Jesus was passing by

JESUS WAS PASSING BY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Luke 18:37 37They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is
passingby."
The Soul’s Crisis BY SPURGEON
“Jesus ofNazarethpasses by.”
Luke 18:37
Such was the news of that day. As an exclamation, doubtless it was often
repeatedwhen our Lord made His journeys through the land of Palestine and
its outskirts–“Jesus ofNazarethpasses by!” How quickly would the
inhabitants of their cities and their villages be astir when the news reached
them! What a curiosity there would be to see Him, knowing that His fame was
spokenof everywhere!What an eagerness among the multitudes to get close
enough to hear Him! What an intense anxiety on the part of some to go,
themselves, and of others to take their sick and diseasedfriends that they
might obtain health and cure! Oh, I think there was enoughin those words to
make men forego, awhile, their farms and their merchandise, their labors and
their pleasures that they might feasttheir eyes and ears with the sight of His
face and the sound of His voice–ormuch more, that they might obtain some
grateful relief and getsome substantial benefit from Him who went about
doing good!
But, my dear Brothers and Sisters, I want you to catchthe spiritual
significance ofthese thrilling words. Did you understand them aright, you
would rise up and shake off your lethargy! You would be eagerto greetHis
Presence andanxious to learn His doctrine! That, however, which I am sure
would stir you to the heart’s core and excite all your passions is the vehement
desire to have salvation, presentsalvation, from Him! Surely you would be
ready to receive Him into your house, to welcome Him to your heart and to sit

at His feet dissolvedin wonder, love and praise! And yet full many of you who
join the throng and mingle with the families that come up to seek the Lord are
as unconcerned for yourselves as though your sins were of no concernand
your souls in no immediate peril!
Oh, it is high time that some here present were saved! In a short time you
must be in another world. Hard by that column, on my right, in yonder
gallery, in that next pew, there have usually sattwo attentive hearers,
husband and wife, who early this morning were suffocatedby the smoke of
their own burning house! I little thought that they would be preachers to us
tonight–but they are so. The calamity, sudden and mysterious, which has
removed them from our midst, sets “the uncertainly of life,” and the
“preparationfor departure” so vividly before us that we cannotrefrain our
emotions or restrainour sympathies.
Their absence should speak loudly to those who occupy the seatthey have
vacated, asking them whether they are ready to depart. Notless loudly should
it speak to all sitting here, raising the question in the hearts of some of you
who are careless aboutyour souls, how you could bear to pass out of this
world if the arrow of death should overtake youunawares. A trifling accident
may prove fatal! A slight illness may be the precursor of speedydissolution!
Can you imagine your ownremorse as you glance backwards atthe Gospel
you have listened to but never embraced–the blood of sprinkling you have
heard of, but have never been applied to your conscience–the Saviorwhom
you passedby with indifference when He passedby you, ready to be gracious
and you would not be His disciple? Ah, you may turn from such questions
with a faint smile now–before long you will turn to them with a pale shudder!
Are there any here presentanxious to be saved? Let me have their solemn,
earnestand devout attention! I pray God that what I speak simply may just
strike their consciences andtouch their hearts. If they want their judgments
informed, may the Word come with light to their spirits and in that light may
they behold Christ and find salvation!Our text is takenfrom a little narrative
of a blind man who sat by the side of the highway begging–notan
inappropriate picture of you, my Friends, who are solicitous ofmercy and
anxiously desirous of salvation. Are you not as blind and poor spiritually as he
was literally?
I am sure that you will at once confess thatyou are blind. The eyes of your
understanding are dim. Your heart is wrapped in darkness. You cannotsee
what you want to see. You do not even see your sin so as to repent of it with
contrition. You have not yet seenthe powerof the precious blood of Jesus so
as to believe in it as worshippers once purged and abundantly consciousthat it

has procured their remission. While you are so blind, I am quite sure that you
will not be grievedor vexed with me if I say, too, that you are as poor as
Bartimeus. His was poverty of pence, but yours is poverty of soul. You have
no merit! You have no strength. You have no possibility of ever getting the
means of spiritual livelihood for yourselves. You are as poor as the poorest
beggarthat ever askeda charity for God’s sake from the wayfarers!
But you are sitting tonight in somewhatthe same position as that blind man
was, for he sat in the place of Jesus'passing by and you have come to the place
where God’s mercy has often been revealed–where saints andsinners have
passedby in crowds and where, blessedbe His name!–Jesus Himself
sometimes has passedby! What if tonight you should be apprised and aware
of His Presencehere and should cry out to Him and He should stop and open
those blind eyes of yours and give you the light of life and the joy of eternal
salvation? What if you should have to go home and say to your friends and
kinsfolk, “I have had an experience tonight the like of which I never felt
before! I have found a Savior! I have receivedthe forgiveness ofmy sins! I am
a new creature in Christ Jesus!”?
Why you would make angels sing fresh hallelujahs in Heaven, while on earth
God would be glorified and yourselves and your friends would be blessedby
so lively an exercise offaith and so wonderful a participation of Divine Grace!
1. Now, looking steadfastlythat this may be the case,I wish to speak very
pointedly to you about two or three things. First, when Jesus passedby
the blind man it was to that man A DAY OF HOPE. He had given up all
thought of ever being able to see, so long had his eyes been closedto the
light. When Jesus passedby the case was different. He could perform
any miracle–there was no limit to His healing power–whyshouldn’t He
open a blind man’s eyes? And you, my anxious Friend, you have felt
that you could not be saved. Of course, if it depended upon yourself you
could not by any duties you discharged, or any services youperformed
acquire merit enough to enter Heaven–oreven to procure the
forgiveness ofyour sins on earth.
But, if Jesus Christ has come into the world to save that which was lost, it is a
totally different matter! He can certainly pardon the greatestoffenders and
He can deliver from going down into the Pit the most undeserving of rebels. It
was an hour of hope to that blind man and if Jesus passes by now, this is an
hour of hope to you! But, does He pass by? I answer–Yes!There are different
respects in which this may be interpreted of our Lord’s conduct. In a certain
sense He has been passing by some of you ever since you began to discern
right from wrong. You have, some of you, been nurtured and bred up under

the hearing of the Gospel and you cannot remember the time when you did
not know something, at any rate, of the facts and Truths of God that pertain
to Christianity.
Well, all this while Jesus Christ has been slowly passing by you–halting,
pausing, giving you space–ifperhaps you would call to Him for mercy. O take
heed, that passing by may soonbe over! The candle of life may be blown out.
Yet while the Gospelrings in your ears, it is a day of hope to you–let not Satan
or your own despairing heart persuade you to the contrary. More especiallyis
it a time of Christ’s passing by when the Gospelis preachedwith power. If
this evening the Gospelshould so come to you as to win your attention and
melt your heart–if you should feel a Divine influence exerted overyou by it–
the evidence will not be lacking that Jesus is passing by.
Or, if the Gospel, though it affects not you, should convey such an influence
and bring forth such fruits in others who are sitting in the same pew with you,
that they should be saved–dependupon it–the kingdom of God will have come
near unto you! It will then have passedby and you will have receivedno
blessing because you soughtit not in faith. Yet responsibilities will have come
upon you from which you will not be able to escape!Jesus will have passedby
other blind men and they will have askedfor sight and had it, while you will
remain blind–not because Jesus cannothealyou–but because you have not
askedHis healing, but have continued still in your unbelief of Him. I feel
conscious within myself that this very night Jesus is, in a specialmanner,
present in this assembly.
Sometimes the preacher has yearnings within himself for the people as if he
travailed in birth until Christ is formed in them. He wrestles withsuch an
earnestlonging after souls as if their peril and the conflict for their rescue
were all his own–thatis no slight omen of the coming blessing. He perceives,
also, the same desire in many of his convertedhearers. As he knows that they
are praying Godwith much vehemence of spirit to bring in the sinner, the
atmosphere of prayer becomes to him an indication of the time and the place
where Jesus manifests Himself, for where His people pray, Christ is surely
present! I encourage youthen, dear Hearers, with hopeful signs of heavenly
Grace!
This is a hopeful hour! If you have lived up till now unsaved, I indulge the
fervent hope that the hour has now come when you shall find salvation!
Though you may, up to now, have soughtand soughtand sought in vain, yet
now, surely, the set time to favor you has come! Lord, grant it may be so, that
it may be so to many and we will bless Your name!

II. Secondly, as it was a time of hope to that poor blind man, so was it
especiallya TIME OF ACTIVITY. You that anxiously desire salvationregard
attentively these words. A man cannot be savedby what he does–salvationis
in Christ–yet no man is saved exceptas he seeksearnestlyafterChrist! This
blind man did not open his eyes himself. What he did, did not help or
contribute in any degree to his attaining sight. Nevertheless,he had to seek
Jesus to have his eyes opened. There was enoughin this to kindle all his
passions, summon all his faculties and engage allhis energies. But most
certainly there was nothing in it to exercise his skill in discovering or applying
a remedy–nothing to win him any honor–nothing to entitle him to any reward.
Yet this man is a picture of what we should be if we desire to be saved. He
listened attentively. He could not see, but he had ears. He could catchthe
sound of footsteps. The silence that was brokenby crowds coming along the
road to Jericho was peculiar. The tramp was of an unusual sort and the tone
of voices far different from those of wrangling or of revelry, or the songs of
common travelers. He listened, yes, he listenedwith all his ears. So, dear
Hearers, wheneverthe Gospelis preached, do not give it merely such a
hearing as you might give to an ordinary story that is told you. But oh, hear it
as God’s Word! Hear it with bated breath and profound reverence!Drink it
in as the parched earth drinks in the shower!Hear it fearing to miss a single
word, lestthat should be the word that might have blessedyou!
I believe attentive hearers are the most likely people to getthe blessing. Let
none of us, therefore, when we go to the courts of the Lord’s House and hear a
Gospelsermon, suffer our thoughts to be wandering here and there, but let us
give scrupulous heed so we may detect the footsteps of the Lord by the
conversationof His disciples. But, this man, after he had heard with
discrimination, enquired with eagerness whatit meant. Oh, how I wish our
hearers would begin to ask, “Whatdoes it mean?” I cansay that I put my
words as plainly as I can. Oftentimes when there is a bunch of gaudy flowers
of rhetoric that I gladly would use and could use, I have thrown them all on
the dunghill because they might have stoodin some poor sinner’s way and he
might not have understood the plain Truth of God so well.
Ah, but still, for all that, talk as we may, the carnal mind understands not the
things that are of God! It is a blessedsignwhen men begin to say, “What is it
all about? What is the drift of this Gospel? Whatdoes the man mean by sin
and its heinousness? Whatdoes he mean by Christ and His precious blood?
What is it all about?” O dear Hearers, some of you only skim your Bibles
when you read them! I wish you would stop and ponder and ask ofChristian
people who have experienced these things, “Whatdo these texts mean?” So,

