Luke 18:34-43 - The King Giving Sight

 

Today’s sermon is found in Luke 18:34-43.

As we near the end of Luke 18, we are coming closer to the moment when Jesus will enter Jerusalem for His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus has been telling His disciples for some time that He must be delivered over to the Gentiles, that He must be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon, that He will be flogged, killed, and on the third day rise.

And yet—even as Jesus says this plainly—the disciples do not understand. They are blind to what He means and blind to why He must suffer. They still imagine that Jesus is bringing in the kingdom in a way that will crush Rome and restore Israel’s earthly glory.

But God’s promise to Abraham was always bigger than Israel alone—that through Abraham’s offspring the nations would be blessed. And that blessing is not ultimately found in restoring Jerusalem to political dominance, but in restoring hope for the whole world—eternal life, the true promised land—where all who belong to Christ will reign with Him forever.

So, given the misunderstanding of the apostles—given that these sayings are hidden from them and they cannot grasp them—Luke places this story right here to show us something. He shows us how a blind man who recognizes his need and cries out to Jesus will not only receive sight, but will receive salvation.

And the truth is, we are not that different from the apostles—or from the blind man. Without Jesus opening our eyes, we misunderstand. We view Christ’s kingdom through worldly lenses—through the flesh—rather than through the eyes of faith.

So imagine with me two men in total darkness. One has always been blind. He knows he cannot see. He doesn’t argue with reality. And when someone offers to guide him through a dark place—through terrain that might be dangerous—he reaches out, grabs their arm, and allows them to lead him. The other man has always relied on sight. But if you turn out the lights, put him in total darkness, he will still think he can manage. Even if someone offers him their arm, he refuses, convinced he can walk confidently—until he stumbles.

The difference is not intelligence.
The difference is not effort.
The difference is not morality.
The difference is knowing you are blind.

And in today’s text, we are given an opportunity: to see that we ourselves are blind, that we misunderstand, and that we need Jesus’ mercy—not only to expose our blindness, but to give us sight—so that we may trust Him, follow Him, glorify God, and show others where mercy can be found. With this opportunity before us, let’s read Luke 18:34–43.

Luke 18:34–43 ESV

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.

What we see first in this passage is…

The merciful Son of David gives sight to the blind

Like in our story, for someone blind their whole life, their need is obvious to them. They know they need help to move through the world…the one who knows they cannot see will cry out for mercy.

And spiritually, that is the picture Luke is giving us. Jesus not only restores sight—Jesus is the One who enables blind people to recognize they are blind and to come to Him for mercy.

In verses 37–40 we see that Jesus listens to the cry for mercy.

The blind man hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, and so he cries out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” This phrase, “Son of David” is the title of the promised One who would save God’s people from their sins. This blind man doesn’t see Jesus as simply someone from Nazareth, but sees Him as the heir to David’s throne.

He believes (trusts) that Jesus can heal him. But what happens? People rebuke him. They tell him to be quiet.

But this doesn’t stop him, he boldly cries out all the more: “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

And then we read three words that should stop us in our tracks: “And Jesus stopped...” (Pause)

The King is on His way to Jerusalem…

The King is on His way to the cross…

And at the cry of a blind beggar…Jesus stopped!

When others rebuke and silence the needy, Jesus listens. He halts His journey at the cry for mercy.

Next, in verses 40b–41a, Jesus calls the blind near.

Jesus commands those around him that the man be brought to Him.

This is significant. The crowd wants him pushed back. But Jesus brings him near.

Then, when he arrives, Jesus personally invites his request: “What do you want me to do for you?”

This is mercy.

The man’s life as a blind beggar is filled with shame in the eyes of the world. Ignored by many who pass by him. And yet, Jesus, the King, ignores the world’s contempt. He sees a man made in the image of God, and He draws him close.

And notice something else: the man cries out, but he cannot navigate his way to Jesus. It is Jesus who commands that he be brought.

That is how salvation works. Jesus takes the initiative. Jesus draws near. Jesus brings the blind to Himself.

Then, in verses 41b–43, Jesus grants sight and salvation.

