So good again to see you in person here and also those not in person, and good to hear sounds of children at the back alright. Now we are doing a series on the miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this morning we’re going to look at the one recorded in Luke chapter 18. So I shall first read the text in Luke chapter 18. So our text is from verse 35 until the end of the chapter. Verse 35 through verse 43 of Luke chapter 18.

Alright, this is the Word of God. “Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.

And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” So today the miracle that we are looking at is the healing of the blind man. Now, this is the last miracle recorded in Luke’s gospel. In fact, it is the last recorded in all the gospels alright, and it is also the last in our series. So today I’m concluding our series on the Astounding Acts of Jesus or the miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now again I want to remind you that the miracles in the Bible, now they serve a purpose and that is to teach us about salvation. And the miracles show us the condition of man in sin. And then the miracles show us the power of Jesus in saving us or delivering us from sin. Now again remember that miracles, they are not meant to be comprehensive in teaching us salvation, but each is meant to convey a particular aspect of truth or salvation. 

For example, we see the healing of the leper alright. The leper shows us that we are saved from sin’s corrupting power. And then we think of the casting out of a demon from the demon-possessed man. We see him as a picture of being of bondage to sin. And then we think of the woman with an incurable disease, again showing to us our hopeless condition. And then we see those dead being raised to life. The dead kind of helps us understand or see the wages or the consequence of our sin.

And so when we come to this particular miracle this morning, this in a sense completes Luke’s teaching by depicting yet another truth or another aspect about the sinner. Now, this blind man portrays the sinner’s inability to see spiritual truth. Now we see that in the Bible, we are told that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. So in our natural state, we cannot see spiritual realities. Or there in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in Second Corinthians where Paul writes in verse 4: “whose minds the god of this age has blinded”.

So that is how the Apostle Paul sees or understands the human condition that we have been blinded. Now we ought to be able to see as we study the Scriptures that everywhere we go and all the people all around us in their natural state, they are all like this blind man. They are blind. They are blind spiritually. So in a sense this alright is worse. This condition is worse now in the sense that it is one thing alright- it is one thing to be sick, but quite another to know that you are sick. And that is a big problem with people on earth.

As we go around, we know that they are in trouble. We know that they are in a helpless, hopeless condition. We know that they are heading towards eternal damnation. But the big problem is that people cannot see that. They just cannot see because they are like this blind man, they are all blind. And you have yet to know the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have yet been born again, then this is your condition. You are blind and you cannot see. And so therefore we come this morning to this text in Luke chapter 18 and we can actually see that it can be divided into three sections.

It helps us see three particular points or truth in this story. And the first section is in verse 35 through verse 39 where we see the blind man’s cry, and that is what Luke wants to draw our attention to in the first place. And then in verses 40 and 41, we see Jesus’ response to this man’s cry. And then in verses 42 and 43, we see a declaration by Jesus Christ. Alright so let’s follow this structure alright as we try to understand what Luke is teaching us here by recording this miracle.

So first, in the first section, we have the blind man’s cry in verse 35 through verse 39. I say this is the first important truth that Luke wants us to see or wants to show to us, and that is the cry of this man. The cry of this man. Now he tells us in verse 35: “Then it happened (he says), as Jesus was coming (as He was approaching) Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the roadside begging. Now it tells us in this verse that Jesus was passing by Jericho. He was not going to Jericho; He was going somewhere else. Now, where was Jesus going to? Why was He passing by here?

Now if you flip back in the gospel of Luke 9:51- Luke 9:51. Now in Luke’s account or record of Jesus’ life, he was showing from His birth, but there was a destination. There was a place that Jesus was going because Jesus has a purpose on earth. There’s a reason why Jesus was born, and that’s what Christmas is in a sense about. Now Jesus is born here for no reason. Now the purpose, the reason why Jesus came to this earth as Luke tells us is that He was going to Jerusalem.

And so in his record of Jesus’ story here in chapter 9 and verse 51, he says: “And it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem”. So He was a man with a mission. He knows His purpose. And when He knew that His time had come (the time had come refers to the time for Him to go to the cross, to die for sinners like us), and so He steadfastly set His mind in that path. And He was going. He set His face to go to Jerusalem, and nothing would distract Him from that. Peter may at one time know kind of protested to Jesus.

