Luke 18:41 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me recover my sight."

NIV: "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied.

NASB: What do you want Me to do for you?' And he said, 'Lord, I want to regain my sight!'

CSB: "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord," he said, "I want to see."

NLT: What do you want me to do for you?' 'Lord,' he said, 'I want to see!'

KJV: Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

NKJV: saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

A massive crowd of people surround Jesus, as everyone makes their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. None of them realize that in about a week, He will be crucified and buried. His time is short. Passing through Jericho, He hears a man yelling. He stops and tells the crowd to bring the man to Him. He turns out to be a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:35–40; Mark 10:46).

When Jesus heals, He does so in a way that maintains the person's dignity. In Decapolis, a crowd presented Him with a deaf man. He drew the man away from the crowd and showed him what He was doing. Then He healed the man (Mark 7:31–35). When He healed Jairus' daughter, He included a small group of witnesses, inside the house, in the girl's room. Then He told them to keep the miracle quiet (Luke 8:51–56).

Here, the issue is evident. What could a blind person wish but to receive his sight? Still, Jesus asks (Luke 18:40). It's important that the man has a say. It's also important that he voices his request as an act of faith. Jesus says, "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well" (Luke 18:42). By allowing the man to ask, the crowd sees his faith in Jesus to heal him and Jesus' power to heal. There is no ambiguity in the chain of events. As a result, the man—and the crowd—break into praise (Luke 18:43).

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.