too, if there is anything in a sermon that baffles you, I wish you would seek
out some godly and instructed Christian and say, “Explain to me what this
thing means?” I should have greathopes of you if you were thus enquiring
after the plan of salvation.
Is it not worth your while to ask the question, Sirs? When a man has lost his
way, he will ask 20 people soonerthan he will continue to pursue a wrong
course. And will you lose your way to Heaven through not asking old travelers
to direct you? Do, I pray you, be in earnestto learn and it shall not be long
before God shall teach you, for wheneverHe makes a man conscious ofhis
ignorance and anxious to be taught, God the Holy Spirit is quite sure to
instruct him before long. When this man had askedthe question and had been
told in reply that Jesus ofNazareth passedby, notice what he did next–he
beganto pray.
We are told that he cried. His cry was a prayer and his prayer was a cry. It
took the form of a piteous and emphatic outburst of desire–“YouSonof
David, have mercy on me.” It was a short prayer. He did not need a book.
Being a blind man he could not have used one if he had had it. Blessedbe God,
we need no Book ofPrayers. We need such prayers as blind men canuse quite
as readily as those who can see. And what a comprehensive prayer it was–
“Have mercy on me! Have mercy on me!” It was not the words of the prayer–
it was the true desire and the believing confidence of the prayer that did the
work. “You Son of David, have mercy upon me!”
Now, my dear Hearer, you tell me that you wish to be saved, that you are
anxious, no, enquiring–but do you pray? How can you expect mercy if it is not
thought by you to be worth the asking for? What? Will you have God give you
it without your seeking it? He has done so sometimes, but the usual rule of
Divine Grace, andthe most proper rule is that you should humbly ask for
mercy at His feet. Will you do it? What? Is Hell so paltry a doom that you will
not pray to escape fromit? What? Is Heaven so trifling a destinationthat you
will not pray that you may gain it? O Sirs, when heavenly mercy is to be had
for the asking, will you not invoke the Almighty and be obedient to the
Redeemerto obtain it? Then how richly you deserve to die! Being placed on
pleading terms, you will not plead! And being bid to seek the Lord while He
may be found, you willfully refuse to seek Him!
Yes, richly do you deserve to perish in your sin! But it must not be so with
you. I cannot look you in the face and think you will do such despite to God’s
claims and your own interests. No, you will pray, I trust you will. You will cry
with your whole heart to God! Be assured that never did a man really cry for
mercy and continue to do so with his whole heart, but soonerorlater mercy

came!There are no praying souls in Hell! God never damns those who are
suppliants for mercy. If you do but lay hold on the Cross ofChrist and say, “I
will not let this go exceptI get the blessing!I will not ceaseuntil I win my
soul’s desire,” you shall soonhave the mercy that you seek!O that God would
stir you up to pray!
As this man prayed, there were some standing by who said, “Hush! Hold your
tongue! You disturb the preaching. We cannot hear the silvery tones of the
orator. Be still. It is not right for a beggarlike you, crawling in the street, to
disturb respectable people by your harsh, croaking voice–bequiet!” But his
heart, being thus moved, there was no silence for his tongue! So much the
more, with increasing vehemence and force, he iterated and reiteratedthe
prayer, “You Son of David, you Son of David, have mercy on me! Have mercy
on me!”
Now, if you desire salvationand have begun to pray, Satan will say, “Ah, it is
of no use!Be quiet!” The flesh will say, “Why do you do this? There is time
enough.” Procrastinationwill come in and say, “When you grow old it will be
time enough, then, to begin to seek the Lord.” A thousand difficulties will be
suggested, but, O Soul, if you are, indeed, setupon salvationand God has
made you in earnest, you will say to all these, “Stand back!I cannot and will
not be silencedby you! I must have mercy! It is mercy I need and it is mercy I
must have, or I perish forever and that I cannotafford! Therefore I will cry
the more!”
I wish–but ah, it is not in my power–still, I do wish that I could persuade you
to importunate prayer. May the Holy Spirit lead you to pray. Well do I
recollectmy ownprayers when I was seekingChrist. I prayed for months and
sometimes in the chamber where I sought the Lord, I felt as if I could not
come awayfrom the MercySeattill I had an answerof peace–butI waited
long before I got it. Still, it came at lastand oh, it is worth waiting for! If one
had to plead for mercy by the 20 years at a time, yet if at last the silver scepter
were stretchedout it would well repay all the groans and the tears of the most
anxious spirits! Getto your chambers, then, or if you cannot get to your
chambers, get to a saw pit, a hayloft–it matters not where–andpour out your
heart before Him and do not rise from your knees until the Lord has said,
“Your sins, which are many, are forgiven you”!
After this man had thus pleaded, it is noteworthy that Jesus stoodstill and
calledhim. I must call your attention to this matter. As soonas Jesus had
calledthe blind man, the effectproduced on him is startling. I think I see him
sitting there by the wayside helpless. Jesus bids him come. He gets up and in a
moment he throws off that outer garment which had been so precious to him–

in which he had so often wrapped himself up in cold nights–whenhe had to
sleepbeneath the open sky. That much prized, though all patched and filthy
garment–he threw it right away!It might have made him a minute or two
slower, so off he threw it and away he ran to Jesus!
Ah, and it is a greatmercy when a poor soul feels that it canthrow away
anything and everything to get to Christ! “Oh,” says the sinner who really
seeks a Savior, “if there is any sin that I indulged that prevents my finding
mercy, only let me know it and I will do awaywith it. Is there any habit I have
which I do not even know to be sin, or a thing I do that gives me pleasure, but
is objectionable in the sight of God, I will do away with it! O Lord, if I must be
poor, or if I must be sick, I will do awaywith my health and awaywith my
wealth if I may but find mercy–
“The dearestidol I have known,
Whateverthat idol is,
Help me to tear it from its throne,
And worship only You.”
I charge you, seekers ofJesus, letnothing stand betweenyou and Christ! You
must have salvation! You cannot afford to do without it. O fling away, then,
everything that might impede you. Castoff the garment that might trip you
up in the heavenly race. Lay aside every weight and the sin that does most
easilybesetyou and press to Jesus at once. Tonight, I pray you, press to Jesus
with vehement speed and be not content till you get the blessing!
Once more. When this man had come to Jesus and Jesus saidto him, “What
will you that I should do unto you?” the prayer tonight, any of you, do not
merely pray a generalprayer, but put it before the Lord in plain language. I
could suppose, for example, the tenor of your confessionand petition might be
something like this–“Lord, here I am. I have lived all this time without regard
of You. I have been a hearerat the Tabernacle. Sometimes Ihave been so
deeply impressedthat I have shed many tears, but Lord, it has all come to
nothing. Sermons upon sermons have I heard, yet sermon after sermon has
been lost upon me. I am afraid I am a Gospel-hardenedsinner.
“I think, Lord, that sitting as I do right opposite the preacher, he speaking so
pointedly as he does to me, witnessing, as I do, how others have been saved
while I have been left unsaved, my heart must be like the nether millstone.
Yet, Lord, You can save me. O have mercy on me! O melt this heart of stone!
Break this adamant! Thaw this rock of ice! Lord, I know what it is that
hinders me–there is that cherished sin. There is that vile companion. There is
that lust of the flesh. O God, enable me to give it up! Now help me to pluck off

the right arm and tear out the right eye, for, oh, I cannotperish! I cannot
perish! I cannotbear Your wrath in the world to come! I am afraid because of
it! Therefore would I flee from it and find refuge in Jesus!”
Or perhaps your case maybe quite a different one and in pleading with God
you may have to say, “Lord, I never was a keeperof Your Sabbath. I have
been on all those holy days spending the time in sinful pleasure and I do not
know that I have any regardfor You, but I fell into the crowdat the
Tabernacle gatesjust now and got into the aisle and, Lord, Your Word has
found me out and I feel as I never felt before! I do desire to be reconciledto
You.” Oh, you do not know how glad your heavenly Father will be to hear
that, for, just as in the parable, the father ran and fell upon the prodigal’s
neck and kissedhim, so will our Father who is in Heaven run and fall upon
your guilty neck and give you the kiss of pardon and of acceptance!And you,
even you, shall be saved!
Glory be to God, there is none that will press and seek and knock and strive
thus, but the mercy shall come unto them! Still, I cannot withhold one other
remark. That which really brought salvation to this blind man was his faith,
for Christ says, “Your faith has savedyou.” Now here is the greatestpoint of
all–faith! Faith–for work without faith is of little worth. Faith is the great
saving Grace–itis the real life-germ. “What is faith?” you ask. Anxious
Enquirer, if you would know what faith is, understand that the other words
for it are trust and belief. The faith that saves is a belief that Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, offeredan atonementfor sin, and then, after a firm conviction, a
simple trusting in that Atonement for your salvation.
Can you, this night–oh, I pray the Holy Spirit enables you!–can you, this
night, trust Jesus Christ? When I ask that question of an awakened sinner, it
seems to me as if the answershould always be, “CanI trust Him? Yes, indeed!
Such a Savior, so Divine, offering such a sacrifice as the death of Himself,
surely I can trust Him!” Here is a nail upon which you may well hang all the
weight of the vessel!Here is a bridge over which tens of thousands of the
heaviestsinners may safelycross!Come then, Sinner, what do you say? Are
you resolvedto trust Jesus? If so, your faith has saved you already! Go and
wrestle in prayer till you getyou an assurance ofit.
III. Time flies and I must not tarry. Let me have a solemnword upon another
point. When Jesus passedby, it was, as we have said, to the blind man an hour
of hope and it was an hour for bestirring himself. Now we notice, thirdly, it
was AN HOUR OF CRISIS. Did I not observe just now that while life lasts
Jesus is passing by? That is true in one sense, but I do also believe that in
many cases the hour in which they will ever be able to find mercy is past long

before men die. There was a man who had listened to an earnestGospel
exhortation and as he listened he felt that the preacherwas speaking outhis
inmost heart to him. He thought within himself, “Thatis an important
matter.”
As he listened the importance of the matter seemedto strike him more and
more. His tears beganto flow and he resolvedthat when he reachedhis home
that night he would seek the Lord. As he went on his way, a companion met
him and said, “Come with me,” and he invited him to a certain ale-house. He
was revolted at the thought for the moment. He stoodstill and the deliberation
seemedto go on in his soul–“Whichshall it be? Shall it be my jovial
companion, or shall it be that earnestprayer on which I have resolved?” He
hesitateda moment and his better self, or rather the Holy Spirit within him,
conquered, and that night as he knelt, Divine light shone into his soul and he
became a Christian!
On that same occasionthere was anotherman who passedthrough precisely
the same experience and to whom the same temptation came. But he yielded
to it and he was never after that troubled with such another difficulty. He
listened againto sermons, but he never felt, under them, as he did under that.
They lost all interest for him. After a time he left off attending the means of
Grace and he is at this time a blasphemer, though before he seemedto stand
upon the very borders of salvation!Probably to this lastman there will never
come a day of Grace again. He has now put himself beyond the reach of it, as
to the means–forhe attends no place of worship and gives no heed to anything
of the kind. Religion has become a thing for him to laugh at and its preachers
the objects ofhis scorn.
Here were the turning points of these two lives–Divine Grace decidedthe one
and the flesh decided the other–the one, in all human probability, is bound for
Heaven and the other, alas, is bound for Hell. Such a night as this may have
come now. I do not know that young man, nor where he sits tonight, but he is
here. He has, after this service is over, an engagementofa sort that if his
sainted mother in the country could but know of it, it would make her very
hair stand on end with horror to think that her sonshould have come to that.
I charge him by the living God to give up that sin, or else this night he may
sealhis own damnation!
There sits here in this house a woman who will, this evening, if the Lord shall
make her fulfill the purpose of her heart, seek Christ and find Him. But if the
temptation that is now striving with her should overcome her and the evening
should be spent, after all, in idle chat, her conscienceshallbe searedas with a
hot iron and from this hour it shall not be possible for the shafts of the Gospel

