Following Jesus on the Road

From the Roadside to the Road

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Bartimaeus began the day sitting “by the road begging” (Mark 10:46). He ended it walking behind Jesus: “immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road” (Mark 10:52).

Glorifying God. Luke tells the same event. He says the man “followed Him, glorifying God,” and “all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God” (Luke 18:43). Following Jesus and praising God went together.

Others who followed. Bartimaeus was not the only one. As Jesus traveled through cities and villages preaching, the twelve were with Him, “and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities” (Luke 8:1-2). Infirmities are sicknesses.

Helping with what they had. These women “provided for Him from their substance” (Luke 8:3). That means they used their own money and belongings to help Jesus and His disciples. Jesus had helped them, and now they helped in His work.

Up and serving. In Capernaum, Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Jesus “took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them” (Mark 1:31). After Jesus helped her, she served.

The people of the Way. After Jesus rose again and went back to heaven, His followers were called people of the Way (Acts 9:2; 24:14). Following Jesus was not one step. It was a whole road.

Healed first, then following. Bartimaeus did not follow Jesus to earn his sight. Jesus healed him first, and then he followed. Being saved works the same way. It is “the gift of God, not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9), and then God gives us a new life to walk in (Ephesians 2:10).

The road to the cross. The road Bartimaeus walked led up to Jerusalem. There Jesus died for our sins, and on the third day He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Everyone who follows Jesus follows a Savior who gave His life for them.

Application. Think about what Jesus has done for you. Then ask yourself how you can follow Him today. Thank Him, obey Him and use what you have to help others, like the women who helped Jesus.

The same day that Bartimaeus “sat by the road begging” (Mark 10:46), he “followed Jesus on the road” (10:52).

Hodos (Mark 10:46, 52). The word for road is hodos (say: hoh-DOSS), a road or a way. Bartimaeus started beside the road and ended on it, behind Jesus. Jesus was on the road up to Jerusalem (Mark 10:32).

Luke's account (Luke 18:43). “And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” One man's healing led a whole crowd to praise God.

The women of Luke 8 (8:1-3). As Jesus went “through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God,” the twelve were with Him, along with women He had healed. They “provided for Him from their substance.” Jesus' kindness to them turned into their generosity toward His work.

Serving (Mark 1:31). Peter's mother-in-law was lifted up by Jesus, the fever left, “And she served them.” Healing was followed by service.

Followers of the Way. In Acts, believers were called people of the Way (Acts 9:2; 24:14). Following Jesus was not a single step but a whole road walked with Him.

Three kinds of following. Bartimaeus followed with praise. The women followed with their money and belongings. Peter's mother-in-law followed with her hands, serving the people in her house. Each one answered Jesus' kindness in a different way, and each way honored Him.

Grace before following. Jesus healed Bartimaeus before he followed. “For by grace you have been saved through faith,” and it is “not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Then, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Walking is the life that follows grace.

Where the road led. The road Bartimaeus took led to Jerusalem, where “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Disciples follow a Lord who walked that road first, for them.

Application. Ask what Jesus has done for you, then answer it by following Him: worship like Bartimaeus, give like the women of Luke 8, serve like Peter's mother-in-law. None of it earns His love. All of it answers His love.

Close Behind Him

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Bartimaeus took his first steps behind Jesus on the road. Following Jesus is not only one day's walk. It is a whole life of staying close to Him.

Close behind. David told God that his soul followed close behind Him, and that God's right hand held him up (Psalm 63:8). Think of a child walking right behind a parent in a crowd. The child stays close, and the parent holds on.

Hearing His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

Where He is. Jesus also said, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also” (John 12:26). A follower goes where Jesus goes, and Jesus promises that His servants will be with Him.

Every day. David asked God to hold up his steps in God's paths, so that his feet would not slip (Psalm 17:5). Following Jesus is a choice we make every day, and every day we can ask Him to keep our steps steady.

His steps. Peter wrote that Jesus left us an example so that we can follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus never sinned. When people insulted Him, He did not insult them back. He trusted His Father even when it was hard.

When we stumble. Followers of Jesus still make mistakes. When we sin, we do not have to run away from Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). Then we get up and keep following.

Following together. Bartimaeus did not walk behind Jesus alone. The disciples and a crowd were on the same road. Following Jesus is something we do with other believers, at church and at home, helping one another stay close to Him.

He holds on. The Lord directs the steps of His people. Even when one of them falls, he is not thrown down, because the Lord holds him by the hand (Psalm 37:23-24). We follow Him, but He is the One who keeps us.

The One we follow. Jesus “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). He walked the road to the cross for us and rose again. We follow a living Savior, not just a good example.

Application. Pick one way to stay close behind Jesus this week: start each day by asking Him to guide your steps, obey right away when you know what He wants, or help someone the way Jesus would. If you slip, tell Him and keep going.

Bartimaeus' first steps behind Jesus are a picture of every disciple's life: staying close behind Him, day after day.

Close behind (Psalm 63:8). David told God that his soul followed close behind Him and that God's right hand upheld him. Two things are true at once: the follower stays close, and the Lord holds the follower up. Following Jesus is staying near enough to hear Him, and trusting His hand more than our own strength.

Hearing (John 10:27). “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Following begins with listening.

Where I am (John 12:26). “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.” Jesus added that the Father will honor the one who serves Him. Following carries a promise of presence: the servant ends up where the Master is.

Steady steps (Psalm 17:5). David asked God to hold up his steps in God's paths, so that his feet would not slip. A disciple does not trust his own balance. He asks every morning for steady steps, because following is a daily walk, not a single decision made once and then forgotten.

His steps (1 Peter 2:21-24). Peter wrote that Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we should follow His steps. Then he wrote that Christ “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (2:24). Jesus is our example because He is first our Savior.

Falling and held (Psalm 37:23-24; 1 John 1:9). The Lord orders the steps of a good man, and though he falls, he is not utterly cast down, because the Lord upholds him with His hand. Disciples stumble, and the way back is always open: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Following Jesus includes coming back to Him again and again.

Application. Choose a daily habit that keeps you close behind Him: a few verses each morning, a short prayer for steady steps before school, quick obedience when you know what He wants. When you fall, confess it and keep walking.

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