Sermon on Luke 18:35-43

After blogging about my preaching's appraisal in the previous post, I have decided to put up my sermon on my blog (like I did the last time) for a record. :) ~ Critique it if you like, or please feel free to drop me some encouragement. :D The words in Italics are not said.

Prelude 

Good morning, friends. I thank you for being here with me this morning. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Almighty and merciful Father, we thank You that the light of Christ has shone through our darkness that we may know Your secret heart that beats for the world to have life. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to You, God. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Today, I am preaching on Luke chapter 18, verses 35-43. Let me first read to you the passage from the NASB - Luke chapter 18, verses 35-43. Verse 35: 

^"35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶ Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸ And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" ³⁹ Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, ⁴¹ "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" ⁴² And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." ⁴³ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God." Amen. 

Introduction 

Dear friends, to be human is to fear death. Throughout history - diseases, accidents, war, famine and natural disasters have proven to us that nobody escapes death. In the evolution of technologies and medicine - an increasingly common cause of death is ageing. Today, efforts to put death on hold by slowing down the ageing process are in trend. The sale of anti-aging nutrition, supplements, therapies and skincare has become a profitable global industry. However, regardless of how much control man tries to have over death, the unknown yet challenges us. Movies stir our imaginations of how we may unexpectedly meet death. We wonder: what if a new virus threatened to wipe out the entire human race? What if the resources of the Earth were exhausted? What if a global nuclear war, tsunami or meteor strike occurred? What if the world ends? Will life end for us? And then we are grounded by more uncertainties: Will life end happily ever after?  Is there life after death?  Would religion save us from eternal punishment - for the sins which we have committed on Earth? These uncertainties date back to the ancient times.

In the Jewish world which Jesus was part of, people took refuge in religion. Religious people - those who devoutly obeyed the Law - were respected. The religious were in danger of becoming proud. The proud assumed that they would be safe from God's wrath that awaited sinners. Sinners - those who disobeyed the Law - were condemned. Unfortunately, the Jewish culture took certain physical flaws as tell-tale signs that a person or his parents had sinned. Especially blindness. I suppose we can't fully fault the people for their strange philosophy back then. After all, the Torah seems to indicate that blindness is a shameful condition. Blindness was generally treated as a mark of uncleanness and spiritual impurity. In Leviticus 21, blindness topped the list of physical flaws that disqualified a priest from offering bread in the sanctuary. The Torah also understands blindness to be associated with divine punishment. Blindness is listed in Deuteronomy 28 as a specific curse for those who fail to follow the Law. And so, the culture understood the blind to have been cursed because of sin. The blind were also discriminated, poor and reduced to begging. They were social outcasts.

The blind man in the story was a beggar. Verse 35 tells us that he was sitting by the road begging when the crowd Jesus was in passed by. NOW we know why he was begging - he didn't have a choice when it came to dignity. Survival would always be about enduring dirty conditions, sands, scorpions, the hot sun, accidents, bullies and humiliation. This morning, by God's help, let us see what was it that made him well and changed his life. 

1. The blind man had faith 

Back to our story, Jesus was in the midst of the crowd. In verse 37, they told the blind man that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. Jesus was obviously on everyone's mind, or else they would have responded to the blind man differently when he asked what the fuss was about. They could have casually said, "Oh... you know... we are going to Jerusalem for the Passover," or they could have just avoided him. But no, Jesus of Nazareth was in the crowd - He was THE Jesus who had filled the land of Israel with miracles as He preached the Kingdom of God from place to place. There was a hum of excited conversations happening all at the same time; the swishing of long robes, the patter of feet, the cries of many other beggars - blind or not blind - begging as hard as they could. And suddenly, on top of all these, the blind man's voice boomed, "Jesus, Son of David...have mercy on me!"

Wait a minute. What was going on there? Was the blind man trying to win some begging competition by being outstanding? Had he decided to take up fortune telling as a side job? For all we know, there could have been a great demand for blind fortune tellers in those days.

On the contrary, the blind man knew that only a miracle would enable him to see again. He also knew that this was his only chance to be healed. He did not attempt to curry favour with Jesus of Nazareth because he could offer nothing. He could only desperately cry out for mercy from the Great Healer. His desperation had made him bold. He had to break all the cultural rules of beggar etiquette to beg for mercy. Imagine the shocked faces, shaking heads, clicking tongues and even, some murderous stares. Shouldn't beggars be seen and not heard? He could have been mocked, hit, stoned or killed for being dramatic. And ultimately, he was at the mercy of Jesus, from whom he had begged for mercy.