to come at her. O that God may decide your case rightly for you, helping your
will, your stubborn and wickedwill, to yield and bow to the blessedinstigation
of His Holy Spirit in your hearts, for I am persuadedthat this is an hour of
crisis to many here!
IV. Lastly, remember that this hour of Jesus passing by is AN HOUR THAT
WILL SOON BE GONE. Did you notice that word, “JesusofNazareth passes
by”? He is not stopping, He is passing by, for He is going on towards the walls
of Jericho to pass through its gates. Blind man, it is now or never, for He is
passing by! He has come up to where you are!Cry to Him now! He has passed
you, but cry to Him. Now, Man, He is long past, but He can yet hear you. Cry
to Him now!
Ah, but He is passedand is gone and the man has not cried and now there is
no other who can open his eyes, neither will this Son of David, for He has
passedby and been unasked, unsought to bless. You had Christ passing by
when you were young. I would to God you had said to Him then, “Have mercy
on me!” But you waited till He came up to you in middle life and yet you did
not seek Him. Alas, alas, for that! And now the gray hairs are stealing over
you and half-acentury of unbelief has hardened your heart. You are getting
close to 60 years of ungodliness, but He is not out of earshotyet. He will hear
you now. O cry to Him, I pray you cry and may God’s Holy Spirit, who is the
Author of all true supplication, breathe in you, now, a cry that never shall be
stopped until you getthe answer, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Now, it may be that some here to whom I am speaking think that this
preaching is all child’s play and that our talking about these solemn things is
very easy. I protest before God this night that I feel it to be stern hard work!
Not but what it is easyand delightful to preach the Gospel, but I yearn over
the souls of some of you! I cannot understand why you crowd here and when I
know that there are perhaps half as many outside as inside, clamoring for
entrance, I know not why it is. I do nothing to attractyou here, but speak
right out my Master’s Gospel. The truth is, if the Lord inclines your hearts
and brings you within the sound of the Gospelwhich I am eagerto proclaim, I
feel a responsibility about you which it were not possible for you to estimate.
What if you should, in the Day of Judgment, be able to say, “We crowdedto
that house and we listened to that man, but he did not tell us the Truth of
God, or he told it to us so coldly that we thought it did not matter and we put
it off”? Oh, if you are lost, yet bear me witness that I would gladly have you
saved! And if persuasions couldbring you to Christ, you should not perish for
lack of them. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” This
is the message, but if you rejectit, a weightfalls on my spirit–it seems to crush

me like a millstone–the thought that you should be lost! For what is it to be
lost? To be castawayfrom the Presence ofGod! To be castinto Hell! To have
to suffer, and that forever, all that the Justice of God candemand–all that the
Omnipotence of God caninflict!
Why, Sirs, if I have but a headache, ora toothache for one brief hour, my
patience can scarcelyendure the torture! What must it be to suffer such pains
for a century? Man, I cannot guess whatit must be! What must it be to have
ten thousand times worse pains than these, foreverand ever? Why, to be
dejectedin mind, to be despairing, to be disconsolate–how bewilderedit
makes men! They take the knife or the poison in a fit of insanity–it may be
they cannot beartheir lives because of their anguish and desperation. But all
the pangs and racks and abandonment from which men suffer here are
nothing to be compared with the woes andmental anguish of the world to
come!Oh, the agony of a spirit doomed, forlorn, accursed, upon which God
shall put His foot in awful wrath and lift it up no more forever!
And there, as you lie, tormented to the quick, you will have this to be your
miserable portion–“I heard the Gospel, but I would not heed it. Christ was
put before me, but I would not acknowledge Him. I was entreatedto believe in
His name and fly to Him for salvation, but I hesitated–hung in suspense,
objected–andat length denied Him. And all for what? Fora little drink, a
little dance, a little sin that yielded me but slight pleasure–orfor worldly gain,
or for low and groveling vices–orforsheercarelessnessandgaiety! Lost, lost,
lost! And for nothing! A sinner damned!”
He lost his soul, but he did not gain the world. He gained only a little frivolous
pleasure, even that poor pittance he spent in an hour and then he was forever
castaway!May it not be so with you–not with one of you, old or young! But
may the Lord have mercy upon the whole assembly, for His dear name’s sake.
Amen.–
“There is a time, we know not when,
A point we know not where,
That marks the destiny of men,
To glory or despair.
There is a line, by us unseen,
That crosseseverypath–
The hidden boundary between
God’s patience and His wrath.
To pass that limit is to die,
To die, as if by stealth.
It does not quench the beaming eye,

Or pale the glow of health.
The consciencemaybe still at ease,
The spirits light and gay.
That which is pleasing still may please,
And care be thrust away.
But on that forehead
God has set
Indelibly a mark,
Unseen by man–for man as yet
Is blind and in the dark.
And yet the doomed man’s path below,
Like Eden, may have bloomed.
He did not, does not, will not know,
Or feel that he is doomed.
He knows, he feels, that all is well,
And every fear is calmed.
He lives, he dies, he wakes in Hell,
Not only doomed but damned!
O where is your mysterious brook,
By which our path is crossed,
Beyond which God Himself has sworn,
That he who goes is lost?
How far may we go on in sin?
How long will God forbear?
Where does hope end? And where begin
The confines of despair?
An answerfrom the skies is sent–
‘You that from God depart,
While it is calledtoday,
Repent! And harden not your heart.’”
PORTION OF SCRIPTUREREAD BEFORESERMON–Luke 18.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
PresentBut Passing Opportunity
Luke 18:37

W. Clarkson
Pathetic stories are told of those who, in circumstances ofthe greatestdanger
or distress, have suddenly found themselves almostwithin reach of blessed
deliverance, but who just failed to realize their hope. It is the captive knight
past whose dungeona friendly host is filing, and the sound of the clarion
drowns his pleading cries;or it is the shipwreckedsailoron the lonely island
whose laboriouslyconstructedsignal the ship that is homeward bound does
not descry, and who sees his one chance of rescue vanishing away. Those who
have never known a supreme misfortune, togetherwith a possibility, which
was only a possibility, of deliverance, cannotrealize the thrilling and all but
intolerable suspense ofsuch moments of present but passing opportunity as
Bartimaeus now knew. He was blind, helpless, shut out from all the sights and
nearly all the enjoyments of human life; his lot was of the darkestand the
saddest;and there was passing by One who could turn darkness into day,
dreariness and gloom into blessednessandbeauty, if only he could win his ear
and make his plea. This glorious Healer was within a few paces ofhim, would
soonbe actually in front of him, would all too soonbe gone beyond his call.
"Jesus ofNazarethwas passing by!" We see here -
I. THE SORENESSOF OUR SPIRITUAL NEED. We are blind, helpless,
suffering the worstprivations, under the dominion of sin. We recognize rot
our Father, our brethren, our true selves, our true opportunities, our chief
perils, our realinterests; and our blindness is not only immeasurably reducing
the value of our presentlife, but is leading us to that which is darker still and
sadder far.
II. THE NEAR PRESENCEOF JESUS CHRIST. A Divine Delivereris at
hand. Quite near to us, within reachof our voice, within touch of our hand, is
One who canopen our eyes and make us see clearlyall that we need to know.
At our very door is One who is not only ready at our entreaty, but even
prepared already and eagerto supply all our need. Here is One who offers to:
1. Enlighten our mind.
2. Restore the relationship to God our Father we have lost by our sin.
3. Constitute himself our almighty and unchanging Friend and Guide through
all our life.
4. Conduct us and receive us to a heavenly home.
III. THE PASSING OF PRESENT OPPORTUNITY. This priceless chance is
ours to-day; but how long will it remain within our reach? Jesus ofNazareth
is near, but he is passing.

1. We know nothing of Christian privilege beyond the grave, and our life is
hastening on; it may close atany hour, and it is hurrying awayon the swift
wings of duty and of pleasure.
2. The favoured period of youth is still more transient. Christ is very near us
in the goldendays of youth, when the spiritual nature is so open and so
responsive;but how fast these days are fleeing! how soonwill they be gone!
3. The hour of specialgrace andof rare privilege is but an hour - that time
when Heaven puts forth its most constraining influences, and we see and feel
that the gates into the kingdom of God are opened wide for our entrance, We
cannot afford to delay when Jesus ofNazarethis near us. When eternal life is
within our grasp, we must compelevery other interest to take the second
place;and this, not only because it is of such transcendent value, but because
we may never have so goldenan opportunity again. There is "a tide" in the
history of every man which leads on to something more than "fortune;" it
leads unto life - the life that is Divine and everlasting. On no accountwhatever
must that be "omitted." Foolishbeyond all reckoning, as wellas guilty before
God, is the soul that lets Jesus ofNazarethpass by without seeking his feet
and finding his favour. - C.
Biblical Illustrator
A certain blind man satby the wayside.
Luke 18:35-43
The blind man's pertinacity and cure
Anon.

