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!"
Those that “led the way”, the “big” guys, the ones out front, the ones that the crowds looked up to began to chide, berate and censure our beggar for pleading to his Savior for mercy. When we cry out to Jesus in our emptiness begging for His all we should not be surprised to encounter opposition. The enemy does not give up lightly.
“The enemy will not see you vanish into God’s company without an effort to reclaim you.” C.S. Lewis
“Those who earnestly seek Christ’s favours and blessings will not be deterred from the pursuit of them, though they meet with oppositions and rebuke. They who went along rebuked him as troublesome to the Master, noisy and impertinent, and told him to be quiet. The check given him was but as a dam to a full stream, which makes it swell so much the more.” Matthew Henry
I am reminded of another example of perseverance in reaching Jesus found also in the Gospel of Luke:
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 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." 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." Luke 8:42-48 (NIV)
Jesus never turns away those who seek after Him. Indeed, those who earnestly seek Jesus are never troublesome to Him – oh that His followers would respond in like manner! How often do we scurry away from the needy for various reasons not the least of which boils down to pure selfishness. We are called to walk as Jesus did through the power of the Holy Spirit. Often we miss many opportunities presented us for kingdom work because we are too preoccupied with this world and all that it has to offer – fleeting as it is. Yet Jesus responds to seekers quite differently. He tells us in John:
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. John 6:37 (NIV)
God’s Word through the Prophet Jeremiah has this exact same message for us:
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. Jer 29:13-14 (NIV)
In fact, Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount:
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matt 7:7-8 (NIV)
Believer, do you want more and more of Jesus manifested in your life, more and more of the precious Holy Spirit made conspicuous rather than quenched? The verb tense in the above verses actually emphasizes “Keep on asking”, “Keep on seeking”, and “Keep on knocking”. Why? It is because the Father loves to give good gifts to those who ask. And what is the good gift? Luke clearly tells us:
9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:9-13 (NIV)
No question about it, the Holy Spirit is the Ultimate Gift to a life. Far superior to anything this world has to offer. Let’s just think about this for a quick minute. The fruit of the Spirit consists of the following : Love, which never fails, joy, which always comes, peace, which always rules, patience, which always waits, kindness, which always tenders, goodness, which always does, faithfulness, which always fights for the right, gentleness, which always bows low and self-control, which always has wisdom to show restraint. This Fruit in its fullness all wrapped up in the beautiful package of a life yielded to Jesus is for certain the perfect gift (taken in part from Beth Moore’s Fruit of the Spirit Study). Leave it to God, the perfect Giver, to bestow upon us the perfect gift.
Wise men still seek Him...