Luke

18:31-43

The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44

6. Discipleship and the rejected king, 18:15-19:44

iii] The faith of a blind man

Synopsis

Jesus' royal progress to claim his throne in Jerusalem continues. Taking his disciples aside, Jesus reveals, for a third time, that, in his going up to Jerusalem in accord with the prophecies concerning the Son of Man, he will be arrested, persecuted and killed, but raised on the third day. On the way to Jericho, Jesus is harassed by a blind beggar. Using the messianic title, "Son of David", the beggar calls on Jesus to have mercy on him. Mercy is granted and he sees; his faith has made him whole / saved him.

 
Teaching

Membership of the kingdom of God rests on the faithfulness of Jesus appropriate through a faith that perseveres.

 
Issues

i] Context: See 18:15-17. The faith of a blind man is the third episode of six in the teaching unit Discipleship and the Rejected King, 18:15-19:44. This series of studies depict Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem, revealing something of his messiahship, and his teachings on discipleship, a discipleship which is grounded in divine grace and appropriated through faith. Having revealed that the children of faith, the true sons of Abraham, are those who receive the kingdom of God as a little child receives a gift, Luke goes on to make the point that the gift cannot be earned. In the episode before us, Luke indicates how the gift is gained, namely, by the faithfulness of Jesus appropriated through faith.

 

ii] Background: The Man of Sorrows

Isaiah's final Servant Song covers 52:13-53:12. It is a powerful and beautiful depiction of the Servant, the one who suffers and is delivered by God's hand. The Suffering Servant serves as an important element in the prophetic depiction of Israel's coming messiah. In one sense he is represented by the prophet himself, but more particularly, he is a corporate identity represented by the people of Israel. Manson argues that this is the way the Jews of the first century understood the identity of the Servant, ie., the Servant is Israel. It seems very likely that Jesus identified himself as Isaiah's Suffering Servant and saw his role as a corporate one, such that his life is lived as faithful Israel on behalf of unfaithful Israel - in his death we die to sin, in his life we rise to new life, eternal life. The Song presents in five parts:

iThe future exaltation of the Servant, 52:13-15;

iThe Man of Sorrows, 53:1-3;

iThe Servants vicarious suffering, v53:4-6;

iThe ignominious death of the Servant, 53:7-9;

iThe resurrection and reward of the Servant, 53:10-12.

 

iii] Structure: The persevering faith of a blind man:

The third passion prediction, v31-34:

Setting, v31;

Saying, v32-33;

Jesus predicts his death and resurrection.

The disciples' response, v34;

The healing of a blind man, v35-43;

A persistent appeal, 35-39;

The healing, v40-43;

"your faith has saved you."

 

iv] Interpretation:

In the story of the blessing of little children, we learn that salvation / entry into the kingdom of God is gifted; it is a gift of divine grace. A person receives the kingdom just as a child receives everything that sustains their life; it is gifted. Then, in the story of the rich ruler, we are reminded that salvation / entry into the kingdom is neither gained, nor maintained, by obedience to the Law. Getting in, and staying in, requires perfection. So indeed, "Who can be saved?" Thankfully "What is impossible for mere mortals is possible for God."

The possibility of a salvation provided by God rests on two foundational truths; the first revealed in the third passion prediction, and the second in the healing of the blind man in Jericho:

The first foundational truth concerns the faithfulness of Jesus; his willingness to follow the prophetic way of the suffering Son of Man to a death on behalf of his people, a cup of suffering, a death which leads to victory.

The second foundational truth concerns the necessary human response in order to gain the benefits of the suffering Son of Man's sacrifice, namely a persistent faith, a faith which perseveres.

 

v] Synoptics:

See 3:1-20. The third passion saying aligns with Matthew 20:17-19 and Mark 10:32-34, but unlike both Matthew and Mark, Luke does not record the teaching on discipleship that usually follows such a prediction, here prompted by the request for status by James and John. Pointedly, Luke moves to the miracle-story / healing narrative of the blind man who sees through faith and follows Jesus, Matthew 20:29-34 and Mark 10:46-52. Luke does not have Mark's introductory comments to the saying, and he adds his own comment about the disciples' lack of understanding, v34. The overall differences support the view that Luke is using another source for the saying, either apart from, or along with Mark.