But Jesus says: “Get behind Me, Satan. No one can stop Me from going and fulfil my mission in Jerusalem to die on the cross for those whom God the Father has chosen.”. And so in chapter 9 of Luke and verse 51 onward, so Luke is now telling us Jesus’ steadfast journey alright. He steadfastly moved towards Jerusalem. And so as we read on from here onward, that is what we are seeing. And so when we come to chapter 18, that is what we see here. Jesus was going to Jerusalem. But then He passes by Jericho. And this blind man is in Jericho, and Jesus is passing by. Now Luke now draws attention to this man’s response and his attitude towards Jesus Christ when he heard that Jesus is passing by. Jesus is passing by. 

Now you see, Luke draws attention to this blind man’s attitude and his response to the sound and to the news that Jesus is passing by. He wants to show that by contrasting with that of the crowd. There were the other people with Jesus because we are told that there was a crowd, there was a multitude with Jesus. And Luke is saying that there are many people who know about Jesus. They are all around Jesus, but there is a difference in attitude. There is a difference in response.

For this blind man, we see in verse 36: “And hearing the crowd passing by, he asked what it meant.”. What is happening? It’s kind of a commotion. Maybe ordinarily it was a quiet day for him. He will be sitting by the roadside waiting for another person to pass by and then to beg for money. And then you’ll probably have to wait for a long time for another person to pass by. But suddenly he realized that there was something different today. There was a huge crowd. There was noise. There is like some VIP passing by. And then we are told in verse 37: “So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.”. 

That’s why there is this crowd. That’s why there is this commotion because Jesus, the famous healer as it were, is on the road. He’s in town and He’s passing by. Verse 38, when he heard that, “he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!””. You see when he heard that Jesus is in town; when he knows of Jesus’ presence, he cried out. That was his response and cried out for mercy. But what about the other people, the crowd? Verse 39- and verse 39: “Then those who went before him (or those who are in front) rebuked him that he should be quiet (there’s nothing to be excited about); but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!””.

Now you see the response. One is we call the “tidak apa” attitude you know, but the other is excitement. He’s Jesus, He’s Jesus. The contrast in their attitude and response to Jesus Christ is what we see even in our day. There are people who are excited about Jesus Christ, but there are others who couldn’t care less. Now you might ask: Then why was the crowd there? Why was this multitude gathering? What were these many people gathering around Jesus if they did not have the same attitude like this blind man?

Well, they were there because they were spectators. Because these people probably along the way have seen many of Jesus’ miracles. They were with Jesus for a long time, maybe since the day He was there healing the leper or the paralytic or the woman with the incurable disease or when they saw Jesus raising as it were Jairus’ daughter. They were there all the while, and they were watching. They were there because they were spectators.

You see for them Jesus was just a famous healer. He was a showman. He was an entertainer. Go to the next town, let’s follow Jesus. No more to see? Come next Sunday again. There will be some spectacular, miraculous things happening. And so let’s go and see. They were spectators. There was excitement. They want entertainment, and Jesus to them was just an entertainer. But not for this man. Not for this blind man because this blind man has a different attitude. To him, these are not just entertainment. If Jesus could do that, He could do it for me because I’m a man in great need. To this blind man, it is something very personal.

To this blind man, he sees Jesus in light of his own terrible condition. He sees his blindness. To him, it is about life and death. To him, it’s about eternity, where I spend eternity. To him, it’s about his deepest longing, his deepest need. And here is Jesus Christ. And for how many years I’ve been here by the roadside? I’ve been waiting for a Man like this. Yes, I’ve heard of Him. I’ve heard much of Him. I heard that He could do many things, wonderful things. I’m sure He can do something for me. And that’s why when He heard that Jesus was in town, he cried out. He cried out to Jesus Christ.

Now you see that in chapter 18 of Luke, Luke has been stressing this attitude all along. He has been trying to show to his reader that this ought to be the attitude of people towards the Lord Jesus Christ- people who see their needs, people who see their actual condition. You see, these other people were blind but they cannot see (Mistakenly mentioned “were”, supposedly “weren’t”). But this blind man was blind physically but he could see something. He could see something. And so I say in the whole of this chapter, Luke has been pressing home this point upon his reader.

