“And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
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?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”
Have you ever been sure you understood something—only to realize later that you didn’t?
I can remember more than one test in school where I thought I understood the subject matter, but my grade said I didn’t.
Many of you are no longer in school, though. Maybe you’ve experienced this in a relationship where you thought you know what was going on only to discover there was much you had missed.
It’s easy to think we see clearly…when we don’t.
In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples exactly what is about to happen in Jerusalem.
He tells them He will be mocked, mistreated, killed, and on the third day, He will rise. He lays it all out clearly. We read that think,
“There it is. that’s exactly what’s about to happen. Spoiler alert!”
But the disciples don’t understand. Luke tells us this was hidden from them. They heard the words, but they didn’t see what it meant.
Then, right after this, Jesus meets a blind man.
The man cannot see physically. He sits by the road, begging. But when he hears that Jesus is passing by, he cries out,
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Notice, the people told him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. But the blind man calls Jesus, “Son of David,” a name for the Messiah. He believes Jesus is the Messiah. Others try to silence him, but he keeps calling out.
Then, Jesus stops. He calls the man to Himself. He restores his sight. And the man begins to follow Him, glorifying God.
There’s something important happening here.
The disciples can physically see—but they do not yet understand.
The blind man cannot see—but he recognizes who Jesus is.
Who is truly seeing? That question matters for us, too.
It’s possible to be around Jesus, to hear His Word, go to church, and know the stories—and still not truly see. We can have information, but miss who Jesus truly is.
Do you see Jesus as the Messiah and savior? Do you see Jesus as your savior?
Seeing Jesus clearly is not something we accomplish on our own. It is something God gives. Just as Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man, He opens our eyes to see Him.
If you can’t see Jesus as the Son of God who took away your sins on the cross, pray and ask God to show you, to create faith.
Because Jesus is not just walking toward suffering. He is walking toward the cross to accomplish your salvation.
The blind man cried out,
“Have mercy on me!”
And Jesus answered.
Cry out to Jesus!
He answers. He opens our eyes. He saves.
As we continue walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem, may we begin to see more clearly and believe.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
We confess that we do not always see clearly. Open our eyes through Your Word and Spirit to see Jesus as our Savior. Give us faith to trust in Him and to follow Him. Like the blind man, lead us to cry out for mercy and to receive the grace You freely give.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Meeting Address:
27221 Foamflower Blvd.
Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
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