The blind man was not only bold because he was desperate. More than anything, he was bold because he had faith in Jesus. While he could not see everything that the rest of the people saw of Jesus - who was not clothed in royal robes; not carrying a sceptre and not being carried in a mobile throne... somehow the light of truth had come home to his heart. He believed that the Son of David had come and could give him mercy. To the Jews, "Son of David" was a Messianic term. It expressed their hope for political change and religious leadership. Perhaps, God's miracle for the blind man had already begun way before his physical eyes were opened in Verse 43. The light of truth had already begun to enlighten the eyes of his heart. The blind man believed that Jesus of Nazareth would be the Messiah. And so, we see in Verse 38 - a humble yet bold confession of faith. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Like the blind man, none of us has ever seen Jesus with our physical eyes. But, what made us so bold to stake our entire eternity on the Gospel offer for us to have life in Jesus Christ? What made us so bold to confess our sins to a God we have never seen with our physical eyes? What made us so bold to acknowledge Christ as Lord? Faith. By God's grace, His light of truth we have received - and we had faith. Do we still have this faith today? 

2. The disciples failed to have faith 

In verse 39, Luke specifies that "those who led the way were sternly telling the blind man to be quiet." Who do you think were those who were leading the way? When a celebrity is being pursued by fans and reporters, it would usually be the bodyguards or managers who surround the celebrity and lead the way in the crowd. If Jesus was the reason for the crowd's excitement, who else would be leading the way but those who work closely with Him - who else but His disciples?

Unlike us today, the Jews did not understand at that time the nature of the Kingdom Jesus had preached. The Messiah was thought to be an earthly king with an earthly kingdom. Like the blind man, Jesus' disciples did understand that Jesus would be the Messiah. But, they seemed to take for granted that they had been chosen to reign with Him. Unlike the blind man who humbly cried out for mercy, they were proud of their position as His disciples. They had even disputed among themselves, as to who would be the greatest, and who would sit closest to the Lord, with the greatest power. The disciples had often assumed the task of stopping those who were deemed unprofitable for the Kingdom from coming to Jesus - for example the children in Luke 18. With the blind man, they were at it again. Doesn't it disturb you that the disciples did not even care to bring the blind man to Jesus for a healing touch? Were they so proud that they had failed to see that it was by mercy and grace that they were still walking with Jesus despite their character flaws? While they were busy disdaining the blind man for being a sinner - whose lips were not worthy to utter the title of the Messiah - had they forgotten that they too were sinners, in need of God's mercy and grace?

To Jesus' disciples, "Son of David" could also have been a term that spelled trouble. Already, Jesus had angered the Jewish religious leaders who were dying to kill Him. A short while ago, Jesus had also revealed to His disciples that He was to be arrested in Jerusalem, mocked, mistreated, spit upon, scourged and killed. The disciples did not understand that there was no way to prevent this from happening, and so, they could have feared that the term would draw dangerous attention to Jesus. Perhaps they thought that by silencing the blind man, they could protect Jesus from assassins. Perhaps, they feared that they would become "nobodies" if Jesus was no more. The disciples seemed to have more faith in themselves than in the Son of David to establish the Kingdom.

And so we see that while the blind man's faith could not be silenced, the disciples' pride and fears also could not be silenced. Like the blind man, our faith in Christ might be opposed. Sometimes, those who oppose our faith might be even our fellow Christians. Speak about our faith with passion and we might be seen as too emotional. Exude joy and we might be criticised as being idealistic. Be amazed at a miracle and we might meet sceptics who water it down. Quit our well-paying jobs to respond to God's call into the seminary, and we might be called fanatics. Even so, will let your faith be silenced?   

3. Faith made the blind man well 

Whose side did Jesus take? That of the blind man or the disciples? Well, my friends, you know the rest of the story in verses 40-43. The blind man had chosen faith and his wildest dream was just about to come true! Jesus stopped, commanded that the blind man be brought to Him - and then amazingly, He gave the man a choice! Nobody gives beggars choices. They say that beggars can't be choosers. What grace! What mercy! If Jesus asked you today, "What do you want Me to do for you?" - how would you respond? The blind man, full of faith, with no hesitation, said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!"

