Luke 18 - Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

«Not to faint» in their expectation of answers to their supplications, and therefore give up prayer; but to persevere in presenting their petitions at the throne of grace, because prayer is never lost labour. There may be a time during which God does not appear to answer prayer, but he will ultimately answer it; therefore, «men ought always to pray, and not to faint» in prayer. If they do not pray, they will faint in many ways. Their courage will faint. All their hope as to the future will faint, and fall into a dead swoon as it were. So, dear friends, you have your choice between praying and fainting. The doctrine our Saviour laid down was «that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;» and this is the parable which he related in illustration of that truth:

Luke 18:2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

He was a most unfit person to be a judge, as many in Eastern cities still are. They are ready enough to take bribes, but they are not so prompt in giving just judgments. They generally attend to the business of the rich and the powerful, but neglect the poor and needy. So was it with this judge, who «feared not God, neither regarded man.»

Luke 18:3. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

Probably someone had come, and taken away from her the little bit of land that her husband had left her, upon the produce of which she and the children might have lived; and she could not get it back again. So she comes to the judge, and cries, «Avenge me of mine adversary.»

Luke 18:4. And he would not for a while

He had plenty of applicants who could pay him better than this poor woman could, so he disregarded her petition; but he little knew that, in her, he had to deal with a woman who meant to be heard, and who intended to press her suit until she won it. She was evidently a very determined character. Though a broken-hearted widow, yet she was not broken-spirited even though the judge refused for a while to attend to her plea.

Luke 18:4-5. But afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

She came again, and again, and again, and again; she would not leave off coming, for she meant to have the justice she sought, and she did get it. Now that is the way to pray, as if we would even weary God with our supplications, though we never can do so. It is impossible to weary him with earnest believing entreaties, yet we must show the same determination in prayer which this importunate widow manifested while pleading with the unjust judge.

Luke 18:6. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

He is unjust, but he is obliged to be just now. He is hard-hearted, but he is compelled to yield. The widow has conquered him, not by her money, but by her importunity. She is there so often that she troubles him, and he says he must give in, and grant her request.

Luke 18:7. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

He may seem to be slow about it; but when his people cry to him, he will hear them ultimately if he does not at once. Do not imagine that the children of God will always be laughed at, and downtrodden. God will yet arise, and take their side. They may be pushed into a comer for awhile, but they shall come out into a large room in due season, for God will certainly avenge his own elect.

Luke 18:8. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

If anybody could find it, he would, for he creates it all, and he knows where to look for it; yet there is so little of it that even he, whose eyes can detect the faith that is as small as a grain of mustard seed, can scarcely find it. There is all too little real faith in the world; and those who think they have most of it, when they get into troubled waters, soon find they have not any to spare, and much that they thought was faith does not turn out to be so. O men, brethren, fathers, how little do we trust our God compared with what he deserves!

Luke 18:9-10. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray;

They were both alike in going up to the temple, but they were very different in coming back from the temple. It is a very important thing to come to the house of God in a right state of heart; and it is a still better thing to go away from the Lord's house really benefited and improved. These two men went up to the temple with the same object; each of them went there «to pray.» Both intended to pray, though they did not both do so; yet that was their ostensible object.

Luke 18:10. The one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

A tax-gatherer, one of the most hated people in Christ's day, because none but the lowest class of Jews would collect taxes for the Romans; and as a general rule, they farmed the taxes, and greatly increased them by demanding of the people much more than was due. They were therefore held in the worst possible repute. I am not sure that tax-gatherers are the objects of much love anywhere; but, among the Jews, they were detested because they were collecting tribute for the Romans whom the conquered nation abhorred.

Luke 18:11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

So it is evident that he noticed one person who was there, though I do not find that the publican took any notice of him. We can tell by this remark that the mind of the Pharisee was wandering from his supposed devotions. It is a bad sign in a so-called worshipper when he knows a great deal about other people who are in the Lord's house. I have known many people, whose recollection, after a sermon, has been quite as much about who was there, and who was not there, as it has been about what was in the sermon, and what was not in it. So this Pharisee's eyes went gadding about, and he spied out the poor publican; but, after a contemptuous reference to him, he returned to the catalogue of his own virtues and excellences:

Luke 18:12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

There his prayer ended, and he stood in a most enviable state of contentment, delighted with himself, lost in the contemplation of his own ineffable purity. I think I see him in all his glory, yet I quickly turn to the other part of the temple, further away from the most sacred place, for there I behold the true worshipper.