At the very beginning of this chapter, he told us a parable of that widow who came to the judge and to plead with the judge. And when the judge would not listen to her, she begged and she pleaded. And Jesus said in verse 6: “Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?”. You see, it’s the cry. And here is the story of a woman who cried. She cried out because she knew her need. She said: “You must help me or else I’m done. I’m done. I’m finished. I just need help.”. And Jesus commanded this widow and says: “Will not God hear you if you’d cry like this?”.

Is there a sense of need in you? Is there this crying response to God and to Jesus Christ? And then you see, we read in verse 13. Verse 13, he tells another parable that of the Pharisees and the tax collector. And then he says: “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’”. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” That’s exactly the cry here. God, be merciful to me a sinner. This is in contrast to the Pharisees in verses 11 and 12. “I’m a good person, I’m not like the other guy.”

And then we see again in the chapter in verse 18. In verse 18, he tells of the ruler, the young man (the rich young man): “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?””. And Jesus told him, he responded and said in verse 21: “All these things I have kept from my youth.”. So what do I still lack? I’m a good person, I’m a religious person, I go to church, I’m baptised, I give money to the church, I do all these things, I’ve kept all the commandments. And so what do I still lack? Now, this is set in contrast to the man in the next chapter in chapter 19. In chapter 19, Jesus tells us of another man. I call him the rich old man.

Verse 5: “And Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, today I must stay at your house.” And he made haste, he came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.””. That man (that rich man), he’s a sinner. “Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor.”.

Remember what Jesus said to the rich young man? Sell your goods and give it to the poor, and he refused. But this man, he sold and he gave to the poor. A contrast. And that’s what Luke is trying to show to us here. And that is the point he’s trying to impress upon here as he tells a story of the blind man. Here is a blind man. He’s so different from the crowd, from the other people. And it’s always the case both during the time of the Lord Jesus Christ and all through the ages and today.

Two contrasting responses. Two contrasting attitudes towards the Lord Jesus Christ. I say why did this man (this blind man) respond so different? Why do some people respond so differently? Why does this man respond so differently? Now there are reasons. Primarily because it says here there are two reasons. He saw Jesus for who He truly was. He saw Jesus for who He truly was. For the other people in verse 37, and “told him Jesus of Nazareth was passing by”. But for this blind man, no. He’s more than just Jesus of Nazareth because he said in verse 38 He is Jesus, the son of David. He is the promised Messiah. He’s the One that the prophets have foretold will come, and He is the One. 

And you might remember earlier on in Luke chapter 4. In Luke chapter 4 when Jesus went to the synagogue; when He went to the synagogue in verse 17, He was handed a book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He opened the book, He found the place where it was written. And this is what He read on that day in verse 18: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to the recovery of sight to the blind, to set liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”.

“And then He closed the book (verse 20), and He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And all the eyes were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.” They were all watching Him. They were looking at Him after He has read the passage. And then He said in verse 21: “He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””. In other words, what is the prophet Isaiah saying? He said that day will come. He would be the promised Messiah. He is God’s anointed One. When He comes, this is what He would do. He would open blind eyes. 

And then He said I am the One. I am the One. I am the promised Messiah. And all along as Luke records these miracles one after another, it is to authenticate His messiahship. It is to prove that this blind man could see. This blind man could see even though he didn’t see. And that’s why he cried out: “You are the Messiah (now this is a messianic term alright)”. Jesus, son of David. It is basically recognizing and saying that you are really that Messiah.

He saw, he reacted so very differently because first of all, he saw Jesus as He truly was. He reacted so very differently because he saw himself as he truly was, that he’s the broken, no good, hell-deserving sinner. These other people cannot see. “I have been obedient to the commandments. What do I still lack? I’m a good person, I’m a pious person. I’m not like the other person.”. But this man could see who he truly was. He sees who Jesus truly was. And the Saviour is here. And Jesus is in town for some reason. He probably could not understand why was Jesus here, but He is here. He is here.

You realise that this morning? For some reason, you are here and you hear of Jesus Christ. You are asking: What is this commotion about? And we are telling you that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. And for this blind man, he saw that this was his chance. All these years he’s never met Jesus and never get that close to Jesus. But now Jesus is here. This is my opportunity. This is the time of a lifetime.

