Quinquagesima February 19, 2023
Luke 18:31-43
Seeing Clearly with Eyes of Faith
v.40-41 And Jesus stopped and commanded him [the blind man] to be brought to Him. And when he came near, He asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me recovery my sight."
Dear friends in Christ, how's your vision? Perhaps you, like me, have trouble seeing things at certain distances. Indeed, I have made an appointment to see my eye doctor in a few weeks' time. I am quite certain that he will tell me that my vision has gotten worse since my last visit two years ago, and that I will need a stronger prescription to see more clearly the things around me.
In the Scriptures, the theme of blindness is prevalent. Though there are many instances of people being physically blind, such as the man in our text for today, yet there are even more instances of people being spiritually blind to the truth of God around them. Such is the case of the disciples in our text. Ironically, though they could physically see just fine, yet they continued to be blinded to the truth of Jesus' ultimate mission—even when He told them plainly.
As Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover, He clearly speaks to the Twelve disciples that His enemies (Luke 18:33-34) "'will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise.' But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said." They did not see that Jesus' mission was one of mercy. Mercy for the people of the world. Mercy for the forgiveness of their sins, which Jesus would earn with His suffering and death on the cross in just a matter of days.
St. Luke contrasts this beautifully for us with the blind beggar. You see, Jesus was traveling not only with the Twelve to Jerusalem, but with a host of people on their way for the Passover festival—one of the biggest religious festivals of the year. Since there was going to be a lot of pilgrims on this road from Jericho to Jerusalem, the blind man situates himself along the road where he might beg more effectively from the great number of people going up for the festival. When this man hears the crowd going by, he is told that Jesus of Nazareth is passing along.
Now, though this man might not have ever been in the presence of Jesus before, he has somehow heard about this Jesus of Nazareth. When the blind man hears this title, "Jesus of Nazareth," he is prompted to cry out for mercy. Why? For one thing, this title designates Jesus as the miracle-working prophet from Nazareth that has taken Israel by storm. Furthermore, the spelling that Luke uses here for Nazarene indicates a close relationship to the OT word for "branch," recalling Isaiah 11:1, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of its roots." This title alerted the blind man that this Jesus is the Spirit-endowed healer, the Branch, the Son of David, the Messiah. Thus, he cries out (v.38), "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Again, the irony is that a physically blind man sees more clearly with eyes of faith than those around him—even Jesus' own Twelve disciples! He latches on to the promises of the Word of God concerning the Messiah—and recognizes that this is who Jesus is. Therefore, he will not be quieted—he will not be shushed—but calls out all the more (v.39), "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
The cry of faith, beloved, is always for mercy. For the faithful know and understand their sinful condition before God. We have evidence of sin all around us: in pain and suffering of the world, the darkness of sin in our hearts, broken relationships, natural disasters, and even within our own bodies, as this blind man knew. Yet, this is why Jesus has come. Jesus has come to undo the work of the devil, and to restore Fallen creation with His perfect life and sacrificial death.
Indeed, St. Luke records for us Jesus' own words concerning His earthly mission. For in Luke 4, following Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, and the beginning of His public ministry, He was at worship in the synagogue in Nazareth (His hometown), and was invited to preach. First, He read from Isaiah 61:1-2, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Following the reading of the text, Jesus gave the shortest sermon of His career (Luke 4:21), "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Jesus took that Messianic prophecy from Isaiah and directly applied it to Himself and His mission and ministry as the Lord's Anointed—the Messiah—the Christ. He came to proclaim the Gospel, to set those in captivity to sin free by the power of His Word, to give sight to the blind (both physically and spiritually), to free the oppressed, and usher in the year (the eternal time) of the Lord's favor.
Upon hearing these cries of faith from the blind beggar in the crowd, Jesus stopped and had the man brought before Him. He then gives the man yet another opportunity to publicly confess his faith in Jesus by asking him (v.41), "'What do you want me to do for you?' He said, 'Lord, let me recover my sight.'"
This, too, is somewhat ironic, for the blind man already sees more clearly who Jesus is than those around him with perfect vision. For he sees Jesus with eyes of faith, confessing Him as "Lord." Jesus, the Lord and Creator of all things, responds in mercy, as is His wont, and replies (v.42), "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well." Jesus brings healing, a foretaste of the restoration of all creation, and the man recovers his physical sight. Indeed, now his earthly eyes are blessed to see as clearly as his "spiritual" eyes. He may now behold the Lord and Savior of all with his own eyes, rejoicing in the gift of salvation that Jesus brings.
