Lord, I Want to See! (Luke 18:35-43)

In the Old Testament, there is no record of opening the eyes of blind. However, Jesus Christ opened the eyes of blind in several occasions as Prophet Isaiah prophesied. The Lord God says, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42:6-7) Jesus came as the Messiah of God to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. It indicates there is something seriously wrong in humanity. In fact, man is born blind and captive in prison, sitting in darkness. How has it happened? It has happened when the first man, Adam, disobeyed God by listening to his wife. Life is all connected and shared. No one can live alone in no-man’s island. That is what we are. We’re all in Adam. It tells us the truth that every man must be opened from blindness, freed from prison and released from the dungeon of darkness and confusion. Jesus says, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9:41) This story tells who is qualified to receive sight and most of all how and why it is possible.

“As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ He called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.” (Luke 18:35-43)

The time, the narrator tells, is for our Lord Jesus is approaching the city of Jericho. It was a historical place, the fortified and invincible fortress, but was conquered and destroyed by the forefathers led by Joshua. It was the first warfare the Israelites encountered in the land of Canaan after crossing the Jordan River on foot. They didn’t use any weapons but simply and faithfully obeyed the commandments of the Lord God and walked around the city seven days and on the seventh day they shouted followed by the sound of trumpet. When they obeyed the Commander in Chief in heaven the fortress city was crumbled and destroyed completely. They experienced the mighty hand of God working powerfully right before their eyes and worshipped him. Jericho clearly set the tone of how the battle would be look like in the land. It’s Jehovah’s holy war. I am sure that our Lord Jesus must be listening to the cry of victory of the people, the song of praise and wonder in the heavenly places. In fact, our Lord was there, overseeing and orchestrating the entire procession of battle from the beginning to the end as the Commander in Chief.

Actually, he is heard a cry, the cry of blind beggar who is sitting by the roadside begging. It is not a cry of victory, but a cry of mercy and begging. The man has been sitting by the roadside begging and heard the crowd going by he asks what’s happening. Some people reply to him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” When he hears the name of Jesus his eyes of mind are fully awakened and he immediately makes an orphan cry of help, shouting “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” All those years of sitting by the roadside begging he has been waiting for this moment of calling the holy name, “Son of David.” As soon as he makes a noise, he has faced the counter pressure and rebuke to be quiet from the anonymous people. However, he doesn’t care the pressure and opposition and shouts all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” His cry of help quickly reaches to the heaven, the universe headquarters situation room, and the Father quickly tells the Son to take care of him. The blind beggar’s orphan cry of calling the most scared name, Jesus, Son of David is heard loudly by the Father of mercy and compassion. It has not only been heard but also an urgent message with top priority has been sent out immediately to the One sent by the Father in the right spot for delivering the answer of cry.

Though King of kings and Lord of lords, the Blessed Son of David, Jesus is approaching Jericho, no one shouts of his coming as King and Lord. But the blind man cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Again, resisting the rebuke of people, shouts, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” The name, Son of David, is the most scared name in Israel. It indicates the Blessed Messiah of God. Prophet Isaiah prophesied the Lord God would send a son born of a virgin and call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). In another place, the prophet gives the marvelous vision of the Messiah of the Lord.

“For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Although the man is physically blind, he has known who Jesus of Nazareth is and has accepted him as Son of David. While he has been sitting by the roadside begging all along, he has been wanting to see him, Son of David. His inner eyes have been opened by grace and mercy from the heaven above to know and believe in Jesus, and he puts his hope in Son of David. He has received the gift of faith to put his whole trust in Jesus of Nazareth. It’s not known how long he has been sitting there begging, but must be quite a long. Is it possible for him to miss Jesus passing by? Not possible! Although the multitudes of people who can see physically miss to identify Jesus, it is not possible to this man who cannot see physically because the heaven watches over him. See how he is told. The crowd tell him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He doesn’t ask back who Jesus of Nazareth is. Rather, he immediately calls out loudly the name that he has been waiting to call all along since he has been known the most blessed One by grace and mercy. He doesn’t call out the name aimlessly and pointlessly in the air. Probably, the people around think that he is going nowhere, so they rebuke him to be quiet. Both the crowd and the man are in the same space and time where our Lord Jesus is approaching the city of history, but only the blind man knows what to say, how to say, and why to say such a heaven-opening words, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

How can our Lord Jesus miss to hear this orphan’s cry for mercy? It is impossible! What a comfort and blessing for the believers in God! Not a single cry for mercy will not be missed to reach out to the heaven where our Father is watching over with eyes like blazing fire. Prophet Isaiah so aptly says about his compassionate heart, saying “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 42:3) So, Jesus stops and orders man to be brought to him. When the man approaches to him, Jesus says, “What do you want me to do for you?” It sounds like a simple and easily answerable question, but it is truly not. This question is spoken from none other than the One who has all power in heaven and on earth. It is very difficult to answer because we’ve been blinded to ask one thing so crucial and significant in our lives when asked suddenly and unexpectedly. Although it seems so obvious to know what is in want for the man, Jesus asks him because he wants to know what the man really wants him to do. Jesus knows already what he is in want. Jesus says, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8)

The man says to Jesus, “Lord, I want to see.”  These five words are the ones the Lord wants to hear. What does he mean by “Lord, I want to see.” First of all, he admits that he is blind, so he doesn’t see. This is so significant to admit the fact that he is blind and does not see. King David, a man after God’s own heart, was completely blinded and deceived by the devil that he committed the twin sins of evil—adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband, Uriah. Until King admitted his blindness and evil when Prophet Nathan uncovered the sins he was being tormented and haunted day and night by the evil. He was blind and locked in prison, sitting in darkness until the delivery of cure arrived from the Lord God in heaven through the hand of Prophet Nathan. It was a painful procedure to release him from dungeon because the evil should be exposed. It’s entirely on God’s grace and mercy only that can reach to the dungeon of evil forces and rescue and deliver the victims. His grace and mercy is based on the priceless and incomparable sacrifice of Son of David, Jesus Christ. King David knew that no other sacrifices could reach to the victim like him except repentance through a contrite and broken heart before God.

