Faith Receives Christ’s Mercy
Luke 18:31-43
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
St. Luke 18:35-39 35Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ our Lord… Faith. Faith alone. Sola fide, in Latin. Christians live by faith alone in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. There simply is no other way. Without God’s gift of faith, there can be no forgiveness, no justification, no salvation. All of it is by faith alone.
In today’s Gospel we hear about faith alone. In the examination of this this text, we see two interesting examples. The first shows the limitation of our human flesh to understand fully the one true faith; this the disciples will exhibit. The other shows a beautiful example of faith which clings to Christ; this the blind man will exhibit.
In the first part of our reading, the disciples were confused and bewildered when Christ told them of His coming Passion. He described the betrayal, the mocking, the insults, and the spitting that He must endure. He told them of His scourging and death. And He told them of His ultimate resurrection on the third day.
But the disciples did not understand. They comprehended none of it. The words were hidden from them; it was a mystery to them.
Now, we might chalk this up to the disciples being ignorant. That seems to be a favorite refrain sometimes. “Oh, there they go again being stupid and not understanding what was clearly spelled out for them!” We might also explain their incomprehension as a result of hearing the shocking news that Jesus was going to die. Understandably, no one ever wants to hear that, and perhaps the brain goes into a bit of denial as a defense against the shocking news. Either way, we like to pick on the disciples for simply not getting it. Their spiritual elevator apparently didn’t go all the way to the top.
But you ought not be too hasty to think that you would have fared any better under the circumstances. Simply speaking, the disciples did not understand because they had the same problem that we have; their natural, carnal mind did not and could not understand the things of God.
You have the very same carnal mind. Even though you may believe by God-given faith in Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection for you, and that you have been redeemed by the death of Christ, nevertheless you still struggle with the old Adam, the sinful nature with which you always do battle. Yes, you are being renewed in your mind in the image of Christ your Savior, but your flesh is as ignorant and unspiritual as it ever was.
Sinful human flesh cannot fully comprehend the mysteries of God. The death and resurrection of Christ are the central events of all history; they are the very heart of holy Scripture. The disciples should have immediately grasped the words of Christ. They should have said, “Praise be to God that He sent His Son to redeem us poor, lost sinners.” But they didn’t. They just did not get it.
We have faith, which is God’s free gift. Yet our own efforts to keep that faith and exercise it are at best flawed and weak. Our knowledge and feelings of certainty and trust toward our heavenly Father often fall short, and far more often than we care to admit.
But dear fellow redeemed, do not despair. If you struggle to understand concepts of Scripture and you are not getting it, do not think, “Oh, if I really had faith, then I would understand better.” Look at the disciples. Although they were taught personally by the Lord in human flesh for three years, they still fell short in knowledge. Even though they saw Him perform many miracles of healing, deliverance, feedings, and resurrections, even so they fell way short of full and perfect knowledge of Christ. So, you also, who have a far inferior teacher, will surely not grasp all that the Father says to you. But don’t let it trouble you too much.
However, do not also use your lack of perfect knowledge as an excuse to stay away from Bible study. Our weak minds need the teachings of Scripture, even if taught by an unworthy vessel such as me. We need to hear the Word constantly, or else the carnal mind will try to exchange true Christianity in our heart for a counterfeit version that feels much more satisfying but is in reality no true faith at all. So, continue to learn; and where you have faltered, redouble your efforts, because this Word of Christ is well worth learning.
Upon reading the Gospels we see clearly that Christ also taught His disciples over and over. He kept predicting His sufferings, death, and resurrection, so that eventually they could learn and understand. And even though almost all of them fled from the cross, He loved them to the end. Don’t worry too much that you don’t “get it.” Christ has you and has paid for your sins and delivers Himself to you in His Word and Sacraments to strengthen and keep you in the one true faith.
As an example of steadfast faith, the second part of our text shows us the blind man. Ironically, this man who lacks physical sight to saw clearly who Christ was. And in a sense, he puts the disciples to shame.
He cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” This man knew who Christ was. He knew and believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior prophesied from the House of David. He knew that Christ was the Lord, and that He was able to heal the blind.
Indeed, Christ has come to reverse the curse of sin, including all the atrocities that evil causes upon the human race. He has come to take all our infirmities upon Himself, and to pay our way to a new heaven and new earth, where blindness will be unknown, along with sin and death and pain and sorrow.
We are not sure exactly how much the blind man understood, but that is not really the point. His faith was certainly strong enough to identify Christ correctly as the Son of David. He certainly trusted in Him for healing.
The blind man also was steadfast, since he would not allow others to keep him away from Christ. Some people tried to make the blind man quiet. They wanted him to stop crying out for mercy. But the man would not stop. In fact, He cried out all the more.
This place, this House of God is where we cry out to Christ for mercy. Make up your mind now to continue to be steadfast in coming here. There are those who will try to keep you away from Christ. They will not necessarily say it that way, of course, but do not let them make you stop. You are part of the bride of Christ, the Bridegroom. And the same words that are preached and delivered to the man and woman who are united in the marriage ceremony apply to you: “What God has joined together, let man not separate” (Mt 19:6). Fight with Christ’s strength against your sinful nature and cry out in worship here all the more: “Lord Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon me.”
For we, like the blind man, recognize that we are nothing more than beggars before our Lord. We do not deserve His help. What we do deserve is far worse than what we get in this life. We deserve eternal blindness, eternal illness, eternal death, and eternal punishment.
And since we are most certainly beggars, we cry out in faith to Christ. Our faith looks to Him, and nowhere else, and that very faith expects that He will help us, even though we deserve nothing. We put our hope in Him, because we believe that He is the gracious Son of David, the Savior sent to give us His good gifts. To those who have faith in Him, Christ declares, “Your faith has saved you.” And it may not be that earthly diseases are removed from us, as the blindness was miraculously removed from the blind man. But Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection for us and in our place saves us from the eternal darkness of death and hell. We are saved from Satan’s raging; and worse, saved from the righteous wrath of God against our sin, a divine wrath which was visited in full upon Christ.
Instead, we receive healing and blessing that last for eternity, for in the life of the world to come our bodies will be eternally free from the ravages and effects of sin. Why? Because Christ was betrayed and spat upon and tortured. Christ was mocked and put to shame. Christ, the one and only perfect God-man experienced the most humiliating death of the Cross. God in the flesh was treated as a vile criminal and an evildoer! The crowds at Jesus’ trial screamed, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you” (Jn 18:30). Such a blasphemous lie, that the Beloved Son should be called evil! But Christ endured those words of ridicule and so very much more so that He could die in our place.
And when Christ rose, He showed that He had purchased resurrection for you. He came forth from His tomb with a deathless body, a body not subject to any disease, least of all blindness. This shows you how you shall be raised. If you indeed believe that Christ died and rose for you, you also shall come out of your coffin with nothing less than a deathless body.
And faith alone grasps this amazing truth. Faith alone trusts that Christ has suffered in your place, and that His sacrifice counts for you. And although He suffered for the sins of all, not all receive the benefit. The atonement price is complete and total for the human race, but only those with faith shall enter Paradise with immortal, raised bodies.
But do not search your feelings for whether you have faith. Do not measure how complete your knowledge of the Bible is. In fact, do not search for faith at all. Look only to Christ. Your eyes, made blind by sin, are nevertheless given faith to clearly see your Savior who died for you. The Holy Spirit shows you what Christ has done for you: The Cross, the Empty Tomb, as well as the Baptismal Font and the Supper of grace on this Altar. Your lips, muted by sin, nevertheless are opened to confess the faith He has given. And in that saving faith you cry, “Lord, have mercy upon me.” And He has.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
