The Seeing Who Are Blind And The Blind Who Sees. Luke 18:31-43
Notes
Transcript
Text - Luke 18:31–43
Subject - Sight
Theme - Restored Sight
Thesis - Jesus gives sight to the blind—both physically and spiritually—so that we might see Him clearly and follow Him with faith and gratitude.
Principle - Jesus restores our vision—opening blind eyes and blind hearts—so that we can trust Him, glorify Him, and walk in His way.
Blind disciples (vv. 31–34): They see physically, but not spiritually.
A seeing beggar (vv. 35–43): Though physically blind, he sees Jesus for who He is.
Jesus gives true sight: The power of Christ opens both the eyes and the heart.
Have you ever looked right at something and completely missed it?
Maybe you were searching the house for your keys, only to find them already in your hand.
Maybe you have been looking for your glasses and they are already on your head.
Or maybe you’ve had someone explain something to you multiple times, and only later did the light finally come on.
It’s not that your eyes weren’t working—it’s that you weren’t seeing.
That’s a little bit like what we find in today’s passage.
The disciples, who had walked with Jesus, heard His teachings, witnessed His miracles, and even left everything to follow Him—still didn’t truly see what He was saying.
They were blind—not physically, but rather they were spiritually blind.
They have been following Jesus, but have been just as confused and everyone else.
And then, right on the heels of their confusion in this moment, Luke introduces us to a man who is blind—physically—but sees Jesus more clearly than any of them.
This morning we’re going to look at a tale of two kinds of blindness—
the kind that misses God even while walking beside Him, and the kind that recognizes Him even in the dark.
What we’ll discover is this: only Jesus can open blind eyes—both the kind in our heads and the kind deep in our hearts.
So if you have already turn with me to Luke 18:31–43, ask yourself: Am I really seeing Jesus for who He is?
31 And taking the twelve, 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. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. 35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Blind Disciples (vv. 31–34)
Blind Disciples (vv. 31–34)
I want to set the timeline for you as we continue - this time period we find ourselves observing is the the final month to 3 weeks of Jesus life.
As far as time is concerned, it is getting short for Jesus on earth.
He has been intentional the whole time with his disciples, but he really lasers in for these final weeks.
This is the last miracle we see recorded until Jesus heals the man whose ear Peter cuts off in the Garden.
It will be these men going forward to spread the good news of what Jesus has come to do.
If you think for just a moment, if you knew your only had a 3 weeks, or even a month for that matter left to live, how might that change what you do?
It would likely drastically change what we do, how we speak with others, it would shift our priorities.
Consider that for a moment.
Because Jesus knew what was coming.
Depending upon your bible, it may have a title over these verses about Jesus foretelling his death for the third time.
The first in Luke was
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
The second was not long after that in
43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
We could consider another if we add in Lk 13:33
33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’
It is less specific though.
Each of these sections appear a little vague, the second caused some fear and concern with the disciples but they did not ask Jesus anymore about it.
This third prediction gets very specific.
Jesus gives details and says that everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
What Jesus says here is extremely significant.
The reason being that it is the prophecies that are given and then fulfilled in scripture that really set Christianity apart from other religions.
While some other religious texts offer prophecies that appear to be fulfilled, nothing comes close to the scope of prophecy offered and fulfilled in the Bible.
In my mind I attribute that to the fact that Satan is not all knowing, but even we can guess things that are going to happen in the future correctly sometimes.
But God -
Down through history, God provided us a road map.
Specifically a road map regarding the Messiah and God’s plan for redemption.
It started right after Adam and Eves sinned in the Garden.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
God foretold various signs and conditions through His prophets.
There are over 300 prophecies, written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, that Jesus fulfilled through His life, death and resurrection.
Mathematically this is impossible.
1 person fulfilling 8 prophecies: 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (100 quadrillion - 1 with 17 zeros)
1 person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power
1 person fulfilling 300+ prophecies: Only Jesus!
It is the magnificent detail of these prophecies that mark the Bible as the inspired Word of God.
Only God could foreknow and accomplish all that was written about the Christ.
This historical accuracy and reliability sets the Bible apart from any other book or record.
