Introductory remarks:
In the last chapter our Lord spoke to the multitude about His second coming in judgment and what they were to expect in those days; He begins this chapter with the parable of the unjust judge. This chapter may be outlined as follows: The parable of the widow and the judge vv. 1-8; the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector vv. 9-14; little children blessed vv. 15-17; the rich ruler vv. 18-30; a third time Jesus foretells His death and resurrection vv. 31-34; the healing of a blind beggar near Jericho vv. 35-43.
The Parable of the Widow and the Judge
Verse 1, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint."
LGT "And He spoke a parable to them, to the view to it's being necessary to always pray and not faint."
Christ begins with giving them good advice as to their overcoming evil through prayer. He teaches that they should not become weary in praying, not that they should pray continuously. Remember, there are two parts to prayer; the first part is God's viewpoint, or we might say, God speaking to us. And this is done only through His Word; the Word of God is the only way in which God communicates to man in this Age of Grace. The second part of prayer is man's part, and that is the believer responding to God with thanksgiving for what has been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God, and the Word of God alone. The believer overcomes evil by adjusting his or her life to the Word of God; there is no other way to combat evil. The Holy Spirit has indwelt every believer the moment he or she believes, and then He empowers the believer to make these proper adjustments in order that the Spirit may overcome the flesh. As we walk in the Light of His Word, we are in fellowship with the Father and His Son 1 John chapter one. The hearers of Christ's words in that day were on the verge of some very perilous times in Jerusalem, after Christ would die on the cross, and the Spirit would be poured out at Pentecost; Titus would invade the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and then all hell would break out on the Christian community.
Verse 2, "Saying, there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man,"
LGT "Saying, A certain judge was in a certain city, fearing not God and not respecting man."
Robertson says, "This man is a hard boiled judge knew no man as his superior." He was a Godless man who had no respect for any other.
Verse 3, "And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary."
LGT "And there was a widow in that city, and she came often to him saying, Do justice to me of my adverse party."
The persistence of the widow, she came often to him [LGT], is the thing that is brought out in this verse. She sought help from this judge for the wrong that had been done to her. "The widow was the symbol of all who were poor and defenseless. It was obvious that she, without resource of any kind, had no hope of ever extracting justice from such a judge. But she had one weapon - persistence" (William Barclay).
Verses 4, 5,"And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man: yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."
LGT "And he would not for a time. But after these things he said within himself, If though God I fear not, neither respect man, Yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her perpetually coming."
I believe this judge feared the woman would give him a bad name by his refusing to help her; like all liberal, self-centered politicians, they promise to help the poor and needy, and soon as they get elected they renege.
Verse 6, "And the Lord said, hear what the unjust judge saith."
LGT "And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge says."
The literal translation is the judge marked out by his unrighteousness.
Verse 7, "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?"
LGT "And God, shall He not execute justice to His elect ones, who cry to Him night and day, and [is] longsuffering over them?"
This is not a parable of comparison, but one of contrast, as Luke is well known for. Robertson notes, "God delays taking vengeance on behalf of his people, not through indifference, but through patient forbearance." You see, the point of this parable is not that we should be persistent in prayer, and then God will answer our prayers to get rid of us, or satisfy our persistence; this parable contrasts this unjust judge, with our longsuffering heavenly Father. God never tires of our coming to Him, but is longsuffering toward us. The point of this parable is brought out that we should keep coming to God in prayer even if we think He is not handling our problem the way we want or expect Him to.
Verse 8, "I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"
LGT "I say to you that He will execute the avenging of them speedily. Nevertheless, the Son of Man having come, indeed will He find faith on this earth?"
In this verse the Lord asks the question of whether or not when He comes, will He find faith among His elect of that of the widow. He has stated that God is longsuffering to His elect, now will He find His elect faithful to Him? In the time of the Great Tribulation the people are to persistently pray and wait expectantly for the coming of His kingdom, Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man is coming.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Verse 9, "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:"
LGT "And He spoke also to some of the ones who trusted in themselves that they are righteous and set all others at naught:"
He spoke this parable to those who trusted only in themselves, and set everyone else at naught. They threw all others into one class. The Pharisees taught that the way in which they prayed was the only true prayer.
