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An overview of the Gospel of Luke, by Given O. Blakely

COMMENTARY ON: 18:35-10:10

Since May, 1993, a ministry instituted for the encouragement of believers in Christ

LESSON NUMBER 57

A MINISTRY FOR HUNGRY SAINTS

Hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, a blind man,began- to call out, “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy onme." Although he was rebuked and told that he should hold hispeace, “he cried so much the more.” Jesus stopped, commandedhim to be brought to Him, and asked him what He could do forhim – thereby showing him mercy, as he requested. He said thathe wanted to receive his sight, and Jesus gave it to him.Following this, Jesus entered into Jericho, where he saw ashort man who had climbed into a sycamore tree to see Jesusas He passed by. Jesus called him down, told him He wascoming to his house, and salvation came that day to this man’shouse.

A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson #57, Meeting #588 – in its 24th year

INTRODUCTION

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TEXT Hearing that Jesus of Nazareth

was passing by, a blind man, began tocall out, “Jesus, thou son of David,have mercy on me." Although he wasrebuked and told that he should holdhis peace, “he cried so much themore.” Jesus stopped, commanded him

to be brought to Him, and asked himwhat He could do for him – therebyshowing him mercy, as he requested.He said that he wanted to receive hissight, and Jesus gave it to him.Following this, Jesus entered intoJericho, where he saw a short manwho had climbed into a sycamore tree

to see Jesus as He passed by. Jesuscalled him down, told him He wascoming to his house, and salvationcame that day to this man’s house.

Something to be particularly notedof Jesus is His attention to particularindividuals. In this text, we have Him

54 VERSIONS OF THE ENGLISH SCRIPTURES ABP=Apostolic Bible Polyglot m(1992); ALT=Analytical-Literal Translation (2005), AMPLIFIED =Amplified Bible (1965), ABP=ApostolicBible Polygot with Greek Interlinear (2003); ASV=American Standard Version (1901), BBE=Bible in Basic English (1949),BRENT=Brenton’s English Septuagint; CEB =Common English Bible (2011); CEV=Contemporary English Version (1995); DRA=Douay-Rheims (1899), EMTV =English Majority Text (2002); ERV =English Revised Version (1885), ETH = Etheridge Translation (1849); ETRV= Easy to Read (1999), ESV=English Stand Version (2001), GENEVA=Geneva Bible (1599), GNB=Good News (1966), GSNT=Goodspeed (1923), GWN =God’s Word (1995), IE= International English (1973), NIRV=New Int’l Readers Version (1998);ISV=International Standard Version (1967), JPS=Jewish Publication Society (1917), JUB=Jubilee Bible (2003); KJV=King James Version(1611), LITV= Literal Translation of the Bible (1976), LEW = Lewis Translation (1896); LIVING=Living Bible (1971), MESSAGE=TheMessage (1993), MGI = Peshitta Translation (2006); MIT =Idiomatic Version; MKJV= Modern KJV (1962),MONTGOMERY=Montgomery’s New Testament (2001), MRD=Peshitta-James Murdock Translation (1852), NAB=New American Bible(2002), NASB=New American Standard Bible (1977), NAU=New American Standard Bible (1995), NIB=New International Bible, NIV=NewInternational Version (1984), NJB=New Jerusalem Bible (1985), NKJV=New King James Version (1979), NLT=New Living Translation(1996), NOY = George Noyes Bible (1869); NRSV=New Revised Standard Version (1989), PHILLIPS=J B Phillips New Testament (1962),PNT=Bishop’s New Testament (1595), ROT = Rotheram Bible (1999); RPTE = Revised Patriarchal Greek Orthodox New Testament;RSV=Revised Standard Version (1952), TNK=JPS Tanakj (1985), WEB=Webster Bible (1833),WEYMOUTH=Weymouth’s New Testament(1903), WILLIAMS=William’s New Testament (1937), TYNDALE=Tyndale’s Bible (1526), WYCLIFFE=Wycliffe New Testament (1382),YLT =Young’s Literal Translation (1862)

GREEK LEXICON LEGEND

FRIBERG; LOUW-NIDA; LIDDELL SCOTT; THAYER; VGNT GREEK DICTIONARY; GINGRICH, DANKER,

Lesson Number 57The Book of Luke, 5/26/17

A MINISTRY INITIATED INMAY 1993, AND DEDICATEDTO STRENGTHENING THOSEWHO ARE IN CHRIST, BYBUILDING THEIR FAITH,ENHANCING THEIR JOY, ANDSTABILIZING THEIR HOPE, ENABLING THEM TO WORKOUT THEIR SALVATION WITHFEAR AND TREMBLING.

P E R S U A D E D O F T H ENECESSITY OF KNOWING THECERTAINTY OF THE THINGSWE BELIEVE, LUKE MAKESU S M O R E F I R M B YBUTTRESSING OUR FAITH,AND CONFIRMING WE HAVENOT EMBRACED FABLES.

DISCLAIMER: The quoting of other translations is not to be taken as a condoning of them. My purpose is rather to show the remarkable diversity, and sometimes outrightcontradictions that exist among these various versions of Scripture. Our understanding of the Word of God ultimately depends upon our comprehension of the Lord Himselfand His eternal purpose. Where this understanding is not present, we are shut up to scholasticism and conjecture, both of which are of the world, not of God.

“ Luke 18:35 "And it came to pass, that as He was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearingthe multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus,thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much themore, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto Him: and when he was come near,He asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said untohim, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God: and all thepeople, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. 19:1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man namedZacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who He was; and could not for thepress, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him: for He was to pass that way.5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to dayI must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured,saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the halfof my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said untohim, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to savethat which was lost." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Luke 18:35-19:10

WE ARE INTRODUCED TO TWO DIFFERENT MEN: ONE WITH A HANDICAP, AND ONE WITH AN ADVANTAGE. BOTH OF THEM RECEIVED MERCY THAT VERY DAY – Given O. Blakely

Bartimaeus and Zaccheus -- 1 of 12


dealing extensively with twoindividuals: A blind man and Zaccheus.They were not stereotyped people, butradically different from one another.One was employed in a public jobwhere he interfaced with people. Onewas blind, and sat by the waysidebegging.

Jesus was a public minister,followed by multitudes, and ministeringto large crowds. It might be well torefresh our minds with this nature ofChrist’s ministry. In summary it isdescribed as Him "who went aboutdoing good, and healing all that wereoppressed of the devil; for God waswith him" (Acts 10:38). Think of themanner in which His audiences weredescribed. I will list only the instancesrecorded in Matthew’s record.