Let’s look at just one example.
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
Referenced in -
18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’
We find this story told specifically in -
3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.
But the details stack as well, the fulfillment of prophecy goes further -
The amount of money given to Judas was also prophesied - 30 pieces of silver -
12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.
Earlier, Zechariah had been commanded to watch a flock of sheep doomed to slaughter (Zechariah 11:4).
He obeyed, using two shepherd’s staffs that he named Favor and Union (verse 7).
Within a month, Zechariah fired the three shepherds working under him (verse 8).
Then Zechariah abandoned the flock and broke his staff named Favor.
Observers realized these actions were “the word of the LORD” (verse 11).
The Lord would remove His favor from His people, allowing them to be troubled by their enemies (verse 6).
God would remove His favor from upon Israel and allow them to be turned over to their evil desires.
As we continue in Zechariah, how that money was used after Judas went to give it back is also shown.
13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.
We read the story in Matthew 27:3-10
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
To understand this fully we need to know that
Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered Is Zechariah 11:12–13 a Messianic Prophecy?
the Hebrew Bible was divided into three sections: the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets.
The Prophets began with Jeremiah, and it was common for people to refer to the whole section (which included Zechariah) as “the book of Jeremiah.”
Jeremiah did buy a field - but it was only for 17 shekels of silver.
Zechariah’s prophecy had a dual fulfillment: one in the prophet’s contemporary context, and one in the more distant future.
The Jewish people of Zechariah’s day would be judged, as seen in the breaking of Favor,
and the specific details regarding 30 pieces of silver and a potter’s field found a future fulfillment in the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot.
The passages Jesus references in our passage today are those such as Psalm 22 (which Jesus quotes from the cross) and Isaiah 53 which tells how the Messiah will be despised and rejected.
Jesus gives specific information about what he will suffer for sinners.
He brings in the fact that it is more than just the Jews that cause him to suffer, it will be all of humanity.
He will be delivered over to the Gentiles.
He speaks of being mocked and beaten and abused—things he has not mentioned before, at least in so many words.
When we read this in the context of the Gospel as a whole, we get the impression that Jesus is coming to a clearer awareness of the sufferings he must endure.
I believe this to be the case.
While Jesus was fully God, we also know that He set aside his deity to become like us.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Jesus though He was God, in His humanity learned as we learn.
It was through reading scripture, prayer, and communion with God that He learned what was coming.
He knew what was to come but did not know when until the Spirit revealed it to Him.
Also, it was not just that Jesus had to die, but that he had to die this way:
with the cruel sufferings of a body that was abused before it was crucified and a soul that was forsaken by God.
The mention of the third day shows that Jesus also knew the promise of His resurrection.
What Jesus said was perfectly clear, but the disciples did not understand a word of it.
The did not understand because they were blind.
They had not learned, the Spirit had not revealed to them what was to come.
This is the key and the contrast we need to see - even though these men were close to Jesus, they were spiritually blind.
34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
The hard thing for us to grasp is how much more clear could Jesus get!
And yet they did not understand.
Spiritual blindness isn’t just ignorance; it’s a lack of spiritual perception that only God can overcome.
Which is exactly the fact that we see through the physical healing of a blind beggar.
A seeing beggar. (vv. 35–39)
A seeing beggar. (vv. 35–39)
As Jesus approached Jericho this blind man hears the commotion and asked what was going on.
The people around him told him - Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
The blind man has apparently heard about Jesus and knows that he is not just a Nazarean.
Everything in his response to Jesus shows that he has heard something about this man and believes he can change his life.
He cries out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (v. 38)
The people around him tried to get him to be quiet - that is the nice way of saying it.
Shh - the teacher doesn’t have time for you, can’t you see He is traveling somewhere.
But there was no way this man was going to shut up.
He cried out all the louder - Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
Wait a minute - what did he just say?
Jesus - Son of David.
Why did this man not cry out - Jesus of Nazareth have mercy on me?
It is because this blind man knew scripture.
This blind man, while physically bind, had spiritual sight.
Jesus closest 12 knew He was someone special, but they did not yet have spiritual sight.
This man cries out to Jesus using a messianic title.