Luke 18:13. And the publican, standing afar off,

Not afar off from the Pharisee only, but afar off from the sacred shrine, the innermost temple, as if unworthy to be there at all: «the publican, standing afar off,»

Luke 18:13. Would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,

That throne of the Highest, as if even a glance from his unholy eyes might defile that sacred place. He bowed his eyes downward, as if to read in the earth the record of his sin; he did not dare to look up;

Luke 18:13. But smote upon his breast,

His heart smote him, and he smote upon his heart,

Luke 18:13-14. Saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The great Lord and Master acts as he would have his true servants do. It was said of some of them that they turned the world upside down, and that is exactly what he does. He abases those who exalt themselves, and he exalts those who abase themselves; he lifts up the lowly, and casts down them of high degree in their own estimation; and so shall it be to the end of the world.

Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

An old writer says that many of Christ's parables need a key to unlock them. Here, the key hangs outside the door; for, at the very beginning of the parable we are told what Christ meant to teach by it: «that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.» And this is the parable:

Luke 18:2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

It is a great pity for any city and for any country where the judges do not fear God, where they feel that they have been put into a high office in which they may do just as they please. There were such judges in the olden times even in this land; God grant that we may not see any more like them!

Luke 18:3. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

She had no friend to plead for her, she had nobody to help her; and, therefore, when she was robbed of her little patrimony, she went to the court, and asked the judge for justice.

Luke 18:4. And he would not for a while:

He preferred to be unjust; as he could do as he liked, he liked to do as he should not.

Luke 18:4-5. But afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

She seems to have gone to him so often that he grew quite fatigued and pained by her persistence; the Greek words are very expressive, as though she had beaten him in the eye, and so bruised him that he could not endure it any longer. Of course, the poor woman had not done anything of the kind; but the judge thus describes her continual importunity as a wounding of him, as an attacking of him, an assault upon him, for he had perhaps a little conscience left. He had, at least, enough honesty to confess that he did not fear God, nor regard man, and there are some, of whom that is true, who will not own to it; but this judge admitted it, and though he was but little troubled about it, he said, «that I may not be worried to death by this woman's continual coming, I will grant her request, and avenge her of her adversary.»

Luke 18:6-7. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which I cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

He is no unjust judge; he is One who is perfectly holy, and just, and true, and who appears in a nearer and dearer character than that of judge, even as the One who chose his people from eternity. «Shall not God avenge his own elect?» Ay, that he will; only let them persevere in prayer, and «cry day and night unto him.»

Luke 18:8. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

If anybody can find it, he can, for he is the Creator of it; yet, when he comes, there will be so little of it in proportion to what he deserves, and so little in proportion to the lovingkindness of the Lord, that it will seem as if even he could not find it, although, if there were only as much faith as a grain of mustard seed, he would be the first to spy it out.

Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

It seems as if these two things went together, and that, as our esteem of ourselves goes up, our esteem of others goes down; the scales seem to work that way.

Luke 18:10. Two men went up into the temple to pray;

It was the place that was specially dedicated for prayer; it was the place where God had promised to meet with suppliants. They did well, in those days, to go up into the temple to pray to God, though, in these days,

«Where'er we seek him he is found,

And every place is hallowed ground.»

It is sheer superstition which imagines that one place is better for prayer than another. So long as we can be quiet and still, let us pray wherever we may be.

Luke 18:10-11. The one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

It is possible that this was all true; we have no indication that he was a hypocrite, and if what he said was true, there was something in it for which he might well thank God. It was a great mercy not to be an extortioner, nor unjust, nor an adulterer, but what spoilt his expression of thankfulness was that back-handed blow at the other man who was praying in the same temple: «or even as this publican.» What had the Pharisee to do with him? He had quite enough to occupy his thoughts if he could only see himself as he really was in God's sight.

Luke 18:12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Observe that there is no prayer in all that the Pharisee said. There was a great deal of self-righteousness and self-congratulation; but nothing else. There was certainly no prayer at all in it.