For, beloved, the essence of who Jesus is is revealed in His acts of mercy. For He will show ultimate mercy by traveling on to Jerusalem where (v.31-33), "…everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging Him, they will kill Him and on the third day He will rise." Jesus' shows mercy to the world—to all people—by dying on a cross in Jerusalem—so that, by His grace, He may restore and re-create fallen humanity.
And Jesus has done this for you, beloved. He has gathered you into His arms of mercy, declaring you free from the captivity of your sin, restoring your sight so that you may see Him clearly with eyes of faith. Eyes that see all things through the lens of Holy Scripture, knowing that this Fallen world shall not last, the devil will not prevail, nor death be triumphant. For Jesus has taken your sin to the cross. Jesus has been killed—died your death. And what's more, Jesus has risen again on the third day, showing His victory over all our enemies—and that His mission of mercy has been accomplished.
So, beloved, continue to pray to Jesus—to cry out to Him—whatever your circumstances may be—whatever trials you may be enduring—whatever heartaches afflict the world and your family—cry out with the blind man, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" As we do each week in the Kyrie of the divine service, "Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy!"
Cry to Jesus. He will hear and answer you in His good time and according to His good pleasure. You are His children. He has bled and died for each and every one of you. He loves you more than you know. And He declares to you, "Your faith has made you well." Your trust in Him as your Savior has resulted in your receiving forgiveness for all of your sins, being set free from the bonds of the devil, and a recipient of eternal life, which no one can take away from you, for now you see clearly with eyes of faith.
What joy, beloved! Is it any wonder that we also now respond as the formerly blind man did in our text by following Jesus and glorifying God? Indeed (v.43b), "And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God." For God's people always respond in praise to the One who has brought recovery of sight to the blind. Who has rescued us from our sin. Who promises life in the face of death. Who has ushered in the eternal time of the Lord's favor through the blood of His Son. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Luke 18:31-43
Seeing Clearly with Eyes of Faith
v.40-41 And Jesus stopped and commanded him [the blind man] to be brought to Him. And when he came near, He asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me recovery my sight."
Dear friends in Christ, how's your vision? Perhaps you, like me, have trouble seeing things at certain distances. Indeed, I have made an appointment to see my eye doctor in a few weeks' time. I am quite certain that he will tell me that my vision has gotten worse since my last visit two years ago, and that I will need a stronger prescription to see more clearly the things around me.
In the Scriptures, the theme of blindness is prevalent. Though there are many instances of people being physically blind, such as the man in our text for today, yet there are even more instances of people being spiritually blind to the truth of God around them. Such is the case of the disciples in our text. Ironically, though they could physically see just fine, yet they continued to be blinded to the truth of Jesus' ultimate mission—even when He told them plainly.
As Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover, He clearly speaks to the Twelve disciples that His enemies (Luke 18:33-34) "'will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise.' But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said." They did not see that Jesus' mission was one of mercy. Mercy for the people of the world. Mercy for the forgiveness of their sins, which Jesus would earn with His suffering and death on the cross in just a matter of days.
St. Luke contrasts this beautifully for us with the blind beggar. You see, Jesus was traveling not only with the Twelve to Jerusalem, but with a host of people on their way for the Passover festival—one of the biggest religious festivals of the year. Since there was going to be a lot of pilgrims on this road from Jericho to Jerusalem, the blind man situates himself along the road where he might beg more effectively from the great number of people going up for the festival. When this man hears the crowd going by, he is told that Jesus of Nazareth is passing along.
