Luke 18:35
¶ And it came to pass, that as he was
come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he
asked what it meant. 37 And they told
him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38
And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked
him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou
Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And
Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come
near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt
thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy
sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And
immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all
the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Here is a man, blind AND poor physically, much as the unsaved man
or woman is spiritually. He has nothing with which to commend Himself to Christ
but His physical misery and His poverty. That’s how we come to Christ if we
come to Him at all. Christ responds to us in the depth of our despair, not
requiring us to “get right” before He’ll deal with us. In regard to sin, David
pleaded with God for forgiveness not because of the lightness of his sin, but
because of the greatness of it.
Psalm
25:11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
A sick person does not make his case before a doctor on account of
how trifling his or her sickness is but based on their sickness being
significant and distressing. This man only cried out for mercy acknowledging
who Christ was. He called out for mercy from one whom he knew had the power to
have mercy on his weakness.
He wanted to see and knew that Christ, had faith that Christ, could
make it happen. Here is Christ, on the way to His divine appointment, who stops
to deal with this seemingly insignificant person’s handicap. Christ came to
give sight to the blind. We would not see the truth were it not for Christ who
is the truth.
John
14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The world that rejects Him as Messiah, Saviour, Lord, and
God-in-the-flesh is blind. Satan, the god of this world, keeps as many of them
in that condition for as long as he can.
2Corinthians
4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.
They have but to cry out to Him to be saved from the darkness.
Romans
10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in
thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be
saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth
on him shall not be ashamed.
12 ¶
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved.
When a great change comes over a person’s life because Christ has
entered into it often times even those around them marvel and are amazed at the
change. Of course, they might become annoyed at the change if the person simply
becomes an annoying pain in the neck. But a reformed life after an encounter
with Christ is a wonder to behold if genuine and sincere. God’s mercy is
apparent when a person sees the light of Christ and becomes one of His. It is
also apparent for the believer in his or her everyday life, in the grace that
is shed on our time here on earth. What we need, every day, is mercy, is to
repeat the cry of this blind beggar; have
mercy on me. Open my eyes and let me see.
Luke,
chapter 19
Luke 19:1
¶ And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the
publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he
sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was
little of stature. 4 And he ran before,
and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked
up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and
received him joyfully. 7 And when they
saw it, they all murmured,
saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord;
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any
thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus
said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of
man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
In Luke 3 John the Baptist admonished the publicans, the
tax-collectors, not to demand more money than they were supposed to get. It was
common then for the tax-collector to extort money out of the powerless people
he was charged with collecting taxes from compounding the thinking that they
were Jewish turncoats working for the Romans with corruption on top of that.
They were not well-liked and, typically, were lumped in with prostitutes as
being hated sinners.
Zacchaeus admits his past extortions, repents of his sin, and pays
restitution all the while acknowledging Christ as Lord. Here is the classic
example of coming to Christ. Repent of your sins, make restitution when
possible, and acknowledge and believe in Christ. Jesus again makes the
declaration that He is come to save them that are lost, an implication that
salvation can only be for those who admit they are lost, humbling themselves
before God. I am reminded of the publican in chapter 18.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would
not lift up so much as his eyes
unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his
house justified rather than the
other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Here is a Christian principle that all employees of government and
even private business should be conscious of. Do not use your position for
personal gain other than what is appointed to you. I used to work for a mobile
home sales lot where the manager, part owner, would sell wheels and axles from
homes he had set on customer’s property, wheels and axles that were to remain
with the dealership and were not property of the customer. However, he did not
tell his partner about the money he was pocketing. Oddly, he thought nothing of
it until he was caught in an audit. Although, he was part owner, what he did
was dishonest and was basically stealing from his partner. It ended his part in
the business as the law backed up his partner.
I have heard anecdotal stories about building inspectors in this
area making it clear that if a contractor were to give them a little side money
a permit process would go easier for them. Recently, also there was a scandal
nationally where wealthy parents paid an agent to help their children get into
elite colleges fraudulently. Christians must not engage in such dishonesty and
should be above board and transparent in all of their dealings.
Zacchaeus repented of his wickedness, everyday corruption, and
turned to Christ. And notice, Christ was going to abide with him, grace the
man’s house with Christ’s own presence. Think of the analogy.
John
14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him,
If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we
will come unto him, and make our
abode with him.
Note here that Christ knew He would be welcome at Zacchaeus’ house
and invited Himself there. God’s foreknowledge knew that we would believe Him
before the world was founded. We were chosen, in Him, that is by virtue of His
foreknowledge of our willingness to receive His offer of grace, before the
earth was created.
Ephesians
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love:
1Peter
1:2a Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…
For those of us who belong to Christ there was a time when He said
to us, “for to day I must abide at thy
house.” The wonderful thing about Christ’s indwelling is that He never
leaves us.