Barnes notes:
"They despised others. Others who were not as externally righteous as themselves. This was the character of the Pharisees. They trusted in their outward conformity to the ceremonies of the law. They considered all who did not do that as sinners. This, moreover, is the true character of self-righteousness. Men of that stamp always despise all others. They think they are far above them in holiness, and are disposed to say to them, Stand by thyself, for I am holier than thou [Isa. 65:5]. True religion, on the contrary, is humble. Those who trust in Christ for righteousness feel that they are, in themselves, poor, and miserable, and guilty, and they are willing to admit that others may be much better than themselves. Certain it is, they despise no one. They love all men; they regard them, however vile, as the creatures of God and as going to eternity, and are disposed to treat them well, and to aid them in their journey toward another world."
Verse 10, "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican."
LGT "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer."
The term "other" contrasted the Pharisee. They went into the outer court where prayer was generally offered.
Verse 11, "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican."
LGT "The Pharisee standing, was praying thus with himself, God, I thank You that I am not as the rest of the men, greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this one, the tax-gatherer."
The Pharisee struck up the showy position of prayer, where he could be seen, with his arms stretched out to heaven. He was praying thus with himself; " was praying these things (given following): a soliloquy [the act of talking to oneself] with his own soul, a complacent [self-righteous] recital of his own virtues for his own self-satisfaction, not fellowship with God, though he addresses God. I thank thee, but his gratitude to God is for his own virtues, not for God's mercies to him" (Robertson). "A Jewish saying is quoted that a true Rabbi ought to thank God every day of his life; 1, that he was not created a Gentile; 2, that he was not a plebeian [of the working class]; 3, that he was not born a woman" (Vincent). The last phrase, or even as this one, the tax-gatherer, he points to him as the one he has disgust for. The Jews hated the publicans because they were Jews working for the Roman government collecting the taxes from their fellow Jew.
Shepherd describes the Pharisees attitude in praying:
"The Pharisees utterly despised all other men, whom he considered inferior to himself. When he went up to the temple on Mount Moriah, he planted himself in a place where he could be seen by the crowd, and struck, an ostentatious posture. Jesus was dealing with the realities in this parable, for standing was the common posture at prayer among the Jews, and the Pharisees had made it so for purposes of ostentation. Jesus calls attention to their desire for preeminence in other places and condemns this very spirit in His Sermon on the Mount. The words the Pharisees repeated were not a prayer, but rather a soliloquy of self-congratulation. He was standing before the people, boasting of his own character. He asked God for nothing. He congratulated himself on not being like the rest of humanity, whom he confessed by his words, to consider as mere plunderers or dishonest rogues, workers of injustice, and adulterers. He addressed God on the subject of his own virtues and congratulates Him on having such a servant, as he is, not a Gentile but a Jew, not a man of the common rabble but a Pharisee of the elite class. The most detested of all, whom he cited by contrast in his self-praise, was that fellow, the most despicable tax-collector, who had dared to come up to the temple for prayer at this same hour. Such a fellow should not be allowed within the temple. He confessedly condemned all other men of gross and flagrant crimes; but was he innocent of those things?"
Verse 12, "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I posses."
LGT "I fast twice in the week, I tithe all things as many as I gain."
The law required only one fast a year (Lev. 16:29; Num. 29:7). The Pharisees added others, twice a week, between Passover and Pentecost, and between tabernacles and dedication of the temple. Notice the last phrase in my LGT, as many as I gain. The Greek does not have, as in the KJV, of all I posses. The Pharisees did not give a tenth of their possessions, but only of their profits.
McGee adds:
"My, isn't he [this Pharisee] a wonderful fellow! Wouldn't we love to have him in our church!
Our Lord said he prayed thus with himself. In other words, he was doing a Hamlet soliloquy. Hamlet, you know, goes off and stands talking to himself - and Hamlet is off, by the way; he is a mental case. Hamlet says, To be, or not to be, that is the question. And this old Pharisee is out there talking to himself - he thinks he is talking to God, but his prayer never got out of the rafters. All he did was have a pep talk; he patted himself on the back and went out proud as a peacock. God never heard that prayer.
The old publican - oh, he was a rascal. He was a sinner; he was as low as they come. He had sold his nation down the river when he had become a tax collector. When he became a tax gatherer, he denied his nation. When he denied his nation, as a Jew, he denied his religion. He turned his back on God. He took a one-way street, never to come back to God. Why did he do it? It was lucrative. He said There's money down this way. He became rich as a publican. But it did not satisfy his heart. Read the story of Levi; read the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 - a publican's heart was empty. This poor publican in his misery and desperation, knowing that he had no access to the mercy seat in the temple, cried out to God."
Verse 13, "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
LGT "But the tax-gatherer, standing afar off, refused to lift up the eyes to heaven, but was striking upon his breast saying, God, be propitious [look favorably upon] me the sinner."