The man in response to Jesus’ question of what he wants asks: “Lord, let me recover my sight.”

Jesus responds: “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”

Now the ESV says, “made you well,” but the word behind it is σέσωκέν—from σώζω—a word that often carries the meaning not merely of healing, but of salvation. Notice how Jesus is the one defining the man's faith. The man asked for his eyesight, but Jesus gives him salvation. The reality is that Jesus always gives us more than we know to ask for.

In Luke especially, this word is frequently salvation language. So Jesus gives him sight—and declares rescue.

And immediately, the man follows Him, glorifying God. And the crowd responds by praising God.

Jesus’ mercy produces sight. And that sight produces following. And following produces worship. And worship becomes witness.

Now you might think: if it’s so good, if Jesus is so merciful—why wouldn’t everyone cry out?

Here is the problem…

We do not recognize our blindness or our need for mercy

By nature, we often simply think that we have clear sight. And like in our story, we are the confident person who believes they have sight and yet is in darkness denying our need for help. The danger is not blindness. The danger is thinking we can see.

Verse 34 says, “They understood none of these things.” This reminds us that like the disciples, we do not understand the necessity of the cross.

Without Christ opening our minds, we do not understand why salvation must come through suffering.

And that is still true today. Many people hear that they are sinners who need a Savior, and they respond: “I’m not perfect, but I’m not that bad.” They see no need for mercy. And when we do not see our need, we will never grasp why Christ had to die.

And so, as verse 34 continues to show us, like the disciples, we cannot see the glory of God’s mercy in Christ.

Verse 34 says the saying was hidden from them. And the question is: how is it hidden?

By nature, the world is in darkness. As the apostle John says in chapter 1 of his gospel, darkness cannot comprehend the Light.

We do not naturally want the Light, Jesus. We do not naturally run toward Him. We do not naturally rejoice in His cross.

The Spirit must open our eyes. And you can see this in many churches today: people may attend every week and still believe they are right with God by their own devotion. They do not see that without mercy they cannot even come to Him.

And so, as verse 39 shows us, like the crowd, we fail to see that we are as needy as the beggar.

And so, we can, at times, rebuke desperation.

Why? Because it exposes our own need.

We look at the needy and think, “Clean yourself up first.”

We push away the loud cry for mercy because we do not want to admit that we are needy too.

And left to ourselves, that blindness would not end in mere confusion. It would end in judgment—outer darkness—separation from God forever.

But that is not the end of the story. There is good news…

Jesus mercifully bore our darkness on the cross to give us sight

You see, when we were blind our entire lives and unable to see our need, Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, was going to Jerusalem to face the “darkness” the disciples could not see.

He lived a life of perfect obedience—perfect righteousness—perfect light. And then He went to the cross and bore our darkness so that He could pull us out.

In verse 32, the section preceding this one, we see that Jesus was delivered over for us.

The disciples couldn’t understand why the Son of David must be handed over. But He was delivered over for us.

Our blindness required a suffering Savior. Our need for mercy demanded that justice be satisfied.

We cannot bear the weight of our sin. So Jesus gave Himself up—handed over to Gentiles and rejected by religious leaders—so that He might enter the darkness of the cross bearing both the guilt and shame of our sin. As the blind man bore the rebuke of the crowd for seeking Jesus’ salvation, so Jesus would be mocked, ridiculed, and delivered over to give us sight and salvation.

Then in verses 33 and 42, we see that Jesus was treated like a criminal to give us mercy (to save us).

Though He was the rightful King, Jesus was treated as a criminal so that the blind and guilty might justly receive mercy.

He bore the judgment that our self-sufficiency deserved. He obeyed the Father even unto death, so that we—who refuse God and trust ourselves—might be saved.

Jesus is the justifier because Jesus bore our penalty.

But as verse 33 shows, Jesus didn’t stay dead…he rose and gives the Spirit to open blind eyes.

After He rose, He was given the authority to pour out the Holy Spirit—who opens blind eyes, who unites us to Christ by faith, and who leads us into a life of following Jesus, glorifying God, worshiping, and living in mercy.

