JESUS STOPPED
I was curious not too long ago about how Jesus conducted His ministry. It seems to me that as Jesus conducted His life of ministry, so should we. After all, all of us are to be ministers. As I thought about it, the idea, “Jesus stopped” came to my mind.
What does it mean to say, “Jesus stopped”? I wanted to know if the Bible had anything to say about that? Is that phrase in the Bible, either as those words, or that idea? As I looked, I found 9 incidents where that idea or phrase is used. The actual phrase “Jesus stopped” is used in the description of 2 events: Matthew 20:32 and John 11:53-54. The idea that Jesus stopped whatever else He was doing in order to minister to a specific need or circumstance occurs 7 more times that I could see.
Jesus stopped for CHILDREN
(Mark 10:13-16) The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.
Jesus was walking from one place to another, teaching and healing people as he went along. As people began to bring children to Jesus for His blessing, the disciples tried to turn them away. Jesus would have none of it. He called the children to Him and did, indeed, bless them.
I believe Jesus is making a point about our treatment of children, a point that bears much repeating in America and the world in 2006. An old saying used to go, “Children are to be seen and not heard”. I don’t think that lines up with Jesus’ way of doing things. Jesus’ pattern seems to be going out of His way to acknowledge children. It would appear from the various Gospel accounts of Jesus’ interaction with kids that He knew that to raise a child well requires time and effort spent in “hands on” training. After all, we can’t just assume they know how to behave unless we have spent time “showing” as well as “telling”.
Jesus seems to be saying by His stopping for children that they are worth our time.
Jesus stopped to show COMPASSION
The story is told of a little child who went on an errand for her Mother. She was late coming back, and her Mother asked for an explanation. The child explained that a playmate of hers down the street had fallen and broken her doll and that she had stopped to help her. The mother wondered what she could do to help mend the broken doll. The little girl replied, “I just sat down and helped her cry”.
(Matthew 20:29-34) As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men …shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” …Jesus stopped and …had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
This is one of the places where the phrase “Jesus stopped” is actually used. Why did He stop, to show compassion. Jesus was walking along, with a large crowd following Him. These blind men called out to Him for healing. Jesus stopped, and answered their cry.
(Matthew 14:13-20) When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. …
Jesus stopped what He was doing in order to show compassion on people. What was he doing when He stopped? He was grieving the loss of His cousin, John the Baptist. He had just been informed of John’s beheading. He went away to a solitary place, presumably to pray. But the crowds followed Him. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. But you know what else—this is the story of the Feeding of the 5,000. He stopped what He was doing to minister to the needs of those following Him.
Why did He do this? He did it because He could feel their need. It was a need He shared. Remember how He fed the crowd: with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The only food they had available. Now Jesus usually traveled with 12 other men, several women, probably a few children, and many others. Enough others that He could, on another occasion, send 72 people out to minister. Many people believe that the number of people who regularly followed Jesus around was over 100. That big group around and they have only 5 loaves and 2 fish. The need of the 5,000 (men, probably closer to 12,000 all total) was also the need of Jesus and His immediate followers. He didn’t just feel for them, He felt with them.
Jesus stopped to COACH
(Matthew 5:1-48) Jesus saw many people. He went up on the mountain and sat down. His followers came to Him…
The consistent life was what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. We refer to this as the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter 5 is what we call the Beatitudes.
Jesus had just returned from His 40-day trial in the desert. He had called His first disciples to Him and was traveling around preaching and healing. As would often happen, large crowds began to gather. Jesus stopped doing that in order to begin “coaching” His disciples. The Sermon on the Mount is a tremendous teaching on living a consistent life.
Whatever we are doing, one of our more important tasks would be to teach others how to live the Godly life. Not by our words, but by our life. I mentioned earlier the importance of taking time to train our children. This goes along with that. How do young people, or any people for that matter, learn from us? BY OUR LIFESTYLE.
Jesus stopped to CONFRONT
(Luke 11:37-54) When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised…
Once again, Jesus had been busy teaching. He was quickly approaching the end of His life, and was instructing His followers in preparation of that. A Pharisee invited him to dinner. Jesus stopped what He was doing to answer the invitation.
The Pharisee, doing what Pharisees usually did, began to judge Jesus’ actions. This time it was not for showing kindness to someone, or healing someone of their illness or disease, or for daring to follow the Law and gather something to eat while on the road. No, this time it was because He did not wash His hands before dinner!
