Luke 18:40 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him,

NIV: Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,

NASB: And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He asked him,

CSB: Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to him. When he came closer, he asked him,

NLT: When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him,

KJV: And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

NKJV: So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him,

Jesus is traveling with His disciples and a great crowd to Jerusalem (Mark 10:46). They have crossed the Jordan River, and now they're near Jericho.

Above the din, Jesus hears distinctive shouts. He stops and realizes that a beggar is yelling for Him while the crowd tries to shut the man up (Luke 18:35–39). Jesus may be thinking about the earlier events in the chapter. He had told the disciples about the persistent widow who won justice because she kept asking, comparing her to those of His followers who trust God enough to pray constantly (Luke 18:1–8). He may be thinking of His parable about the arrogant Pharisee and the humble tax collector; it was the disgraced but repentant sinner whose prayers resulted in forgiveness (Luke 18:9–14). Or He may be thinking of the children the disciples tried to keep from Him. The disciples still don't understand that those who know they don't deserve blessings but ask anyway are the ones who will enter God's kingdom (Luke 18:15–17).

Jesus tells the crowd to bring the man to Him. He asks him what he needs, and the blind man says he'd like to recover his sight. Unlike the Pharisees and the disciples, he knows he's blind, and he wants his eyes opened (Luke 18:34). Jesus gives the man his request, and he falls in with the crowd, glorifying and praising God (Luke 18:41–43).

Luke 18:35–43 records Jesus healing a blind beggar in Jericho. The trusting man believes the plain meaning of what he's heard about Jesus, in contrast to the disciples (Luke 18:31–34). This story is the beginning of the last of four sets of stories that begin with a miracle and go on to explain truths about God's kingdom. After meeting Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10) and telling a parable about faithfulness in the kingdom (Luke 19:11–27), the "Travelogue to Jerusalem" will end and Jesus will triumphally enter the city. Mark 10:46–52 identifies the blind man as Bartimaeus. Matthew 20:29–34 says Jesus heals two blind men.

Luke continues to arrange Jesus' teachings by their topic. Here, he includes two parables: the persistent widow and the Pharisee and the tax collector. Jesus encourages children to approach Him. He interacts with a moral, wealthy man who can't bear to follow Jesus if it means giving up wealth. After another prediction of His death, Jesus encounters and heals a blind man on His way to Jerusalem.

Luke 18 approaches the end of Jesus' "travelogue" to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51—19:27). Luke has selected miracles, teachings, and events to show how Jesus trained His disciples. His emphasis was explaining the kingdom of God in preparation for their work to build the church. Luke 18 includes several contrasts between those who understand God's kingdom and those who don't. Luke 19 includes the story of Zacchaeus and another parable before Jesus' triumphal entry and the Passion Week. These stories are also found primarily in Matthew 19—20 and Mark 10.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.