Luke 18:13. And the publican, standing afar off,

Just on the edge of the crowd, keeping as far away as he could from the most holy place,

Luke 18:13. Would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

That was all prayer; it was a prayer for mercy, it was a prayer in which the suppliant took his right place, for he was, as he said, «a sinner.» He does not describe himself as a penitent sinner, or as a praying sinner, but simply as a sinner, and as a sinner he goes to God asking for mercy. Our English version does not give the full meaning of the publican's prayer, it is, «God be propitious to me,» that is, «be gracious to me through the ordained sacrifice;» and that is one of the points of the prayer that made it so acceptable to God. There is a mention of the atonement in it, there is a pleading of the sacrificial blood. It was a real prayer, and an acceptable prayer, while the Pharisee's boasting was not a prayer at all.

Luke 18:14. I tell you, this man

This publican, sinner as he had been, though he had no broad phylacteries like the Pharisee had, though he may not have washed his hands before he came into the temple, as no doubt the Pharisee did, this man, who could not congratulate himself upon his own excellence, «this man»

Luke 18:14. Went down to his house justified rather than the other:

He obtained both justification and the peace of mind that comes from it. God smiled upon him, and set him at ease concerning his sin. The other man received no justification, he had not sought it, and he did not get it. He had a kind of spurious ease of mind when he went into the temple, and he probably carried it away with him, but he certainly was not justified in the sight of God.

Luke 18:14. For every one that exalted himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

God turns things upside down. If we think much of ourselves, he makes little of us, and if we make little of ourselves, we shall find that a humble and contrite heart he will not despise. May he teach us so to pray that we may go down to our house justified, as the publican was!

Luke 18:1-7. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

He hears their prayer a long time because it does not weary him. It pleases him, he loves to hear their sighs and cries, but will he not yield to their entreaties? What think you? Shall not the good, gracious, loving God yield at length?

Luke 18:8. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Faith enough to make such prayers as this; faith enough to pray with importunity? Oh, if we had faith enough to resolve to have a blessing, and determined never to cease crying to God until we had it, we should have far more favors than we have hitherto gained from our God.

Luke 18:9-12. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

A fine peacock, truly! See how he spreads out his feathers, and struts before God, glorifying himself.

Luke 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.

«The sinner,» it should be; it is so emphatically in the Greek. There is a Pharisee, the righteous man according to his own estimate, and all the rest were sinners. Here is the publican, he is the sinner, and he thinks everybody else is righteous. These were two very conspicuous individuals, the self-righteous man and the sinner; and they are both here tonight. I will not ask them to stand up; but no doubt they are both of them present. Now what became of them?

Luke 18:14. I tell you, this man

The sinner

Luke 18:14. 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.

It is God's usual method to reverse what man does, and to turn things the other way upwards: «Everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.» You remember how the Virgin Mary, in her song, praised the Lord for this very habit of his: «He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.» That is his regular way of working, and he will continue so to do.

This exposition consisted of readings from Psalms 122:1 and Luke 18:1-14.

Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Especially, not to faint in prayer, not to become disheartened, or weary, even if their prayers should, for a long time, remain unanswered.

Luke 18:2-3. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

He would not have interested himself in her case simply because she was a poor widow, he had no bowels of compassion for her; nor would it have concerned him at all that her adversary had wronged her. He did not trouble to discharge the duties appertaining to his office. No fear of God and no respect for public opinion, affected him at all.

Luke 18:4. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

He even boasted of the very thing of which he ought to have been ashamed: «'I fear not God, nor regard man;' I care for nobody, and defy everyone.»

Luke 18:5. Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

He cared for nobody but himself. He was concerned about his own peace of mind. The poor woman could win, through his selfishness, what she could not get from his sense of justice, since that had no weight with him. Her importunity won for her what nothing else could procure.

Luke 18:6-8. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth.

God will hear the earnest, united, persistent cries of his people. His Church, today, is like a widow left forlorn. Her cries go up to God, pleading that he will vindicate her cause; and he will do so. He may wait a while; but the prayers of his people are not lost. By-and-by, he will avenge his own elect. So is it with regard to all true prayer. Though, for wise reasons, God may delay to reply, yet he files our petitions, they are registered in heaven. Their power is accumulating, it is all adding to the great pile of supplication which is the real strength of the Church of Christ. What a question that is, «When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?» He can find it if anybody can, for he knows what faith is, and where faith is, but will he find any? Well, he will find so little, even amongst the best of his people, that the question may well be put; and amongst a great many who profess to have faith, he will find none at all. Brethren, we pray so feebly, we expect so little, we ask with such diffidence, we have such slight courage in prayer, that, if the Son of man himself came among us to search us, how little faith he would discover!