- "And there followed Him greatMULTITUDES of people fromGalilee, and from Decapolis, andfrom Jerusalem, and from Judaea,

and from beyond Jordan." (Matt4:25)

- "When He was come down from themountain, great MULTITUDESfollowed Him." (Matt 8:1)

- "And He arose, and departed to Hishouse. But when the MULTITUDEsaw it, they marveled, and glorifiedGod, which had given such powerunto men." (Matt 9:7-8)

- "And as they departed, Jesus beganto say unto the MULTITUDESconcerning John, What went ye outinto the wilderness to see? A reedshaken with the wind?" (Matt 11:7)

- "But when Jesus knew it, Hewithdrew Himself from thence: andgreat MULTITUDES followed Him,and He healed them all; And chargedthem that they should not make Himknown." (Matt 12:16)

- "And great MULTITUDES weregathered together unto Him, so thathe went into a ship, and sat; and thewhole MULTITUDE stood on theshore. . ." (Matt 13:2-3)

- "And He called the MULTITUDE, andsaid unto them, Hear, andunderstand." (Matt 15:10).

- "And great MULTITUDES came untohim, having with them those thatwere lame, blind, dumb, maimed,and many others, and cast themdown at Jesus' feet; and He healedthem" (Matt 15:30)

- "And great MULTITUDES followedHim; and He healed them there." (Matt 19:2)

- "And as they departed from Jericho,a great MULTITUDE followed Him." (Matt 20:29)

- "And a very great MULTITUDEspread their garments in the way;others cut down branches from thetrees, and strowed them in the way.And the MULTITUDES that wentbefore, and that followed, cried,saying, Hosanna to the son ofDavid: Blessed is he that cometh in

the name of the Lord; Hosanna inthe highest. And when he was comeinto Jerusalem, all the city wasmoved, saying, Who is this? Andthe MULTITUDE said, This is Jesusthe prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.And Jesus went into the temple ofGod, and cast out all them that soldand bought in the temple, andoverthrew the tables of themoneychangers, and the seats ofthem that sold doves." (Matt 21:8-12)

- "Then spake Jesus to theMULTITUDE, and to His disciples." (Matt 23:1)

There is no record of anyoneelse drawing such crowds, yetdealing extensively with individualpeople – both men and women. Hedelivered a word to the multitude, anda personal word to individuals.

That is the nature of Christ’spresent ministry. He ministers to the“churches” (Rev 2-3), and toindividuals. The older I get, and themore I observe religious leaders, Irealize how absolutely exceptional theministry of Jesus is. It is a greatcomfort for the fellowship of theinterested. Additionally, the individualsalso benefit from the ministry of Jesusto an entire congregation.

One other thing to observe, Histwelve disciples not only heard theirMaster privately, but in public as well.They did not listen only to what Jesussaid to them, but what He said to otherindividuals and crowds as well. This isbecause what Jesus says is foreveryone who has ears to hear –whether they are in a crowd, a privatehome, and alone with Jesus.

Some people choose to hear Jesusonly in a group setting. Others choose toonly hear what He says to themprivately. But the real disciple knows thatwhatever Jesus says is profitable to allwho hear it. The disciples heard Jesus’blistering word to the scribes andpharisees (Matt 23), and the suffering, aswell as to other individuals – such asthose as in our text. We do well to takeheed to the public and private Jesus.

` C O N T E N T S || INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION || AS HE WAS COME NIGH UNTO JERICHO AS HE WAS COME NIGH UNTO JERICHO

(18:35)(18:35)|| HE ASKED WHAT IT MEANT (18:36-37)HE ASKED WHAT IT MEANT (18:36-37)|| HAVE MERCY ON ME 18:38)HAVE MERCY ON ME 18:38)|| HEY REBUKED HIM (18:39)HEY REBUKED HIM (18:39)|| JESUS COMMANDED HIM TO BEJESUS COMMANDED HIM TO BE

BROUGHT TO HIM (18:40-41A)BROUGHT TO HIM (18:40-41A)|| THAT I MIGHT RECEIVE MY SIGHT THAT I MIGHT RECEIVE MY SIGHT

(18:41B)(18:41B)|| THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE (18:42)THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE (18:42)|| IMMEDIATELY HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT IMMEDIATELY HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT

(18:43)(18:43)|| BEHOLD THERE WAS A MAN NAMEDBEHOLD THERE WAS A MAN NAMED

ZACCHEUS (19:1-4)ZACCHEUS (19:1-4)|| I MUST ABIDE AT THY HOUSE (19:5]I MUST ABIDE AT THY HOUSE (19:5]|| HE RECEIVED HIM JOYFULLY [19:6-7]HE RECEIVED HIM JOYFULLY [19:6-7]|| THE HALF OF MY GOODS I GIVE TO THETHE HALF OF MY GOODS I GIVE TO THE

POOR (19:8)POOR (19:8)|| THIS DAY IS SALVATION COME TOTHIS DAY IS SALVATION COME TO

THIS HOUSE (19:9]THIS HOUSE (19:9]|| THE SON OF MAN HATH COME TO SEEKTHE SON OF MAN HATH COME TO SEEK

AND TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOSTAND TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST[19:10][19:10]




AS HE WAS COME NIGH UNTO JERICHO

“ Luke 18:35 And it came to pass,that as He was come nigh untoJericho, a certain blind man sat bythe way side begging.”

HE WAS COME NIGH UNTOJERICHO

“And it came to pass, that as Hewas come nigh unto Jericho . . .”

Everything that Jesus did wasimportant – an integral part of whatGod sent Him to do. When He spoke, itwas the words the Father gave Him tosay (John 7:16; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10).When He worked, it was the works Hewas sent to do (John 5:36; 9:4).

Now Jesus approaches Jericho, acity that was situated where theIsraelites had crossed Jordan to enterinto the promised land (Josh 3:14-16).When the Israelites decimated the cityof Jericho as God commanded them(Josh 6:16-17), Joshua pronouncedthis curse upon it: "And Joshua adjuredthem at that time, saying, Cursed bethe man before the LORD, that risethup and buildeth this city Jericho: heshall lay the foundation thereof in hisfirstborn, and in his youngest sonshall he set up the gates of it" (Josh6:26). The phrase “in his firstborn,and in his youngest son,” reads thisway in the NASB: "with the loss of hisfirst-born . . . and with the loss of hisyoungest son he shall set up its gates"(Josh 6:26).

How is it, then, that the city wasrebuilt, and that Jesus is entering intoit? In the days of wicked king Ahab,"did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: helaid the foundation thereof in Abiramhis firstborn, and set up the gatesthereof in his youngest son Segub,according to the word of the LORD,which he spake by Joshua the son ofNun" (1 Kgs 16:34). The NASB givesthe proper sense of the text: "In hisdays Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; helaid its foundations with the loss ofAbiram his first-born, and set up itsgates with the loss of his youngest sonSegub, according to the word of the

LORD, which He spoke by Joshua theson of Nun" (1 Kgs 16:34). This tookplace 600-700 years after Joshua’scurse. Joshua was not saying the citywould not be rebuilt, but that if it was,a curse would be brought upon thebuilder – and that is precisely whathappened. Some are of the opinion thatHiel had other sons, all of which diedduring his building of Jericho, with thetwo sons that are mentioned dying afterthe city was built. JOHN GILL The cityJericho is mentioned sixteen times afterJoshua’s life, in Second Samuel thruJeremiah. It is mentioned five times inthe Gospels.

