Church Fathers Commentary Luke 18:35-43

"And it came to pass, as he drew nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried out the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God." — Luke 18:35-43 (ASV)

St. Gregory the Great: Because the disciples were still carnal and unable to receive the words of mystery, they are shown a miracle. Before their eyes, a blind man receives his sight, so that their faith might be strengthened by a divine work.

Theophylact of Ohrid: To show that our Lord did not even walk without doing good, He performed a miracle along the way. He gave His disciples this example, that we should be productive in all things and that nothing in us should be in vain.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We might understand the expression of being “near Jericho” as if they had already left the city but were still close to it. Although less common, this interpretation could be used here, since Matthew relates that as they were leaving Jericho, two men who sat by the roadside received their sight.

The number of men should not be an issue. We can suppose that one Evangelist, remembering only one of them, was silent about the other. Mark also mentions only one, and he too says that the man received his sight as they were leaving Jericho. Mark has also given the man’s name and his father’s name, letting us understand that this man was well known while the other was not. It is natural, then, that the one who was known would be the only one mentioned.

However, since what follows in Luke’s Gospel clearly proves his account is true—that the miracle took place while they were still approaching Jericho—we must suppose that there were two separate miracles. The first involved one blind man as our Lord was entering the city, and the second involved two men as He was departing from it. Luke relates the former, and Matthew the latter.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: A great multitude was gathered around Christ. The blind man did not know Him by sight, but he felt drawn to Him and grasped with his heart what his eyes could not see. As it is written, And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what it was. Those who could see spoke according to their own opinion, telling him, Jesus of Nazareth passes by.

But the blind man cried out. He was told one thing, yet he proclaimed another, for it follows: And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, You Son of David, have mercy on me.” Who taught you this, O man? Have you, who are deprived of sight, read books? From where, then, do you know the Light of the world? Truly, the Lord gives sight to the blind.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Having been brought up a Jew, he was not ignorant that God would be born of the seed of David according to the flesh. Therefore, he addresses Him as God, saying, “Have mercy on me.” If only those who divide Christ into two would imitate him! For he speaks of Christ as God, yet calls Him Son of David.

But others marveled at the rightness of his confession, and some even wished to prevent him from confessing his faith. However, his enthusiasm was not dampened by rebukes of this kind, for faith is able to resist and triumph over all obstacles. It is a good thing to set aside shame for the sake of divine worship. If some are bold for the sake of money, is it not appropriate, when the soul is at stake, to put on a righteous boldness?

As it follows, But he cried out all the more, “Son of David...” The voice of one calling out in faith stops Christ, for He turns to those who call on Him in faith. Accordingly, He calls the blind man to Him and bids him draw near, so that the one who had first grasped Him by faith might also approach Him in body. As the man drew near, the Lord asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He asked this question intentionally, not because He was ignorant, but so that those standing by would know that the man was not seeking money, but divine power from God. And so it follows, But he said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Or, it was because the Jews, twisting the truth, might say—as they did in the case of the man born blind—“This is not he, but one like him.” For this reason, Christ wanted the blind man first to make his infirmity clear, so that he could then fully acknowledge the greatness of the grace bestowed upon him.

As soon as the blind man explained his request, Christ commanded him to see with words of the highest authority, as it follows: And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight.” This only served to increase the guilt of the Jews’ unbelief, for what prophet ever spoke this way? Moreover, observe what the physician claims from the one He has restored to health: “Your faith has saved you.” For mercies, then, are obtained in exchange for faith. Where faith is willing to accept, grace abounds.

Just as from the same fountain some draw little water in small vessels while others draw much in large ones—the fountain itself knowing no difference in measure—and just as the sun sheds more or less brightness inside according to the size of the windows opened, so too does a person draw down supplies of grace according to the measure of their faith. The voice of Christ is changed into light for the afflicted, for He was the Word of true light. And so it follows, And immediately he received his sight. Just as the blind man showed earnest faith before his restoration, he gave clear signs of his gratitude afterward: And he followed him, glorifying God.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: From this it is clear that he was released from a double blindness, both bodily and intellectual. For he would not have glorified Him as God if he had not truly seen Him as He is. But he also gave reason for others to glorify God, as it follows: And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

The Venerable Bede: Not only for the gift of light obtained, but for the merit of the faith which obtained it.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: We may rightly ask here why Christ forbids the healed demoniac who wished to follow Him but permits the blind man who had received his sight. There seems to be a good reason for both cases. He sends the former away as a type of herald to proclaim his benefactor aloud through the evidence of his own condition, for it was indeed a remarkable miracle to see a raving madman brought to a sound mind. But He allows the blind man to follow Him, since He was going up to Jerusalem to accomplish the high mystery of the Cross. This was so that people, having a recent report of a miracle, would not suppose that He suffered out of helplessness rather than compassion.

St. Ambrose of Milan: In the blind man, we have a type of the Gentile people, who have received the brightness of the light they had lost through the Sacrament of our Lord. It does not matter whether the cure involves one or two blind men, since the Gentiles, deriving their origin from Ham and Japhet, the sons of Noah, see in the two blind men the two founders of their race.

St. Gregory the Great: Blindness is a symbol of the human race, which, in our first parent, did not know the brightness of heavenly light and now suffers the darkness of his condemnation. Jericho is interpreted as “the moon,” whose monthly waning represents the frailty of our mortality. Therefore, while our Creator is drawing near to Jericho, the blind man is restored to sight, because when God took upon Himself the weakness of our flesh, the human race received back the light it had lost.

Therefore, anyone who is ignorant of the brightness of the everlasting light is blind. But if he does no more than believe in the Redeemer who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” he sits by the roadside. If he both believes and also prays that he may receive the everlasting light, he sits by the roadside and begs.

Those who went before Jesus as He was coming represent the multitude of carnal desires and the busy crowd of vices that, before Jesus comes into our heart, scatter our thoughts and disturb us even in our prayers. But the blind man cried out all the more, for the more violently we are assailed by our restless thoughts, the more fervently we ought to devote ourselves to prayer.

As long as we still allow our many distracting thoughts to trouble us in our prayers, we experience Jesus, in a sense, only passing by. But when we are very steadfast in prayer, God is established in our heart, and the lost light is restored. To “pass by” is human, but to “stand still” is divine. The Lord, then, in passing by, heard the blind man crying; by standing still, He restored his sight. For through His humanity, He has compassion on our blindness and pities our cries; by the power of His divinity, He pours upon us the light of His grace.

He asks what the blind man wished for this reason: to stir up the man’s heart to prayer. For He desires that we seek in prayer what He already knows we will ask for and what He intends to grant.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, He asked the blind man so that we might believe that without confession no one can be saved.

St. Gregory the Great: The blind man seeks from the Lord not gold, but light. Let us, then, seek not for false riches, but for that light which we can see only in the company of the Angels—the way to which is faith. It was well said, therefore, to the blind man, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” The one who sees also follows, because he practices the good that he understands.

St. Augustine of Hippo: If we interpret Jericho to mean the moon, and therefore death, then our Lord, when approaching His death, commanded the light of the Gospel to be preached only to the Jews. They are symbolized by the one blind man whom Luke speaks of. But after rising from the dead and ascending to heaven, He commanded it to be preached to both Jews and Gentiles. These two nations seem to be denoted by the two blind men whom Matthew mentions.