Luke 18:9-12. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

He could not even magnify his own excellencies without sneering at the poor publican who had said nothing against him, or about him. That is a poor kind of religion which has to look down upon all others before it can look up to itself. What, O Pharisee, if others are not, apparently, so good as thou art in some things. Yet, in other things, they probably excel thee; and if thou thinkest thyself worthy of praise, thou hast never really seen thyself as thou art in God's sight! A correct knowledge of thine own heart would have led thee to a very different conclusion. It is a good thing that the Pharisee appeared to be thankful for something; but, probably, that was merely a complimentary speech, which meant very little. He did not thank God half as much as he praised himself.

Luke 18:13. And the publican, standing afar off,

Away in some distant corner,

Luke 18:13. Would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

He makes no reflection upon others; but confesses his own sin, and appeals to the great Propitiation, for the word he used means, «God be propitious to me, a sinner.»

Luke 18:14-15. 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. And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

Were not these children too little, and too unimportant for Christ to notice? Their understanding was not sufficiently developed to know anything that he might say; what was the use of bringing them for his blessing?

Luke 18:16. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God consists of child-like spirits, persons like these children. Instead of needing to grow bigger in order to be fit to be Christians, we need to grow smaller. It is not the supposed wisdom of manhood, but the simplicity of childhood, that will fit us for the reception of divine truth. Alas! we are often too much like men, if we were more like children, we should receive the kingdom of God far more readily.

Luke 18:17-19. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

Yet the ruler was right. He knew not that he was speaking to One who is, assuredly, God, and; in the highest sense, good; but, since he had asked, «What shall I do to inherit eternal life?» Christ answered his enquiry.

Luke 18:20-21. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother, and he said, all these have I kept from my youth up.

All which appears to be simple enough, if you only look on the surface but when you come to recollect that there is an inward, spiritual meaning to all this, that a licentious look breaks the command about adultery, that a covetous desire is stealing, that the utterance of a slander is bearing false witness, and so on, who is he that shall enter into life upon such terms as these? Yet they cannot be lowered, for they are, spiritually, just and right.

Luke 18:22. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing:

Christ gives him a test. If he is what he thinks he is, he will be ready to obey whatever command God lays upon him. Christ is about to lay one upon him; let us see whether he will obey that.

Luke 18:22. Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Now, which will he love the more, the Son of God, or his wealth?

Luke 18:23-27. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, and they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Yet some men spend all their lives in the earnest endeavor to make it hard for them to be saved. They are trying, as much as ever they can, to block up the road to eternal life, hoarding up that which will be a grievous burden to them, even if God shall lead them in the way to heaven. How much better is it to live wholly unto God, and then, be we rich or be we poor, consecrate all to him, and live to his praise and glory!

Luke 18:31-34. Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall he accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spirited on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

It would be hard to imagine our Lord speaking more plainly. He tells them of his sufferings in detail describes exactly what happened. But their thoughts did not run that way; and when you are not expecting a thing, it little matters how very plainly you may be told of it. You are doating upon something else, and, therefore, you do not readily perceive the meaning. You know how; when you are expecting to hear a thing said, you can hear it even at a great distance, or think you hear it, from the very motion of the man's lips. But if he should say something clean contrary to what you expect, then you do not so readily hear. And these disciples of our Lord were looking to see him made a king, and they could not comprehend that the only crown he was to have would be one of thorns, and that the homage paid to him would be to be scourged and to be spat upon. They did not understand. And do not you think that the run of our thoughts sometimes may be so contrary to divine truth that we may not be able to understand some very plain things in the Bible, which are only difficult to us because our thoughts are not yet running that way? And when one day we shall be more completely cleansed from the grossness of this world, many a riddle will become plain enough to us.

Luke 18:35-39. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. 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.

Only to think that there should be some who think that when results are to be seen they can ever be regarded as hindrances. For is it not a result of ministry a result of Jesus passing by that men cry out, «Thou Son of David, have mercy on me»? And yet, when the wave-sheaf is before them, they seem to put it aside as though it were an impediment in the Saviour's way. «Let him go on sowing.» Well, but, sir, it will not hinder him to let him also reap a little, for evidently there has been good seed shown in this heart, and here is the outcome of it, for the man is crying, «Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.» We do not get our sermons interrupted in this way, but what a mercy it will be when they are! And I suppose that in some better times when God's Spirit more mightily blesses the word, we shall bare to stop in our sermons every now and then to deal with anxious souls, or get them to step aside where those that are skillful in heaven's surgery may bind up their wounds. They will be crying ever and anon, «Sirs, what must we do to be saved? Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.»