And may I perhaps say this to some of you: Maybe this is the chance of your lifetime. You may never have another chance like this to get near to Jesus and to cry out to Him for help. You may never have another chance that close like this morning. And this is how he felt. He’s here. And even though the people shouted to him and said: “Shut up! Keep quiet!”, he would not. He would not. And we are told he cried out all the more. He cried out all the more. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”, and that was the first thing we see in this passage. The blind man’s cry.

Now next is in verses 40 and 41, where we see Jesus’ response. Jesus’ response. And I want to point out two things here. First, in verse 40, we are told: “And Jesus stood still”. I think I prefer this expression “stood still” than the ESV expression, they said: “And Jesus stopped”. Now but the idea is this alright: Jesus stopped or stood still means that He was on the way to somewhere. He was on the way to somewhere. As I told you just now, He was on His way to Jerusalem. He had an important mission to accomplish. He was not like you know aimlessly you know doing some sightseeing in Jericho. No, He was just passing by. He was in haste. 

But even though He had an urgent mission to accomplish and that is to die on the cross for sinners, for those whom the Father has chosen; even though He had to do that, He sees that as His most important mission on earth, and yet what Luke tells us in verse 40 is this that Jesus was never too busy to stop and respond to the plea and the cry for mercy. He’s never too busy. He will stop and He will stand still to respond to this blind man’s cry. In other words, the cry of the blind man caught His attention. The cry of the blind man caught His attention. And so He ordered this blind man to be brought to Him. So that is the first thing to see here in Jesus’ response. 

It’s just an amazing thing I feel that we do have to just ponder and think about you know when people are very busy and yet they put aside everything. Mom is very busy, but then when the child cries, mom will put aside everything, and all ears attend to the cry of the baby. Or dad may be very busy, travelling here and there, busy with work, trying to bring bread home. But when the child cries, dad put aside everything and now listen. And that is the picture here. Jesus was busy, and then He puts aside everything and says: No, they are not going to move. He stood still. There is something I need to attend to. It’s amazing. Amazing compassion, amazing kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ that we see here in verse 40. 

And then in verse 41, He asked: “What do you want Me to do for you?”. What do you want Me to do for you? What a kind question. Now, remember first of all that Jesus is able to do anything. In the development of this story, that point is already being impressed upon us. He healed this person, He healed that person. He raised the dead. He was able to do anything. He who was able to do anything now asked the question: What do you want Me to do for you? And then we hear the man’s answer. We hear the man’s answer. Again in the same verse: “He said, “Lord, that I may receive sight.””. Lord that I may receive sight. It’s a wonderful answer. 

Now I want to ask you this morning: Now if the Lord should ask you that question or this question this morning, what do you want Me to do for you? Perhaps some of you come to church, you have that in mind. Now there are many people who go to a place of worship, they have that in mind. I’m going there, I’m going to church this Sunday, and I want God to do something for me. Very good and very well. And God may be saying the same to you this morning. Jesus may be saying the same to you this morning. Remember with God nothing is impossible. You can have confidence in that. And He’s saying to you: What do you want Me to do for you? What would be your answer? 

Now for this blind man who has been there maybe for years, waiting for people to pass by and begging for money, or maybe it’s just for a piece of bread. Then today is different. Today there was a crowd. There is a crowd passing by. Today there is this man Jesus who is able to do anything. He’s almost like now the rich man is coming. Today is different. The billionaire is coming. “Jesus, give me money”, that’s what perhaps many would expect him to say. He has been begging. This is my chance. Today, I’m going to be rich. Today, I’m going to get things. He can do anything. I would think of what things. I want to be rich, I want money, I want possessions, I want fame, I want glory. What do you want Jesus to do for you? You want the world? 

But then listen to Jesus. Listen to Jesus who said in Luke 9:25 and what profit is there? “What profit is a man if he gains the whole world, but lose his own soul?”. You want the world? That’s what many people are crying out for. They’re in religion alright for what they can get out of religion, and what they want is the world, is possession. But listen to Jesus: “What profit is it to a man if you gain the whole world?”. 

Or there in chapter 12 and verse 15, and here is another man who came to Jesus, asking Jesus to help him get his inheritance, his money, his possession. And then listen to Jesus, Luke 12:15- “Jesus said to him, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.””. And yet that is what many people are here for. They want possessions, they want the world, they want money. Listen to what Jesus said. Same chapter, chapter 12 and verse 21: “So he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God, he’s doomed.”. There are people who are rich, but they are not rich towards God.