So, Jesus began to “call it like He saw it”. He confronted their sin. He pointed out their egos, their hypocrisy, their injustice, and their ignorance, among other things. He did not mince words.
He stopped to confront sin. He did not put up with it. He did not condone it. He did not “wink” at it. When you see wrong, call it what it is – SIN. Is it possible you will offend people? Yes. But don’t try to offend. Remember, Jesus called out religious people who were doing wrong and leading others astray. He didn’t take the same tack when it came to calling sinners to repentance. Those He loved to God. Confront sin in those who should know better, and those who say they are better—like the Pharisees did. For all others, love them to God. Live your life in such a consistent pattern that people see God in you.
Jesus stopped in order to CONTINUE
(John 11:53-54) So from that time on the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem.
How many of you have seen the movie Grumpy Old Men? In that movie Ann Margaret plays a character named Ariel. She tells John Gustafson that it is sometimes necessary to go out of your way in order to come back correctly.
That is what is happening in this passage, which is the only other place where the phrase “Jesus stopped” is used. He had just raised Lazarus from the dead. The people were beginning to believe in Him so much that their leaders were afraid the Romans would come to put a stop to it. It is also at this time that the plot to kill Jesus intensified.
In order to be able to fulfill the purpose for His life, Jesus had to die only at a prescribed time, and in a prescribed way. His work was not yet done. There was still a few things He had to do and still some things He had to teach His disciples. In order to do that, to continue His work, He had to stop. In this case, He had to stop going around in public.
In order to do what God has appointed to us to do, sometimes we have to stop. What do we need to stop? Maybe we need to stop doing all the “busywork” that keeps us so tired that we can’t minister to others. Maybe we need to stop running ourselves and our families around to so many activities, no matter how worthy they may be, so we can relish the “wife (spouse) of our youth” or the “children of our inheritance”. Maybe we need to stop wasting so much time in trivial pursuits so we can spend more time before God.
In order to do what God has appointed to us to do, sometimes we have to stop. What do we need to stop? Listening to this story concerning Jesus we need to:
Stop being flustered by things happening around us.
Stop being surprised by the bad things happening to us.
Stop being disquieted by the bad people around us.
Stop being restless.
Stop being hurried.
Stop being worried.
However, we are not just supposed to stop doing certain things. We should also stop to do certain things. Things like:
Prayer – Simply talking to God as we would anyone we love and trust. Prayer is essential to our relationship with God. Prayer is essential to our doing what God has called us to do.
Fellowship – The church is a community of people who are called to walk alongside each other. To “weep with those who weep”. To “laugh with those who laugh”. To “spur each other on to good deeds”.
Witness – Witnesses are people who tell others what they have personally seen or heard. We need to tell the helpless, hopeless, and hurting the Good News of Jesus.
Serve – Serving God by serving other is something that should grow out of our love for Jesus—and what He did for us. This service is not meant to be involuntary. It is meant to grow out of love and gratitude.
We have to sometimes stop in order to continue doing and being what God wants us to do and be.
Jesus stopped because that is why He CAME
(John 9:1-12) As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. …(Jesus said) As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world…
Jesus and His disciples were walking along when they came upon this man who had been blind since birth. Jesus was asked whose fault was it that he was blind. Jesus replied that he was blind so that the power of God could be displayed in his life.
Jesus stopped to discuss the question and to heal this man because that is what He came to do. In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus quotes a prophecy from Isaiah concerning Himself (the Messiah), The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Jesus had a purpose for being. He had a purpose for His life. He stopped what He was doing in order to fulfill that purpose.
Jesus stopped for children. He stopped to show compassion. He stopped to coach (teach). He stopped to confront sin. Jesus stopped in order to be able to continue. He stopped…because that is why He came.
He was / is the Messiah—the Holy One of Israel. When asked about who He was, He quoted Messianic prophecies and applied them to Himself. His life was a walking fulfillment of prophecies concerning the Messiah.
He had much to do in His 3 years of ministry. His main work was to walk down the path toward Calvary. Yet, when needed to — He stopped.
And since His life is to be the pattern for our lives…
We need to stop and do these things, because just as Jesus did because that was the reason He came, these things are the reason we were created.