Luke 18:40-41. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?

If Christ were to come near to every unconverted person here, and say to him, «What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?» do you know what it is you want? No. The unhappy circumstance is that the mass of mankind do not know what mercy they should ask for, even if they believed that they had only to ask and have. But, dear friend, you want deliverance from the power of sin. You want a new heart and a right spirit. You want to give up the sins you love, and to follow after the virtues which now you despise. May God give you grace to know that you want this. But this blind man knew what he wanted.

Luke 18:41-43. And he said, Lord that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith have saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Luke 18:31-33. Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

Our Lord Jesus Christ often talked to his disciples about his death. Before the time for it came, he foresaw it, he thought and spoke much of it, he even dwelt upon the terrible details of it very minutely: «He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death.» Ah! dear friends, when our Lord Jesus died for us, he knew what he was doing. There are some men who, without a moment's consideration, could do a brave notion, but they could not sit down and coolly calculate all the consequences of doing it. They find themselves unexpectedly in the face of imminent danger, they see a person needing to be saved from peril and they make a rush for it, and the daring deed is done. But here our Saviour deliberately thinks and talks about his death, yet he never flinches, or looks back, but he prepares his heart for the solemn event, and sets his face like a flint to go through it all that he may save the souls of his people. We also ought to think and talk much of our Lord's death, since he thought and spake so much of it.

Luke 18:34. And they understood none of these things:

They could not make out what he meant, it was plain enough, but they could not believe that it should be so.

Luke 18:34-36. And this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

The blind man asked, as the familiar hymn puts it,

«What means this eager, anxious throng,

Which moves with busy haste along?»

Luke 18:37-38. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

If he could not see, he could hear. So, dear friends, like this blind man, use what senses you have. «Faith cometh by hearing;» so it came to this man, and as soon as he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by, he began to pray to him. Oh, that some of you would also pray to him as soon as you hear that he is nigh! Deep down, from your very soul, let this cry go up, «Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.»

Luke 18:39. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace:

I think I hear them saying, «Do not make such a disturbance. The Master is preaching, and we are losing his words through your noise. What is all that clamor about? Can you not have more respect to the Son of David than to cry in that fashion?»

Luke 18:39. But he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

That is a good thing for you also to do, not only to keep on crying to the Lord Jesus, but to grow more importunate when others rebuke you. If you are seeking the Saviour, do not be put back, and if others would hinder you, be the more resolute, the more determined, to be heard by him.

Luke 18:40. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him:

Jesus had been walking along, the crowd making way for him, but he was arrested by the cry of a blind beggar: «Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him:»

Luke 18:40-41. And when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

A plain question and a very distinct answer. What is it that you, dear friends, want of Jesus? Could you all tell if the question were put to you? What is it that you would have the Lord do for you? Do you know? This man did know; and when we know, as he did, what we want from Christ, we shall soon get it. The sad fact concerning many people is that, though they are not blind with their natural eyes, they are so blind in heart that they cannot see their own needs.

Luke 18:42-43. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God:

Christ his only to speak, and the great work is done at once. The salvation of a soul from the power of sin is not the work of weeks; it can be done in a single moment. «Immediately he received his sight, and followed him.» That is beautiful; as soon as he could see, he looked for Christ, and then followed him, «glorifying God.» He clapped his hands, and followed Jesus, shouting and crying, «Blessed be God, I have found my sight! The darkness is over, and the light has broken in upon my soul.»

Luke 18:43. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

This exposition consisted of readings from Luke 18:31-43; Luke 19:1-10.

Luke 18:35-36. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

If he could not see, he could hear, and he could speak. Use all the ability that you have, and God will give you more.

Luke 18:37-39. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace:

They told him that he was spoiling the Preacher's sermon. They had lost his last sentence; they could not catch the Saviour's meaning, so they cried out to the blind man, «Hold your tongue, sir.»

Luke 18:39-40. But he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood,

I can see him stop. He had been walking on before, and talking as we went; but prayer can cause the Saviour to be spell-bound. Here Jesus stood,

Luke 18:40-41. And commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?

