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Reading Luke 18:31-43 where Jesus tells the disciples what is going to happen when He gets to Jerusalem, and He also heals a blind man on the way to Jericho. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!
The disciples were told that Jesus was going to go suffer and die and rise again on the third day, but they did not understand it. A blind man asked Jesus to give him sight and Jesus opened his eyes. How are these two accounts connected when we understand the text?
Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text is committed to teaching sound doctrine and rebuking those who contradict it. Visit our website at www .utt .com.
Here once again is Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky. In our study of the Gospel of Luke, we come back to chapter 18. We've got a portion of this chapter to finish up yet, with Jesus again telling his disciples that he will soon die, and then healing a blind beggar on the road near Jericho.
Let me begin reading here at verse 31. We'll go through verse 43. Hear the word of the Lord. 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.
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. But they understood none of these things.
This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. 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. And he 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, Son of David, have mercy on me.
And Jesus stopped and commanded him 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 recover my sight. And Jesus said to him, Recover your sight, your faith has made you well.
And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. You know, often we don't think about the fact that Jesus was followed by a great number of people.
We read back in the Gospel of Mark that at times Jesus and his disciples were so busy with all the people that followed them and the compassion that he had on them and the miracles that he was doing, the teaching that he continued in, they didn't even have time to eat.
So here is Jesus walking on the way to Jericho. And this is still a part of that journey as he's heading back to Jerusalem or he's set his face toward Jerusalem. And here this large crowd is following him so that it even attracts the attention of this blind man by the road, calling out to Jesus to heal him.
And it was his faith, Jesus said, that made him well. Or literally, your faith has saved you. Now keep in mind, this is set against what we just read last week. We finished up on Wednesday, it would have been, with the rich young ruler.
And the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked him, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life? But he was not willing to do what Jesus said. He had to give up all he had, give it to the poor, and then come follow me, Jesus said.
But the rich ruler walks away sad because he had many great possessions. He was not willing to give up all that he had in order to gain the kingdom. He thought that he could do it by his works, and by his wealth, and by what Jesus said about this, even the disciples perceived that this was impossible to accomplish.
But then Jesus saying to them, what is impossible with man is possible with God. We also had the occasion right before that, right before Jesus talked to the rich ruler, where the little children came to Jesus and wanted to be blessed by him.
And Jesus said, truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. So children coming to Jesus, wanting to be blessed. The ruler wanting to be affirmed in his works that he had done enough and he was rich enough to gain the kingdom.
And then this blind beggar calling out to Jesus to have his sight restored. He even had humility and faith that the rich young ruler did not have. And Jesus healed him and he saw again, and he joined the crowd of people that was there with Jesus.
Now there were certain things that Jesus said specifically to his disciples and even apart from everybody else, things that they learned that everybody else would not learn. Specifically here, Jesus telling them what's going to happen when he goes back to Jerusalem.
So let me pick up that portion, verses 31 to 34. 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.
This is the third time now that Jesus is saying this to the disciples. And that's something that is common across the three gospels. We saw three times, the three synoptic gospels specifically, but we saw three times in Matthew where Jesus had said this to the disciples.
And even there, the disciples not understanding what Jesus was talking about. On one of those occasions, Matthew 16, Peter even rebukes Jesus for saying such a thing. And then Jesus says to Peter, get behind me, Satan, for you are not thinking with the mind of God, but with the mind of a man.
You are a hindrance to me. And here the disciples, not thinking with the mind of God. The saying was hidden from them. They did not grasp what was said. Now regarding what had been prophesied about Jesus, he said to the disciples, everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
I mean, there's a lot of those that we can go through, but think of Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? That was even with regards to the Son of God. We saw in the book of Acts how that Psalm in particular was fulfilled through the crucifixion of Jesus.
The Jews and the Gentiles conspiring together, the Romans, to put the Son of God to death. We also have Psalm 22 where it is said that he would be scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me.
Psalm 22 verse 7. They make mouths at me. They wag their heads. He trusts in the Lord. Let him deliver him. Let him rescue him for he delights in him. That was one of the very things that the people mocked Jesus with from the foot of the cross.
He believed in God. Let God come and save him. So, those things that had been prophesied about in the Old Testament Scriptures would come to pass. Jesus saying to his disciples right here, everything that the prophets said would happen is about to happen.
In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 10 Peter says, concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours.
Searched.
And inquired carefully inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you.
Peter saying to the church at that present time in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which angels long to look.
We specifically have been shown the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's something that even the angels don't have the privilege of experiencing because there's no plan to redeem the angels.
Those angels that have been cast out of heaven, those that we typically call the demons or the servants of Satan they will not be redeemed. A day will come when they along with Satan will be destroyed in the lake of fire and brimstone that has been prepared for them.