This teaches us —
I. THE IMPORTANCEOF THE IMMEDIATE SEIZING OF
OPPORTUNITIES.
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF PERTINACITY, IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE
SOUL.
III. THE ROOT OF THIS PROMPTNESSOF ACTION — OF THIS
UNDAUNTED PERTINACITY— WAS FAITH.
IV. THE RESTORED SIGHT IS USED IN FOLLOWING CHRIST, AND IN
GLORIFYING GOD.
(Anon.)
Blind Bartimeus
Clergyman's Magazine.
I. HINDRANCES WHICH BESET US IN COMING TO CHRIST FOR
MERCY.
1. Our ownblindness.
2. Impediments that others castin the way.
II. ACTIONS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR OUR COMING TO CHRIST.
1. Jesus stoodstill.
2. On Jesus showing Himself favourable, then at once did multitude.
3. In eagerness to go to Jesus, man left garment behind (Mark 10:50). Must
castoff custom and habit of sin. Then, going to the Saviour will be easy, and
prayer will be heard and answered.
III. BLESSING RECEIVED;EFFECTPRODUCED.
1. What the poor man willed, the Lord granted.
2. A new follower.Application:
1. Let no worldly hindrances debar from Christ.
2. Many encouragements to go. Go.
3. Having gone, truly, wholly — surely follow Him.
(Clergyman's Magazine.)
The soul's crisis

C. H. Spurgeon.
I. Now, looking stedfastlythat this may be the case, Iwish to speak very
pointedly to you about two or three things. First, when Jesus passedby the
blind man it was to that man A DAY OF HOPE. It was an hour of hope to
that blind man, and if Jesus passes by now this is an hour of hope to you. But,
does He pass by? I answer — Yes. There are different respects in which this
may be interpreted of our Lord's conduct. In a certainsense He has been
passing by some of you ever since you beganto discernright from wrong.
More especiallyis is a time of Christ's passing by when the gospelis preached
with power.
II. Secondly, as it was a time of hope to that poor blind man, so was it
especiallyA TIME OF ACTIVITY. You that anxiously desire salvation,
regard attentively these words. A man cannotbe savedby what he does;
salvationis in Christ, yet no man is savedexcept as he seeks earnestlyafter
Christ.
1. This man listenedattentively.
2. He inquired with eagernesswhatit meant.
3. When this man had askedthe question, and had been told in reply that
Jesus ofNazareth passedby, notice what he did next, he beganto pray. His
cry was a prayer, and his prayer was a cry.
4. After this man had thus pleaded, it is noteworthy that Jesus stoodstill and
calledhim. That much-prized, though all patched and filthy garment, he
threw right away; it might have made him a minute or two slower, so off he
threw it, and awayhe flung it. Ah! and it is a greatmercy when a poor soul
feels that it can throw awayanything and everything to get to Christ.
5. Once more. When this man had come to Jesus, and Jesus saidto him,
"What wilt thou that 1 should do unto thee?" the man returned a
straightforwardand intelligent answer, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."
6. Still, I cannot withhold one other remark. That which really brought
salvationto this blind man was his faith, for Christ says, "Thy faith hath
savedthee." Now, here is the greatestpoint of all — faith! Faith; for work
without faith is of little worth. Faith is the greatsaving grace;it is the real life-
germ.
III. It was also AN HOUR OF CRISIS.
IV. Lastly, remember that this hour of Jesus passing by is AN HOUR THAT
WILL SOON BE GONE. Did you notice that word, "JesusofNazareth
passethby?"

(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The passing Christ recognized
E. J. Hardy, M. A.
As people do not recognize that Christ passethnearto them when they are in
health, even so they do not see as they ought His hand in their sickness.An
invalid lamented to a lady who came to see her, that she had abused her
health before it was takenfrom her. The friend replied, "I hope that now you
will take care not to abuse your sickness."Assuredlywe abuse our sickness
when we do not see the hand of God in it, and do not allow Jesus ofNazareth,
who passethby our bed, to bring us nearer to Himself.
(E. J. Hardy, M. A.)
Enthusiasm rebuked
W. M. Hay Aitken, M. A.
Blind Bartimeus has to encounterobstructionists; the unsympathizing crowd
interfered to silence the man. "Hold thy peace, Bartimeus;have done with all
this frenzied excitement; Christ has other things to do than listen to thee!" So
long ago was it a settled matter that a man may get excitedabout anything in
the wide world exceptabout Christ! You are quite at liberty to get excited
about the latestwar news, about politics, about the race-course,aboutthe
money-market, about anything you like, save the interests of your soul. Yes;
these highly respect. able people of eighteenhundred years ago have left a
numerous progeny. There are always plenty of persons ready to give good
advice to seeking souls, orto young Christians, after this fashion: "Keep quiet,
my friend; don't get excited; hush! don't make a noise about such things;
whateveryou do, keepcalm, and don't make a fuss." I observe that the devil
has his own fire-brigade, who are always ready with their hose — waiting to
throw cold water on any little flame that the Holy Spirit kindles, and to offer
sedatives to any startled sinner who is beginning to be in earnestabout his
soul. These excellentpeople will tell you that it is all right and proper to be
religious, to be earnestup to a certainpoint, but you must be careful not to go
beyond this. When you come to inquire what this point is, you make the
astonishing discoverythat it is just the point at which religionbegins to do one
any real good!Be earnest, so long as your earnestnessdoes not bring you
salvation;be pious, so long as your piety fails to reveal the living God to your

heart; but be sure and stop short of receiving God's gift of everlasting life, or
you will be going too far!
(W. M. Hay Aitken, M. A.)
The blind sister
A year ago lastwinter an affecting scene occurredin the streets ofBaltimore.
Two little sisters were looking through a large store window at the toys within,
and trying to describe what they saw to a little blind sisterwho was with them.
They were exhausting their feeble powers of description to bring home to the
mind of their blind companion what they saw, althoughshe listened greedily.
But, after all, they failed to present anything more than an imperfect
representation. The gentleman who saw the circumstance saidthat it was
extremely touching, that they tried hard to describe the collectionin the store,
but they could not do it. That is just like our trying to tell you of Christ.
Opening the eyes of faith
J. Leckie, D. D.
By merely opening my eyes all the glories of light burst upon me. I take in at a
glance the human face or the stretch of magnificent scenery. I gaze across the
vast ocean, or, looking up through the night, I grasp millions of worlds and
embrace infinitude. What an amazing result from merely opening the eyes
and looking up! How often, too, a single incident, the meeting of a particular
friend or the encountering of some difficulty or danger, or the gaining of a
little information, colours the whole of a man's subsequent life — indeed,
gives him an entirely different direction and turn. His whole attitude is altered
by what occupied but a moment. It is, then, quite in accordancewith God's
arrangementand man's world that greatthings should depend on very simple
matters. And the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, though a simple thing,
though not a complex, laborious, lengthened operation, is yet the very act
most fitted to open the soul for God. It is not labour that is required for the
receptionof God. It is the feeling of emptiness, and desire to receive. It is trust
in God, the belief in His greatlove. No labour will enable a man to behold the
light of the sun or the multitude of the stars, but opening his eyes will.
Opening the eyes to God's greatlove in Christ, receiving that marvellous
display of God's inmost heart, that opens the heart, that brings into true
accordwith God, that gives a wholly different outlook on the world, that
alters a man's entire attitude.

(J. Leckie, D. D.)
The cure of blind Bartimeus
W. Jay.
Let us therefore review THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE HISTORY
BEFORE US — arid endeavour to derive SOME USEFUL ADMONITIONS
FROM IT. One of the characters ofour Saviour's miracles was publicity.
Impostors require secrecyand darkness. Thus He recoveredthis man before a
multitude in the highway, and close to the city of Jericho. Severalofour
Saviour's miracles seem to have been unintentional. Thus it is said, "As He
entered a certainvillage, there met Him ten men, that were lepers, who stood
afar off." Thus againwe read, that "whenHe came nigh to the gate of the city
of Nain, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only sonof his mother,
and she was a widow." And so here: "It came to pass, that as He was come
nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way-side begging." You may
ask then, Was His finding these objects accidentalordesigned?
Unquestionably, designed. He was not takenby surprise. He saw the end from
the beginning. His plan was formed; and He was "working all things after the
counselof His own will." Our Saviour is acquainted with all our sins, but He
requires us to confess them; He understands all our wants, but He commands
us to acknowledgethem; He is always graciouslyaffectedtowards our case,
but He would have us properly affectedwith it ourselves. He knew the desire
of this man, but He would know it from him himself; and therefore, when he
was come near, He askedhim, saying, "What wilt thou that I shall do unto
thee?" So here: as soonas Bartimeus receivedsight from the Lord Jesus, "he
followedHim in the way, glorifying God." We may view this two ways. It was
first an evidence of the reality and perfection of the cure. In other caseswhere
human skill has removed blindness by couching, the restoredorbs cannotbe
immediately used; light is admitted into them by degrees;the man cannot
measure distances, nor judge with accuracy;and he is not fit to be left to
himself. But it is said our Lord "did all things well." His manner distinguished
him — the man saw at once clearly; and was able to conduct himself.
Secondly, it was an improvement of the greatness ofthe mercy. "I can never,"
says he, "discharge my obligations to such a gracious and almighty Friend.
But let me devote myself to His service — let me continually ask, 'Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do?'" From the narrative thus explained, I would take
occasionto bring forward four admonitions.

1. BE PERSUADED THAT YOU ARE ALL SPIRITUALLY IN THE
CONDITION OF BARTIMEUS — and that without Divine illumination, you
are no more qualified for the concerns of the moral world than a blind man is
for those of the natural world.
2. BE PERSUADED THAT, WITH REGARD TO THE REMOVAL OF
THIS BLINDNESS, YOU ARE IN AS HOPEFUL A CONDITION AS THIS
POOR MAN. In all these miracles our blessedLord holds Himself forth as the
all-sufficient helper of sinners.
3. BE PERSUADED TO IMITATE THE IMPORTUNITYOF THIS BLIND
BEGGAR, IN CRYING FOR MERCY. And especiallylet your importunity,
like this poor man's, appearwith regard to two things. First, like him, seize
the presentmoment. Let not the opportunity afforded you be lost by delay.
Secondly, like him, be not silencedby discouragementand opposition.
4. If He has healed you! — if you cansay, "One thing I know, that whereas I
was blind, now I see." LIKE BARTIMEUS, BE CAREFUL TO FOLLOW
THE SAVIOUR. This is the best way to evidence your cure. This is also the
best way to improve your deliverance. Thus you will "show forth the praises
of Him who hath calledyou out of darkness into His marvellous light." Follow
Him, then, as an imitator of His example.
(W. Jay.)
What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?
A worshipper questioned
J. Ogle.
All who come to church should come not to keepup an ancient form, do a
duty, discharge an obligation, but to meet with Christ. And we do meet with
Him (Matthew 18:20). And He asks ofeachthe question in the text. Three
classesofreplies.
1. The reply of some is, "Let us alone — leave us." Diogenes wished
Alexander, as the greatestfavour he could bestow, to "standout of my
sunshine." Christ stands betweensome men and what they imagine to be
sunshine.(1) How ungrateful is such a reply. What pain and grief it must give
Him who died to save us.(2) How mad it is. If we could succeedwe should
have destroyedour only hope — brokenthe only bridge by which we might
return.

2. The reply of others is, "Lull our consciencesto rest." They want ease, but
not holiness, pardon without change of heart.(1) How vain is such a search.
Christ's offers are always coupledwith requirements ( Matthew 11:28-30;
Matthew 5:8).(2) How utterly worthless it would be. It would be a sham, and
we should know it and despise
3. The reply of others is, "Cleanse,purify, renew us." Like this man they ask
for sight. Like the leper they ask to be made clean. They cry in their doubts
and fears, "I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." And such never come in vain.
Christ meets with them, and though they touch but the hem of His garment,
grants, their requests (Luke 4:18).
(J. Ogle.)
Blindness and the blind
J. N. Norton, D. D.
Much as blind people lose by not having the use of their eyes, they have often
made themselves not only useful, but even distinguished. ProfessorSanderson,
of Cambridge, England, losthis sight when only a year old, but became a
greatmathematician. Dr. Blackwoodwas masterofGreek, Latin, Italian, and
French, and a poet of no mean degree. Dr. Henry Moyes was skilledin
geometry, optics, and astronomy, and he could judge very accuratelyof the
size of any room in which he happened to be by the effects of his voice. John
Metcalf, an Englishman, was employed first as a wagoner, and afterwards
became a surveyor of highways. By the help of a long staff, he would traverse
the most difficult mountain roads, and was able to do more than many men
accomplishwith their eyes open. William Metcalflaid out roads and built
bridges. Euler, the mathematician, was blind. John Gough, who was an
accurate botanistand zoologist, was also blind. Lord Cranbourne, blind from
his childhood, published, a history of France for the young. Huber, who has
written such an interesting book about bees, was blind. Homer was blind. The
same was true of Ossianand Milton. Zisca, the famous Bohemiangeneral,
performed greatacts of valour after the loss of his sight. The Rev. J. Crosse,
vicar of Bradford, England, was blind, but as he knew the Church service by
heart, he was able to conduct public worship with impressiveness and
solemnity, only requiring the help of another person to read the lessons for
him.
(J. N. Norton, D. D.)