This publican looked upon himself as the sinner, not as the KJV has it, a sinner. There is an article before sinner, and we must not ignore it to get the full attitude of this publican. The Pharisee had already described him along with the other types of sinners; so in keeping with this context, he sees himself as the sinner, for he thinks of no other man. This publican could pray for God to be merciful to him, because Christ was on the way to the cross; today we do not have to pray for mercy, because He became our Mercy Seat on the cross; today, in this age of grace, mercy is already one of our possessions; And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only, but for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2). Sin is no longer the issue in salvation, for Christ has taken away all the sins of the world; today, the only thing a sinner has to be concerned with is faith in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses the unbeliever, who puts his trust in Him; and then keeps on cleansing the believer through confession [naming his sins - that is, calling the sin the same thing that God calls sin] on a daily basis; in My case, several times a day (1 John 1:9).
Verse 14, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
LGT "I say to you, this one went down to his house justified, rather than that one; because every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, but the one who humbles himself, shall be exalted."
This man, the publican compared to the self-righteous Pharisee. "He did not take a chief place in the temple, but stood afar off. He did not raise his eyes to heaven in ostentatious pose, but in contrition bowed his head. His prayer was a sob of repentance and a cry for forgiveness. His whole attitude was eloquent of his deep conviction and his grief for his sin. He stood beating his breast in demonstration of that grief. His words were few but expressed a real prayer to God. God, have mercy on me the sinner he pled. He recognized that he was the sinner. To him, his sin was definitely conscious. He did not think of comparing himself favorably with any man" (Shepherd - quoted by Pentecost).
Little Children Blessed
(Matt. 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16)
Verse 15, "And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them."
LGT "And they brought to Him also their babes, in order that He might touch them: but having seen [it], the disciples rebuked them."
Matthew has lay His hands on them and pray. Whatever the term, I believe this is one of the most touching scenes in the Word. Even though Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to die on the cross, He still had time for the little babies. The disciples were not being cruel; they simply did not want the Savior bothered.
Verse 16, "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."
LGT "But Jesus, having called them to [Him] saying, Suffer the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God."
Jesus calls the little children to Himself, and rebukes the disciples for attempting to keep them from coming to Him. The kingdom of God is made up of those who have the faith of a little trusting child.
William Barclay describes the childlike faith:
"When Jesus said that it was of the childlike that the kingdom of God was composed, what did He mean? What are the qualities of which He was thinking?
Children still possess the sense of wonder. Tennyson tells of going early one morning into the bedroom of his little grandson and of seeing the child worshipping the sunbeam playing on the bedpost. As we grow older we begin to live in a world, which has grown gray and tired. Children live in a world with a sheen on it in which God is always near.
For children the whole of life is founded on trust. When we are young, we never doubt where the next meal is to come from or where our clothes will be found. We go to school certain that home will be there when we return, and all things ready for our comfort. When we go on a journey we never doubt that the fare will be paid or that our parents know the way and will take us safely there. The trust that children have in their parents is absolute, as ours should be in our Father-God.
Children are naturally obedient. True, they often disobey and grumble at their parents' bidding. But their instinct is to obey. They know very well that they should obey and are not happy when they have been disobedient. In their hearts their parents' word is law. So should it be with us and God.
Children have an amazing faculty of forgiveness. Almost all parents are unjust to their children. We demand from them a standard of obedience, of good manners, of polite language, of diligence, which we seldom satisfy ourselves. Time and again we scold them for doing the very things we do ourselves. If others treated us in the same way we treat our children in the matter of plain justice, we probably would never forgive. But children forgive and forget, and do not even realize it when they are very young. It would be so much lovelier a world if we could forgive as children forgive.
To keep alive the sense of wonder, to live in unquestioning trust, instinctively to obey, to forgive and to forget - that is the childlike spirit, and that is the passport to the kingdom of God."
Verse 17, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."
LGT "Verily I say to you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, in no way shall enter into it."
This continuation to the last verse is emphatic to the point of believing on Christ with the faith and confidence [trust] of a little child.
The Rich Ruler
(Matt. 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31)
Verse 18, "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
LGT "And a certain ruler asked Him saying, Good Teacher, having done what, shall I inherit life eternal?"