By not recording the request of James and John, Mk.10:35-45, Luke drops one of the most significant soteriological statements in the synoptic gospels, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many", Matt.20:28, Mk.10:45. Given the importance of the saying, and its thematic alignment with Luke's episodes at this point, it well may be that the gospel tradition available to Luke at this time did not include the episode concerning the request of James and John, an episode recorded by both Matthew and Mark. Possibly the pronouncement story about Zacchaeus, 19:1-10, serves the purpose of Mark 10:45 for Luke, particularly v10, "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." So, we have here an interesting, but unresolved, synoptic problem.

The pronouncement story of the healing of a blind man near Jericho aligns with Mark 10:46-52, and has some alignment with Matthew's two healing stories of two blind men in 9:27-31 and 20:29-34. The differences are many, frustrating attempts to harmonise the accounts, eg., in Luke, Jesus approaches Jericho, and in Mark, he is leaving, although Luke's "approaching" resolves a continuity problem, given that Jesus meets Zacchaeus on entering Jericho. Yet, of all the differences, for a historian like Luke to fail to mention Mark's recorded name for the blind man, namely Bartimaeus, is outstanding.

This type of random difference is most likely a consequence of oral transmission - the name got lost (in Matthew the one became two), so Schweizer. When speaking about Matthew's record, Schweizer makes the point "obviously Matthew's knowledge of this brief episode is based on a special tradition." Such differences support the view that all three synoptists worked independently on an established oral tradition, most likely conveyed in Aramaic, and that they were more respectful of that tradition than they are often given credit for. The evident differences between the synoptic gospels is likely to reflect local differences in the oral tradition, along with some editorial tweaking. That is not to say that Luke didn't have access to a copy of Mark / proto-Mark, but that primarily, he runs his own race. Of course, the Synoptic Problem is a matter of ongoing debate.

 
Text - 18:31

The persevering faith of a blind man, v31-43: i] The faithfulness of Christ - the third passion prediction, v31-34: Although a matter of some debate, it does seem that Jesus aligns his messianic identity as the glorious Son of Man, as revealed by the prophet Daniel, with the Suffering Servant, as revealed by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus the suffering Son of Man / Servant is a corporate identity, representing God's people. On behalf of God's people Jesus is overwhelmed by suffering, but is delivered by the mighty hand of God. Because of his faithful service he lives, and in him, we live also. See "Background" above.

paralabwn (paralambanw) aor. part. "took" - [but/and] having taken along, led aside [the twelve]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say." "Then he took the twelve aside and told them", Moffatt.

proV + acc. "-" - [he said] toward [them]. The preposition is used to introduce an indirect object instead of a dative.

ta gegrammena (grafw) perf. mid. part. "that is written" - [behold, we are going up into jerusalem, and all] the things having been written. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to be fulfilled."

dia + dat. "by [the prophets]" - by means of [the prophets]. Here instrumental, expressing agency. The term "the prophets" may be used here to cover the whole of "the scriptures."

tw/ uiJw/ (oV) dat. "the Son [of Man]" - the son [of man]. The dative is adverbial, reference / respect; "concerning the Son of Man." The genitive "of Man" is adjectival, relational. For Son of Man, see 5:24.

telesqhsetai (telew) fut. pas. "will be fulfilled" - will be completed, fulfilled, accomplished. Usually classified as a theological / divine passive; God will bring these matters to a completion.

 
v32

gar "-" - for. More reason than cause, explaining what is about to be accomplished.

toiV eqnesin (oV) dat. "to the Gentiles" - [he will be delivered up] to the gentiles, nations (Roman authorities) [and he will be mocked and he will be insulted and he will be spat upon]. Dative of indirect object. Again, the verbs are usually viewed as divine / theological passives, such that it is in God's design that Jesus be delivered up to the Gentiles by the Jewish authorities, and be maltreated. The immediate agent of the handing over is obviously the Jewish authorities, but the agent of the action of the mocking etc is unclear. This is often solved by the use of active, rather than passive verbs in translation, as NIV.

 
v33

mastigwsanteV (mastigow) aor. part. "they will flog [him]" - [but/and] having whipped [they will kill him]. The NIV treats the participle as attendant on the verb "to kill", but it can also be adverbial, temporal, "And when they have scourged him they will put him to death", Rieu. The subject "they" is obviously "the Gentiles", v32.

th/ hJmera/ (a) dat. "on the [third] day" - on the [third] day [he will rise again]. The dative is adverbial, temporal, as NIV. Mark has "after three days", a time frame that means the same thing, but can easily be misunderstood. Note that the verb "to arise" takes the middle voice - Jesus raises himself.

