Luke 18:35-43 reports an individual’s encounter with Christ. He is a man with problems, difficulties and obstacles to which he craves for solutions. He represents to all of us a lesson of mercy, healing power of Christ and of salvation both for the man’s physical and spiritual condition. Literally and figuratively, we can say that there are many blind men on the Road of Life. Today they have the same problems as the man in the Scripture. Most noteworthy is it the same Christ from then and now that offers salvation for the eternal and the temporal. Notice the phases of this man’s healing.
It was Christ who was on the road to Jericho, but it was the multitude that the blind man heard. The world will not automatically turn to Christ until they hear from the church. Jericho, so it would seem, was a city of an organized march. Christ looks for an organized army today ready to march. On another occasion Jesus said that the harvest is ripe and that we should pray for the reapers to go in to gather what is waiting. Unfortunately, the destination of the multitude was only motivated by curiosity. Also, unfortunately, the blind man of today only hears talk without a message. We are all sinners and unless we become born again through Christ, we are bound for hell, no matter what good works we accomplish.
The blind man sat off to the wayside out of sight from most people. Christianity has been modernized claiming the Bible is not what it used to be nor should be taken the way it once was. Under those circumstances modern Christianity ignores the real need of people. The condition of today’s churches is so sad because it places the needy soul off to one side in hopes of not being discovered. Should that soul cry out, he is quieted by gestures of social reform, unbiblical tolerance, snobbery, and disdain. The modern church does not want to hear the reality that people are hurting in their souls. In the report of the Scripture, the sincere and hungry soul cried out again for satisfaction. Today’s people are left to search for themselves so that the deep hunger within their heart would be satisfied, but to no avail. We must realize that under the hustle and bustle of this world, under the busyness of what we assigned to ourselves is a persistent cry from the turmoil, gangs, murderers, adulteries, family violence, and political upheaval that must be addressed by a rebirth.
The man’s condition in the Scripture was total, real, humiliating, and incurable. Such are the citizens of this corrupt world all in need all searching. Somewhere in the crowd of today’s Christianity there is someone not visible. That someone is Jesus. There has been much popular criticism of the church and its hypocrisy. By the misdirection of modern Christianity, it has become ineffectual to meet needs. Thinking to address the needs, many modern churches have dished out a social gospel that is a distortion of religion without salvation. The man of our text did not cry for help to the multitude. Modernize Christianity cannot help the deep needs of people divorced from God. Apparently, this man had previously heard of Jesus and his miracles. In his case he had information but not inspiration. The good news, as with that man, Jesus is here now if we will just call out to him. When that happens faith springs forth a call to Jesus.
The man secured help in many ways. His cure was instantaneous and absolute. Since he had a real cure that addressed his real needs, his cure was uplifting. His cry of faith brought Jesus to a halt. When we cry out to Jesus earnestly, he will pay attention. Jesus lifted this man out of the dirt and away from the side of the road. The discouraged and disenfranchised of the world have often been delegated to the side. A good example of that is when a person accepts Christ, he is expected to attend church but not offered support or training. He is virtually left to his own floundering without spiritual instructions. If he decides to stop attending church, in many cases he is not contacted again and just written off as someone who decided not to come. Instead of this, Christianity should ask the person in need as Jesus did when he said, “what shall I do to thee?” Jesus brought spiritual sight to the man that was necessary before his physical deliverance. Jesus proved God before the multitude.
Christianity has so many opportunities today that is ignored. When dedicated to God, it has an innate power to say to send a message to the rest of the world about each person’s healing, addressing each person’s need. It would not be unfair to say that Christianity has failed in many ways. However, it would be fair to say that Christianity can regain its place in the world if they would follow the advice of Jesus when he had John write letters to the churches in the book of Revelation. All in all, Jesus said to those churches and saying it today that we must get our spiritual act together. We must kick the world out of our church. We must invade the world with the most powerful message ever available!
Christian Writer 