Quinquagesima- St. Luke 18.31-43
Grace to you and Peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus.
Last Sunday we heard:
“And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’”
Today we hear:
“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.”
This is Your Word heavenly Father. Sanctify us by the truth. Your word is truth. Amen.
Fellow redeemed: So when Jesus spoke in parables, it was to confound the unbelieving. He explained them to His disciples, and that gave us our Gospel reading last Sunday.
Jesus spoke, and His meaning was hidden from those who would not believe. But what about the Twelve? We didn’t ask about them so much last Sunday. They weren’t the point, after all. The point was Jesus’ Word explaining His parable. But did the Twelve believe Jesus? Did they understand what He told them? Today Jesus teaches them alone. He doesn’t speak in a parable, that it should be hidden. Jesus speaks as plainly as can be.
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.”
Did Jesus’ disciples believe Him? No.
Even after Jesus died and rose from the dead they didn’t get it.
Do you believe God’s Word, even when it is clearly and plainly declared to you? Do I? Can any of us believe it?
The answer is no. And you know what? That’s good. It’s good because if the crowds, or the Twelve, or you or I or anybody could believe, then we could take some credit for our life in Christ. And if you could take some credit because you could believe, then sin isn’t as bad as our Lord says it is. If we could reach out and obtain even a degree of righteousness, even by believing in Jesus by our own will and effort, then God is a liar when He says to Adam and Eve that if they would sin, they would die. If there should arise among men even one who could even climb his way out of hell, as some old pagan myths have it, through great and heroic action and adventure, then there should be no hope for the rest, even though Jesus should defeat sin and death for us, for the sad fact is that if your salvation ultimately relies on some quality in you… well, then your salvation would remain forever uncertain, wouldn’t it.
Sometimes what is hidden from those who reject Jesus is made clear to those who believe Him. It was Jesus’ explaining the parable that made the Twelve understand. So too for us, it is a plain fact that there is no understanding of the things of our Lord except the Holy Spirit make them understood to us. The first gift given every one of us in our life in Christ is the faith both to hear and to believe God’s Word. That’s why the Holy Spirit has infiltrated and dwells in His Word so that He may work through its proclamation and we hearers should by this means- by His doing, and not our own- receive it.
And today’s Gospel really drives the point home. That any should believe and have saving faith is the Lord’s doing from front to back, no exceptions.
Did you notice that even though Jesus was speaking with His disciples, He started off by saying “See”? We understand it, it’s a figure of speech. You are hearing something but you ‘see’ the point, right? Even so, it’s awkward. It’s awkward on purpose. Even though Jesus plainly told them He was going to Jerusalem and to His death on the Cross, and to be raised on the third day, they didn’t ‘see’ it. They didn’t understand. It was hidden from them (again, notice, that’s a visual word. It wasn’t that they didn’t hear Jesus. His words were ‘hidden’ from them). Jesus is making a point. And you know, He is making a point that strikes right at the heart of every pretension and false teaching there ever has been.
Apart from Him who first breathed life into Adam and made him a living being, none of us can do anything. Even in plain sight, the things of God are hidden. They are hidden because on our own we are blind to the things of God. Seeing, eyes open, nevertheless we do not, cannot see. He can be saying something as plain as the nose on your face but you won’t get it, apart from the work of the Lord to enable you to hear, to see, to believe.
Faith is God’s work, not our own.
The Twelve didn’t see it. But what happens next in our reading shows just Who is enabling anybody to get it. Because, you know, it was the least likely man who ‘saw’ Jesus. It was the blind man of Jericho:
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.
Now just how is it the blind man was able to see what the Twelve could not? The Disciples certainly had heard far more from Jesus, and about Jesus in and around His base in northern Galilee than this blind fellow all the way down in the Judean southland of Jericho. It wasn’t familiarity. It wasn’t through his superior virtue and moral quality- the Disciples had forsaken all to follow Jesus- it was just what Jesus says enabled that man to see, first to see that in the sound of Jesus’ approach along the road, in the smell of the dust rising from the accompanying crowd, in the news that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by that here is the One in whom a blind beggar-man could hope, here is One in whom mankind entire could trust- it wasn’t by his wits or personal virtue or genius or keen observation (his observation was impaired- he couldn’t see) no, it was as Jesus says “your faith has made you well.” Notice Jesus said ‘has made’ not ‘will make’ there’s no challenge ‘only have faith’ ‘only believe’ ‘only this or that’, but an already given and accomplished thing. It is by faith that he is already well. His physical sense of sight was the lesser gift. The greater thing which cannot be seen, is the work of the Holy Spirit in that man of Jericho to hear Jesus and believe Him.
Indeed, you are not saved by your works. You are not saved by your heroic action. As Paul has written:
“God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ -by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus… For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Would His disciples receive such faith as the blind man here displays, which sees what is hidden from fallen humanity? Yes. For Jesus breathed on them and said ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, for as they were gathered in one place the room was filled with the sound of a rushing wind and the Holy Spirit descended on them. And they believed. And would you have this faith? Yes, for you are baptized into Christ. You have heard the Word of the Lord in which the Holy Spirit abides for your sake, to deliver this faith, and maintain and strengthen you in it. You have received God’s grace by His gift given. With the Twelve, with the blind man, with a great number which nobody can count, you have been given the grace of faith and received forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation. It is not your doing. It is the work of God. And He is pleased so to bring you out of the darkness into His Light, for He so loves you that He has even suffered and died to pay the price of your salvation. This is Christ’s good pleasure- that you are in Him, and He in you, now, and forevermore.