Spiritual blindness and sight
F. W. P. Greenwood, D. D.
To be vain is to be blind, and to persist in blindness, and in the ignorance of
one's blindness, and to refuse the opportunities of sight. To be worldly is to be
blind; to grope among the dusty ways, the opaque and earthly objects of this
lowersphere, contentedwith their darkness, orexpecting light to shine out
from it — is to be grosslyblind. To be without religion, to look not up above
for cheering and guiding light, to seek not the rays of that eternal Sun, which
alone can warm and invigorate the soul — that is to be blind. But to be
humble is to see. To feel that we are ignorant, that we are weak, that we are
poor, and that the darkness within needs illumination from the Light above,
and to pray for that illumination is to have our eyes opened, and to see. To
receive Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith, to go to Him for the
precept and example, the doctrine and direction which we so much need, and
which we can obtain from no one but from Him who was sentto us from the
Father of lights, is to be cured of our blindness, and to receive our sight. To
follow His blessedsteps, to write His instructions on the tables of our hearts,
to shun all allurements and pass overall obstacleswhichinterfere with the
duty of discipleship, is to walk as children of the light and of the day.
(F. W. P. Greenwood, D. D.).
COMMENTARIES
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
18:35-43 This poor blind man sat by the wayside, begging. He was not only
blind, but poor, the fitter emblem of the world of mankind which Christ came
to heal and save. The prayer of faith, guided by Christ's encouraging
promises, and grounded on them, shall not be in vain. The grace ofChrist
ought to be thankfully acknowledged, to the glory of God. It is for the glory of
God if we follow Jesus, as those will do whose eyes are opened. We must
praise God for his mercies to others, as well as for mercies to ourselves.
Would we rightly understand these things, we must come to Christ, like the
blind man, earnestlybeseeching him to open our eyes, and to show us clearly
the excellenceofhis precepts, and the value of his salvation.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
See this passage explainedin the notes at Matthew 20:29-34.

Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Lu 18:35-43. Blind Man Healed.
In Mt 20:29-34, they are two, as in the case ofthe Demoniac of Gadara. In
Matthew and Mark (Mr 10:46-52)the occurrence is connectedwith Christ's
departure from Jericho;in Luke with His approachto it. Many ways of
accounting for these slight divergences ofdetail have been proposed. Perhaps,
if we knew all the facts, we should see no difficulty; but that we have been left
so far in the dark shows that the thing is of no moment any way. One thing is
plain, there could have been no collusionamong the authors of these Gospels,
else they would have takencare to remove these "spots on the sun."
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 18:36"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And they told him, that Jesus ofNazareth passethby. Some of the company
answeredhim, that Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, so much talkedof, and
said to be the Messiah, who was become so famous for his doctrines and
miracles, for healing diseases, anddispossessing devils, was just "then"
passing by; and this occasionedthe noise and clamour.
Geneva Study Bible
And they told him, that Jesus ofNazareth passethby.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 18:37. Ναζωραῖος:the usual form in Lk., an exceptionin Luke 4:34.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 37. - And they told him, that Jesus of Nazarethpassethby. The Lord's
name was by this time a household word in Palestine, and among the sick and
afflicted a most precious and welcome sound.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCEHURT MD

Luke 18:37 They told him that Jesus ofNazareth was passing by.
They told him : Mk 2:1-3 Joh 12:35,36 2Co 6:2 (Mt 20:29-34, Mk 10:46-50)
Jesus ofNazareth was passing by: Lu 2:51 Mt 2:23 Joh 1:45 19:19 Ac 2:22
4:10
Luke 18 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 18:35-43 When Jesus PassesBy - StevenCole
Luke 18:35-43 A Blind BeggarReceivesSaving Sight - John MacArthur
BARTIMAEUS RECOGNIZES A SMALL
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
They told him that Jesus ofNazarethwas passing by - This is all he need to
hear! This was the opportunity of a lifetime! But it was a "passing" (pun
intended) opportunity (as are most opportunities).
The word OPPORTUNITYis derived from the Latin "ob portu." In ancient
times before modern harbors, ships had to wait for the timing of the tide
before they could make it safelyto port. Thus "OB PORTU," describedthe
ship waiting "FOR PORT,"readyto seize the crucialmoment when it could
ride the tide into safe harbor. The captain knew that if he missed the passing
tide, the ship would have to waitfor another tide to come in. God gives eachof
us many "obportu's", but we must be spiritually wise and Spirit filled in
order to see and seize them. As Charles Swindoll said "We are all facedwith a
series ofgreat opportunities (ob portu's) brilliantly disguised as impossible
situations." Shakespeare's famous line from Julius Caesarconveys the same
thought: "There is a tide in the affairs of men (an "ob portu"), Which, taken
at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound
in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat;And we must
take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures." In short, Bartimaeus
had a deep sense that this was an "opportune time," his small "window of
opportunity!" (cf 2 Cor 6:2, Isa 55:6) (From Redeemthe Time)
Jesus (Iesous)ofNazareth - Yes, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but in that
time a man was usually associatedwith the town in which he had been raised
when for Jesus was Nazareth - Matthew 2:23 (Jesus)"came and lived in a city
calledNazareth. Nazareth was consideredto be a town of little significance.
For example, "Nathanaelsaid to him, “Canany goodthing come out of
Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” (Jn1:46) This was to fulfill
what was spokenthrough the prophets: “He shall be calleda Nazarene.” (Cf
Mt 26:71;Jn 1:45; Acts 10:38; 26:9; Mk 14:67;Lk 24:19;Jn 18:5; Acts 2:22;
6:14) Petersummarized Jesus'3 year ministry declaring “You know of Jesus

of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and
how He went about doing goodand healing all who were oppressedby the
devil, for God was with Him."
Jesus ofNazareth - 7x in 7v - Matt. 26:71; Mk. 1:24; Lk. 4:34; Lk. 18:37;Jn.
1:45; Acts 10:38; Acts 26:9
The alternate Name is Jesus the Nazarene - 9x in 9v - Mk. 10:47;Mk. 14:67;
Mk. 16:6; Lk. 24:19;Jn. 18:5; Jn. 18:7; Jn. 19:19;Acts 2:22; Acts 22:8
Was passing by (3928)(parerchomaifrom para = beside, near + erchomai =
come, go)means to pass near, pass by or pass awayand is used literally (as in
this passage)and figurative (e.g. of the Law not passing away - Mt 5:18). This
verb describes Jesus in Mark 6:48 = "Seeing them straining at the oars, for
the wind was againstthem, at about the fourth watchof the night He *came to
them, walking on the sea;and He intended to pass by them." In Mt 8:28 it
describes two demons who "were so extremely violent that no one could pass
by that way."
Jesus was ona one way trip to the Cross. This would be the lasttime He
would be passing by the blind beggar's locationin Jericho. Perhaps the beggar
sensedthis greaturgency and realized that he must seek Jesus now or never.
We see this thought expressedin Isaiah55:6...
"Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near."
(He may not always be near!)
Dearreader - "If you do not know the Lord, you have right now an
opportunity for your life to be changed. Jesus is passing by, if you please. You
have an opportunity for your eternal destiny to be changedfrom Hell to
Heaven. Your sins can be forgiven by asking Christ to forgive you and by
putting your faith in Him. Realize you won't always have this opportunity.
When you die, it will be gone. This is why Paul urged the lost to trust in the
Lord now. 2 Corinthians 6:2." (Mattoon)
Blind people can comprehend things people with sight cannotcomprehend as
shown by this story in Luke. But it is also true in general - "Blind people can
easilycomprehend speechthat is sped up far beyond the maximum rate that
sighted people can understand. When we speak rapidly we are verbalizing at
about six syllables per second. Thathyperactive radio announcer spewing fine
print at the end of a commercialjabbers at 10 syllables per second, the
absolute limit of comprehensionfor sighted people. Blind people, however,
can comprehend speechsped up to 25 syllables per second. Human beings
cannot talk this fast!" (Scientific American)

ILLUSTRATION - StevenCole - David Brainerd, the 18th century
missionary to the American Indians, was once witnessing to a chief who was
close to trusting in Christ. But he held back. Brainerd gotup, took a stick,
drew a circle in the dirt around the chief, and said, “Decide before you cross
that line.” Why was Brainerd so urgent? Becausehe recognizedthat Jesus
was passing by that chief at that moment. He might never be so close again.
Luke 18:38 And he calledout, saying, "Jesus, Sonof David, have mercy on
me!"
Jesus:Ps 62:12 Isa 9:6,7 Isa 11:1 Jer23:5 Mt 9:27 12:23 15:22 21:9,15 Mt
22:42-45 Ro 1:3 Rev 22:16 (Mt 20:29-34, Mk 10:46-50)
SON OF DAVID
A MESSIANIC TITLE
And he called out, saying - Luke uses boao which can be a loud cry or shout
expressing strong emotion (see below). Matthew's parallel (Mt 20:30) uses
krazo (also used in Lk 18:39) which describes a loud cry expressing deep
emotion, crying out harshly, often with an inarticulate and brutish sound.
Krazo is onomatopoeic,the very pronunciation of which imitates the hoarse
cry or croak ofthe raven. The verb boáo especiallyconveys the idea of a cry
for help. Both of these verbs give us a vivid word picture of this scene --
imagine yourself following behind Jesus and all of sudden a blind beggar
begins crying out (listen to this raven and think about the beggar)!It is quite
likely Bartimaeus
Called (994)(boao fromboé = to cry) means raise a cry aloud or shout by
using one’s voice with high volume. Crying out was in the contextof one
seeking help or assistance. Some uses meansimply a loud cry but in some of
these situations the cry reflects a state of agitation. Of John the Baptist
"crying in the wilderness" (Mt3:3, Mk 1:3, Lk 3:4, Jn 1:23). Of Jesus crying
out to His Father from the Cross (Mk 15:34). Of persons crying out to Jesus
for help (Lk 9:38, Lk 18:7, 38). Of unclean spirits coming out of people (Acts
8:7). The Greeks usedboáō to describe the sound of certain things such as the
wind and waves (to sound, resound, roar, howl). Matthew's verb krazo
depicts him screaming this Name at the top of his lungs so to speak!He is
desperate!Jesus is passing by and will soonbe out of earshot!