He told Paul, as reported in Hebrews 13:5, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. This is a sentiment similarly, in
different contexts, expressed by God throughout the Old Testament; in
Deuteronomy 31, Joshua 1, 1Samuel 12, 1Chronicles 28, and Psalm 37.
God, who created us, and makes all things happen by the word of
His power, has come to live in our earthly house, our body, with us. I cannot
imagine anything more incredible.
Finally, verse 10 shows us that Jesus came to straighten out the
Jews first, the lost sheep of the house of Israel who strayed from the path God
set them on and invented their own path of hypocrisy and false doctrine.
Matthew
10:5 ¶ These twelve Jesus sent forth,
and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye
not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel.
Matthew
15:24 But he answered and said, I am not
sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Then, His offer of salvation is extended to all mankind who from
the days of Noah had also walked in their own perverted way.
Psalm
22:27 All the ends of the world shall
remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall
worship before thee.
Matthew
8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall
come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew
12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
John
10:16 And other sheep I have,
which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice; and there shall be one fold, and
one shepherd.
Acts
1:8 But ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.
Luke 19:11
¶ And as they heard these things, he
added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they
thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went
into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered
them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a
message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15
And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the
kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had
given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord,
thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And
he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a
very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound
hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said
likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept
laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared
thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not
down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22
And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest
that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I
did not sow: 23 Wherefore then gavest
not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine
own with usury? 24 And he said unto them
that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten
pounds.) 26 For I say unto you, That
unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that
he hath shall be taken away from him. 27
But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring
hither, and slay them before
me.
The disciples are following Jesus to Jerusalem fully expecting His
power to be revealed and His kingdom to be made manifest in a physical,
tangible sense on earth right in front of them. Christ then speaks a parable about
the consequences for the Jews of rejecting Him. This would apply to all mankind
as well. The nobleman presents himself to his subjects who reject him. He has
supplied his own servants, and, remember, He is talking with His Jewish
disciples here, with a gift that they are to use on his behalf. In the end,
those who reject the nobleman’s rule over them will be executed and that
servant who does not exercise his gifts for God, and we all have talents and
gifts given to us by God, in the world will lose even what they have. A similar
parable is told in Matthew 25 but in the context of them not knowing when
Christ would return as He discusses the end times when asked in Matthew 24:1
when they will come about.
He has already told them in 17 that the kingdom of God for them
lies within their hearts but they have been expecting a conquering Messiah who
will remove the Roman yoke of bondage from their necks and restore Israel to a
place of prominence. Even after His resurrection they say;
Acts
1:6 When they therefore were come
together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Jesus had told Governor Pilate;
John
18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this
world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the
Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Notice the now is my
kingdom not from hence. But, His kingdom will come to this world and many
will suffer for their rejection of Him.
Matthew
3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and
gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
God exercises His power over our existence in every heartbeat He
makes happen. But, Jesus is not now exercising direct and physical, political
rule over the kingdoms of the world although the Bible says that there will
come a time for that.
Revelation
11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and
there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are
become the kingdoms of our
Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
The direct application is for Christ’s Jewish disciples in the
days coming to His Crucifixion and after His Resurrection and ascension to
Heaven. But, we’ve been given gifts which we are to exercise on His behalf also.
We are His ambassadors, perhaps a front infiltrating in Satan’s world of men
and women to prepare Christ’s coming. An analogy can be made to a commando unit
landing behind enemy lines. Or, more simply, like the prophets and John the
Baptist who announced Him. Our gifts are not all physical. In fact, the proof
or fruit of the Holy Spirit living inside of us is outlined in Galatians 5 in
contrast against the demands of the flesh and the consequences of living in it.
Galatians
5:13 ¶ For, brethren, ye have been
called unto liberty; only use
not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one
word, even in this; Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if
ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of
another. 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye
are not under the law. 19 Now the works
of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, 21 Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I
have also told you in time
past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is
no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s
have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in
the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of
vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
In addition to the fruit of the Spirit we have each been given
gifts of abilities. Each of these are particular to us individually and one
does not have what the other has and two with the same do not have it in the
same measure.
Romans
12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service. 2 And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and
all members have not the same office: 5
So we, being many, are
one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the
grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our
ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that
giveth, let him do it with
simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with
cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil;
cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another
with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in
business;
fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of
saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless
them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep
with them that weep.
The error on our part is in doing nothing. It is not about being
successful as God provides the success.
1Corinthians
3:5 ¶ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye
believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any
thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are
one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with
God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are
God’s building. 10 According to the
grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the
foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he
buildeth thereupon.
Or, as Jesus said so clearly;
John 3:27 John answered and
said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
John
15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
We are like the servants who received the pounds and were tasked
to make them work for the master. As the Baltimore preacher Sewall Smith asked
in a sermon on John 6:9, “What are you going to do with your five and two?”
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