A CERTAIN BLIND MAN“ . . . a certain blind man . . .”

Now the Lord will confront a blindman that has been Divinely positionedin order that the works of God might bemanifest – as the blind man in the ninthchapter of John. The word “certain” isused to signify Divine selection ratherthan simply a man. This was a manpositioned for the glory of God.

The Two Blind Men in Matthew’sAccount

Matthew records there were twoblind men present. But they were notedafter Jesus had passed throughJericho: "And as they departed fromJericho, a great multitude followedhim. And, behold, two blind men sittingby the way side, when they heard thatJesus passed by, cried out, saying,Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son ofDavid. And the multitude rebuked them,because they should hold their peace:but they cried the more, saying, Havemercy on us, O Lord, thou son ofDavid. And Jesus stood still, and calledthem, and said, What will ye that I shalldo unto you? They say unto him, Lord,that our eyes may be opened. So Jesushad compassion on them, and touchedtheir eyes: and immediately their eyesreceived sight, and they followed him"(Matt 20:34).

Mark records the healing of a blindman named “Bartimaeus” as He was

going out of the city. "And they cameto Jericho: and as he went out ofJericho with his disciples and a greatnumber of people, blind Bartimaeus, theson of Timaeus, sat by the highwayside begging" (Mark 10:46).

Our text states He was “comingnear,” NKJV or “approaching” NASB

Jericho. Some have offered anexplanation, saying that while He hadgone out of Jericho, He still could havebeen close to it. I do not feelcomfortable with that explanation, andtherefore will simply stick to thewording of the text, even though thereare some undeniable similarities in thetexts mentioned above.

SAT BY THE WAY SIDE BEGGING“ . . .sat by the way side

begging.”

Other versions read, “sat by theroad begging,” NKJV“seated by the sideof the road, making requests for moneyfrom those who went by.” BBE

It is true that David wrote, "I havebeen young, and now am old; yet haveI not seen the righteous forsaken, norhis seed begging bread" (Psa 37:25).He did not say he had not seen therighteous begging, but that he had notseen “his seed begging.” Hanna onceprayed, "He raiseth up the poor out ofthe dust, and lifteth up the beggar fromthe dunghill, to set them amongprinces, and to make them inherit thethrone of glory: for the pillars of theearth are the Lord's, and He hath setthe world upon them" (1 Sam 2:8).Jesus told of a certain “beggar namedLazarus” (Lk 16:20). Once Jesus healeda man born blind, who was known forsitting and begging (John 9:8).

God taught the Israelites to makeprovision in their fields for the poor tohave something to eat (Ex 23:11; Lev19:10; 23:22). He told the people,"Beware that there be not a thought inthy wicked heart, saying, The seventhyear, the year of release, is at hand;and thine eye be evil against thy poor




brother, and thou givest him nought;and he cry unto the LORD against thee,and it be sin unto thee. Thou shaltsurely give him, and thine heart shallnot be grieved when thou givest untohim: because that for this thing theLORD thy God shall bless thee in all thyworks, and in all that thou puttest thinehand unto. For the poor shall nevercease out of the land: therefore I

command thee, saying, Thou shalt openthine hand wide unto thy brother, tothy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land" (Deu 15:11).

Jesus taught the people to do thesame thing by giving “alms” to the poor(Matt 6:1-4; Lk 11:41; 12:33). In otherwords, the people of God were to notethe need of the poor, and not allow

them to have to resort to begging.

However, alas, during the ministryof Jesus the commitment of the peopleto the truth of God was very sparse. Asa result, the poor among themapparently had to resort to begging inorder to live. It was another sign of thespiritual deterioration among the nationGod had chosen and taught.

HE ASKED WHAT IT MEANT

“ 36 And hearing the multitudepass by, he asked what it meant. 37

And they told him, that Jesus ofNazareth passeth by.”

HEARING THE MULTITUDEPASS BY

“And hearing the multitude pass by. . .”

Other versions read, “hearing amultitude going by,” NASB “hearing thesound of a great number of people goingby,” BBE “he heard the voice of themultitude as it was passing,” ETH”heard thenoise of the multitude that passed.” MRD

The blind man did not merely hearthe sound of footsteps, or running, butof the voices of the people as theywalked along with Jesus. There wasexcitement in the air, as the peoplethronged Jesus, asking him questions,hearing Him answer questions, teach,and tell parables. These were not merecuriosity-seekers, but those who hadwitnessed the absolute uniqueness ofJesus of Nazareth, and were pressing inupon Him. The people who had beensitting in darkness had seen a greatlight (Matt 4:16), and they werepursuing the One from whom it wasemitting. This blind man was sitting by

the side of the road, but there had notbeen a previous crowd like this passbefore him.

HE ASKED WHAT IT MEANT“ . . . he asked what it meant. . .”

Other versions read, “he began toinquire what this might be,” NASB “askedwhat was happening,” NIV and “askedwhat it was all about.” CJB

Something momentous washappening, and he did not know what itwas – but he wanted to know whathad occasioned such an unusualphenomenon.

When Jesus was known to be ina place, it always drew a lot ofattention – from both friend and foe.This is because foes knew He opposedthem. Some saw Him as a novelattraction, while others saw in Him helpand consolation. This was allowing theDivine nature to be revealed in Jesus ofNazareth. Although He was a “Man,“He was of another order, and that couldnot be completely hidden.

There is an influence that exudesfrom the presence of the Lord, and

those through whom He revealsHimself. Men may not be able to assessit properly, but it is there. Thatinfluence draws out of men what theyreally are. The hungry and thirsty willgive ear to Jesus, and pursue Him. Hisenemies will oppose Him, ask Himfoolish questions, and set traps forHim. No one can avoid the affectationof a present Christ.

THEY TOLD HIM“ . . . And they told him, that

Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.”

It appears that no one who couldsee were wondering who was passingby. Although very little was known ofNazareth, other than that it was not anideal city, here was a Man from thatcity that had gained prominence amongthe people. The Gospels and the bookof Acts refer to Jesus as being “ofNazareth” twenty-one times. Nazarethnever mentioned in Genesis thruMalachi, although evidence of itsexistence has been uncovered that dateback to 2200-1500 B.C. – well over aMillennium before Christ was born. Itappears that God saw to it, the citywould remain relatively unknown untilthe appearance of His Son.

HAVE MERCY ON ME

“ 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus,thou son of David, have mercy onme.”

In this text we will see that whenJesus is really present, considerable can

be known about Him. When God sentHis Son into the world, His missiondemanded that He be known. That Iwhy numerous prophecies were givenby Him to prepare the people. God alsosent John the Baptist immediately

before Jesus began His ministry, toprepare the way for Him (Isa 40:40:3-5; Matt 3:1-3; Lk 1:76).