Constable - “Son of David” was a messianic title that expressedthe man’s
faith in Jesus as Israel’s Messiah(cf. Lk 1:27, 32;2 Sa 7:8–16;Isa. 11:1, 10;
Jer. 23:5–6;Ezek. 34:23–24). Like the tax collector(v. 13), he calledout for
mercy without claiming any merit. His insistence reflectedhis belief that Jesus
could help him and his hope that Jesus would help him. Opposition only made
him more adamant in his desire.
Notice the paradox in this passage - a blind beggaris the one who recognizes
Jesus as the Messiah!
Jesus, Sonof David - Using the title Son of David (found most often in
Matthew)he is clearly addressing Jesus witha known Messianic title, one
which describes Him as the heir of David's throne and the One Who would
fulfill the CovenantGod made with David. This would suggestthatthis man
had an element of faith, for he is in essenceconfessing Jesus as the Messiah,
the Anointed One (cf the confessionin Romans 10:9-10-note). Notice he calls
Jesus "Lord" in Lk 18:41 which seems to reflect more than his respect, but his
faith, which Jesus affirms (Lk 18:42). It is also worth noting that in the Gospel
of Luke it is only this blind man who acknowledgesJesus as SonofDavid
(Jesus usedthis term Himself in Lk 20:41), reflecting the fact that while
physically blind, he had the more important vision which was spiritual!
(Yahweh speaks these words to His prophet Nathan to in turn speak to King
David) “Whenyour days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I
will raise up your descendantafter you (SOLOMON), who will come forth
from you, and I will establishhis kingdom. He shall build a house for My
name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever(THIS WAS NOT
SOLOMON WHO GAVE RISE TO A TEMPORARYDIVIDED KINGDOM
BUT IS ULTIMATELY A REFERENCETO THE MESSIAH - cf "from then
on and forevermore" in Isa 9:6-7-note). (2 Sa 7:12-13)
Mattoon- The title, Son of David, refers to God's promise to King David that
he would have a descendantwho would have an eternal throne and be the
MessiahKing.
(The angelspeaking to Mary declaring) “He (JESUS) will be greatand will be
calledthe Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of
His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacobforever, and
His kingdom will have no end.” (Lk 1:32, 33-note)
It is ironic that while most of the nation of Israel was blind to the presence of
the Messiah, two otherblind men had the spiritual insight to recognize and
acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the "Sonof David"...

Matthew 9:27 As Jesus wenton from there, two blind men followedHim,
crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Son of David is used 16 times in the NT all in the Gospels but most often in
Matthew which was addressedto a Jewishaudience who would be familiar
with the factthat Son of David was a title of their long expectedMessiah - Mt.
1:1 (IN JESUS'GENEALOGY), Mt 1:20; 9:27; 12:23;15:22; 20:30-31;
21:9,15;22:42; Mk. 10:47-48;12:35;Lk. 3:31; 18:38-39
It is almost certain the beggarused Son of David as a title of the Messiah, for
during His ministry those names had become synonyms...
Mark 11:9; 10 (JESUS'TRIUMPHAL ENTRYIN WHICH CROWDS
THOUGHT MESSIAH WAS COMING - WHICH HE WAS!) Those who
went in front and those who followedwere shouting: “Hosanna!(= "Save
Now" ~ Save us from the RomanOppression) BLESSED IS HE WHO
COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; (QUOTING FROM Ps 118:25-26
PART OF THE HALLEL ["PRAISE]SUNG AT JEWISHFESTIVALS,
ESPECIALLY THE PASSOVER)10 Blessedis the coming kingdom of our
father David; Hosanna in the highest!” (THE JEWISHCROWDS
ACKNOWLEDGED JESUS AS THE MESSIAH SON OF DAVID [cf Mt 21:9
= "The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David."] AND HE LET THEM DO IT!. THEY
THOUGHT HE WAS BRINGING IN THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM
WHICH THEY KNEW HAD BEEN PROMISED TO DAVID'S SON!) (As an
eschatologicalaside - The date of Messiah's"triumphal entry" into Jerusalem
was Monday, 10 Nisan, 30 AD, exactly483 years after the decree of
Artaxerxes - SEE Da 9:24-note, Da 9:25-note, Da 9:26-note).
Mark 12:35-37 And Jesus beganto say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it
that the scribes say that THE CHRIST (TRANSLATION OF OT HEBREW
WORD FOR MESSIAH) is the SON OF DAVID? 36 “David himself said in
the Holy Spirit, ‘THE LORD (JEHOVAH) SAID TO MY (DAVID'S) LORD
(ADONAI), “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES
BENEATHYOUR FEET.”’(Quoting Ps 110:1 A MESSIANIC PSALM) 37
“David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the
large crowd enjoyedlistening to Him.
Comment: David pictures Jehovah(Yahweh) speaking to the Messiah, Whom
David in turn calls his Lord. The Jewishreligious leaders recognizedPsalm
110 as clearly Messianic.
Robertsoncomments - The scribes all taught that the Messiahwas to be the
son of David (John 7:41-42). The people in the Triumphal Entry had

acclaimedJesus as the sonof David (Matthew 21:9). But the rabbis had
overlookedthe fact that David in Psalm110:1 called the Messiahhis Lord
also. The deity and the humanity of the Messiahare both involved in the
problem. Matthew 22:45 observes that "no one was able to answerhim a
word." (Word Pictures in the New Testament)
A CRY
FOR MERCY
Have mercy on me - Mercy always involves help to those who are in need or
distress. We have already seen the cry of the tax collectorwas "God, be
merciful to me, the sinner!" (Lk 18:13-note). This beggarwas not pleading
from merit but because ofhis desperate need. Pleading mercy is humbling,
but is a goodpattern for all of us to emulate, for as sinners we too were once
all spiritually blind and condemned to eternal darkness and separationfrom
the Light of the world!
Here was a man that was in the dark, and yet he was crying out in faith to the
Light of the world and as a result receivednot only his sight but "the Light of
life!" (Jn 8:12)
William MacDonaldwrites "It was a goodthing that Bartimaeus soughtthe
Lord that day because the Savior never passedthat way again!" Dearreader,
if you have yet to see yourselfat a sinner bound for Hell, then you need to
repent and believe the GoodNews that Jesus will deliver you from having to
go to Hell and you will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. So today Jesus is
passing by your heart. Cry out for His mercy. Beg Him for spiritual sight.
And by all means DO NOT put off today what you may not be able to do
tomorrow, because Jesus maynever pass by your heart again. (2 Cor 6:2).
Beloved, it strikes me that it is not just the blind man who neededto cry "have
mercy on me," but it is me, it is you, for daily we commit sins of thought, word
and deed, some we are not aware of, some that sadly are presumptive, but
daily we too are like this blind beggarand should frequently find ourselves
crying out for mercy from Jesus our greatHigh Priest "Forwe do not have a
High Priestwho cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,but One who has
been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw
near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:15-16-note). RichMullins had a
greatsong entitled "Let MercyLead." May God grant you a few minutes to
listen to the song, and then listen to the Spirit, in Jesus'Name. Amen

As someone said "Neverplead merit when asking God for things, always
plead mercy." Salvationis not rootedin the merit of man — but in the mercy
of God.
Justice is God giving us what we deserve.
Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve.
Grace is Godgiving us what we don't deserve.
One of these days the dam of God's mercy will give way to His justice.
Adrian Rogers adds that "Mercyis sympathy with legs."
Have mercy on me (1653)(eleeofrom eleos)means “to feel sympathy with the
misery of another, especiallysuch sympathy which manifests itself in action,
less frequently in word.” Describes the generalsense ofone who has
compassionorperson on someone in need. It indicates being moved to pity
and compassionby tragedy and includes the fear that this could happen to
me. To see someone in dire need (including one who may not deserve the
misfortune), to have compassiononthem, and to give help to remove the need.
Matthew 20:34 says Jesus responds in kind for He was "Movedwith
compassion(splanchnizomai - feeling sympathy, taking pity)," this same verb
used to describe Jesus'response in Lk 7:13. Splanchnizomai describedthe
Samaritan's reactionin Lk 10:33 and finally the father's reactionwhen he saw
his prodigal sonfrom afar (Lk 15:20). Every God does for His sinful creatures
is basedon His boundless compassion(cf Titus 3:4-5-note)!
Luke's uses of eleeo - Rich man in Hades = Lk. 16:24;Ten lepers = Lk. 17:13;
Lk. 18:38; Lk. 18:39;
RelatedResources:
What is the story of blind Bartimaeus?
Why doesn’t God respond when I cry out, “God, please help me!”?
Luke 18:39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he
kept crying out all the more, "Sonof David, have mercy on me!"
Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet: Lu 18:15 8:49
11:52 19:39 (Mt 20:29-34, Mk 10:46-50)
but he kept crying out all the more, "Sonof David, have mercy on me!": Lu
11:8-10 18:1 Ge 32:26-28 Ps 141:1 Jer29:12,13 Mt 7:7 26:40-44 2Co 12:8

EARNEST SEEKING OF
THE SAVIOR
Those who led the way - Apparently those who had to job of controlling the
crowds. Mark's version(Mk 10:48)says it was not just a few but "MANY"
and Matthew's version(Mt 20:31)say it was a "CROWD"trying to silence
this beggarthey perceived as a "rabble rouser." When a sin sick soul begins
to seek Christ, don't be surprised at the opposition sounded by the skeptics!
And dear readerif you are a seeker, do not be surprised that the majority will
not be for you but againstyou when you seek the Lord, for the majority are
themselves not on the right road (cf Mt 7:13, 14-note). Notice also where the
opposition to this blind beggarcame from -- from those who were "following"
Jesus!How often I have seenan older believer try to throw a damp blanket on
the enthusiasm of a new convert.
Were sternly telling him to be quiet - The tragedyin this scene is that those
who were following Jesus had little if any of the compassionwhichmoved
their Master(see Mt 20:34)! (As a followerof Christ how am I doing in regard
to demonstrating His compassion?Ouch!) The crowdshows their utter
disdain (lack of respectaccompaniedby a feeling of intense dislike) for this
lowly, despisedbeggar. He is of no value in their eyes, but not thank God,
every "lowly, despised" soul is precious in the sight of the Creatorand He
wishes for none to perish! (cf 2 Pe 3:9-note) By wayof application it is notable
that opposition to this blind beggar's seeking ofChrist is a picture of the sure
Satanic opposition experiencedby all who seek Christ for healing of their
spiritual blindness. If you have ever shared the Gospelwith individuals, you
are wellaware of this spiritual opposition. But the certainty of opposition
must not stop us from endeavoring to move aheadwith sharing the Gospel
with the soulwhich God's Spirit has placed on our heart.
Steven Cole - Whenever you trust in God, you will encounter hindrances.
Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus in faith, and the crowd sternly told him to shut
up (Lk 18:39). But the more they told him to be quiet, the louder he shouted.
This was his one opportunity to be healed, and he wasn’t about to sit there
passively. He persisted until Jesus heardhim. He was like the widow in Jesus’
parable at the start of this chapter (Lk 18:1-8). She kept hounding the judge
until he granted her request.
NET Note - The crowd's view was that surely Jesus wouldnot be bothered
with someone as unimportant as a blind beggar.
Sternly telling (imperfect tense - telling him againand again)(2008)(epitimao)
means to express strong disapproval of someone, reproving or censuring