But that is exactly what many people are asking for when they come to Jesus, when they come to God. If God would ask them that question: “What do you want Me to do for you?”, this would be the answer that many would give. And we are surprised that this man is not asking for these. He should have. He’s the beggar. He had no money. He’s in physical need, but he did not ask any of these. He came to Jesus, he saw his greater needs. He saw himself in his sin. He came to Jesus and said: “Jesus, this is what I want. I want forgiveness, I want mercy, I want eternal life, I want to see. I want to see.”. Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. But I want to see.

Is that what you would ask of Jesus this morning? And we come to the third and the final section of this passage, and Jesus’ declaration. Now what Jesus said in verses 42 and 43, what did Jesus say to this man? What did Jesus say to this man? What was His comment here? Verse 42: “Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.””. Your faith has made you well. Jesus was impressed with this man. He didn’t ask for all these things. He just thought it was nothing alright- the world, possessions, money, riches, wealth. Jesus said: “Your faith has made you well.”. And when Jesus said your faith has made you well, He is also trying to help us see how amazing. It’s amazing thing that this man has faith.  So in other words, the blind man’s faith is amazing.

Remember Jesus did heal the leper, but this blind man did not see. The crowd, maybe they saw Jesus healed that leper, but this blind man did not see. Remember Jesus casts out demons from that man who was possessed by demons, but this blind man did not see. Remember Jesus healed the woman with twelve years of incurable illness, but this blind man did not see. Remember Jesus still the storm and the wave, but this blind man did not see. Remember Jesus raised the dead (He raised Jairus’ daughter), but this blind man did not see. He only heard. He only heard. People told him that Jesus did that. But to him, that was good enough. He only heard, and to him, that was good enough. It’s amazing for many people that is not good enough. They want to see.

Show me Jesus. I want to see Jesus today. They are not content with just hearing the gospel being proclaimed to them. And that’s what Jesus is saying about this man. His faith has made him well. Even though he has never seen all that I have done for people, have never seen My power, but he heard of the story. He heard about Jesus Christ. Now I want to show you that actually, this is a refrain as it were throughout the gospel of Luke. A refrain, an echo rather that we hear again and again throughout this gospel of Luke.

Look for example in chapter 7. Chapter 7 and verse 50. Chapter 7 and verse 50: “Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.””. Chapter 8 and verse 25: “But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”” when the disciples didn’t believe Him. So where is your faith? Jesus was looking for faith. When He sees one, He would commend his faith. Where’s your faith? In verse 48, chapter 8. Verse 48. we read here: “And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.””. That’s what He said to the woman with twelve years of incurable illness, and you are healed. Your faith has made you well.

Verse 49: “While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be well.””. Can you see the emphasis here by Luke in recording this or emphasis that Jesus is making? Faith. Where is your faith? Your faith has made you well. Do not worry, believe. Only believe, and she will be made well. Chapter 17. Chapter 17 and verse 19. Chapter 17 and verse 19, He said to the leper: “And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.””.

Then come to chapter 18 and verse 8. Nevertheless alright in verse 18: “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on earth?””. That is the question. And so when we come to verse 42 of chapter 18, we have the same refrain again: “your faith has made you well”. Do you have faith? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe that He has the power to save you from your biggest problem that is your sin that is having that hold on you? And that is the consequence of sin- the damnation in hell. But Jesus is able. And will you believe Jesus will say to you: “Your faith has made you well.”? Let us pray.

“Our Father in heaven, indeed we want to cry out this morning just as this blind man has cried out. We want to see. We want to see Jesus. We want to see the beauty of His love. We want to see His mercy and His grace, and we want to see our great need. Help us, O Lord, to see that our biggest trouble is not all the troubles that we face in this world but the spiritual trouble that we are in. A trouble of being under the bondage of sin, under the hold of the evil one, that we are not doing the will of the Father.

Our trouble is that we are hell-bound. And Lord we pray that You open up our eyes to see this and then to see the beauty of Your love, that Your love is so amazing, that You have sent Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to this world to die on the cross, that sinners like us may be redeemed, and that whoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For this, we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.