Luke 18:35-43 - Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

How can u r i relate to the blind beggar In this passage of scripture? Luke chapter 18 beginning at verse 35 and this is perhaps the last miracle that Jesus performed before he went to the cross for us.

I'll try to relate from the perspective of the family in which I was raised.

From the time I was born as far as I know I was cited. I could see. I was poor I didn't know it but we were poor. But we always had enough to eat. We always had clothes. I can remember when we got Plumbing indoor plumbing. That is put into our house. I can remember when we had electricity brought to our house. Then I think it was at the age of 14. I thought I could maybe help our family financially by getting a job away from the farm where we were living. I'm so why I got a job working for an Ontario land surveyor. I was the rod man. I would hold the pool or whatever. It was that we were doing in the end the end the land surveyor would look through his Transit and see whether this was the right height or not. So on so forth. I didn't know much about it, but he needed somebody out there and I was the guy

The problem was that his office was so a better part of twenty kilometers or so from where we lived. So every morning that summer I would walk a half a mile up to the highway and then I put up my thumb. And hitchhike or beg for a ride and sometimes I was begging. Let me tell you but I always got a ride on time to get me to where he would pick me up and go the rest of the way to his office the same thing in Reverse would have her you could drop me off where he turned off the highway and I would beg a ride from they're hitchhiking. We call it now for you younger people. This was an entirely different age and it is today. I would not recommend this whatsoever, but we considered it safe at that time. my brother Doug raised in the same family as I was he was next to me. He turned out to be a successful businessman.

Until he had a major bright brain bleed at the age of 56 at which time he became legally blind.

That's supposed to say I can come to relating to this blind beggar.

How many deer this morning would describe yourself as being visually impaired? Just raise your hands. Would you please visually impaired I mean if glasses are some contacts perhaps that we can't see. Debbie visually impaired but there would be others who would be blind When anybody here declare themselves to be blind now, I don't see any

let me tell you about some dear friends of mine who now live in the GTA. This is a picture that you can see of this family when I visited them in Turkey 9 years ago this month.

Just before they came to Canada as refugees.

David and Mina are in the middle of the picture. They are the parents of this family and they are both blind.

They were born in cities hundreds of kilometers apart.

Which case their parents were unable to care for them?

And so their parents gave them to the local government.

orphanage

there was some visiting that took place, but then it ended.

David was born blind. At approximately 4 or 5 years of age by his own estimation. He was moved from that government orphanage to a private or orphanage that was operated by the Christian blind mission.

It has been started by a German Pastor there.

end the Buddha lived the rest of his growing-up years in this orphanage actually moved from one to another when the girls and boys were separated. But he lived in that setting for the rest of his growing up years.

Mina his wife became fully blind at about age 6. And she also moved again from a different city to this Christian blind Mission orphanage in their country at a very early age. But they would testify today and they do that they found at the missionaries. Love them.

Treated them like their own family. And so they would call the missionaries mom and dad and so on and so forth the sort of thing. They felt deeply loved and cared for and the missionaries taught them life skills and job skills. But more important is even talk to him the word of God. I let both of them to faith in Christ while they were there. David and Mina married when they're in their twenties I asked her son, Danny. So how did your parents process this whole experience? And this was a response. God uses various ways to bring glory to himself. And God use blindness to bring my parents out of spiritual Darkness Into His Marvelous Light.

Let us look in Luke chapter 18 now beginning to read that verse 35 and we'll have our Miracle of Jesus healing the blind beggar before us. Luke chapter 18 verse 35 as he drew near to Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by he inquired what this meant. They told him Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. Any Cried Out Jesus Son of David have mercy on me. And those who were in front rebuked him telling him to be silent, but he cried out all the more Jesus Son of David have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him and when he came near Jesus asked him. What do you want me to do for you? He said Lord, let me recover my site. And Jesus said to him recover your sight. Your faith has made you well and immediately he recovered his sight and follow Jesus glorifying God. And all the people when they saw it gave praise to God. What's Bow in prayer?

Why do we recognize that? We are treading on Holy Ground.

When we open your work together.