them. This is the very verb the disciples used to discourage parents from
bringing their children to Jesus (Lk 18:15). Epitimao is the word used by
Jesus to rebuke demons (Lk 4:35, 41, 9:42), fever (Lk 4:39), the wind and
waves (Lk 8:24), His disciples James and John (Lk 9:55).
This physically blind man saw more than the spiritually blind crowdwho
tried to prevent him for crying out to Jesus!
But he kept crying out (krazo) all the more, "Sonof David, have mercy (eleeo)
on me!" - Don't you love the phrase "all the more!" This man was persistent!
Opposition only inspired him more! He could not be silencedin seeking Jesus'
help! (May his persistence in seeking the Savior be true of us beloved!)
Apparently he believed Jesus was the MessiahWho alone could heal him.
"His heart had seenthe light before his eyes did." (MacArthur) It is also
interesting that oppositiondid not alter his "doctrine," for he continued to
acknowledge Jesus as the Messiahcrying Son of David. When opposition
comes, may the Spirit enable us to imitate this blind beggarand not recantor
in any way change our convictions about Jesus.
Bartimaeus was a man with a desperate need, a knowledge ofthe need, and a
determination to have it met.
Steven Cole - Bartimaeus didn’t cry, “Jesus, SonofDavid, have mercy on us.”
According to Matthew, there were two of them. It might have been more
polite to ask for healing for both. But each man had to come on his own.
Bartimaeus could have thought, “I’m a Jew, a son of Abraham.” He could
have tried to get this blessing on the group plan. But he didn’t. Generic faith
won’t do. The only way anyone cancome to Christ is to cry out, “Jesus, have
mercy on me. I’m the sinner. I’m the spiritually blind one. Lord, please be
gracious to me!”
NET Note - Public opinion would not sway the blind man from getting Jesus'
attention. The term shouted is strong as it canbe used of animal cries.
Whether the blind beggarknew the OT prophetic passage in the book of Joel
we cannot say, but we can say he put it into action!Joel2:32-note says "it will
come about that whoevercalls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered,"
and is such a greatpromise that is quoted by Peter(Acts 2:21) and by Paul
(Ro 10:13-note). PlayRich Mullins' greatsong "My Deliverer" especiallythe
ling "My Delivereris coming. My Deliverer is standing by."
Luke 18:40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him;
and when he came near, He questionedhim,
Mt 20:31-34 Mk 10:48-52 (Mt20:29-34, Mk 10:46-50)

AND JESUS
STOPPED!
And Jesus stopped- What incredible words!The Messiahon the final leg of
His journey to die for the sins of the world and yet He takes time to stop for a
blind beggar!I like the NKJ rendering which vividly says "So Jesus stood
still." J N Darby commented that “Joshua (meaning "Jehovahis salvation")
once bade the sun stand still in the heavens (Joshua 10:12,13), but here the
Lord of the sun, and the moon, and the heavens, stands still at the bidding of a
blind beggar!” Oh my, Who is this Jesus? Who cancomprehend the infinite
depth of His compassionfor all of us blind beggars in this fallen world?
Mark's version has more detail....
Mark 10:49-51 And Jesus stoppedand said, “Callhim here.” So they called
the blind man, saying to him, “Takecourage, standup! He is calling for you .”
50 Throwing aside his cloak (his outer robe), he jumped up (leaping up) and
came to Jesus. 51 And answering him, Jesus said, “Whatdo you want Me to
do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni(Equivalent to Luke's
"Lord" in Lk 18:41), I want to regain my sight!”
Hendriksen Comments on Rabboni - "At leastfor some time the Jews
recognizedthree ranks of "teachers,"called, in ascending order of
prominence, rab, rabbi, and rabboni, and that the title Rabboni was given to
only a few rabbis (for example, to GamalielI and GamalielII)." (BakerNew
TestamentCommentary – Exposition of the GospelAccording to Luke)
MacArthur - In his eagerfaith, he castawayhis beggar’s cloak, likelythe only
thing he possessed. His act symbolizes genuine faith, which abandons all to
follow Christ. (MacArthur New TestamentCommentary – Luke 18-24)
Comment on He is calling - This phrase is also in Jn 11:28 (“The Teacheris
here and is calling for you.”) addressing Mary who had just lost her brother
Lazarus - so Jesus callis to two people in deep trouble - Bartimaeus and
Mary. Hendriksen adds that "Eventoday, in such circumstances oflife, yes
and always, Jesus is calling us to his side, for he is a wonderful Savior. He calls
in order to comfort, to cheer, and, as in this case, to heal, to restore."(Baker
New TestamentCommentary – Exposition of the GospelAccording to Mark)

As noted above Mark's version says that Jesus is calling for Bartimaeus, who
did respond (of course He had been calling for Jesus!). Sadly not everyone is
ready to respond the Jesus'call!Have you heard His call...to salvation?...to a
specific ministry?...etc? Have you like Bartimaeus thrown aside your cloak (cf
whateverit is that encumbers you) and jumped to your feet (enthusiastically
responding) and come to Jesus? I know men who have had calls from Jesus to
be a pastor and yet because oftheir successfulprofessions they refusedto
respond. One sharedwith me before he died that it was the greatestmistake of
his life and it hounded him for some 40 years. The other man became very
wealthy being in on the ground floor with Dell Computers and I totally lost
track of him after he rejectedJesus'offer -- I remember that his wife was
considerablydistressedby his decisionto stay with Dell and bypass full time
ministry. Perhaps he had a change of heart but as I said I losttrack of this
couple.
And commanded that he be brought to Him - Does this not make you love
Jesus all the more - while the multiudes were not interested in a beggar, Jesus
was, and He still is for "Jesus Christis the same yesterdayand today and
forever." (Hebrews 13:8-note)
What the Bible teaches - Many have been brought to the Saviour by others.
(What the Bible teaches – Luke)
And when he came near, He questioned him - Jesus knew hearts so He already
knew what this man wanted, but He wants us to hear.
Luke 18:41 "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I
want to regain my sight!"
What do you want Me to do for you?: 1Ki 3:5-15 Mt 20:21,22 Ro 8:25 Php 4:6
(Mt 20:29-34, Mk 10:46-50)
What do you want Me to do for you? - Compare the young ruler who ran up
and knelt down and askedwhatcan I DO to inherit eternallife? Here Jesus
asks whatthe beggarwantedHIM TO DO for him.
Steven Cole - Luke wants us to see that we all are blind beggars before God.
Satanhas “blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the
light of the gospelofthe glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). Before God we are
“wretchedand miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17). This is
perhaps the major stumbling block that keeps people from coming to Christ:

they want to commend themselves and their gooddeeds. God has to open our
eyes to our true condition before Him. We have nothing in ourselves to merit
His salvation. We are spiritually blind sinners, and the only way we cancome
to Him is to ask for mercy, not for merit.
MacArthur - Incredibly, the high King of heaven, the sovereign, creatorGod
of the universe, offeredto be the servant of this lowly outcast. Here is an
amazing example of God’s mercy and grace. (Ibid)
Hendriksen - To be sure, Jesus alreadyknew what Bartimaeus wanted, but he
wants him to ask for it. So also it is true in generalthat even though the
heavenly Father is well acquainted with the needs of his children, he
nevertheless tells them to "open their mouth wide" (Ps. 81:10), so he may fill
it. *(BakerNew TestamentCommentary – Exposition of the Gospel
According to Luke)
Guzik - This is a wonderful, simple question God has not stopped asking.
Sometimes we go without when God would want to give us something simply
because we will not answerthis question, and we do not have because we do
not ask (James 4:2). i. Jesus askedthis question with full knowledge that this
man was blind. He knew what he neededand what he wanted, but God still
wants us to tell Him our needs as a constantexpressionof our trust and
reliance on Him.
Richards - In a simple act Jesus demonstratedthe greatness thatHe taught.
Despite the immediate prospectof His own suffering, He stopped to help a
blind man the crowds uncaringly tried to quiet. When you and I learn to think
of others despite our own hurts and concerns, we will be greatindeed. Forwe
will follow the example of our Lord....And at last we understand. Greatness in
the kingdom of Jesus is stopping for the needs of others. It is setting aside for
the moment our own hurts and concerns, to listen, and then to ask, “Whatdo
you want me to do for you?" We may be little in the eyes of other men. But if
we follow Christ’s example of servanthood, we will be greatin the eyes of
God. (cf Mk 10:45).
What the Bible teaches - Many have been brought to the Saviour by others.
This man was also brought and the cry for mercy is now interpreted in
relation to his need. A vague understanding of need may be the start of
stirring in the heart of a sinner, but definite need must he known before it is
met. There canbe no salvationfor those who are unawakenedto their true
condition. In his response to the question about his need, he addressedJesus
as "Lord". The significance ofthis canbe more fully appreciatedby
comparing the various forms of address to Christ. He was never addressedas

Lord by Judas. He was often calleddidaskalos ("master" or"teacher"):by
the lawyers (Lk 10:25; 11:45);by the man who disputed with his brother over
the inheritance (Lk 12:13); by the rich young ruler, "GoodMaster" (Lk
18:18); by the Pharisees(Lk 19:39);by the chief priests (20:21); by the
Sadducees (Lk 20:28); by the scribes (Lk 20:39); and by the disciples (Lk
21:7). The Lord calledHimself didaskalos ("Master",Lk 22:11;cf. John
13:13, 14)and it is more frequently used in Luke than in the other Gospels;
but the blind man said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight". He recognized
that the "Son of David" was truly the Lord, so the man with blinded eyes had
an enlightened heart by which he understood the words of David, "The Lord
said unto my Lord ..." (Ps 110:1). (What the Bible teaches – Luke)
Steven Cole - One reasonBartimaeus’faith was so bold was that he felt so
keenly his deep need. He lived eachday in total darkness. Those who could see
did not feel the desperation that Bartimaeus felt. He could walk out into the
bright sunshine and it was pitch black for him. I once heard Bill Cosbytell
how he was staying in the same hotel as the blind singer, Ray Charles. He
decided to stop by Ray’s room and sayhello. He knockedonthe door and Ray
yelled, “Come in.” Cosbywalkedin and heard Ray’s electric razor going in
the bathroom, but the lights were off and entire place was pitch black. Before
thinking, Cosbyblurted out, “Hey, Ray, why are you shaving in the dark?”
Then it hit him and he thought, “Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!” Ray good-naturedly
calledback, “I do everything in the dark, brother.” It is when we realize our
true spiritual condition that we will sense our desperate need for Jesus Christ.
Deliverance by man is in vain. We need deliverance by God, and so we must
castourselves totally on Him.
And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" - Regainimplies he may not
have been born blind but lost it at some point. Can we not see a great lesson
here for all of us regarding our prayers to God? "When Jesus askedwhat
they wanted, they didn’t indulge in generalities, as we oftendo when we pray.
They came right to the point. Without hesitation or generalization, the beggar
replied that he wanted his sight. His prayer was short, specific, and full of
faith." (MacDonald)
Steven Cole - Jesus doesn’talways grant our requests, even when they are
specific. Matthew and Mark both report that just prior to this incident, James
and John had come to Jesus and askedHim to do whateverthey would
request. Jesus responded, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They
answered, “Grantthat we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one
on Your left” (Mark 10:37). But Jesus didn’t grant that request. It wasn’t for
His glory to grant it. But it is for His glory to grant salvationby His free grace

to blind beggars who cry out, “Lord, I want to receive my sight!” Be specific:
tell the Lord that you have sinned and that you want His forgiveness.He will
say, “Receive yoursight; your faith has saved you.”
And notice his submissive response addressing Jesusas "Lord." Sometimes I
hear folks say you need to make Jesus "Lord" of you life. If you are a true
believer is the factthat He is Lord already. Period. You do not need to "make
Him Lord." What you need to do is to submit, yield, or surrender to His
Lordship in every area of your life. Personally, this is my daily challenge!
Lord (master, owner)(2962)(kurios fromkuros = might or power, relatedto
kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the
supreme one, one who is sovereign(used this wayof Romanemperors - Act
25:26)and possessesabsolute authority, absolute ownershipand uncontested
power.
I love the words of the convertedslave trader John Newton's powerfulhymn
Come My Soul Thy Suit Prepare (play this beautiful version and let eachof us
beg God to give us this blind beggar's kind of faith when we bring our
petitions to the King)...
Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answerprayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not saythee nay;
Therefore will not saythee nay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.
—John Newton
Luke 18:42 And Jesus saidto him, "Receive yoursight; your faith has made
you well."
Receive your sight; : Ps 33:9 107:20 Mt 8:3 15:28 (Mt 20:29-34, Mk 10:46-50)
your faith has made you well: Lu 7:50 8:48 17:19

