JESUS STOPPED and ordered the man to be brought to him. Luke 18
Three times in Luke’s Gospel (May not be exhaustive) we see people who PRESSED IN TO ENCOUNTER JESUS. On all three occasions they had to overcome obstacles to make their connection.
The first was when Jesus Stopped to heal the blind man as He entered Jericho. The crowd told him to be quiet as he sat by the roadside, ‘but he shouted all the more’. He used the only way he had to reach Jesus, he shouted as loud as he could, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me’. He didn’t have a long time to plan a strategy, he reacted immediately and Jesus heard his cry for mercy.
44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 ‘WHO TOUCHED ME?’, Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’
46 But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’ Luke 8
The poor woman who’d spent all she had, but grew worse. She also had no other alternative but the Lord. However, she was regarded as unclean by the Jews, yet she too PRESSED IN AND RECEIVED HER HEALING. Both the blind man and this woman refused to be intimidated by those around them, they were determined to touch Jesus and they received their reward.
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, BUT BECAUSE HE WAS SHORT HE COULD NOT SEE OVER THE CROWD. 4 SO HE RAN AHEAD AND CLIMBED A SYCAMORE-FIG TREE TO SEE HIM, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. Luke 19
Zacchaeus, because of his tax collecting was also a social outcast, not popular. He was also hindered by the crowd, but he worked out how to overcome his problem. HE RAN AHEAD AND CLIMBED ABOVE THE FRAY. Jesus saw him and called him to come down. He was going to entertain Jesus in his own house that very night. How politically wrong was that, but that Son of Abraham received healing for his soul and became a believer that very night.
Three people who were desperate to encounter the Lord, they all had to PRESS IN past the crowd who only wanted to enjoy the moment, rather than have their lives changed. Some of us need to PRESS IN, BECAUSE THEIR’S MORE FOR US. JESUS MAY BE PASSING BY NOW.
May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.