Now, though this man might not have ever been in the presence of Jesus before, he has somehow heard about this Jesus of Nazareth. When the blind man hears this title, "Jesus of Nazareth," he is prompted to cry out for mercy. Why? For one thing, this title designates Jesus as the miracle-working prophet from Nazareth that has taken Israel by storm. Furthermore, the spelling that Luke uses here for Nazarene indicates a close relationship to the OT word for "branch," recalling Isaiah 11:1, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of its roots." This title alerted the blind man that this Jesus is the Spirit-endowed healer, the Branch, the Son of David, the Messiah. Thus, he cries out (v.38), "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Again, the irony is that a physically blind man sees more clearly with eyes of faith than those around him—even Jesus' own Twelve disciples! He latches on to the promises of the Word of God concerning the Messiah—and recognizes that this is who Jesus is. Therefore, he will not be quieted—he will not be shushed—but calls out all the more (v.39), "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
The cry of faith, beloved, is always for mercy. For the faithful know and understand their sinful condition before God. We have evidence of sin all around us: in pain and suffering of the world, the darkness of sin in our hearts, broken relationships, natural disasters, and even within our own bodies, as this blind man knew. Yet, this is why Jesus has come. Jesus has come to undo the work of the devil, and to restore Fallen creation with His perfect life and sacrificial death.
Indeed, St. Luke records for us Jesus' own words concerning His earthly mission. For in Luke 4, following Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, and the beginning of His public ministry, He was at worship in the synagogue in Nazareth (His hometown), and was invited to preach. First, He read from Isaiah 61:1-2, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Following the reading of the text, Jesus gave the shortest sermon of His career (Luke 4:21), "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Jesus took that Messianic prophecy from Isaiah and directly applied it to Himself and His mission and ministry as the Lord's Anointed—the Messiah—the Christ. He came to proclaim the Gospel, to set those in captivity to sin free by the power of His Word, to give sight to the blind (both physically and spiritually), to free the oppressed, and usher in the year (the eternal time) of the Lord's favor.
Upon hearing these cries of faith from the blind beggar in the crowd, Jesus stopped and had the man brought before Him. He then gives the man yet another opportunity to publicly confess his faith in Jesus by asking him (v.41), "'What do you want me to do for you?' He said, 'Lord, let me recover my sight.'"
This, too, is somewhat ironic, for the blind man already sees more clearly who Jesus is than those around him with perfect vision. For he sees Jesus with eyes of faith, confessing Him as "Lord." Jesus, the Lord and Creator of all things, responds in mercy, as is His wont, and replies (v.42), "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well." Jesus brings healing, a foretaste of the restoration of all creation, and the man recovers his physical sight. Indeed, now his earthly eyes are blessed to see as clearly as his "spiritual" eyes. He may now behold the Lord and Savior of all with his own eyes, rejoicing in the gift of salvation that Jesus brings.
For, beloved, the essence of who Jesus is is revealed in His acts of mercy. For He will show ultimate mercy by traveling on to Jerusalem where (v.31-33), "…everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging Him, they will kill Him and on the third day He will rise." Jesus' shows mercy to the world—to all people—by dying on a cross in Jerusalem—so that, by His grace, He may restore and re-create fallen humanity.
And Jesus has done this for you, beloved. He has gathered you into His arms of mercy, declaring you free from the captivity of your sin, restoring your sight so that you may see Him clearly with eyes of faith. Eyes that see all things through the lens of Holy Scripture, knowing that this Fallen world shall not last, the devil will not prevail, nor death be triumphant. For Jesus has taken your sin to the cross. Jesus has been killed—died your death. And what's more, Jesus has risen again on the third day, showing His victory over all our enemies—and that His mission of mercy has been accomplished.
So, beloved, continue to pray to Jesus—to cry out to Him—whatever your circumstances may be—whatever trials you may be enduring—whatever heartaches afflict the world and your family—cry out with the blind man, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" As we do each week in the Kyrie of the divine service, "Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy!"
Cry to Jesus. He will hear and answer you in His good time and according to His good pleasure. You are His children. He has bled and died for each and every one of you. He loves you more than you know. And He declares to you, "Your faith has made you well." Your trust in Him as your Savior has resulted in your receiving forgiveness for all of your sins, being set free from the bonds of the devil, and a recipient of eternal life, which no one can take away from you, for now you see clearly with eyes of faith.
What joy, beloved! Is it any wonder that we also now respond as the formerly blind man did in our text by following Jesus and glorifying God? Indeed (v.43b), "And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God." For God's people always respond in praise to the One who has brought recovery of sight to the blind. Who has rescued us from our sin. Who promises life in the face of death. Who has ushered in the eternal time of the Lord's favor through the blood of His Son. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.