All that would do the ways and the works of the devil will likewise be cast into that place as Jesus talked about in Matthew chapter 25. But we have been shown the grace of God that we would hear the gospel proclaimed to us and even come to believe it.
Things into which angels long to look. And there were prophets beforehand who inquired about what person or time the Spirit of Christ was indicating to them when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
So there were prophets that.
Wrote about this stuff, they wanted to see it.
They would.
Search carefully the scriptures, hoping that they might be able to see it in their lifetime. Very few did. Simeon was one. Anna the prophetess was another one. We read about them in Luke chapter 2. So there were few prophets that had the opportunity to see these things fulfilled.
Many others searched, did not get to see it. We are privileged in that we have, as Peter would say in his next letter in 2 Peter chapter 1, we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
That's 2 Peter 1 .19. So we have that word which had been prophetically given long before Christ was born and fulfilled these things. And we've seen those things come to completion. We've seen Christ fulfill the law and the prophets and then we're even able to see the end of redemptive history and what God is ultimately going to accomplish through Jesus Christ.
The end of the book has been written. If you're ever in despair, if you're ever wondering what is going on, take heart Christian we win. Read the last page of the book. Christ is victorious. What a privilege that we live in an age in which we get to see all of this having been fulfilled when we open the word of God, we open the scriptures, we've got the prophecies and then the history of all of this stuff being accomplished and then the direction that the apostles give to the church how we should now live in light of what Christ has done for us.
What a privilege. And may we not take that for granted but we would read our Bibles. It's so easy to have the word of God now. How cheap it is to even go and buy a Bible. It's the word of God, the word of the creator of the universe.
And we don't open it and read it. And so Jesus saying to his disciples here exactly what it is that's going to happen and they don't understand what's going to happen. Now this is even setting us up for something that's going to be said at the end of this gospel in chapter 24 after Jesus rises just about the time he's going to ascend back to the father he tells the disciples he opens their minds to understand the scriptures and he spends that 40 days between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven explaining how he fulfilled those things that were written about him from of old.
Opening their minds to understand and they saw it and then they would become the proclaimers of it at Pentecost and then on through the book of Acts showing the people how Jesus is the one that these prophets had spoken of.
Jesus goes on here in this section to say that the son of man 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.
He's telling them I'm going to go and suffer and die which is not what they were expecting even on this journey back to Jerusalem what they were expecting was that this was the time that the Messiah was going to come in and take over the throne of David.
Finally we're going to have that king that had been promised to us and they believed that was Jesus. He's going to come in and he's going to throw out the Herod's he's going to drive out the Romans we're going to be right there by his side we're like the first soldiers that he has chosen that's what they thought and that they would be surely victorious there would be no losing with everything that had been said about this Messiah who was to come.
They thought Jesus was going to be an emancipator so here he's talking about suffering and dying and being put to death by the Gentiles the very people we want to get out of here and they're going to torture you and put you to death but you're going to rise on the third day they understood none of these things.
Verse 34 says this saying was hidden from them and they did not grasp what was said. It wasn't time yet for them to understand what was said but soon they would and that even gets resolved here in the gospel of Luke.
So we go on to verse 35 Jesus healing the blind beggar at Jericho as he drew near to Jericho. Now this would have been the same Jericho an approximate location not exactly the same place but the same Jericho that was talked about in the Old Testament in the book of Joshua when Joshua came into the land with the armies of Israel they marched around the city.
They did this day after day until finally on the last day they marched around it blew the trumpets and the walls came down. The ark of the covenant of God went before them as they marched when they shouted and blew the trumpet the walls come tumbling down as we sing in the old Sunday school song.
And then they set fire to Jericho. And it was said that with the destruction of Jericho nothing would ever be built there again. So how is it that this Jericho exists. Well it's still a city called by Jericho and it's still in that approximate location.
But it would not be on top of the Jericho that had previously been there. So they're not on the same foundation as the city of Jericho that Joshua destroyed. That city has been found and it has been excavated and even to this day there's nothing on top of it except the archaeologists and historians that come through to study it.
So anyway Jesus is drawing near to Jericho. A blind man was sitting by the roadside begging and hearing a crowd going by. He inquired what this meant. So the blind man hears all the people who are there with Jesus and they're all anticipating something great about Jesus as well.
It's not just the twelve though Jesus specifically tells the twelve about how he's going to be mocked and shamefully treated and spat upon flogged and killed. But he will rise on the third day. He shares that with the twelve.
He doesn't share that with everybody else. And yet they still didn't grasp what it was that he was saying. These things would come back to their memory after their minds would be open. But they didn't understand it now.
