And Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
This verse testifies to Jesus’ boundless attentiveness and compassion. He, who was walking toward the way of the cross with a weighty resolve and the divine plan, stops at the cry of two poor blind men. This small episode shows the depth of his character: from Jesus’ step it follows that no one is so insignificant that the Lord will not hear. “He stopped” means not only a physical pause, but also a pause of God’s attention, when human pain touches him. He hears the outcry, turns, and addresses not the crowd, but them personally. The question, “What do you want me to do for you?” at the same time has a double meaning: outwardly, as a simple question about what help they expect, and inwardly, as a spiritual question to each of us about what we want him to do for us. The Lord asks this not because he did not know their request, but so that they would willingly confess their need, because faith is expressed through confession. Thus, Jesus’ stopping and asking shows that God is always ready to listen, but he waits for a person’s own voice.