Tag: Luke 18
“Son of David”
Scripture reading for March 27: Luke 18
“As He drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he came near, He asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.”” Luke 18:35-41
Jesus always honors faith and Scripture teaches us that without faith, no one can please God. (Hebrews 11:6) As Jesus heads for Jerusalem for His final week on earth, He encounters this blind beggar who is sitting beside the road. This man had to rely on other’s generosity for his support and for description of what was causing a crowd to pass by. Those in the crowd told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. But the crowd’s pronouncement brought forth a shocking response of faith from this seemingly insignificant person.
The blind man cried out with unashamedly, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” This blind man had a revelation of Jesus’ divinity and connected Him with the promise in Scripture of a descendant of David Who would be the Jew’s Messiah and eternal King. (2 Samuel 7:8-13) The crowd tried to silence him but he persisted in his cry for mercy to the Son of David. His cry caught Jesus’ attention and Jesus invited him to come to him. Jesus asked what he wanted from Him, and the request for healing was immediately granted. Jesus responded that his faith had made him well! This caused great praise to God.
Have you ever sought Jesus for healing or help in an impossible situation? Have those you love or know told you to be quiet, your request is impossible? What do you want Jesus to do for you today? What are some insights that help you from this story told by Jesus?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for sending the “Son of David” as You promised in Your Word. Thank You for taking time to hear a cry for mercy, as I have also cried to You many times. Use me to encourage faith by sharing Your promises and crying out for mercy on behalf of the hurting. Amen.
Persevere in prayer!
Scripture reading for March 28th: Luke 18
Key scriptures for over-comers: Luke 18:1, 6-7 “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. . . . And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?””
Jesus wanted to encourage His disciples to persevere in prayer so He told them a story about an unjust judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. A widow came to him seeking justice and would not give up until finally the judge gave in because she was wearing him out. The point of the story was that God’s people should more persistently pray and seek out the Judge of all the Earth who always does right! Would Jesus find that kind of faith on earth when He comes again? Disciples know that their highest privilege is to seek help from a God who is just and answers prayer and they apply themselves by faith!
Observations for over-comers: Over-comers will always pray and never give up, knowing that Jesus will hear and answer! “O Lord, I call to You; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:1-2)
Confident in your own righteousness?
Scripture reading for March 27th: Luke 18
“To some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayer about himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'” (Luke 18:9-13)
Jesus had a way about telling stories that got a hold of the hearts of people. As we listen to the story, we can identify with the characters in the story and the story ends up reading us! This is the nature of Jesus’ parables. Jesus had noted that some ‘religious’ folks were not coming to the temple before God with the right attitude. Some felt that they were doing God a favor and boasting that they did not do some of the bad things that they knew the Law of God commanded. Religion always likes to do works and boast about it, But God looks at the heart. Pride in our accomplishment leads to self-righteousness and a judgmental attitude that holds us in sin.
Jesus pointed out that the tax collector went home justified in God’s eyes. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14) The person who humbles himself before God ends up being justified by his faith in God’s mercy. (2nd Corinthians 5:21) The one who exalts himself gets no reward! Lord, help me to stay humble!