Our Lord likes us to know what it is that we want. He would have us feel our need, that we may have a distinct perception of the blessing when it comes, and know just what it is.

Luke 18:41. And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

He wanted nothing else; but oh, how badly he wanted that boon!

Luke 18:42. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight

Notice the echo. ‘The blind man said, «Lord, that I may receive my sight.» Jesus said, «Receive thy sight.» With a little turn in the expression, Christ's answer is the echo of our prayer.

Luke 18:42. Thy faith hath saved thee.

No, surely it was Christ who saved him. Yes, but Christ delights to put his crown on faith's head, for faith always puts the crown back on Christ's head: «Thy faith hath saved thee.»

Luke 18:43. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him,

What should we do when our eyes are opened by Christ but follow him? The moment that we can see him, we should begin to follow him.

Luke 18:43. Glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

May we have cause to praise the Lord tonight for many blind eyes opened!

This exposition consisted of readings from Isaiah 6:1; Matthew 13:10-17; and Luke 18:35-43.

Luke 18:35-38. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

He did not need to be told twice who was passing by, nor did he need any exhortation to seek Christ's help. It was enough for him that Jesus of Nazareth was near him; so he would cry to him for the help he alone could give. Oh, that we were half as sensible, Oh, that the blindness did not get into men's hearts! If it were not so, every blind soul would at once begin to cry to God for mercy; there is not one poor sinner here, who knows that, Jesus often passes this way, who would not begin at once to cry, «Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.»

Luke 18:39. And they which went before rebuked him,

«Be quiet,» they cried.

Luke 18:39. That he should hold his peace:

«Do not interrupt the flow of those marvellous words, or break the thread of that matchless discourse.»

Luke 18:39. But he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

They could not quench the fire that burned within his breast; they did but increase its intensity by all their efforts to put it out. The blind man was so earnest to get his eyes opened that his voice could not be silenced. This was a proof of his common sense and true wisdom. It is remarkable how clearly the blind people mentioned in the Scriptures could see. Oh, that those who think they can see could really see as plainly as this blind man could, and would act as wisely as he did! «He cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.» This was his only hope; perhaps, his last opportunity; so he availed himself of it to the full.

Luke 18:40-41. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee! And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

There was no waste of words. He said what he meant, and he meant what he said, and he knew what he wanted. It is a great thing, in prayer, to know what we really need, a very important thing to be sensible enough not to multiply words, but to cry to the Lord with a definite object, as this blind man said, «Lord, that I may receive my sight.»

Luke 18:42-43. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

That was a blessed praise-meeting, brought about by the healing of that one man. Now that his eyes were opened, he showed that his mouth was not closed. He proved that he could pray well; now he proves that he can also praise well. He prayed when they tried to stop him, and now nobody shall stop him from praise; and he so praised the great Physician that, with the flaming firebrand of his gratitude he set all other hearts in a blaze: «All the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.»

This exposition consisted of readings from Luke 18:35-43; and Luke 19:1-10.

Luke 18:35-39. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace:

«Hush!» they cried; «how can you disturb the blessed Master's discourse? Be quiet.»

Luke 18:39-40. But he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood,

Prayer held him fast. Here is a stationary Saviour, held in his place by the cries of a blind man. Oh, the power of prayer! It stays the onward march of the Son of God: «Jesus stood,»

Luke 18:40-41. And commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

It is a great thing to know what you really do want. There are some persons who are so blind that they do not know that they are blind; and because they say, «We see,» therefore is their blindness the more intense. I fear that there is many a person, who professes to pray, yet who, if Christ should come into the room, and say, «What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?» would not know how to answer the question. This man did; and he said, very briefly, and very clearly, but in a very full way, «Lord, that I may receive my sight.»

Luke 18:42. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight:

Often, the blessing from Christ's lip is the echo of the prayer which fell from ours. The blind man said, «Lord, that I may receive my sight.» Echo answered, «Receive thy sight.»

Luke 18:42-43. Thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight,

See, how the prayer, the word of Christ, and the immediate effect of it, all tally. «That I might receive my sight.» «Receive thy sight.» «He received his sight.»

Luke 18:43. And followed him,

Christ likes not blind followers: «and followed him,»

Luke 18:43. Glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

They seemed to be greatly impressed, but we shall see that some of them soon spoke in another fashion.

This exposition consisted of readings from Luke 18:35-43; and Luke 19:1-10.