And Jesus saidto him receive your sight - He had made a specific prayer and
here receiveda specific answer. Be specific in your prayers. "Lord, bless me"
sounds good(and it is not bad per se), but is better when it is specific. Then
you cansee His specific answerif He says "Yes" and you will go away
glorifying God. (See sculpture of this event)
Matthew gives us more detail (words in bold not in Luke or Mark), and in so
doing shows us Jesus'"motivation" and His "method"
Moved with compassion(splanchnizomai - Jesus experienceda deep visceral
feeling for the blind men), Jesus touched(hapto = same verb Luke used to
describe Jesus touching their babies - Lk 18:15-note, touching a coffin - Lk
7:14-note) their eyes; and immediately they regainedtheir sight and followed
Him. (Mt 20:34)
Comment: The verb splanchnizomai is used repeatedly to describe the heart
of Jesus - Mt 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34, Mk 1:41, 6:34, 8:2, Lk 7:13. This verb
describes the Samaritan in Lk 10:33 and the prodigal's father in Lk 15:20.
Receive (2983)(lambano)means to take or grasp. The picture is of Jesus
handing the beggara gift and the beggartakes hold of it by faith (not sight -
pun intended).
Mark's version has "And Jesus said to him, “Go (present active imperative);
your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regainedhis sight and began
following Him on the road (Mk 10:52)
Your faith has made you well - His faith was instrumental in his healing.
Leon Morris on Your faith has made you well - This does not mean that the
man’s faith createdthe cure, but that it was the means by which he received
it. (Tyndale New TestamentCommentaries – Luke)
Your faith - Your personalfaith, the faith you possess.
Hendriksen comments that "Moreover, in view of the fact that faith is itself
God's gift (see Eph. 2:8), it is nothing less than astounding that Jesus here and
elsewhere praisesthe recipient of the gift for exercising it! This proves the
generous characterofhis love. (BakerNew Testament Commentary –
Exposition of the GospelAccording to Luke)
Steven Cole - Jesus’words, “Your faith has savedyou,” have a double
meaning. On one level, he was “saved” physically, so that he could now see.
But on a deeper level, his faith had savedhim spiritually. That is the greater
miracle. Instantly God forgave his sins and imparted new life to him, making
him a child of God. As Jesus said, “He who hears My word, and believes Him
who sent Me, has eternallife, and does not come into judgment, but has

passedout of death into life” (John 5:24). Godpromises that “whoeverwill
call upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Ro 10:13).
Guzik - Jesus connectedthe man’s healing with the man’s faith. There were
many notable aspects ofthis man’s faith that made him ready to receive from
Jesus.
It was faith that wanted Jesus.
It was faith that knew who He was.
It was faith that knew what he deserved from Jesus.
It was faith that could tell Jesus whatit wanted.
It was faith that could call Jesus Lord.
William MacDonaldsays "We may learn from this incident that we should
dare to believe God for the impossible. Great faith greatlyhonors Him."
(Believer's Bible Commentary)
Richards - The healing of the beggarillustrates the way in which human
beings lay hold on all that Jesus provides. Jesus told him, “Receive yoursight;
your faith has healedyou” (18:42). We need only come to Jesus, confidentthat
He is able to save. Thatfaith is the channel through which God’s goodness
flows. Note, however, that faith is the beginning of a new life, not simply the
end of the old. The blind man receivedhis sight, ending his years in darkness.
And he “followedJesus, praising God.” This is the essentialnature of the new
life faith launches. It is a life of following Jesus. And of praising God. (365 Day
DevotionalCommentary)
Faith (4102)(pistis)is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of
the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks ofbelief respecting
man's relationship to God and divine things, generallywith the included idea
of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. As faith relates to
Christ it represents a strong and welcome convictionor belief that Jesus is the
Messiah, yea, eventhe Sonof David.
Luke's uses of pistis -
Lk. 5:20; Lk. 7:9; Lk. 7:50; Lk. 8:25; Lk. 8:48; Lk. 17:5; Lk. 17:6; Lk. 17:19;
Lk. 18:8; Lk. 18:42; Lk. 22:32; Acts 3:16; Acts 6:5; Acts 6:7; Acts 11:24;Acts
13:8; Acts 14:9; Acts 14:22; Acts 14:27; Acts 15:9; Acts 16:5; Acts 17:31;Acts
20:21;Acts 24:24; Acts 26:18
Has made you well (see Mk 10:52)(4982)(sozo)has the basic meaning of
rescuing one from greatperil. Additional nuances include to protect, keep
alive, preserve life, deliver, heal, be made whole. It is notable that Jesus used

the perfecttense which speaks ofpermanence. Similarly to the womanwith 12
years of hemorrhage (Mt 9:20), Jesus said"take courage;your faith has made
you well (sozo).” (Mt 9:22; Mk 5:34; Lk 8:48). To the one (out of 10)lepers
who returned to thank Jesus, He declared"Stand up and go; your faith has
made you well (sozo).” (Lk 17:19)So in eachof these cases,Jesus was
responsible for a miraculous healing, and He identifies their faith as the
instrumental cause of the healing.
Luke 18:43 Immediately he regainedhis sight and beganfollowing Him,
glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
Immediately he regainedhis sight : Ps 30:2 146:8 Isa 29:18,19 35:5 42:16 43:8
Mt 9:28-30 11:5 Mt 21:14 Joh 9:5-7,39,40Ac 26:18 (Mt 20:29-34, Mk 10:46-
52)
and beganfollowing Him: Lu 4:39 5:26 17:15-18 Ps 103:1-3
107:8,15,21,22,31,32Isa 43:7,8 Isa 43:21 Ac 4:21 11:18 Ga 1:24 2Th 1:10-12
1Pe 2:9
Luke 18:35-43 When Jesus PassesBy- StevenCole
Immediately he regainedhis sight - There is no delay in this miracle. It was
instantaneous. "One moment total blindness... the next unimpaired vision.
How astounding!" (Hendriksen)
And beganfollowing Him, glorifying God - Notonly did Bartimaeus follow
Jesus but so did the other blind beggar. Notice the irony of this blind man,
who now cansee and immediately became a follower(disciple) of Jesus,
whereas the 12 apostles had no insight into where Jesus was headedin Lk
18:34-note!Humble souls like the despisedtax collectorreceive healing
(salvation) while those like the self-righteous Pharisee, who fail to
acknowledge theirdesperate need and dependence like a little child, do not (cf
Lk 18:9-14-note)
Steven Cole - The mark of true faith in Jesus Christ is that the person who got
savedgives glory to God and begins a new life of following Jesus in which
others are led to give praise to God. Bartimaeus didn’t go around telling
everyone about his greatfaith. Yes, Jesus says that his faith savedhim, but
clearly He means that Bartimaeus’ faith was the means through which
salvationcame to him. It was God’s power through Jesus that gave him his
sight. The powerand will to heal restedcompletely with the Lord. Faith is just
the hand that receives God’s gift of eternallife, and even faith is a gift from

God. No one canboast in his great faith. We can only glory in God who
opened our eyes and showedus His greatmercy.
Guzik - The way of Jesus became his way. This was especiallysignificant
considering that Jesus was onHis way towards Jerusalemto die. (cf Mk 8:34-
35)
As an aside, I have often heard Christians saythat discipleship is not for every
believer, but only for those who are more mature. The example of Bartimaeus
who immediately beganfollowing Jesus squelches thatargument. ALL
believers are FOLLOWERS ofJesus. ALL believers are DISCIPLES. So it
should not come as a surprise that the most common word Luke uses for
believers in the book of Acts is DISCIPLE (see references below. Note
especiallyActs 11:26).
Acts 6:1; Acts 6:2; Acts 6:7; Acts 9:1; Acts 9:10; Acts 9:19; Acts 9:25; Acts
9:26; Acts 9:36; Acts 9:38; Acts 11:26; Acts 11:29;Acts 13:52;Acts 14:20;
Acts 14:21;Acts 14:22; Acts 14:28;Acts 15:10; Acts 16:1; Acts 18:23;Acts
18:27;Acts 19:1; Acts 19:9; Acts 19:30; Acts 20:1; Acts 20:30;Acts 21:4; Acts
21:16
John G Butler on began following Him - How noble. When a person is saved
he will evidence it by following the Lord. We are justified in being suspicious
about the professedsalvationof a person, when after they are savedthere is
no change in their conduct. The blind men no longer satby the wayside
begging, for they had eye sight and used it to conduct themselves differently.
When a person is savedby the power of Christ, he will act differently.
Following Christ shows the gratitude and honor given Christ for the
compassionand powerof Christ on their behalf. (Sermon Starters - Volume 6)
Beganfollowing (190)(akoloutheo froma = expressesunion with, likeness +
keleuthos = a road, way) means to walk the same road (Ponder that simple
definition dear believer - Am I willing to walk the same road as Jesus?)
Literally to follow (like the crowds followedJesus)and in a figurative sense to
follow Jesus as a disciple. To follow (closely)and was used of soldiers, servants
and pupils. Akoloutheo is in the imperfect tense picturing his continual
following of Jesus. Manythink that is why Mark gives his name Bartimaeus,
reasoning that he continued to follow Jesus to the Cross and later became part
of the early church. To mention his name suggests he was knownto other
believers.
The Significance ofJesus giving sight to the Blind - According to the OT
prophecies (eg. Isa 35:5, 41:7) one of the SIGNS of the Messiahwould be
giving sight to the blind. This was one of the signs expectedby the ancient

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