Second Presbyterian Church

"Salvation Heals Our Blindness
Preaching From the Gospel of Luke"
July 10, 2005

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2005 » Sermons for July 2005 » Sermons from the Series on Luke

#57 in the Series on Luke
The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Isaiah 9: 2-7
• Luke 18: 35-43

Today we have our quarterly service of wholeness and healing. It is a time when those who feel led may come forward for the laying on of hands and anointing with oil. While that is taking place the rest of us sit quietly in our pews in prayer. I say this, because we need to remember that the litany for wholeness and healing isn't just a time for those who come forward; it is also a time for the rest of us to pray for others. You are invited to pray for those who do come forward. You are invited to pray for all those whom you know need intercessory prayer. You are invited to pray for our congregation and its mission to be the presence of Christ in our community. In that very important way all of us are participating in the service of wholeness and healing.

Jesus was approaching Jericho. He is now very close to Jerusalem (and his up-coming crucifixion). Everybody is very focused upon this journey, either for the right or wrong reasons. Some, I am sure, believed that Jesus would become the leader who would lead Israel in its dream to return to the time of glory with king David. In other words, Jesus would organize the population and throw out the Romans and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel.

Others were, perhaps, beginning to realize that Jesus might be going to Jerusalem for another purpose. It was obviously not fully understood, because Luke has just told us that the meaning of his passion and resurrection was hidden from the followers.

The point is this: Jesus was focused upon his journey. The crowd and the disciples were focused upon his journey. No one had time, nor wanted to deal with some blind roadside beggar calling out to Jesus! This scene echoed the story about the Good Samaritan and how the busy priest and Levite passed on the other side of the man who had been beaten by robbers.

The beggar inquired and found out that the noise he was hearing was the entourage of people accompanying Jesus of Nazareth. He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

"Be quiet, worthless beggar!" The crowd tried to hush the beggar. It was as if the beggar had no right to call out to Jesus. But the beggar called out even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

A short word about the faith of the beggar, he called Jesus the Son of David. Both Matthew and Luke refer to Jesus as being the son of David, either in genealogy or by title. "Son of David" is a messianic title. It is a statement that expresses the belief that Jesus is the Messiah. The beggar was a believer, even before he regained his sight.

In fact, one could observe that the beggar was less blind than the crowd, at least in a spiritual sense. He knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Many of the crowd suspected it, but had no sense of what being the Messiah would mean for Jesus. Perhaps many in the crowd were there just to see what would happen next. Not far away in one's mind are the facts: (1) in a few verses the crowd would hail Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as one who was the Messiah, and (2) in less than a week after that they would be calling for Jesus to be crucified. Crowds are fickle. They will go one way, and then they will go another. It is no compliment to be understood as one who follows the crowd.

The beggar believed in Jesus as the Messiah and he believed that Jesus could heal him. That is why this poor, lowly beggar could ignore the admonition of the crowd and call out to Jesus even louder!

Jesus was busy. He knew that he was going to his arrest and execution, and thus accomplishing the task of redemption. Jesus heard the beggar calling out to him and had him brought to him. Jesus asked the beggar, "What do you want me to do for you?"

"Sir, let me recover my sight." The beggar wanted to see again.

Jesus responded, "Recover your sight! Your faith has made you well." The beggar recovered his sight, followed Jesus, and glorified God.

Luke did it again, just as the leper that was healed, along with the other nine lepers who had their symptoms removed; Luke noted that the healing of this beggar from Jericho was saved/made well. And, just as in the leper's story (Ch 17), the saved beggar (the saved Samaritan leper) praised God and gave God the glory.

Sometimes, today, we are puzzled by stories of healing; healing that involves dramatic physical recovery. Historically, we have so discounted this possibility that we don't take it very seriously. I need to make a couple of remarks about that.

First of all, we live in an ambiguous age. Some believers are cured of physical symptoms and some believers are not. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to who does or who does not receive physical healing. I believe that that is because the "rhyme and reason" of who receives a cure or not is in God's hands, for reasons that are infinitely beyond our human comprehension. I take comfort, as one who is a polio survivor that people who do not receive perfect physical healing are in good company. The apostle Paul had some physical ailment. We do not know what the ailment was. He prayed to the Lord three times for it to be removed. And the Lord lovingly said, "No, my grace is sufficient."

So the question for us, for those of us who by Divine design are not chosen for physical symptomatic cure is this: can we accept the fact that God's Grace is sufficient?

Does the ongoing sense of physical defects mean that God loves us less? No! Why? Because, the Grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is sufficient. We, too, are saved by Grace through faith. And when the redemption of our Lord is complete and the new creation has been set in place. Everyone shall be completely whole, no more defects: physical, emotional, or mental.

Second, We need to affirm that the Lord, in accordance to His divine purpose and will, can and shall provide some with physical healing. When this happens, it is an opportunity for that person to proclaim and share the Good News of Christ and what Jesus has done for him/her.

But, it should never be a measure of one's faith! Physical healings happen to people who have faith in God. And sometimes those who have faith in God do not have a physical healing, period. Some of the healing examples in the Bible have as much to do with other people's faith, or that Jesus was demonstrating the wonderful, merciful power of God.

Third, as redeemed sinners who have come to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are all saved. We have all been redeemed. We shall all be made whole when the Kingdom of God is complete. Ironically, those who receive the blessing of physical healing need to know and acknowledge that it is only temporary. The curing of our mortal bodies is temporary. The healing of our lives, including the resurrection of our bodies shall be complete - for everybody, no exceptions! Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.