I want to stress that God did notintend for His Son to be unknown –




and He still does not intend that this bethe case. Where Jesus is not known,the church has not done its job. He isto be made known through preachingand teaching, and through the lives ofthe saints, who are His “epistle, knownand read of all men” (2 Cor 3:3). Thereal Christ cannot possibly be madeknown through a spurious gospel, orpeople who have not been born again.

THOU SON OF DAVID“And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou

Son of David? . . . ”

Jesus being “the Son of David”was not known by many people.

- Matthew began his record of theGospel by saying, "The book of thegeneration of Jesus Christ, THESON OF DAVID, the son ofAbraham." (Matt 1:1)

- Two blind men called Him “the Sonof David” (Matt 9:27).

- After witnessing Jesus heal a manwho was both blind and dumb, "allthe people were amazed, and said,Is not this THE SON OF DAVID?" (Matt 12:23).

- A Canaanitish woman who was aSyrophenician said to Him, “Havemercy on me, O Lord, thou SON OFDAVID; my daughter is grievouslyvexed with a devil" (Matt 15:22)

- During His triumphal entry intoJerusalem, "the multitudes thatwent before, and that followed,cried, saying, Hosanna to THE SONOF DAVID" (Matt 21:9).

- When hearing Jesus speak, somesaid, "Hath not the scripture said,That Christ cometh of the seed ofDavid, and out of the town ofBethlehem, where David was?"(John 7:41-42)

This term reflects the fulfillment ofa promise made to David: "And whenthy days be fulfilled, and thou shaltsleep with thy fathers, I will set up thyseed after thee, which shall proceedout of thy bowels, and I will establishhis kingdom. He shall build an housefor my name, and I will stablish thethrone of his kingdom for ever. I willbe his father, and he shall be My Son.If he commit iniquity, I will chasten himwith the rod of men, and with thestripes of the children of men: But Mymercy shall not depart away from him,as I took it from Saul, whom I put awaybefore thee. And thine house and thykingdom shall be established for everbefore thee: thy throne shall beestablished for ever. According to allthese words, and according to all thisvision, so did Nathan speak untoDavid." (2 Sam 7:12-17).

The point to be made here is thatthe Jews, with all of their faults,were not ignorant of the Scriptures –even obscure texts. Because of thisafter Jesus had returned to beenthroned in heaven, He could bepreached with benefit in the languageof the prophets.

On the day of Pentecost, Peterdeclared that this prophecy was fulfilledwhen Jesus was raised from the dead tobe seated on His throne. (Acts 2:30-36).This was, then, a dual prophecy – partreferring to Solomon, who would buildthe temple, and part to the Lord Jesuswho would build a greater Temple – onein which God Himself would reside (1 Cor3:16-17; Eph 2:20-22).

By Way of ComparisonBy way of comparison, in our day

there is hardly a place in all of theworld where Christ can be preached inthe language of the prophets andapostles to professing Christians, whereany significant number of people wouldeven know what the proclaimer wassaying. So far as the knowledge of the

professing church is concerned, thepeople have spiritually reverted backto medieval times, when the Bible waswithheld from the people.

HAVE MERCY ON ME“ . . . have mercy on me.”

This expression, “have mercy,” isfound fifty-one times in Scripture. Sixof them represent God Himself saying“I will have mercy” (Hos 1:7; 2:23;Matt 9:13; 12:7; Rom 9:15). One timewe read, “For the Lord will have mercyon Jacob” (Isa 14:1). Thirty-four times in Moses and Prophets, the Lord is saidro be “merciful” (ex: Ex 34:6; Psa103:8; 116:5). The Lord even revealedto Moses that His nature included“showing mercy to thousands” (Ex20:6).

Yet, prior to Christ, there were comparatively few instances of the Lordshowing mercy, or having mercy onsomeone. Instead, twenty-eight timeswe read of “His wrath,” thirty-eighttomes of “His anger,” and sixteen timesof God being “provoked.”

However, when Jesus enteredinto the world and commencedministering, people began to associateHim with “mercy.” Although He surelyhad the power to execute wrath andindignation, that is not what He wasnoted for. Twice, in obvious anger, Hecleansed the Temple of opportunistsand marketeers (John 2:13-17). But noone died in those instances, nor wasanyone sorely wounded – like peoplewere when God unleashed His anger inprior times. There was gross hypocrisy,false teachers, and corrupt priests inabundance among the people – butJesus did not come to destroy them.His mandate from heaven was not topurge the city of Jerusalem like Joshuawas to purge the city of Jericho.Rather, He came to pave the way forthe promised salvation of God – toacquaint people with Divine purpose.

THEY REBUKED HIM

“ 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cr ied so much the




more, Thou son of David, have mercyon me.”

This incident is not reported as amere historical fact. Rather, it isshowing us what faith will move aperson to do, and how Jesus respondsto faith. It will also show that whenpeople who are serving the Lord do notknow what He is doing, they willgravitate to doing the wrong thing.

THEY THAT SENT BEFORE HIM“And they which went before . . .”

Jesus often sent His disciplesahead of Him to prepare the way forHim. Before He went into Gennesaret,"Jesus constrained His disciples to getinto a ship, and to go before Him untothe other side, while He sent themultitudes away" (Matt 14:22). As aresult, when Jesus did arrive inGennesaret, "the men of that place hadknowledge of Him, they sent out into allthat country round about, and broughtunto Him all that were diseased; Andbesought Him that they might onlytouch the hem of his garment: and asmany as touched were made perfectlywhole" (Matt 14:36).

Another time, when Jesus had"steadfastly set His face to go toJerusalem, and sent messengers beforeHis face: and they went, and enteredinto a village of the Samaritans, tomake ready for him. And they did notreceive Him, because His face was asthough He would go to Jerusalem"(Luke 9:53). He then passed on throughthat village to another place.

Of course, the ultimate one whoprepared the way for Jesus was Johnthe Baptist, especially filled with theHoly Spirit from his mothers womb (Lk1:15), and cultured in the wilderness,

isolated from the people where “theWord of God came unto” him (Lk 3:2).He was sent to ready the people toreceive the Christ. His ministry fulfilledthe prophecy of Isaiah: "As it is writtenin the book of the words of Esaias theprophet, saying, The voice of onecrying in the wilderness, Prepare ye theway of the Lord, make his pathsstraight. Every valley shall be filled, andevery mountain and hill shall be broughtlow; and the crooked shall be madestraight, and the rough ways shall bemade smooth; And all flesh shall seethe salvation of God" (Luke 3:6).

In our text, those who wentbefore Jesus did not have a goodunderstanding of why He had come intothe world. Therefore, their reaction tothis man was not acceptable.

THE MAN WAS REBUKED“ . . . rebuked him, that he

should hold his peace . . .”