The first thing to notice in this verse is the word "do". There is nothing, nor has there been any thing; any man can do to inherit eternal life. It is now, and ever has been, a gift of God's mercy; not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. . .(Titus 3:5) and For by grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8,9) and for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever might believe on Him, will in no way perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). The second thing we notice is that he definitely is an unbeliever, for he addresses Christ as Good Teacher; most of the false cults in this world, such as Muslims, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, Buddhism, Shinto's, Christian Science, recognize Christ as a Good Teacher, but they do not recognize Him as the Son of God; they all have their heaven that good people go to; however, the Christianity of Christ, introduces man to a heaven where bad people, such as myself can go, simply by accepting Christ as the Son of God.
Verse 19, "And Jesus said unto him, why callest thou me good? None is good, save one, that is, God."
LGT "But Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good except one, God."
It's easy to see where God is leading this young man; He is directing him to a way unknown to him; that is, faith alone in Christ alone. He would have to recognize Christ as God. Even Jesus, in His humanity, recognized that His power came from God; remember the one leper who returned, glorified God; even though in His human life, Christ was dependant upon His heavenly Father, even though He came from Him, and existed with the Father in eternity past; Christ has always been, and always will be truly man, and truly God. Christ temporarily gave up His glory to become man, which He resumed after He died on the cross and took again after His glorification, when He sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He is at the present time, interceding for every believer.
Verse 20, "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy Father and thy mother."
LGT "You know the commandments: you should not commit adultery, you should not commit murder, you should not steal, you should not bear false witness, honor your father and mother."
Christ directs this young ruler's attention to the second table of the Law, man's responsibility to his fellow man. In order for man to be accepted by God into His kingdom, man must be perfect. We all know that by accepting Christ as Savior, Christ has put on us all His righteousness, so that we are now accepted by God in His beloved Son, For God had made Christ to be sin for us [on the cross], in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). You see, God put all our sins on Christ at the cross, in order that He might pay the price for our sins, and in return for our sins, He put on us Christ's righteousness, making us fit for God's presence.
Verse 21, "And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up."
LGT "And he said, all these things have I kept from [my] youth."
Of course we know that this young ruler is deceived, for no man has yet to keep the Law, except Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. It could be that as in the case of the Apostle Paul, he meant that he had brought the proper sacrificial offerings at the appointed times. But to have kept the Law was impossible.
Verse 22, "Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."
LGT "And having heard [these things], Jesus said to him, Yet one thing to thee is lacking: sell as much as you have, and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in [the] heavens."
Jesus does not rebuke him, and say that he is lying, no! Jesus simply puts the emphasis on where the young man's heart really was, that is, riches. "Jesus sets before him two measures necessary in order to inherit eternal life: (1) to go and sell all his property and give it away to the many poor people and then (2) to come and begin to follow Him. The first was an appeal to the heroic in a life of great self-sacrifice and privation, and the second to sponsor a cause, which to all appearances would involve persecution and possible death. The young ruler had not bargained for so much. He was seeking some counsel at the hands of the learned Teacher, but not so radical a change in his whole life and social status as these measures demanded" (Shepherd - The Christ).
Verse 23, "And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich."
LGT "But having heard these things, he became very sorrowful: for he was rich exceedingly."
The man became very sorrowful for he was rich exceedingly; today he probably would be a multi-millionaire.
Verse 24, "And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!"
LGT "But Jesus seeing him [having become exceedingly sorrowful] said, How difficult, those having the riches, shall they enter into the kingdom of God."
Men put such a premium on having riches that they are blinded to what eternity has to offer. Riches separated this young ruler from following Jesus. Men who are bound by riches can hardly see life without them. A man's life does not consist in the abundance of things, and what would a man give in exchange for his soul. Eternal life is not a commodity; it cannot be purchased at any price except as the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary purchased it with His precious blood for us all.
Verse 25, "For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
LGT "For it is easier for a camel to enter through a [surgical] needle's eye, than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
Jesus uses a proverb from the Talmud to show the impossibility of riches getting one to heaven. "Christ's use of the word for a surgical needle indicated that His references to a camel and a needle were to be taken literally. The popular explanation that the eye of a needle referred to a small gate within the large city gate has no historical basis. Christ was not teaching that it is difficult for one who trusts riches to enter the kingdom. He was showing that it was utterly impossible for one who trusts in riches to enter the kingdom. Such a teaching seemed inconceivable to the disciples who had been brought up on the philosophy that riches were a sure sign of divine pleasure and an evidence of God's blessing" (Pentecost).
Verse 26, "And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?"
LGT "And those who heard said, Who is able then to be saved?"
With wealth being a mark of divine favor, the crowd reacts with confusion; Who then can be saved then, if the rich can't be?
Verse 27, "And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
LGT "But He said, The things impossible with men are possible with God."