The peace of God which passes all understanding mount guard over your heart and mind through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Last Sunday we heard:
“And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’”
Today we hear:
“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.”
This is Your Word heavenly Father. Sanctify us by the truth. Your word is truth. Amen.
Fellow redeemed: So when Jesus spoke in parables, it was to confound the unbelieving. He explained them to His disciples, and that gave us our Gospel reading last Sunday.
Jesus spoke, and His meaning was hidden from those who would not believe. But what about the Twelve? We didn’t ask about them so much last Sunday. They weren’t the point, after all. The point was Jesus’ Word explaining His parable. But did the Twelve believe Jesus? Did they understand what He told them? Today Jesus teaches them alone. He doesn’t speak in a parable, that it should be hidden. Jesus speaks as plainly as can be.
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.”
Did Jesus’ disciples believe Him? No.
Even after Jesus died and rose from the dead they didn’t get it.
Do you believe God’s Word, even when it is clearly and plainly declared to you? Do I? Can any of us believe it?
The answer is no. And you know what? That’s good. It’s good because if the crowds, or the Twelve, or you or I or anybody could believe, then we could take some credit for our life in Christ. And if you could take some credit because you could believe, then sin isn’t as bad as our Lord says it is. If we could reach out and obtain even a degree of righteousness, even by believing in Jesus by our own will and effort, then God is a liar when He says to Adam and Eve that if they would sin, they would die. If there should arise among men even one who could even climb his way out of hell, as some old pagan myths have it, through great and heroic action and adventure, then there should be no hope for the rest, even though Jesus should defeat sin and death for us, for the sad fact is that if your salvation ultimately relies on some quality in you… well, then your salvation would remain forever uncertain, wouldn’t it.
Sometimes what is hidden from those who reject Jesus is made clear to those who believe Him. It was Jesus’ explaining the parable that made the Twelve understand. So too for us, it is a plain fact that there is no understanding of the things of our Lord except the Holy Spirit make them understood to us. The first gift given every one of us in our life in Christ is the faith both to hear and to believe God’s Word. That’s why the Holy Spirit has infiltrated and dwells in His Word so that He may work through its proclamation and we hearers should by this means- by His doing, and not our own- receive it.
And today’s Gospel really drives the point home. That any should believe and have saving faith is the Lord’s doing from front to back, no exceptions.
Did you notice that even though Jesus was speaking with His disciples, He started off by saying “See”? We understand it, it’s a figure of speech. You are hearing something but you ‘see’ the point, right? Even so, it’s awkward. It’s awkward on purpose. Even though Jesus plainly told them He was going to Jerusalem and to His death on the Cross, and to be raised on the third day, they didn’t ‘see’ it. They didn’t understand. It was hidden from them (again, notice, that’s a visual word. It wasn’t that they didn’t hear Jesus. His words were ‘hidden’ from them). Jesus is making a point. And you know, He is making a point that strikes right at the heart of every pretension and false teaching there ever has been.
Apart from Him who first breathed life into Adam and made him a living being, none of us can do anything. Even in plain sight, the things of God are hidden. They are hidden because on our own we are blind to the things of God. Seeing, eyes open, nevertheless we do not, cannot see. He can be saying something as plain as the nose on your face but you won’t get it, apart from the work of the Lord to enable you to hear, to see, to believe.
Faith is God’s work, not our own.
The Twelve didn’t see it. But what happens next in our reading shows just Who is enabling anybody to get it. Because, you know, it was the least likely man who ‘saw’ Jesus. It was the blind man of Jericho:
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.
Now just how is it the blind man was able to see what the Twelve could not? The Disciples certainly had heard far more from Jesus, and about Jesus in and around His base in northern Galilee than this blind fellow all the way down in the Judean southland of Jericho. It wasn’t familiarity. It wasn’t through his superior virtue and moral quality- the Disciples had forsaken all to follow Jesus- it was just what Jesus says enabled that man to see, first to see that in the sound of Jesus’ approach along the road, in the smell of the dust rising from the accompanying crowd, in the news that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by that here is the One in whom a blind beggar-man could hope, here is One in whom mankind entire could trust- it wasn’t by his wits or personal virtue or genius or keen observation (his observation was impaired- he couldn’t see) no, it was as Jesus says “your faith has made you well.” Notice Jesus said ‘has made’ not ‘will make’ there’s no challenge ‘only have faith’ ‘only believe’ ‘only this or that’, but an already given and accomplished thing. It is by faith that he is already well. His physical sense of sight was the lesser gift. The greater thing which cannot be seen, is the work of the Holy Spirit in that man of Jericho to hear Jesus and believe Him.
Indeed, you are not saved by your works. You are not saved by your heroic action. As Paul has written:
“God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ -by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus… For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Would His disciples receive such faith as the blind man here displays, which sees what is hidden from fallen humanity? Yes. For Jesus breathed on them and said ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, for as they were gathered in one place the room was filled with the sound of a rushing wind and the Holy Spirit descended on them. And they believed. And would you have this faith? Yes, for you are baptized into Christ. You have heard the Word of the Lord in which the Holy Spirit abides for your sake, to deliver this faith, and maintain and strengthen you in it. You have received God’s grace by His gift given. With the Twelve, with the blind man, with a great number which nobody can count, you have been given the grace of faith and received forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation. It is not your doing. It is the work of God. And He is pleased so to bring you out of the darkness into His Light, for He so loves you that He has even suffered and died to pay the price of your salvation. This is Christ’s good pleasure- that you are in Him, and He in you, now, and forevermore.
The peace of God which passes all understanding mount guard over your heart and mind through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.