They considered the cries of thisblind man to be distracting, and weresure Jesus did not want to hear him.Therefore, they “rebuked him.” Otherversions read, “warned him,” NKJV

“sternly telling him to be quiet,” NASB

“Sternly ordered him,” NRSV “madeprotests,” BBE “scolded him,” CEB and“yelled at him.” NLT

The word translated “rebuked”has the following lexical meaning:“chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely 4a)to admonish or charge sharply.” THAYER

This was not a polite request, buta stern reprimand, thought to bealtogether proper for the occasion.

BUT HE CRIED SO MUCH THEMORE

“ . . . but he cried so much the

more, Thou son of David, have mercyon me.”

This demonstrated theconstraining power of faith. The manignores the rebuke of those goingbefore Jesus. He “cried out so muchmore.” Other versions read, “heshouted even more loudly,” NRSV “morevociferously [boisterous] he yelled,” MIT

and “yet he screamed and shrieked somuch the more.” AMPLIFIED

This man had the spirit of Davidwho cried out, "LORD, I cry unto Thee:make haste unto me; give ear unto myvoice, when I cry unto Thee" (Psa141:1). He was like the one in Jesus’parable of a man who sought threeloaves from his neighbor and would notstop until he got them (Lk 11:6-8), andthe importunate widow who sought fora unjust judge to avenge her of heradversary, and would not stop until herrequest was answered (Lk 18:1-8).

Many a soul has become fatiguedby constant prayers, and has notobtained their request simply becausethey ceased praying too soon. In thisinstance, we have another example ofthe Lord testing someone’s faith.Sometimes it appears as though theLord is delaying, when He is reallytesting one’s faith. It may be arguedthat the Lord already knows the level ofa person’s faith, so why should He testit? There are at least two reasons. First,the petitioner does not know thestrength of his own faith, but he willhave a better understanding of thatafter he has been tested. Second,whether it seems like it or not, as faithis tested, it actually becomes stronger,not weaker. This does not occur bysome automated process, but isactually the working of the Lord –which is most marvelous.

JESUS COMMANDED HIM TO BE BROUGHT TO HIM

“ 40 And Jesus stood, andcommanded him to be brought untoHim: and when he was come near, Heasked him, 41A Saying, What wilt thouthat I shall do unto thee?”

JESUS STOOD“And Jesus stood . . .”

Other versions read, “Jesus stoodstill,” NKJV “Jesus stopped,” NASB “When

Jesus heard him, He stopped.” NLT

This was not a casual response byJesus. He was on His way to Jerusalemin anticipation of laying down His life, a




Ransom for many (Matt 20:18).Remember, not long before this it iswritten, "Then He took unto him thetwelve, and said unto them, Behold, wego up to Jerusalem, and all things thatare written by the prophets concerningthe Son of man shall be accomplished.For he shall be delivered unto theGentiles, and shall be mocked, andspitefully entreated, and spitted on:And they shall scourge him, and puthim to death: and the third day he shallrise again" (Luke 18:33). Earlier, at thecommencement of this trip toJerusalem, it is written "And it came topass, when the time was come that Heshould be received up, He steadfastlyset his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke9:51). That was His solitary focus!

Now, however, He stops, as Hehears a cry of faith. He will take thetime to bless this blind man. This is aDivine manner.

COMMANDED HIM TO BEBROUGHT

“ . . . and commanded him to bebrought unto Him . . .”

Those who travel with Jesus areoften commanded by Him to dosomething. I do not doubt that the onesJesus commanded to bring the blindman to Him were the very ones whohad been rebuking the man.

The text does not say so, but it isobvious that those He commandedimmediately did what He said. This isthe kind of reaction John wasdescribing when he wrote, "And herebywe do know that we know Him, if wekeep His commandments" (1 John 2:3).

HE ASKED HIM“ . . . and when he was come

near, He asked him, Saying, What wiltthou that I shall do unto thee?”

Other versions read, “When hedrew near,” CSB “when he drew nigh,”DARBY “when he approached him,” ETH and“When the man came close.” MIT

The idea is that as the man wasapproaching Jesus, the Lord spoke tohim – which must have sounded goodto the comer. That seems to be acommon experience when coming toJesus. One’s senses are brought to akeen edge as he approaches Christ.Jesus is so great and magnificent thatlesser things seem to fade away in hispresence. For the sensitive of heart,priorities are, so to speak, rearranged,so that a proper request can be notonly made, but answered. Suddenlythis man became aware that he wasabout to stand before the Lord of glory.Who can measure the impact of amoment like that?

THAT I MIGHT RECEIVE MY SIGHT

“ 41B And he said, Lord, that I mayreceive my sight.”

I suppose there could have beenother things this blind man could haverequested. He might have asked that hebe placed at the gate of a rich man thatwould treat him kindly. Or, perhaps hecould have asked Jesus to admonishthe people to be more generous in theirgifts toward him as they passed by.Maybe the Lord could move someoneto take him in, and care for him Here heis standing before Jesus of Nazareth,who was widely known for the miraclesHe had wrought. How will he answerthe question, "What do you want me todo for you?"

His answer reveals his priorities,and makes known what he believedJesus could do. "Lord, that I mayreceive my sight."

I am persuaded that many peoplesimply do not know what to seek fromthe Lord. Another young man had anopportunity to ask the Lord forsomething, and said, "Master, speak to

my brother, that he divide theinheritance with me" (Luke 12:13). Jesus told him that was not the kind ofthing He came to do. He had asked forthe wrong thing.

It is written of the mother ofJames and John, “Then came to Himthe mother of Zebedee's children withher sons, worshiping Him, and desiringa certain thing of Him. And He saidunto her, What wilt thou? She saithunto Him, Grant that these my twosons may sit, the one on Thy righthand, and the other on the left, in Thykingdom" (Matt 20:20-21). She alsohad asked for the wrong thing, for,Jesus said, “Ye know not what yeask,” saying to James and Johnthemselves, "Are ye able to drink of thecup that I shall drink of, and to bebaptized with the baptism that I ambaptized with?” (Matt 20:22).Unwittingly, they had asked forsomething that would involve intensesuffering.

A certain lawyer, thinking himselfable to outwit Jesus asked, "Master,

which is the great commandment in thelaw?" (Matt 22:36). When Jesusanswered him, he had nothing more tosay (Matt 22:37-40).

All of these questions betrayed anignorance of Jesus Himself – who Hewas, and what He came to do. Theywere also driven by misplaced desires.

Men of faith have been noted forsingle desires that outweigh all others.David said, "One thing have I desired ofthe LORD, that will I seek after; that Imay dwell in the house of the LORD allthe days of my life, to behold the beautyof the LORD, and to inquire in Histemple" (Psa 27:4). When Martha wasindignant that her sister Mary had chosento sit at Jesus feet rather than serve withher, she asked Jesus to tell Mary toassist her. Jesus replied, "Martha,Martha, thou art careful and troubledabout many things: But ONE THING ISNEEDFUL: and Mary hath chosen thatgood part, which shall not be taken awayfrom her" (Luke 10:41-42).

