Heal Loudly
In Luke 18, a blind man hears that Jesus is passing by and refuses to stay quiet. The crowd rebukes him and tells him to be silent, but he cries out even louder: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” His faith is not passive, polite, or detached. It is desperate, honest, and loud. When Jesus stops, he asks a question that seems obvious but goes much deeper: “What do you want me to do for you?” The man does not ask for a temporary bandage. He names his deepest longing: “Lord, I want to see.” In this story, Jesus meets a man who has been pushed to the margins, honors his cry, invites him into vulnerable honesty, and gives him more than relief. He gives him sight, salvation, and a new life of following. The miracle ends not simply with the man seeing the world, but with him following Jesus and praising God.
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Resources
Leaving Egypt by Chuck Degroat
Sermon Video
Luke 18:34-43
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Psalm 44:23-24
“Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?”
Psalm 88:18
You have taken from me friend and neighbor—darkness is my closest friend.
Psalm 39:13
Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.”
Matthew 5:3-4
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Sermon Quotes
Most people tell you they want to get out of kindergarten, but don’t believe them. Don’t believe them! All they want you to do is to mend their broken toys. “Give me back my job. Give me back my money. Give me back my reputation, my success.” This is what they want; they want their toys replaced. That’s all. Even the best psychologist will tell you that . . . people don’t really want to be cured. What they want is relief; a cure is painful. - Anthony DeMello
The wilderness becomes a place of cruciform transformation, where our sufferings shape us into the kind of people God always intended for us to be. Those most closely attuned to their pain demonstrate a unique vulnerability, a vulnerability that opens them to grace. - Chuck DeGroat
Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. -Puritan Prayer
Discussion Questions
Where in your life have you learned to stay quiet about your pain, anger, grief, or desire? Especially when it feels more spiritual, more sacred, or more Christian to do so?
Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” Why do you think naming what we really want can feel so vulnerable?
The blind man’s faith sounds like desperate shouting, not calm acceptance. How does that challenge the way you usually think about “faith”?
The man could have asked for a coin, but he asked to see. Where are you tempted to ask God only for relief when what you may need is deeper healing, clarity, or transformation?
What is one “bandage” you often reach for when you are hurting, disappointed, afraid, or overwhelmed?
What if the “abundance” for the Christian is defined by intimacy and solidarity with the crucified Jesus? How does that change the “blessedness” of those who are poor in spirit and mourn (Matthew 5:3-4)?