"Clearly then Jesus meant the humanly impossible by the parabolic proverb about the camel going through the needle's eye. God can break the grip of gold on a man's life, but even Jesus failed with this young ruler" (Robertson). Salvation is viewed as God's work, and man's response to it by faith.
Verse 28, "Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee."
LGT "And Peter said, Lo, having left our own things, we have followed You."
Peter was not being boastful here; he was simply reacting to what Christ was teaching about riches. Peter was saying he and the other disciples did what the rich young ruler refused to do.
Verses 29, 30, "And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."
LGT "And He said to them, Verily I say to you, that there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the age which is coming, life eternal."
Jesus assures them all that no one who gives up any thing for the Lord's sake will not be rewarded in time and eternity; 1) in time they will be blessed in their deeds (James) and 2) they will be rewarded in the Kingdom which will come, that is, they will be rulers in the future Messianic Kingdom.
A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
(Matt. 20:17-19); Mark 10:32-34)
Verse 31, "Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished."
LGT "And taking along with Himself the twelve, He said to them, Behold, we go up into Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which have been written through the prophets about the Son of Man."
Here Jesus takes His disciples aside, and informs them that they were going up to Jerusalem, and that prophecy would then be fulfilled by the Son of Man.
Verses 32, 33, "For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again."
LGT "For He will be delivered up to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and will be insulted, and will be spit upon: and having scourged, they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again."
As the title of this section states, this is the third time Jesus informs His disciples of His death and resurrection; as I have stated before, Jesus never tells His disciples of His death without giving them the assurance of His resurrection. To the disciples, His death is bad news to them. As horrible as His death on the cross was, it is the best news this world has ever had, for without His death, we would all likewise perish. "The details of the Passion are the same as in Mark, except that no mention is made of the Jewish rulers, and that other particulars are given in a somewhat different order" (TEGT)
Verse 34, "And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken."
LGT "And they were understanding nothing of these things, and this saying was hid from them, and they knew not the things which were being said."
They will not understand the "good news" involved in His death until after His resurrection, when He comes back to minister to them for the last forty days. His death was foretold by the prophets, but was not fully understood until after His resurrection. Jesus deliberately hides the details from His disciples because of their not being able to handle them at this time. "The death of Christ ran counter to all the disciples hopes and expectations concerning their Messiah" (Robertson).
The Healing of the Blind Beggar near Jericho
(Matt. 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52)
Verses 35, - 37, "And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by."
LGT "And it came to pass, as He drew near unto Jericho, a certain blind [man] sat asking alms. And having heard a crowd passing along, he was inquiring what this might be. And they told him, Jesus the Nazarene is passing by."
This certain blind man sat at the side of the road asking for alms; Mark gives him the name Bartimaeus; Matthew mentions two beggars. This blind man heard the crowd passing by, and he kept on inquiring what the commotion was all about. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene is passing by. Even though he was blind he had heard the news of Jesus, for it had spread very fast throughout the whole inhabited earth.
Verse 38, "And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me."
LGT "And he called out saying, Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me."
His cry for help to Jesus as the Son of David, demonstrates that he had heard that Jesus was not only King, and long awaited Messiah, but also that He was a worker of miracles. This time he cried out only once.
Verse 39, "And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me."
LGT "And the ones going before rebuked him, that he should be silent, but he cried out much more, Son of David, have pity on me."
The blind man recognized the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he knew that Jesus would heal him, if only he could make contact with Him, so it would have taken more than a reprimand to silence him; if you were blind, and knew that the Messiah was in your midst, I believe you might cry out also.
Verses 40, 41, "And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, what wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight."
LGT "And Jesus having stopped, commanded him to be brought to Him. And having drawn near, He asked him, what do you desire I do to you? And he said, Lord, that I may receive sight."
Jesus stopped immediately and ordered the man to be brought to Him. When they brought the blind man to Jesus, He asked him what he desired of Him; and the blind man made the obvious response that I might receive my sight. His physical sight did not impair his spiritual sight, thank God. Christ was a man of many words, but He also backed up His words with acts of love.
Verse 42, "And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee."
LGT "And Jesus said to him, Receive sight: your faith has delivered you."
The term "saved" is delivered, that is, his faith has given him his sight.
Verse 43, "And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God."
LGT "And immediately he received sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people having seen [it], gave praise to God."
Like the leper, he shouted out praises to God; what he was actually doing is praising Christ's deity, for He is truly God and truly man. Now that he received his sight, he would be able to follow Christ with eyes wide open. He continued following Jesus.
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