Paul was able to narrow his




driving desire down to one thing:"Brethren, I count not myself to haveapprehended: but THIS ONE THING Ido, forgetting those things which arebehind, and reaching forth unto those

things which are before, I press towardthe mark for the prize of the high callingof God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14).

What is the “one thing” you

desire? – The one compelling thing youwant the Lord to do for you? The Lordknows what you need the most, andwhen you know it also, you will bereceiving it.

THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE

“ 42 And Jesus said unto him,Receive thy sight: thy faith hathsaved thee.”

RECEIVE THY SIGHT“And Jesus said unto him,

Receive thy sight . . .”

Other versions read, “See again,”BBE Recover your sight.” ESV

The word translated “receive” hasthe following lexical meaning: “Look up,”THAYER “to look him in the face.” LOUW-NIDA

The idea is that the blind man wasto look at the One to whom he hadbeen speaking. He would experiencethe return of his sight when he lookedup to Jesus.

To the blind man “Receive thysight” was the same as “Take up thybed and walk” was to the impotentman (John 5:8). It was the equivalentof what Jesus said to Peter when hesaw Jesus walking on stormy watersand said, “Lord, if it be Thou, bid mecome unto Thee on the water." Jesusreplied, “Come!” (Matt 14:28).

Faith enables a person to do whathe could not do before. However, theindividual will not know what powerhas been wrought until he begins to dowhat he could not do before. This ismore than mere will-power. It is thevery real persuasion that you are nowable to do what you could not dobefore. That is the persuasion of faith.

THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE“ . . . thy faith hath saved thee.”

Jesus now defines what has reallytaken place. These are the same wordsJesus said to the sinful woman whoanointed his feet with costly perfume:“Thy faith hath saved thee” (Lk 7:50).Jesus said to the woman who touchedthe hem of His garment and was healedof an issue of blood, “Thy faith hathmade thee whole” (Matt 9:22). Thiswas said to Bartimaeus whom Jesushealed when He was leaving Jericho,“Thy faith hath made thee whole” (Mk10:52). He also told a healed leper,“Thy faith hath made thee whole” (Lk17:19).

But this is not what Jesus said to

this blind man. He said, “Thy faith hathSAVED thee.” This, as I understand it,involves more than making the bodywhole. This man received the same dualblessing that the man let down throughthe ceiling received. Jesus said to him,"Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark2:5), and "Arise, and take up thy bed,and walk?" (Mark 2:9).

IN THE EXPERIENCE OFSALVATION

In the experience of salvation, it isalso our faith that saves us: "For bygrace are ye saved through faith; andthat not of yourselves: it is the gift ofGod" (Eph 2:8). Our obedience in“obeying the form of the doctrine,” isto salvation what looking up was theblind man, and taking up his bed andwalking was to the impotent man. Justas the healing of the blind man wasnever considered independently of himlooking up, and the healing of theimpotent man was not separate fromhim picking up his bed and walking, sosalvation is never depicted as beingaccomplished separately from ourbaptism, nor is it clearly set forth asbeing accomplished before baptism.

IMMEDIATELY HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT

“ 43 And immediately he receivedhis sight, and followed Him, glorifyingGod: and all the people, when theysaw it, gave praise unto God.”

IMMEDIATELY HE RECEIVEDHIS SIGHT

“ And immediately he received hissight . . .”

The work of Jesus was immediatein its effect. How often this is stated in the Gospels.

- "And IMMEDIATELY his leprosy wascleansed." (Matt 8:3)

- "So Jesus had compassion on them,and touched their eyes: andIMMEDIATELY their eyes receivedsight." (Matt 20:34)

- " . . .and IMMEDIATELY the feverleft her." (Mark 1:31)

- "And IMMEDIATELY he arose, tookup the bed, and went forth before

them all." (Mark 2:12)

- "Came behind him, and touched theborder of his garment: andIMMEDIATELY her issue of bloodstanched." (Luke 8:44)

- "And he laid his hands on her: andIMMEDIATELY she was madestraight, and glorified God." (Luke13:13)

- "And IMMEDIATELY the man was




made whole, and took up his bed,and walked." (John 5:9)

- "Then they willingly received himinto the ship: and IMMEDIATELY theship was at the land whither theywent." (John 6:21)

In our salvation, there are thingsthat occur immediately – notgradually, but immediately.

- Forgiveness (Eph 1:7; Col 2:13)- Justification (Rom 5:1)\- Peace with God (Rom 5:1),- Reconciliation (Rom 5:10)- Deliverance from the devil (Heb

2:15).- Deliverance from the power of

darkness (Col 1:13).- Deliverance from the Law (Rom

7:6).- Deliverance from the wrath to come

(1 Thess 1:10).- Translation into the Kingdom of

God’s Dear Son (Col 1:13).- Addition to the church (Acts 2:47).- Placement in the body of Christ (1

Cor 12:18).- Raised up and made to sit in

heavenly places (Eph 2:6).- Made “light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8).- Joined unto the Lord (1 Cor 6:17).- Given the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 4:8).- Have access by faith into the grace

wherein we stand (Rom 5:2).

- Have access by One Spirit to theFather (Eph 2:18).

- Made “accepted in the Beloved”(Eph 1:6).

- The treasure of salvation in anearthen vessel (2 Cor 4:7).

- An inheritance (Eph 1:11).- A Great High Priest in heaven (Heb

4:14-16).- Hope as an anchor of the soul (Heb

6:19).- An Advocate with the Father (1

John 2:1).

All, of these things are given tothe people of God at the moment theirsins have been remitted. Perhaps thesaved have not realized it, but as soonas they extend themselves as thosewho require such realities, they will findthey have them. You may grow inyour awareness of them, but you donot grow in your possession of them!

AND FOLLOWED HIM“ . . . and followed Him . . .”

Other versions read, “and beganfollowing Him,” NASB “went after him,”BBE “came after him.” ETH

Wherever Jesus went, the healedman went. When Jesus blessed him, hebecame a follower of Him. Jesus didnot say to him as He did to others,“Follow Me” – but he did anyway. This

is because that is what faith does. It isunbelief – raw unbelief – hat causespeople not to follow Jesus. Thatcircumstance, in turn, causes them tobe enslaved to sin.

GLORIFYING GOD“ . . . glorifying God . . .”

Other versions read, “praisingGod,” NIV “giving glory to God,” BBE andrecognizing, praising, and honoringGod.” AMPLIFIED

Glorifying God is willing,intelligent, and insightful. It is the resultof recognizing and enjoying thebeneficent work of God. It is the resultof holy assessment, and is vocalized ina high-spirited manner. These days, it isnot at all common to hear churchpeople glorifying God. This is the kindof rejoicing that is personal,unrehearsed, and coming from theheart.

ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISED GOD “ . . . and all the people, when

they saw it, gave praise unto God.”

This was a case where the praise ofone person stimulated praise in others aswell. This took place when “all the people. . . SAW IT.” What a marvelousoccasion this was! It all happenedbecause one man was blessed.

BEHOLD THERE WAS A MAN NAMED ZACCHAEUS

“ 19:1 And Jesus entered andpassed through Jericho. 2 And,behold, there was a man namedZacchaeus, which was the chiefamong the publicans, and he wasrich. 3 And he sought to see Jesuswho He was; and could not for thepress, because he was little ofstature. 4 And he ran before, andclimbed up into a sycamore tree tosee Him: for He was to pass thatway.”

JESUS ENTERED AND PASSEDTHROUGH

“And Jesus entered and passedthrough Jericho. . . “

Other versions read, "And Heentered and was passing throughJericho," NASB "Jesus entered Jerichoand was passing through,” NIV “andwhen he was going through it,” BBE “Hewalked through Jericho,” DOUAY “madeHis way through the town.” NLT

According to appearance, it was our Lord’s trip to Jerusalem thatnecessitated Him passing throughJericho. However, in the Spirit, therewas a work the Father intended Him todo in Jericho – for, as He said, "theFather that dwelleth in Me, He doeththe works" (John 14:10). He said ofHis works, "the works which the Fatherhath given Me to finish, the same

works that I do, bear witness of Me,that the Father hath sent Me" (John5:36). Nothing that Jesus did, wasincidental. All of His deeds weredeliberately done in strict accordancewith the will of His Father.

A MAN NAMED ZACCHAEUS “ . . . And, behold, there was a

man named Zacchaeus, which was thechief among the publicans, and he wasrich. . .”

The first ten versus of thenineteenth chapter of Luke is a totalcompendium of everything revealedabout Zaccheus – 209 words. Theinformation given is his name, where he




SYCAMORE TREElived, his occupation and the positionhe held in it, that he was rich, that hewas little of stature, that he had ahouse, and that he gave to the poor.But, O, what the Lord can do with asmall amount of information!

Also, for over two thousandyears, multitudes of believersthroughout the whole earth havebecome familiar with Zaccheus, andhave been shown how Jesus honoredand blessed him. He is like a pledge ofhow the Lord Jesus will, on the day ofjudgment, honor all that have honoredHim.

HE SOUGHT TO SEE JESUS “ . . . And he sought to see

Jesus who He was; and could not forthe press, because he was little ofstature. And he ran before, and climbedup into a sycamore tree to see Him: forHe was to pass that way.”

Zaccheus was obviously abreastof what was happening in Jericho. Nodoubt some had come there beforeJesus to arrange for Him and thosetraveling with Him to pass through thecity. There was no doubt a significant

crowd accompanying Him, and theywould probably require some food andshelter while there.

There was, according tohistorians, about 20,000 people livingin Jericho at that time – about 133%larger than Carthage. Missouri.Remember, Jesus is walking throughthe city, and He has attracted theattention of the entire metropolis.

Knowing the path Jesus wastaking through the city, Zaccheus runsahead, finds a sycamore tree, andclimbs up in it to get a view of Jesus asHe passes by. He would not allow thesmallness of his stature to hinder himfrom seeing Jesus of Nazareth as Hewas passing through. Mind you, Jesusdid not come to the city to meet withthe people in a synagogue, or to teachthem in some wide area. He was justpassing through.

That is the kind of attention Jesusdrew, everywhere He went.Furthermore, He never did use suchoccasions to promote Himself, or tobecome better known. His mission fromheaven did not allow for such things,

and He refused to depart from it.

I want to emphasize that this wasthe real Jesus. He attracted that kind ofattention because, in Israel, the peoplehad been cultured to receive fromGod. Jesus probably would not havegarnered as much attention in aheathen city. The Israelites, however, inCanaan, were directed by God to livetheir total lives within the personalconsciousness of God. Although theydid not always take advantage of it,this did account for their reaction toJesus of Nazareth. This was God’speople, living in God’s land (Joel 2:18),and living under God’s Law.

I MUST ABIDE AT THY HOUSE

“ 5 And when Jesus came to theplace, He looked up, and saw him,and said unto him, Zacchaeus, makehaste, and come down; for to day Imust abide at thy house.”

JESUS SAW HIM“And when Jesus came to the

place, He looked up, and saw him . . .”

Other versions read, “When Jesusreached the spot,” NIV “When Jesuscame precisely to that spot,” MIT “Andwhen Jesus reached the place.” AMPLIFIED

Jesus was always alert, knowingwhere He was, and the places whereGod had appointed Him to be. As Hewalked along, surrounded by a teemingcrowd of people, He came to the exactspot, and the exact tree, into whichZaccheus had climbed. What

remarkable precision!

It seems to me that it is in orderto consider where you were whenyou were first drawn to Jesus Christ.There is every reason to believe thatJesus is still very exact concerningwhen and where He makes Himselfknown to people. When you becamesensitive to Him, He was present.

MAKE HASTE AND COME DOWN“ . . . and said unto him,

Zacchaeus, make haste, and comedown; for to day I must abide at thyhouse.”

Other versions read, “Zacchaeus,come down immediately. I must stay atyour house today,” NIV and “be quickand come down, for I am coming toyour house today.” BBE

Zaccheus must not delay, butimmediately come down from the treeand prepare to receive Jesus into hishouse – and perhaps others with Him.For Jesus was not traveling alone.

Many a poor soul, not knowingthis trait of Jesus, has delayed whenthey first sensed the call of God, andtherefore Jesus has passed them by.Jesus spoke of men’s response toHimself in exposing us to some of theactivities of the Day of judgment. "ForI was an hungered, and ye gave Memeat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Medrink: I was a stranger, and ye took Mein: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I wassick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison,and ye came unto Me" (Mat 25:35-36)– AND "For I was an hungered, and yegave me no meat: I was thirsty, and yegave me no drink: I was a stranger, and




ye took me not in: naked, and yeclothed me not: sick, and in prison, and

ye visited me not" (Mat 25:42-43). Th e i r e t e r n a l des t i ny wasdetermined by their response to Jesus.

HE RECEIVED HIM JOYFULLY

“ 6 And he made haste, andcame down, and received Himjoyfully.”

Zaccheus did precisely whatJesus said, and “received Himjoyfully.” Other versions read,“welcomed Him gladly,” NIV “washappy to welcome Him,” NRSV “happyto welcome Jesus,” CEB “welcomedJesus enthusiastically,” MIT and “tookJesus to his house in greatexcitement and joy.” NLT

This was not a plannedreception, but a sudden andunexpected one. Yet, Zaccheus wasnot only quick to do what Jesus said,

but was most happy to have Jesuscome into his house. I do not doubtthat this very really ministered toJesus Himself, greatly comfortingHim to find one of His own sheep.

