LUKE 13:35-43.
I WISH to take the reader back in thought about 1800 years, to the city of Jericho. What a commotion! What a concourse! The people seem to have the whole of their attention riveted on one object. Is it the poor blind man sitting by the wayside? Oh, no! Those who at other times had listened to his entreaties for help heed him not now. Poor blind man, he hears the crowd moving on, and possibly snatches of the conversation passing from mouth to mouth. Oh, that he could see who is the center of attraction! He must learn by some means. “What meaneth this?” he inquires. The answer comes from the lips of a bystander— “Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.” Yes, “Jesus of Nazareth,” the son of the carpenter. “The man Christ Jesus.” But what a man!
“Though in the very form of God,
With heavenly glory crowned,
He did a servant’s form assume,
Beset with sorrow round.”
Dear reader, it was the Lord of glory who was treading those hot, dusty streets of Jericho. It was He who in Joshua’s time had thrown the walls of that very city to the ground. Consider it. He, the Creator God, albeit a perfect man, condescending to walk the streets of that noisome eastern city. What was His object? To punish man for the sordid wretchedness which He there beheld? To smite Jericho as in a former day? To wreak righteous vengeance on a people who had insulted God? To unsheath the sword of justice, and wield it in vindication of the claims of a God, who had been outraged in His very deepest feelings? No. See, He pauses. Something is deterring Him. Although surrounded by immense numbers, He notices a little on before, on the outskirts of the crowd, a little disturbance. He hears the whispered injunctions to the blind man not to cry out so loudly. But the poor fellow had heard of the sympathy of Jesus, and was not to be silenced easily. “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me,” he cries. “Silence,” says the bystander. Still more lustily he shouts, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” He was in earnest. He was determined to get the blessing. And He who said, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out,” stood still, and in the love and grace of His heart said, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” And the blessed response is forthwith given, “Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee.” Do you not see by this, dear reader, why the Lord of glory was passing by? It was for blessing, not for judgment. The blind man knew where help was to be found, and availed himself of the present opportunity to obtain it.
Is the heart of Jesus changed? Surely not. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Still He is passing by to bless. Whom? To bless thee, dear unsaved reader. Why not be prompt, like the blind man? He did not wait. An indefinite tomorrow’ would not do for him. Why should you procrastinate? Perhaps you have not realized that you stand in need of the blessing which Jesus gives, or that you stand in need of mercy. What led the blind man to cry to Jesus? He knew he was blind, and stood in need of mercy, and he took the place of a sinner. If you want Jesus to bless you, to open your spiritual eyes, you must take that place. That is the only ground on which God can meet you. If you say, “I see,” “your sin remaineth.” Confess therefore before God that you are a lost, hell-deserving sinner! What then? Ah! then God can come out in blessing toward you. Do you believe that Jesus died on Calvary for you, for you expressly? Do you say, Why should I believe it was for me? I answer, Why did the blind man believe? He would tell you that he knew that Jesus would save him, he knew that Jesus had the power to open his eyes, and that it was this knowledge which procured the blessing the simple belief of the heart in the Blesser Himself. What did the Lord say to the man? “Thy FAITH hath saved thee.” Not faith in his own works, or in anything connected with himself at all. Perhaps this blind man had tried remedies connected with the earth. He may have applied to human sources for deliverance, but he was still blind and still begging. His condition had not been met, and he could not rest satisfied. What indeed can satisfy but Christ? Who can meet the sinner in his lost condition but the Lord? The blind man proved this. Have you? You may prove it. God is beseeching you to prove His love.
But what about the blind man when he had found satisfaction? He gave praise unto God. To whom else could he give glory? Not to himself, for his cry of misery was the only share he had in what took place. No, it was all of Christ. And if you reach the glory, dear reader, your song of praise will not contain one word about yourself. Oh, that you might be led to Christ, and sent on your way rejoicing, as this man was!
“All of grace; yes, grace surpassing,
Such a portion to bestow;
But the love all knowledge passing,
Grace has taught us now to know.”