Luke 18:31-43

Son of David

Two things strike me about the story of the blind man being healed. The first is how quickly the blind man seized his opportunity. There was no Internet in those days, no 24/7 news, no newspapers. The blind man did not know Jesus’ touring schedule. He did not wake up that morning thinking, “This is the days Jesus is coming to town. I should think about asking Him to heal me.”

No, this was a day much like any other day of begging for small coins. He could hear though, and he could tell that something was going on. As soon as he found out that Jesus was there he didn’t hesitate at all. He started to cry out. He made such a fuss that Jesus stopped and had him brought near. He made his request known and Jesus fulfilled it. The lesson is simple. When Jesus is near and you are in need, cry out!

The other thing that strikes me concerns the phrase “Son of David.” While many could technically claim to be descended of David’s the title “Son of David” had a special significance. It was the title of Messiah. With the exception of the great crowd caught up in the excitement of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem there are only a very few occasions where Jesus was assigned this title. These other occasions involved individuals, couples, or small groups and it is quite interesting to observe who they were.

The passages are found in Matthew 9, 15, 20, 21; Mark 10, and here in Luke 18. The small group was the children running through the Temple courts. One of the individuals was the Canaanite woman who begged for the crumbs that fell from the table. All of the rest were blind men.

It may well be that others called Him the Son of David but these are the ones the Holy Spirit saw fit to record: children, a foreigner, and blind men. Simple children, an “ignorant” foreigner, and men who could not see this world were the ones who could see Him. Jerusalem did not recognize the hour of her visitation but these did. It puts me in mind of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:24. In speaking about the Body of Christ Paul says, “God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it.”

Maybe it is not the wise and learned and revered who always “get it.” Maybe it is the weak, the despised, and the disabled. Just saying.