We pray that by your spirit you would teach us truths from your word. That will impact us for the rest of our lives.

We pray that you would overcome the weakness of the Flesh and made. Open the eyes and ears of our understanding to behold wonderful things out of your law.

Give us your ears to hear Hearts to embrace and the will to put into practice what you have for us today be glorified in our midst. What is thank you how for how the worship team raised up the Lord Jesus Christ before us today and we continue to honor and worship him. We pray and his worthy name. Amen.

Let's review the historical setting of this passage of scripture. In the first few chapters of Luke's gospel. He describes the Incarnation of Jesus. His baptism is genealogy and the Temptation in the wilderness. And then when Jesus was approximately 30 years of age. He formally announced his Earthly Ministry in Luke chapter 4 verse 18 reading from Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me to Proclaim good news to the poor.

You 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. And then from chapter 4 down through chapter 8 Luke describes many miracles that Jesus performed clearly showing that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies in Isaiah 35 vs 5 + 6 / example proving that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. And four times from chapter 4 through chapter 7 Luke recorded that this news about Jesus was spread abroad widely. It seemed that everyone was talking about what Jesus was doing great crowds were following him. Of course, that should not be surprising after all kid healed the demon-possessed man in chapter 4 verse 35. He had healed all who are brought to him in chapter 4 verse 4. It heals a leper in chapter 5 verse 13 it healed a paralyzed man who's been let down through the roof by his friends in chapter 5 verse 24 it healed a man with a withered hand in chapter 6 verse 10 and he raised a Widow's son back to life when he was on his way being carried out to the cemetery in chapter 7 verse 14 Meanwhile, John the Baptist who would introduce Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was in prison. Wondering how all these things could fit together. So we sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah.

They arrived where Jesus was in Luke chapter 7 verse 18 and in that our Jesus heals many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits and on many who were blind. He bestowed site and he answered them go and tell John what you have seen and heard the blind receive their sight the lame walk lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised up and the poor have good news preached to them.

From chapter 8 to chapter 18 where we are today.

Luke describes Jesus ministry, which focused on teaching and preaching mainly through parables. Last week Pastor Jude reviewed what Jesus was teaching on his way to his triumphal entry on the way up to Jerusalem. And Jesus knew what lay ahead of him. But he deliberately went up to Jerusalem to endure the cross for us. Even the disciples were blind to what Jesus said they could see physically but not spiritually. So now let's examine this miraculous healing of the blind beggar, which as I said earlier is likely the last miracle Jesus performed before he was crucified for us. And perhaps this day began like any ordinary spring morning for the blind beggar. This friend let him out to the place beside the road where he usually sat to beg. Whenever he heard someone coming he asked for arms for some money or some food. but this morning he heard the shuffle of many feet. The sound of many voices coming his way. He has someone nearby what's going on. What does this mean? He was told Jesus of Nazareth is coming along the road and a large crowd is coming with him. And that was all he needed to hear. He probably remembered being in the synagogue and hearing Isaiah's prophecies about the Messiah. Alexi remember that passage in Isaiah 35 tell how the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 4 months he had heard numerous people walking along this very Road. Tell how Jesus was healing deaf. People named people lepers and even blind people. And right here in verses 37 and 38. I believe is the key to understanding the significance of this miracle.

the people in the crowd told him that it was Jesus of Nazareth. It was coming along. But he recognized and believed that this was indeed Jesus the son of David the long-awaited Messiah. Stay firmly believed that this Jesus was the Messiah and he called out to Jesus for mercy.

The crowd could see with their physical eyes, but this physically blind man could see with the eyes of his heart. He believed it was Jesus. the long-awaited Messiah and I can imagine this poor blind beggar thinking this could be my only chance to be healed from my blindness. If he could hear a lot of people he can heal me too. Amazon a moment's hesitation. He called out Jesus Son of David have mercy on me. Some people walking along the road at the head of the crowd tried to quiet him. They thought Jesus was too busy teaching the crowd to be bothered about this poor blind man. They told him to keep quiet, but he would not be ignored. Steven blind and poor for too long I miss this opportunity. Just because of what others might be thinking. He cried out even louder Jesus Son of David have mercy on me and above the sound of the muffled voice is in the shuffling feet. Jesus heard his plea for mercy. He said bring that man to me. And he was up on his feet and instant. He gripped the arm of the man beside him who's going to lead him to Jesus and when he got there Jesus asked him. What do you want me to do for you and the poor beggar replied Lord? Let me recover my site.