THEY SAW IT ANDMURMURED

“ 7 And when they saw it, they allmurmured, saying, That He wasgone to be guest with a man that isa sinner.”

Who was the “they” and “theyall?” I doubt that this included thetwelve disciples, although it could besupposed they were carried away

with the crowd. However, I think thisunlikely. They had been with Jesuswhen He ate at the house ofMatthew, who had just been calledfrom being a publican, and hadinvited other publicans (Luke 5:29-33).

This no doubt was led by thePharisees, who often criticized Jesusfor being around publicans. And whatwas the fault they found with Jesus?“He was gone to be guest with aman that is a sinner.” All of this wassummarily ignored by the Master, asHe set out to do His Father’s will. Hewould not be deterred by them.

THE HALF OF MY GOODS I GIVE TO THE POOR

“ 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and saidunto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the halfof my goods I give to the poor; and ifI have taken any thing from any manby false accusation, I restore himfourfold.”

The various versions of Scripturepresent two conflicting views of thispassage. First, that this was theacknowledgment of what he had beendoing. The other, that this was anavowal of what he would begin doing.Here are a few of these conflictingrepresentations.

- "Look, Lord, I give half of my goodsto the poor; and if I have takenanything from anyone by falseaccusation, I restore fourfold." NKJV

- "Behold, Lord, half of mypossessions I will give to the poor,and if I have defrauded anyone ofanything, I will give back four timesas much." NASB

- "Look, Lord! Here and now I givehalf of my possessions to the poor,and if I have cheated anybody out ofanything, I will pay back four timesthe amount." NIV

- “Behold, Lord, the half of my goodsI give to the poor; and if I havewrongfully exacted aught of anyman, I restore fourfold,” ASV

- “ Lord, half of my possessions Inow give to the poor, and if I

have cheated anyone of anything,I am paying back four times asmuch!" NET

- "Behold, half of my possessions,Lord, I am giving to the poor, and ifI have extorted anything fromanyone, I am paying it back fourtimes as much!" AMPLIFIED

Nothing in the text suggestsZaccheus was guilty of takingadvantage of the people. Jesus did nottell him to “sin no more.” Not that itadds any more credibility to the text,most all of the reputable commentatorstake the view that this is actually whatZaccheus had been doing. I suggestthat we be guided by how the LordJesus responds to Zaccheus.

THIS DAY SALVATION HAS COME TO THIS HOUSE

“ 9 And Jesus said unto him,This day is salvation come to this

house, forsomuch as he also is a sonof Abraham.”

SALVATION IS COME TO THISHOUSE




Our next Hungry Saints Meeting will be held on Friday, 6/9/17. The fifty-eightth lesson will cover verses 11 thru 27 of the nineteenth chapter:“THE PARABLE OF THE POUNDS. In moving along, because Jesus was coming close to Jerusalem, He delivered the parable of the pounds. It spokeof a nobleman that was going away to a far country, and leaving his goods in the hands of ten servants. This was directly associated with Hisanticipation of going away following His death – back to heaven to receive the reins of the Kingdom, and begin bringing many sons to glory. Thework He had commenced on earth was to be carried on by His servants. Each of them received an amount appropriate for their ability, and told“Occupy till I come.” The parable has relevance to the body of Christ, which is to be taking care of their Master’s goods – investing them, andgaining a profit for the day of judgment. We will begin our meeting at 6:30, which will be followed by a time of refreshments and fellowship.

“And Jesus said unto him, Thisday is salvation come to this house. . .”

Does it sound reasonable forJesus to say salvation has come to ahouse upon the basis of what aperson pledged himself to do? Whereis there an example of such a response.

HE ALSO IS A SON OF ABRAHAM“ . . . forsomuch as he also is a

son of Abraham.”

What exactly is “a son ofAbraham?” Is this the case simplybecause a person is the fleshlydescendant of Abraham? Is that howone’s relationship to Abraham is

described in Scripture? Indeed not. Thefaith of a person that, in the eyes ofthe Lord, connects him withAbraham. We read expressions like thefollowing:

- Those who “walk in the steps ofthat faith of our father Abraham.”(Rom 4:12)

- "Therefore it is of faith, that it mightbe by grace; to the end the promisemight be sure to all the seed; not tothat only which is of the law, but tothat also which is of the faith ofAbraham; who is the father of usall" (Rom 4:16).

- "Know ye therefore that they whichare of faith, the same are thechildren of Abraham." (Gal 3:7)

- "So then they which be of faith areblessed with faithful Abraham." (Gal 3:9)

This was the response to thestatement of Zaccheus. It was not aresolve, but an acknowledgment ofwhat he had been doing. Jesus did notsay he would be a son of Abraham, butthat he was – and that was based uponwhat Zaccheus had said of himself. Hehad been motivated by faith, not pride.

THE SON OF MAN HATH COME TO SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST

“ 10 For the Son of man is cometo seek and to save that which waslost."

WHAT DOES “LOST” MEAN?Jesus defined what He meant by

“lost.” This refers to a sheep that hadbeen lost from the fold. Jesus said in arather poignant way, "I am not sent butunto the lost sheep of the house ofIsrael" (Matt 15:24).

When Jesus came, His ministrywas among the Jews. He nevertraveled outside of the land of theJews, and they were the focus of allof His preaching and teaching. In theimmediate sense, they were the onesHe came to save.

THIS AGREES WITHREVELATION

Jesus came in answer to the

promises made to Israel. John said ofthis, "He came unto His own, and Hisown received him not" (John 1:11).

On the day of Pentecost Peter toldthe people what God had done throughJesus “in the midst” of them (Acts2:22). He was seeking the lost.

Later, in the Temple Peter told thepeople, "Unto you first God, havingraised up his Son Jesus, sent Him tobless you, in turning away every one ofyou from his iniquities" (Acts 3:26).

Paul preached in a synagogue inAntioch of Pisidia, "It was necessarythat the word of God should firsthave been spoken to you: but seeingye put it from you, and judgeyourselves unworthy of everlasting life,lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts13:46). He wrote to the Romans

declaring that the Gospel if the powerof God unto salvation "to the Jewfirst, and also to the Greek" (Rom1:16).

Presently there is a veil over theirhearts so they cannot comprehend Christ.But there is coming a day when "Thereshall come out of Sion the Deliverer, andshall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:For this is My covenant unto them,when I shall take away their sins" (Rom11:26-27; Isa 59:20). At that time theveil shall be lofted from their hearts (2Cor 3:15-16). God promised He wouldnever abandon Israel (Jer 30;11;31:35-37; 33:2526).

What happened at the house ofZaccheus is that one of the lost sheepwas found. What a glorious day it was!Salvation was brought to a house ofone of the sons of Abraham.



a ministry for hungry saints - word of truthwotruth.com/commentaries-new/luke/luke-057a.pdf ·...

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