 
v34

This verse is usually viewed as an editorial comment by Luke. By means of a threefold statement, Luke emphasises the lack of understanding demonstrated by the disciples: they do not understand; the meaning is hidden; they do not know. They could obviously repeat the saying, and did so, given its inclusion in gospel tradition. They may have been thrown by a dying and rising messiah, a notion contrary to popular expectation, although it sits easily with Isaiah's Servant Song. They would certainly be totally oblivious to the Pauline perspective of the faithfulness of Christ (the cross) facilitating life everlasting through the victory of his resurrection. This could well be Luke's wink wink, nod nod to the reader. The apostles got the message right, as recorded in the synoptic gospels, but for the meaning of the message we have to look to Paul. One wonders whether a perceived dichotomy between apostolic tradition and Paul's apostolic interpretation of that tradition, prompts Luke to leave out the only saying in the tradition which explains the meaning of Christ's death, namely Mark 10:45. See Introductory notes, Interpretation.

kai autoi "-" - and they. Transitional, indicating a change in subject to the disciples.

toutwn gen. pro. "[any] of this" - [they understood nothing] of these things. The pronoun serves as a substantive, the genitive being adjectival, partitive.

ap (apo) + gen. "from [them]" - [and the word was hidden] from [them]. Here expressing separation, "away from." Note the use of the perfect tense for the verb - the meaning of Jesus' words was hidden from them and continued to be hidden from them (until Jesus raised up the apostle Paul as his exegete???)

ta loegomena (legw) pres. mid. part. "what he was talking about" - [and they were not understanding] the things being said. The participle serves as a substantive, accusative object of the negated verb "to know." Again, Luke's use of an imperfect verb may be intentionally durative; "Only much later (when the apostle Paul came on the scene???) were the disciples able to understand the meaning of Jesus' words."

 
v35

ii] The healing of a blind man, v35-43. To Jesus' prediction of his death, Luke links a pronouncement story about the healing of a blind man outside of Jericho. By the placement of this story, Luke makes the point that a persevering faith in the faithfulness of Christ (his death and resurrection on our behalf) saves, and this apart from works of the law (18:18-30), it is a gift God's of grace (18:15-17).

egeneto de "-" - but/and it happened, came about. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative; see egeneto, 1:8.

en tw/ + inf. "as [Jesus approached]" - in the [he to draw near]. This construction, the preposition en + the articular infinitive, forms a temporal clause, contemporaneous time, "while", as NIV. The pronoun auton, "he", serves as the accusative subject of the infinitive.

eiV + acc. "-" - into [jericho]. Expressing the direction of the action, or arrival at; "to come into the neighbourhood of", TH, "in the vicinity of Jericho", Thompson.

epaitwn (epaitew) pres. part. "begging" - [a certain blind man was sitting beside the road] begging. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of his sitting.

 
v36

akousaV (akouw) aor. part. "when he heard" - [but/and] having heard. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

diaporeuomenou (diaporeuomai) gen. pres. mid. part. "going by" - [a crowd] passing through. Complement of the genitive direct object, "crowd", of the dia prefix verb "to pass through", standing in a double genitive construction. "Hearing the crowd of travellers on the road", Rieu.

tiv + opt. "what" - [he was asking] what [this to be]. This interrogative predicate nominative pronoun + an optative verb, serves to introduce an indirect question; "And that man, hearing the crowd going past him, enquired, being at a loss, what it could possibly mean", Cassirer.

 
v37

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - [but/and they brought news, reported] to him. Dative of indirect object.

oJti "-" - that [jesus]. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of direct or indirect speech expressing what they reported.

oJ NazwraioV (oV) "of Nazareth" - the nazarene [is going by]. Nominative standing in apposition to "Jesus", and as such, specifying something of Jesus' person; here most likely his origins, "from Nazareth", as NIV, ie., he is a Nazarean, cf., Mk.10:47.

 
v38

The blind man recognises Jesus as the messiah and seeks his mercy in the terms of healing.

legwn (legw) pres. part. "-" - [and he cried out] saying. The NIV treats this participle as attendant on the verb "to cry out", redundant, serving only to introduce direct speech; see legwn, 4:35, for the classification, adverbial, manner.

uiJe (oV) voc. "Son [of David]" - [jesus] son [of david, have mercy on me]. Vocative, standing in apposition to "Jesus". The classification of the proper genitive noun "of David" is adjectival, relational. "Son of David" is a messianic title used in the literature of the time, eg., 2 Esdr.

 
v39

For Luke, persistence is thematically important; saving faith is a faith that never lets go. "The more they tried to silence him the louder he yelled", Junkins. "Son of David" can be used as a title, but as Stein notes, Luke's readers would understand it as "a confession of faith."

oiJ proagonteV (proagw) pres. part. "those who led the way" - [and] the ones going before. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to go before."