Verse 42 Jesus said to him recover your sight. Your faith has made you well and immediately he recovered his sight and follow Jesus glorifying God. What a dramatic change. Now, this is a pretty straightforward story. It's like most of the commentators that I looked at don't give a lot of additional explanation for us except the stress that Jesus is the remedy for Spiritual blindness. For example Darrell bock from Juco to last week. Set the miracles of Jesus are pictures of deeper realities. No, Miracle makes that fact as clear as this one. The blind man was begging for his Earthly sustenance. Yeah, he saw in the darkness of his blindness the light of heavenly promise. The site that counts is what the heart sees. a face that sees Jesus possesses Insight that the world cannot recognize Without question, I believe that this is the key reason why this miracle is included in scripture where it is. Most of us are familiar with the Expressions seeing is believing or I'll believe it when I see it.

But sometimes we can look directly at something and be totally unable to see it. Let me borrow a couple of photos that Raymond Jordan has shared on glimpses of infiniti.com to illustrate this point. The first photo is of the heart nebula. And I'm sure that you have looked up into the night sky directly at this image, but did not see what Ray captured with his photographic equipment. It was there right before your eyes, but you could not see it. The second picture is of the constellation Cassiopeia.

And again you and I do not have the ability to look into deep space and see what race camera picks up. These amazing objects are there, but we cannot see them. We are unable to see them without a great deal of outside help. I'm so it is with respect to spiritual things. We are spiritually blind until the spirit of God and lightens the eyes of our hearts to reveal. How hideous our sin is to a holy God. We cannot understand our spiritual poverty and our need of a savior. On our own our spiritual blindness is like looking without seeing objects are facts. I can't last week Pastor Jude. That was Jesus intentional fulfillment. Are the prophecies regarding his suffering while the disciples could not understand? We read in chapter 18 verse 31 just a few versus earlier. And taking the 12 that is the disciples taking the 12. He said to them see We are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written about the son of man by the prophets will be accomplished and then in verse 34 we read but they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them and they did not grasp. What was said they could not see it. No notice how this miracle is introduced in the next verse verse 35 as Jesus Drew near to Jericho a blind man. A blind man was sitting by the wayside begging. this blind man believe who Jesus was and what he could do for him. He saw with the eyes of faith and Jesus healed him. The disciples would not truly see or really understand until they met Jesus on the road to Emmaus and Luke chapter 24 verses 44 45 after he rose from the dead. Then Jesus said to them these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the songs must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.

friends all our righteousness All righteousness is like filthy rags. in God's sight, Isaiah 64:6 In terms of our spiritual situation, we are blind and desperately poor totally without. Hope I've ever satisfying God's requirements for Holiness righteousness. We need someone with abilities that we do not have to take away our sin and give us righteousness. The one we need is Jesus the Messiah.

God has provided the help we need through Christ substitutionary death on the cross for us. He paid the full penalty of our sin. He is the only one. the has the ability to ship to Deliver Us From The Penalty we deserve that deliverance from the penalty of sin can be yours personally today by placing your faith in what Christ has done for you and for me on the cross. He offers Mercy. the Forgiveness of your sins Do you believe that you died in your place?

Are you ready to trust him today as your personal Savior and Lord?

If so, let me or one of the pastors know.

We've been more than happy to meet with you.

May the Lord bless his word to our hearts. Thank you. Let spray.

Father we thank you for this time that you have given us to spend together in your word.

We pray that your spirit will continue to work in the hearts of any who do not know you as their own Savior and Lord as yet working their hearts helping to see their spiritual need and draw them to yourself saving me by your spirit. We pray all these things in Jesus name. Amen.