So there's still a lot of people that are following Jesus believing he is the Messiah. He's going to do what we expect our emancipator our great leader and king to do. He's going to make Israel a great superpower again an empire that was as great or greater than the one that Solomon ruled over.
So the people say to this blind man that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. And the blind man cried out Jesus son of David have mercy on me. So surely this blind man had heard about this Jesus. And once it is said to him Jesus of Nazareth he knows.
And he's calling out to Jesus for healing. Those who are in front rebuked him telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more son of David have mercy on me. Now remember back to the situation with the children Luke 18 verse 15.
They were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him saying let the children come to me and do not hinder them.
For to such belongs the kingdom of God. Now remember one of the things that I said about that was though this certainly applies to little children actual little children who wanted to see Jesus and their parents who wanted Jesus to bless them.
It certainly applied to them. But another application that this has is with regards to those who are infants in faith. Infants in faith like they're newly born again they don't know much. Their faith is still kind of fragile.
They're still desiring to know more about this gospel that they believe though they are in the infancy stage of their new birth. And Jesus saying don't hinder the children also applies to those who have newly come into the kingdom of God by the hearing of the gospel don't hinder them.
And now here what we have in this account with Jesus healing the blind man the people are hindering him from being able to come to Jesus. So you have a man who is weak. He is small he is unable to do anything for himself and the people are not helping him.
They're trying to silence him and he continues to cry out. All the more son of David have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near he asked him what do you want me to do for you.
And he said Lord let me recover my sight. The man knows he's heard this. Jesus heals people. I believe he will give me my sight. And Jesus said to him recover your sight. Your faith has made you well or literally your faith has saved you.
Now once again just like the narrative with the little children had a spiritual connotation so this also has a spiritual connotation. A man wanted to see and Jesus opened his eyes that he would indeed see.
He literally opened his eyes but also his spiritual blindness was taken away. And every one of us that desires to see the Savior will see him when we seek for him with all our heart. You know Jeremiah 29.
Verse 11 is probably the most famous verse in Jeremiah 29. For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope. But then consider what is said in the verses immediately that follow.
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord. And I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you declares the Lord.
And I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. But even that transformation of the heart that happens ultimately we know it is not our willing ourselves to see or desire God or seek after him but that the Holy Spirit has drawn us to seek after God.
And the Holy Spirit has been with Jesus throughout his entire ministry. We saw that back at his baptism at the beginning of the three Gospels Matthew Mark and Luke. In those Gospels Jesus comes up out of the water after being baptized by John the Baptist.
And the Holy Spirit descends upon him like a dove. The Spirit leads him up into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. The Spirit has been with him all the while. And it is the work of the Spirit that plays even upon the heart.
The mind of this blind man that he would call out to Jesus to have his sight restored. And Jesus says to him recover your sight. Your faith has saved you. And immediately verse 43 I love that word I love that it's stuck right there immediately.
He recovered his sight. Not after several days went by not months and then years later gradually began to return. No right at that moment he recovered his sight. And by the way my friends you never see any of the charismatics.
Do that the charismatic healings that they claim that they are able to do today never look like this. Jesus immediately heals the man he recovered his sight. And what happened to him. He just went along as a beggar.
But now he was a seeing beggar by the side of the road. No he even left that place. And he followed Jesus glorifying God. He joined the crowd. And whenever we who were once blind can now see we likewise join the crowd.
We become part of the church a part of his called out people called out from the.
World.
To live holy and upright lives before him in love. He recovered his sight followed Jesus glorifying God and all the people when they saw it gave praise to God. Here is this crowd of people going along praising God because of the goodness that God showed this blind man.
And so just as Jesus has given sight to the blind man so he has given sight to you and me that we would be able to understand we would be able to read the scriptures and know. Now there was a partial blindness even upon the disciples according to what we read in this passage.
They did not understand what Jesus said what he meant when he said that he was going to go and die but come back on the third day. But soon they would be given their sight when their minds would be open to understand the scriptures.
Pray that God would show you more from his word that you would grow in his word and see more clearly even than you see now in Christ.
Jesus.
Heavenly Father we thank you for what we have read and Lord I pray that indeed our eyes would be open to search the scriptures and know you more. Help us with our blind spots even when it comes to our own sin and shortcomings.
What is it that's within us that needs to be searched out brought to the surface that we may lay it before you and not continue in this sin anymore but be forgiven and walk in holiness. Thank you Lord for your patience and your grace toward us.
Help us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in us both to will and work for his good pleasure. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Thank you for listening to when we understand the text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry visit our website www .wutt .com and click on the give tab in the top right corner of the page.
Join us again tomorrow as we continue our bible study when we understand the text.