Luke 18:39

And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. AND THEY WHICH WENT BEFORE - "the multitude" (). REBUKED HIM THAT HE SHOULD HOLD HIS PEACE and not annoy or impede the progress of Jesus; very much in REBUKED HIM, THAT HE SHOULD HOLD HIS PEACE - and not annoy, or impede the progress of Jesus; very much in the spirit of the Twelve themselves but a little before, when infants were brought to Him (see the note at , and Remark 1 at the close of that section), and when the Syrophenician woman "cried after Him" (see the note at ). But O, how differently from them did Jesus feel!...

35-43 This poor blind man sat by the wayside, begging. He was not only blind, but poor, the fitter emblem of the world of mankind which Christ came to heal and save. The prayer of faith, guided by Christ's encouraging promises, and grounded on them, shall not be in vain. The grace of Christ ought to be thankfully acknowledged, to the glory of God. It is for the glory of God if we follow Jesus, as those will do whose eyes are opened. We must praise God for his mercies to others, as well as for mercies to ourselves. Would we rightly understand these things, we must come to Christ, like the blind man, earnestly beseeching him to open our eyes, and to show us clearly the excellence of his precepts, and the value of his salvation....

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 20:29....

EXPOSITION LUKE 18:1 _The Lord speaks the two parables on prayer_—_the importunate widow, and the Pharisee and publican._ LUKE 18:1 AND HE SPAKE A PARABLE UNTO THEM TO THIS END, THAT MEN OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY, AND NOT TO FAINT. The formnla ἕλεγε δὲ καί, literally, "and he spake also," calls attention to the fact that the parable-teaching immediately to follow was a continuation of what had preceded. Indeed, the connection between the first of the two parables, which urges restless continued prayer, and the picture which the Lord had just drawn of men's state of utter forgetfulness of God, is obvious. "The Son of man has been rejected; he has gone from view; the masses are plunged in gross worldliness; men of God are

AND THEY THAT WENT BEFORE,.... In the company that preceded Christ; for he, as yet, was not come right over against the blind man: REBUKED HIM THAT HE SHOULD HOLD HIS PEACE; being not well pleased that he should call him the son of David, which was acknowledging him to be the Messiah; or that he might not be troublesome to Christ, and retard his journey: BUT HE CRIED SO MUCH THE MORE, THOU SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME; he neither dropped the character of Christ, nor his request to him; but called out more loudly, and with greater vehemence, earnestness, and importunity: so persons sensible of their need of Christ, and of his worth, excellency, and ability, are not to be discouraged from an application to him, by whatsoever they meet with from men, or devils....

Luke 18:31. _Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall he accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spirited on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken._ It would be hard to imagine our Lord speaking more plainly. He tells them of his sufferings in detail describes exactly what happened. But their thoughts did not run that way; and when you are not expecting a thing, it little matters how very plainly you may be told of it. You are doating upon something else, and, therefore, you do not readily perceive the meaning. You kno

CHAPTER 18 _ 1. The Unjust Judge and the Avenging of His Elect. (Luke 18:1)_ 2. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. (Luke 18:9) 3. The Little Children and the Required Lowliness. (Luke 18:15) 4. The Rich Young Ruler. (Luke 18:18) 5. Rewards Promised. (Luke 18:28) 6. The Renewed Prediction of His Suffering, Death and Resurrection. (Luke 18:31) 7. The Blind Man near Jericho Healed. ...

A BLIND MAN HEALED (Mark 10:46 *, Matthew 20:29 *). There is one man as in Mk., but the name (Bartimæ us) is not given. Unlike Mk. and Mt., Lk. says the incident occurred as Jesus was entering (not leaving) Jericho. Loisy thinks the change was made to explain the presence of the crowd in Jericho....

UNWEARIED IN PRAYER (Luke 18:1-8)...

WENT BEFORE REBUKED. Those who go before the Lord (instead of following) are apt to make mistakes. CRIED. continued calling (Imperative mood) Not the same word as in Luke 18:38....