Undeterred

In Heaven’s Hall of Fame you will find:

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The Canaanite woman: that despised foreigner who kept badgering Jesus, refusing to be put off by being complained about by Jesus’ disciples and being repeatedly ignored by Jesus and even referred to as a dog (Scripture).

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Blind Bartimaeus, the beggar who kept calling out to Jesus and shouted even louder when the crowd tried to shut him up (Scripture).

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Zacchaeus, the undersized runt of a man (Luke 19:3) who sold his respectability to make money collecting the taxes from his nation’s enemy. Both shunned by the crowd and unable to see over them, he went to the undignified extreme (made even worse by the clothing of his era) of climbing a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus (Scripture).

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The unclean woman (Leviticus 15:25-27) who broke all sorts of taboos to press through the throng and to touch a holy man’s clothing (Scripture).

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The father of the demonized boy who sought out Jesus despite the fact that Jesus’ own disciples had not been able to cast out the demon (Scripture).

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The four who, finding no other way to get close to Jesus, hatched the audacious plan of breaking through the roof of a house and lowering down their sick friend to Jesus (Scripture).

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To these we could add the many who did ridiculous things just because Jesus told them to. For example:

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    The beggar who incurred the wrath of all the religious people by obeying Jesus’ command to carry his mat on the Sabbath (John 5:8-10).

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    The ten lepers who went off to find a priest to verify that they were healed (Leviticus 13:2,6) even though they still had leprosy when they started their journey (Luke 17:14).

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    The blind man who not only let Jesus spit on the dirt and make mud out of it and smear it on his eyes, but then, while still blind, he found his way to a certain pool Jesus had nominated to wash it off again (John 9:6-7).

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    The deaf man with a speech impediment who let Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, spit and touch his tongue (Mark 7:32-33).

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    The disciples who distributed a ridiculously small amount of food to feed a huge crowd (Mark 6:41-44).

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    The professional fishermen who had toiled all night in vain but tried again just because a carpenter insisted (Luke 5:4-6).

Except perhaps for the disciples and those who busted up the roof (the perfect way to win friends), all of the above were society’s rejects. They seem not to have been smart, popular, know much about theology, or have had anything else going for them. The solitary thing that made them spiritual heroes was a dogged determination to do whatever they could to keep pushing through to Jesus, no matter how much circumstances, common sense or even God seemed to oppose it. You have everything it takes to act just like these folk and win heaven’s applause.

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Scriptures

The Canaanite Woman

Matthew 15:22-28 Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”
But he answered her not a word.
His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”
But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

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Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-48  . . . Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”

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Zacchaeus

Luke 19:3-7 He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the crowd, because he was short. He ran on ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”

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The Unclean Woman

Mark 5:25-34 A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse, having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes. . . .
Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd, and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
His disciples said to him, “You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”

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The Father of the Demonized Boy

Mark 9:17-18  . . . “Teacher, I brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and wastes away. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they weren’t able.”

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The Roof Breakers

Mark 2:2-4  . . . many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door . . . Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on.

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