The Light entered darkness so that those in darkness might live in the Light—both now and forevermore.

So what happens when Jesus gives sight? Our response is that…

Now seeing, we follow and bear witness to His mercy

If that same blind man in our story was led up a dangerous mountain path to the top where a crowd was gathered to observe the beauty, then suddenly his sight was restored. Now seeing the beauty of the mountains, the vast landscape, and the people around him. He would glorify God. He would praise the one who healed him, who rescued him, and who brought him safely through the darkness. And all those around him would praise God too!

And that is exactly what we see with Bartimaeus in verse 43a.

Now that his eyes are opened, he follows Jesus.

Because the truth is, Jesus is now our sight. We no longer trust ourselves. We realize that apart from Him we cannot see. Even after we are saved, we still need Christ to guide us. So we follow Him, walking behind the One who opened our eyes.

We live as those who need His guidance constantly, because apart from Him we can do nothing.

And just like in verse 43b, like Bartimaeus, we glorify God.

Having received mercy, we live as worshipers. Whether we eat or drink, whatever we do—we glorify God.

And also, in verse 43c, like the crowd, we praise God by bearing witness.

Mercy received becomes mercy proclaimed. And mercy proclaimed becomes praise.

What Christ has done in us, we declare.

So, you might be thinking, what does this look like in real life, what is our opportunity for Christ’s life to be formed in us?

Because Jesus did not pass by us in our blindness, we do not pass by people in need. When we encounter someone asking for help—even at the stoplight on Main Street and Kinsley—we resist the instinct to look away. We resist the instinct to treat needy people as invisible or shameful. Instead, we acknowledge them with dignity. We remember that we, too, were beggars—until the King brought us near. And so, because the Holy Spirit reminds us of the mercy we ourselves have received in Christ, whether it’s a conversation, a prayer, a card from the Southern New Hampshire Rescue Mission, or a mercy gift bag, we act not out of guilt, but out of gratitude. Mercy received becomes mercy extended.

And because we know we do not see clearly on our own, we refuse to live in quiet self-sufficiency. We cry out daily to the Lord who gives sight, asking Him to show us our sin, to lead us in repentance, to reveal His beauty, and to open our eyes to the needs around us. When life is going well and we are tempted to trust our own judgment or strength, the Holy Spirit draws us into the very life of Christ—a life that lives not by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So we follow Jesus, walking behind Him rather than ahead of Him, trusting His guidance instead of our own understanding.

And when we feel ashamed—when we look back on our week and see how blind we have been—we do not hide. We remember that Jesus stopped on the road to Jerusalem for a blind beggar, and He does not ignore our cry for mercy. The Holy Spirit cries within us, “Abba, Father,” reminding us that we have already received mercy and belong to God as His children. So we cling to Christ again, glorify God for mercy already given, and bear witness to that mercy in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods—calling people to Christ in faith and repentance—so that others may come to praise Him.

If today you are not sure whether you are blind, join Bartimaeus. Do not pretend you can see. Do not trust your own sight. Cry out to Jesus.

Simply cry out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Trusting that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, the King, and believe in your heart that he rose from the dead, you Jesus will say, “Your faith has saved you.”

And if you belong to Him already, do not assume you now see clearly in your own strength. For, as Jesus said in John 15, apart from Him, we can do nothing. So, “cry out” to him for help. What do I mean?

If you are struggling with extreme anxiety and can’t get past it, cry out to Jesus in prayer, “Lord, I’ve been trying to fix my anxiety with my own 'sight,' and I’ve just been stumbling in the dark. Have mercy on me.” If you are struggling with a relationship, cry out to Jesus in prayer, “Lord, I can’t change this person and I don’t ‘see’ any way forward. I’m helpless without you. Have mercy on me. Have mercy on them.”

And then, really for all of life, in humble faith, cry out daily: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Give me eyes to see. Lead me in Your ways. Let me walk in Your light—so that You receive the glory as I follow You and proclaim Your mercy to others so that You—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—receive all the glory.”