In Verse 42, Jesus told the blind man, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."

And the next thing we know, the blind man immediately regained his sight. What had made him well? Jesus said that faith had made him well. I am struck by the simplicity of the story, really. We are not told in verse 43 if the man's head swam when light first entered his eyes; if he was terrified by the great crowd around him; or if he had cried for joy. Verse 43 also did not say that the earth shook, or the clouds parted and angels sang, or somebody cranked up the organ. No. While the Bible reveals that the crowd praised God, the Bible doesn't say anything else about the reaction of Jesus' audience that very moment the man could see again. We can only imagine that they were impressed by the healing - too miraculous to be ascribed to any other but God. Like in a magic show whereby the illusionist does not explain to his audience how he performs his magic tricks, there are simply not many details to help us put ourselves in the shoes of the story's characters at that miraculous moment. Contemporary readers, who want the Bible to be a history or science textbook, will certainly struggle with this.

It is as if the Bible has left us, readers, to decide for ourselves whether the miracle happened for real or not, despite us not having the full details. We have inquired: what had made the man well? Can we wholeheartedly believe that it was merely faith that made him well? Are we even convinced that this story happened for real? Likewise, faith requires us to choose to believe God even when we can't see or fully explain how, what or why. We can only take God at His Word. And we CAN take God at His Word because He has proven His love through Christ's death for us even while we were yet sinners.

We need to back up a little to verse 42 and look deeper into the words Jesus spoke: "Your faith has made you well." The Greek word for "made you well" or "healed" is also the New Testament word for "save". Jesus had also meant to say to the man, "Your faith has saved you." Some interpret this to mean that the man had been saved from his sins right there and then. I want to propose that the man may not have known immediately that the Messiah was God Himself. However, since he had seen the need to follow Jesus, as we see in verse 43, he was now in the best position to witness the death and resurrection of Christ - and then, make the connection between the Messiah and God by faith. This man would enter the Kingdom of God. The man was also glorifying God for his new life as a sighted person. In due time, he would be glorifying God for his new life as a Christian - one who is able to rejoice in the hope of his identity and inheritance in the risen Christ. This hope, my friends, is the essence of the life Christ came to give us. 

4. Faith-filled Believers can bring hope to the world 

Dear friends, indeed, Christ has died, Christ has risen and Christ will come again. In the last part of my sermon, I would like to encourage you that until Christ comes again, faith-filled believers can bring the hope of Christ to the world. 

How so? 

You see, by faith in a God who loves us, we have been baptised into the death of Christ, so that we may walk in the light of His life. By faith, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit who gives us light by convicting, guiding and bearing witness of our identity in Christ. By faith, we have read God's Word that enlightens and renews our minds. By faith, we have entered the Church to walk in the light with each other. By faith, we have been nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion, while we anticipate the Light of the World together. Faith has allowed the light of Christ to enter our hearts and lives. Like the blind man, whose faith had brought the world to savour God's glory, we, by faith, also can bring the world to savour God's glory. As the light of Christ has entered our darkness and given us hope, the light of Christ will also empower us to shine light into the dark of the world; to bring hope to those without hope.

Pride hinders us from bringing the hope of Christ to the world 

But what hinders this? What hinders us from bringing the hope of Christ to the world? From the story, we were reminded that there is a condition which is even more dangerous than physical blindness or opposition to our faith - something that starts with P and ends with E. Pride. A doctor's worst nightmare is not the patient with the most severe or terminal illness, but the patient who does not think he is sick even when he is very ill. This patient therefore refuses treatment, believing that he is perfectly fine. Similarly, those who are proud don't necessarily think that they have a problem. They think that everyone else has a problem but themselves. Such pride hindered the disciples from bringing hope to the blind man. Such pride will hinder us from bringing the hope of Christ to the world.

