Stopped Jesus in His Tracks!

Have you ever wondered what stops Jesus “in His tracks”?  What really grabs His attention?  Anyone living out the Beatitudes listed in Matthew 5:1-11, consistently expressing agape love as highlighted in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 or walking daily in the fruit of the Spirit detailed in Galatians 5:22&23 has His attention.  There is one thing in particular that doesn’t just get His attention but “GRABS” His attention…stops Him in His tracks.

Mark 10:46-52 tells the story, “As Jesus was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a beggar who was blind named Bartimaeus was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹  AND JESUS STOPPED AND SAID, “CALL HIM HERE.” So they called the man who was blind, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰ And throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And replying to him, Jesus said, “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?” And the man who was blind said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” ⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.  Let’s get the facts together here:

• A beggar, Bartimaeus, considered the least of the least sat on the side of the road.
• There was a great crowd following Jesus.  They had encircled Jesus meaning Bartimaeus could not see Him.  When Bartimaeus “heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, “he began to cry out” to Jesus.
• He was so loud that he became a nuisance and the crowd “sternly told him to be quiet.”
• But Bartimaeus kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
• And JesusSTOPPED (in his tracks) AND SAID, “CALL HIM HERE.”  In the midst of a loud crowd and the noise around him on this busy road, Jesus could hear Bartimaeus loudly crying out to Him.
• Did Bartimaeus casually ask to be helped to his feet.  No, “throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.”
• Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?”
• Bartimaeus declared, “I want to regain my sight!” 
• And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” And immediately Bartimaeus regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

What stopped Jesus in His tracks?  In the midst of all the hub bub what grabbed His attention? Bartimaeus relentlessly, loudly, and faithfully kept crying out to Him.  Nothing was going to stop Bartimaeus from getting Jesus’ attention.

If you look at the tenses of the verbs in Matthews 7:7&8, it literally tells us “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who keeps asking receives, and the one who keeps seeking finds, and to the one who keeps knocking it will be opened.

Like Bartimaeus, relentlessly keep crying out to Jesus.  If so, you will stop Him in his tracks!