MORE THAN COINS
Opening Prayer
I praise you, Lord God. You are the one for whom nothing is too hard; nothing is beyond your control. I have no need today that you cannot meet. Thank you that I always can ask for your help and expect you to answer.
Read LUKE 18:31–43
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 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!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Reflect on your sense of God’s purpose and calling in your life. Where does it seem clear? Where do you need greater insight and wisdom?
Think Further
From the moment he set his face toward Jerusalem,1 Jesus has been walking toward the cross. He speaks to his disciples on the way about how God’s purpose will be fulfilled, but the disciples fail to understand. As they approach Jericho, they’re greeted by many who are excited to see Jesus. The buzz of anticipation reaches a blind beggar as the crowds pass by. Intrigued, he asks what’s going on. When he hears that it’s Jesus, the beggar starts to make a massive racket like the people with leprosy whom Jesus met earlier;2 he seems desperate not to let the opportunity pass him by. Those leading the way rebuke him, telling him to shut up, but the blind man will not stay in his place. He becomes as outrageously loud as he can manage, shouting, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ (vv. 38, 39).
Jesus pauses on the way to the cross, perhaps intrigued by the blind man’s insight into his identity as the one who will claim David’s kingdom. Far from leaving him rebuked and in his place, Jesus commands him to be brought near. The beggar had asked for mercy, so Jesus asks him to clarify what he wants (is it more than coins for food?). The man has the faith to proclaim Jesus as Lord and to ask (literally) that he may see again. Echoing the words that he had quoted in Nazareth,3 Jesus proclaims recovery of sight for the blind. With sight restored, the man chooses the kingdom and follows Jesus, full of ecstatic praise. Even those who had wanted him to stay in his place join in.
The contrast in today’s passage between what Jesus does for others and what will be done to him is stark. Still he walks the way of the cross, still he chooses the kingdom.
Apply
Remember those particularly on your heart. Read Isaiah 61:1–3. In what ways can you use this passage to pray for them?
Closing prayer
Gracious God, help me—and those I love—to see and testify to the grace and mercy you continually pour out in our lives.
1 Luke 9:51 2 Luke 17:12,13 3 Luke 4:18
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