“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart

you, God, will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17)

Secondly, beyond he wants to see his parents, nature, scenery, and himself, I believe he means to see the incarnate God, Jesus, Son of David with his own eyes. He has already been given inner sight to see and believe in Son of David. He has put his whole trust in the Blessed One to come since he was given the gift of faith from the heaven above. So, when he says he wants to see means to see the Blessed Lord of glory with his own eyes, whom God sent according to the promises given to the forefathers. He has already believed in Son of David and now he wants to see clearly who Son of David is. His vision is not yet clear to see the Messiah’s full picture, because he is blind under the powerful grip of evil. It tells a great truth that although evil is forcefully working in humanity not to see clearly the mighty presence of God in their midst it never can prevail over it. “What is impossible with man is possible with God,” says our Lord Jesus (Luke 18:27). As long as we live in this life on earth we cannot get over evil, lurking behind invisibly to devour us like a roaring hungry lion. Darkness, boredom, emptiness, depression, anger, hatred, frustration, distress, tiredness, complaints are the manifestations of evil force in the midst of daily routines. No one is free from such powers of evil and must face it moment by moment. How deeply are we thirsty and hungry for excitement, enthusiasm, vigor, zest, strength, and even in the fullest? Apostle Paul so aptly describes the deepest desire of humanity in the Epistle to the Romans the Eighth Chapter.

“Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:23-25)

However, this is not the end of story. There is a good news. It is that evil is not out of the boundary of the Lord God but under the full control of the Sovereign God. In fact, the devil is one of God’s made who rebelled against the Maker and Master of the universe. He is more cunning and shrewd than any other creatures God made. He is ever formidable and impenetrable than any other animals God made. But it doesn’t mean that he is out of control or beyond the Creator because he is in full submission to the Lord. God reveals the deep mysteries of the serpent and how he handles it in the Book of Job.

“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook

or tie down its tongue with a rope?

Can you put a cord through its nose

or pierce its jaw with a hook?

Will it keep begging you for mercy?

Will it speak to you with gentle words?” (Job 41:1-3)

Genesis Chapter 3 records the most decisive and tragic incident in human history. The devil deceived the woman and she ate God-forbidden tree and gave to Adam and he ate it. It’s called the fatal fall of race as Paul puts it in Romans Chapter 5, saying “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Since the fall of man, the powerful forces of evil of darkness and confusion has been overshadowing and even trying to wreck the human lives like through wars, drug overdoses, pornographies. But the evil never shapes and controls the human race. God solemnly pronounced the destiny of the devil in Genesis Chapter 3 that he is always in humiliation and frustration and will be destroyed forever by the hand of God.

“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock

and all wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly

and you will eat dust

all the days of your life.

And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)

The forces of evils must be destroyed and will be done as our Lord promised. There will be the Day of the Lord when Satan will be punished and judged and thrown into the fiery furnace, the blackest dungeon of darkness forever. But in order to save the elect, God is allowing the dark forces of evil in our midst not because he is not able to punish him but because he is gracious and faithful to reach out the lost ones, being deceived and blinded by the evil forces. We’re all the victims of the evil. We’ve been delivered by the power of God through the blood of Christ. So, in Christ, we don’t have to choose to sin but oftentimes we do sin. It will be continuing until the redemption of our body which is the seat of sin, the flesh. However, the Scripture says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) There is no sin which cannot be forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ if we confess.

Our Lord Jesus hears what the blind man wants to do and thus delivers the message of the Father in heaven, saying “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” (Luke 18:42) The compassionate Father heals the blind man by giving him sight to see clearly the incarnate God, Son of David with his own eyes. God has given him the gift of faith to believe in Son of David and so he has acted his faith by calling the most holy name in heaven and on earth, “Son of David.” Also, he begs him for mercy. When asked what he wants him to do, he clearly answers him that he wants to see. This tells that beyond what he sees, he wants to praise and thank and worship God in heaven who sent the Blessed Messiah in keeping his promises faithfully. Beyond what he sees, he wants to follow the Lord of glory and obey him as token of many thanks. As soon as Jesus speaks to him, “Receive your sight,” immediately, he has received his sight and follows Jesus, praising God. When all the people see it, they also praise God. It proves that his faith is genuine and authentic because he doesn’t go his own way but follows Jesus, praising God. It means he continually lives by faith in Son of David, even after he has received his sight. Surely, God will bless this man to see continually what God is acting and doing in the midst, following Jesus Christ the Lord.

Prayer: Our Blessed Father in heaven, thank you for blessing the blind man who admits that he is blind and doesn’t see, answering his orphan cry for mercy to Son of David, the Blessed Messiah of God. Thank you Father for your compassion and mercy for those who earnestly ask for mercy and pity by faith. May God bless us to be like this blind man, admitting that we are blind and don’t see clearly and so crying to Jesus for mercy to give sight. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

September 25, 2016

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