And so, we need to be very careful. Pride can happen when we assume that we are fine - just because we have walked with Jesus long enough like the disciples, hold some kind of leadership position in church, tithe, serve actively in a ministry, or even attend the seminary. Those of us here who are seminary students spend most of our time attending lectures, fulfilling community duties, serving in church during the weekends, doing assignments and doing more assignments. While all these are good things, I have personally found that it is so easy to become proud if I am not careful. It is possible to lose sight of my need for God while I study about God. I am trying to ask myself from time to time: have I allowed my anxieties over deadlines to drown out my devotional pursuit of God? Have I become more concerned about what I do rather than why I do the things that I do? Have I become proud of my skills, spirituality and reputation as a "seminary student" that I scorn those who are not seminary students? It is sometimes quite painful for me to answer my own questions.

Friends, are we not God's beloved children before we are anything else? Are we not fellow-heirs with Christ before we are anything else? If pride blinds our hearts to our need for God; if pride kills our faith - will we be able to rejoice in the hope of our identity and inheritance in Christ? No. One who lacks faith in God lacks hope. When trials come, one will be in great despair and fear - because he does not believe that God can help him. Will there be hope for him? No, there will be no hope. Pride has made him blind. Pride prevents us from seeing the light of hope we already have in Christ. And pride will hinder us from bringing the hope of Christ to the world. The good news is that God can help us to see again. If we humbly give ourselves to the mercy of the Lord despite ourselves, He who made a blind beggar see will do the same for us. 

Spiritual disciplines help us to be faith-filled. 

Again, faith-filled believers can bring the hope of Christ to the world. But how can we be filled with faith? This is where spiritual disciplines are so important. Through prayer, solitude, meditating on God's Word, fasting, worship, fellowship and even serving others, we may be filled with faith in God. But spiritual disciplines are hard, aren't they? As a young child, I often accompanied my mother to the market on Saturday mornings. I suppose, most young children find it very fun to drop coins into cups, hats, donation boxes, ponds and fountains. I was no different. When I spotted a man sitting at the market's entrance, playing very skillfully on a portable piano, I immediately ran forward happily with twenty cents in my hand. Just when I got near to his cup on the ground, the man lifted up his head. To my horror, I could only see the whites of his eyes! I learned that he was blind. Since that made such an impression on me, my mother decided to use the blind pianist in her "preaching" illustrations to compel me to be less lazy in practising the organ. She would say things like, "Do you know how the blind man was able to play so well, even without looking? That is because he practised so hard that he is able to feel the music with his heart!" This always annoyed me, but my mother did have a point there. To counter the limitations of blindness and to make money, the blind pianist must have disciplined himself to practise his art even when it wasn't natural in the beginning. Like my mother said, perhaps he practised so much that he was eventually able to feel the music with his heart, confidently play the piano and bring delight to the heart of his potential givers. Likewise, to counter the difficulty of spiritual disciplines, we need to practise spiritual disciplines even when they don't feel natural to us in the beginning. Some of us here may be able to testify that when we have practised spiritual disciplines often enough, we would be able to feel them with our heart, and they become second nature to us. For example, reading the Bible. When we make ourselves read it everyday regardless of how we feel; eventually, we will feel empty if missed doing it for even one day. At the same time, we would be filled with more and more faith. And then, we would be able to bring the hope of Christ to the world. 

Conclusion: the faith of Christ 

Finally, as a way of conclusion, I want to propose that we not only desire to have faith in Christ, but also desire to have the faith of Christ. You see, we often think that the blind man in Luke 18 is the main character of the story. He had a lot of faith, all right. But actually, the Gospel story in Luke 18:35-43 was ultimately about the faith of Christ. By faith, Christ was on that journey toward Jerusalem where He would meet rejection and death. By faith, He did not deny that He was the Son of David even though there was the danger of further provoking His enemies. By faith, Christ disregarded the cultural treatment of the blind and beggars. By faith, He stopped to put Himself at the blind man's disposal, even when the man had drawn much unnecessary attention to Christ Himself. By faith, Christ spoke, and the blind man was healed. And we know that by faith, Christ eventually laid down His life for us in love so that we may have hope. When we have the faith of Christ, we may also lay down our lives - in love for Christ and for our neighbours - so that the world may have hope. Let us pray:

Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for loving us all the way to the Cross - and beyond the Cross. We thank You for having faith for us even when we were yet sinners - and inspiring us with Your faith in the Father. We thank You for giving us hope - that we may pass on this hope to the rest of the world. May we learn from You, O Lord. In Your mighty name we pray, amen.