31 And he took with him the twelve and said to them, Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things which were said by the prophets will be done to the Son of man. 32 For he will be given up to the Gentiles, and will be made sport of and put to shame: 33 And he will be given cruel blows and put to death, and on the third day he will come back to life. 34 But they did not take in the sense of any of these words, and what he said was not clear to them, and their minds were not able to see it.
35 And it came about that when he got near Jericho, a certain blind man was seated by the side of the road, making requests for money from those who went by. 36 And hearing the sound of a great number of people going by, he said, What is this? 37 And they said to him, Jesus of Nazareth is going by. 38 And he said in a loud voice, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And those who were in front made protests and said to him, Be quiet: but he said all the more, O Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus, stopping, gave orders that he was to come to him, and when he came near, he said to him, 41 What would you have me do for you? And he said, Lord, that I may be able to see again. 42 And Jesus said, See again: your faith has made you well. 43 And straight away he was able to see, and he went after him, giving glory to God; and all the people when they saw it gave praise to God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 18:31-43
Commentary on Luke 18:31-34
(Read Luke 18:31-34)
The Spirit of Christ, in the Old Testament prophets, testified beforehand his sufferings, and the glory that should follow, 1 Peter 1:11. The disciples' prejudices were so strong, that they would not understand these things literally. They were so intent upon the prophecies which spake of Christ's glory, that they overlooked those which spake of his sufferings. People run into mistakes, because they read their Bibles by halves, and are only for the smooth things. We are as backward to learn the proper lessons from the sufferings, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, as the disciples were to what he told them as to those events; and for the same reason; self-love, and a desire of worldly objects, close our understandings.
Commentary on Luke 18:35-43
(Read Luke 18:35-43)
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.