LUKE 18:35-43 – “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.”
THEME OF THE DAY: FAITH ACCORDING TO JESUS. Ask any Christian to define faith in the Lord Jesus, and what do we think some of the answers would be? “Trust in Him”, “Belief in Him”, “Hope in Him” and “Reliance upon Him” are good answers we would hear. And we might further encounter statements like, “Faith is professing trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior”, “Faith is believing Jesus died for my sins” and “Faith is accepting Jesus as my Savior.” All these and I am sure more would grace our ears, but how would Jesus define faith in Him?
In Luke’s gospel, chapter 18, there are two accounts giving us an insight on Jesus’ perspective on faith in Him. The first is The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8). In this parable, Jesus recognizes the persistent prayer of the widow as an indicator of true faith. Now that doesn’t mean praying is evidence of salvation. It is, but it isn’t a means to earn salvation. True believers pray. The point Jesus makes is the persistence in prayer. It is not giving up. The second account of faith according to Jesus is today’s scripture and the healing of the blind beggar. Let’s look at his faith as it is recognized by Jesus as being true faith.
First, the blind beggar knew his only hope was in Jesus – “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!”” True faith arrives at the point where the person knows he or she is hopeless. Unless Jesus comes to his or her rescue, there will be no healing whether of a physical nature, or worse, spiritual, like forgiveness of sin. This is always the starting point of true faith. It is Jesus or perish.
Next, the blind beggar would not be denied. No obstacle, even human resistance, would keep him from begging for Jesus to heal him – “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!”” True faith perseveres. True faith pursues. Truth faith will not be denied. Why? It is the cry of “hopeful desperation” and that is how Jesus defines faith in Him. It is the person who knows there is no other source of help, and the desperate person will continue to seek, seek, and seek for the mercy of God to be given!
Faith according to Jesus. Let’s ponder how our Lord views faith and not how culture or even our own reasoning may view faith.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for the gift of faith in Your Son that is real and relational each day of my life.
REFLECTION: True faith in the Lord Jesus goes far beyond just professing “I believe.” It involves desperation.