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - rebuked [him]. Dative of direct object after the epi prefix verb "to rebuke."

iJna + subj. "-" - that [he should be silent]. This construction may introduce a final clause expressing purpose, "in order that", or a dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what "those going before" said, "those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent", ESV.

pollw/ dat. adj. "all the [more]" - [but/and he was calling out] much [more, son of david have mercy on me]. The dative is adverbial, of degree, "much more" = "louder". Note the durative use of the imperfect verb "to call out."

 
v40

staqeiV (iJsthmi) aor. pas. part. "[Jesus] stopped" - [but/and jesus] having stopped [commanded, ordered him]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to command."

acqhnai (agw) aor. pas. inf. "to be brought" - to be led [toward him]. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what Jesus commanded; "Jesus stood still and ordered that he be brought to him."

eggisantoV (eggizw) gen. aor. part. "when he came near" - [but/and he] having come near [asked him]. The genitive participle and its genitive subject form a genitive absolute construction, temporal, as NIV.

 
v41

poihsw aor. subj. "[want me] to do" - [what do you will, wish that] i may do. The deliberative subjunctive with the interrogative pronoun tiv, "what?", introduces a dependent statement of perception expressing the question in mind. Marshall suggests the construction assumes a recitative iJna. "What do you want that I should do for you?", usually expressed as a complementary infinitive, as NIV. An infinitive with the verb qelw, "I wish" (a cognitive verb), can be taken as recitative, introducing a dependant statement of perception, although it is usually treated as complementary, completing the sense of the verb.

soi dat. pro. "for you" - to you. Dative of interest, advantage, "for you."

oJ de "-" - but/and the = he [said]. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Jesus to the blind man.

iJna + subj. "[I want to see]" - [lord, i wish, will] that [i may see]. Marshall suggests an assumed qelw, "I wish, will", such that iJna + subj. is used instead of a recitative infinitive, introducing a dependent statement of perception expressing what the blind man wants. Again, usually expressed as a complementary infinitive, as NIV.

 
v42

For Luke, as for those who took the trouble to preserve this story in the oral tradition of the early church, the story "becomes a lesson about faith", Bock. Nolland thinks the focus is on the man's persistent faith rather than the nature of his confession, although Bock argues that the nature of the confession is also part of the lesson. As for the benefit / blessing that flowed to him through his faith in / trust in / belief in / reliance on Jesus the messiah, the use of the word swzw, "to heal / save", implies both the restoration of sight / healing, and the restoration of status before God / salvation. This is made clear in the following verse where the blind man anebleyen, "received his sight, saw again", and hkolouqei, "followed [Jesus as a disciple - Mark has "followed in the way"]."

autw/ dat. pro. "to him" - [and jesus said] to him. Dative of indirect object.

sou gen. pro. "your [faith]" - [receive sight, the faith] of you. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, "your faith", or subjective, "the faith exercised by you."

seswken (swzw) perf. "has healed [you]" - has saved, healed [you]. The perfect tense serves to express an immediate action with ongoing consequences. A phrase repeated on a number of occasions, 7:50, 8:48, 17:19. It is likely that both senses are intended.

 
v43

The healing is instantaneous, the blind man follows Jesus as a disciple, and he and the laoV, "people = disciples +", glorify God. The joyous response of the blind man and the "people" is found only in Luke.

autw/ dat. pro. "Jesus" - [and immediately he saw again and was following after] him. Dative of direct object after the verb "to follow after." Note that a durative imperfect tense is used for the verb "to follow after", expressing ongoing praise, or possibly inceptive, "began to praise God."

doxazwn (dixazw) pres. part. "praising [God]" - praising [god]. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the blind man's following after Jesus.

idwn (oJraw) aor. part. "when [all the people] saw it" - [and all the people] having seen the healing. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

tw/ qew/ (oV) dat. "[praised] God" - [gave praise] to god. Dative of indirect object.

 

Luke Introduction

Exegetical Commentaries

 

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