Son of David.
In calling Jesus the “Son of David,” the blind man recognizes that Jesus is the Promised One of God.
In Judaism, there was a tradition that Solomon as Son of David had the power to heal, exercising great authority over the forces of evil.
But this man sees through more than the tradition.
This man has been granted spiritual sight to see Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to David.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
The difference between the disciples and the blind man is that they both knew about the prophecy, but only one truly believed with a saving faith.
There is only one thing worse than blindness, and that is not knowing that you are blind.
Yet an so many people are blind to their darkness, blind to their sin, blind to their destiny, blind to their hopelessness, spiritually out of touch.
Luke, Vol. 2—That You May Know the Truth Blind Sight About Jesus
Someone once bluntly asked blind and deaf Helen Keller, “Isn’t it terrible to be blind?” To which she responded, “Better to be blind and see with your heart, than to have two good eyes and see nothing.”
So it was with the blind man.
This blind mans persistence against the crowd and faith in Jesus as the Messiah gains him what he desires.
Physical sight to go along with his spiritual sight!
Imagine how it was for the blind beggar.
Blind at the beginning of Christ’s sentence, he was seeing at the end of it!
No surgery!
No bandages!
No adjustment!
Boom—sight!
Perhaps seeing faces for the first time.
This blind we know has a name - Bartimaeus.
Scholars say Mark’s Gospel preserves Bartimaeus’ name (10:46) because he became a pillar in the Jerusalem church.
He followed Jesus, witnessing the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday,
the horror of the Crucifixion,
and the joy of the Resurrection.
“He began following Him, glorifying God.” (v. 43)
The healed man doesn’t return to his old life—he follows Jesus in joyful gratitude (v. 43).
His transformation becomes a public testimony that leads others to praise God.
True sight results in discipleship and worship.
I would like to ask you a question this morning.
Have you heard about Jesus?
The blind beggar had never met Jesus, but he had heard about him.
Many of you have been following Jesus for many years and that is awesome!
You have met Jesus.
Continue to follow and glorify God in all that you do!
But there may be some here this morning that have only heard about Jesus.
You haven’t really met Jesus.
Or perhaps sin has calloused your eyes to where you can no longer see clearly.
You can’t see the Lord to follow Him as you ought.
Maybe you have met some Christians that say they follow Jesus, but they really don’t and they have provided a poor example for you.
So you haven’t had a good experience.
You’ve heard about Jesus but you haven’t really seen him.
You need that spiritual awakening.
I am here to tell you this morning that Jesus is willing to do a miracle in your life.
To open your spiritual eyes that you can see Him for who He truly is.
The only one who can redeem you, justify you, impart His obedience to you that you can be made right with God.
Once you see your need, you need to see who Jesus is.
He is “the Son of Man,” the awesome, glorious sovereign whom all peoples and all nations will worship and whose kingdom and dominion will never end.
He is “the Son of David,” the deliverer who will fulfill everything King David foreshadowed. He is the Savior, Christ the King.
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 (Following Jesus)
True faith produces joy in God and a commitment to follow Jesus forever.
This is a good way to test our relationship to God.
Do I experience joy in the worship of God?
Am I keeping the commandments of Christ?
Does my life point other people to Jesus in a way that makes them want to follow Jesus too?
If I say that I am trusting in Jesus, my faith should be evident in the way I worship, the way I witness, and the way I live.
Anthony Hoekema writes that faith is
A response to God’s call by the acceptance of Christ with the total person—that is, with assured conviction of the truth of the gospel, and with trustful reliance on God in Christ for salvation, together with genuine commitment to Christ and to his service.
Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 140.
Thanks be to God that he draws us in to faith.
The disciples, while blind gained sight!
Will you see Jesus?
Do not let him pass you by!
Imagine how tragic it would have been if the blind man in Jericho had heard Jesus walking by but never cried out to him in faith.
Unless the man had raised his voice at that very moment, he would have missed his chance to see Jesus, and he would have been lost forever. Now Jesus has come your way.
Will you call out to him in faith?
Jesus has to be believed to be seen; if you believe in him, you will see him, and by his mercy you will be saved.
