God" are both terms Jesus used to emphasize His incarnate deity. The blind man evidently understood
He Opens Blind Eyes
from the synagogue and disfellowshiped from the life of Israel. Though he did not yet know the fullness of who Christ was, he was totally committed to Him.
Christ asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" (John 9:35).4 The beggar was willing and responsive. His heart was completely open: "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in him?" (v. 36). His confidence in Jesus was such that he would have responded immediately to anyone Jesus pointed out as the Son of Man. Contrast his attitude with that of the Pharisees, who thought they knew it all and weren't about to take direction from Jesus. They were learned in the Word of God, full of theological knowledge, but their hearts were blinded by willful unbelief. The beggar did not yet believe, but he was open.
Faith is the necessary complement to the sovereignty of God. Though divine initiative is ultimately responsible for redemption — although men and women are elected, predestined, chosen before the foundation of the world — there will still be on our part the submissive response of personal faith in Jesus Christ.
This man's simple response of faith is instructive. "Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.' And he said, 'Lord, I believe' " (vv. 37 – 38). He did not hesitate. He did not ask for proof. Christ had given sight to his spiritual eyes. And the moment they were opened, he saw Christ and responded to Him in faith.
Like the physical healing, this was a divine miracle. When someone understands the truth about Christ, it is always a divine miracle. Remember Peter's great confession? Jesus asked, "Who do you say that I am?" and Peter answered, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:15 – 16). How did he know? Jesus said, "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (v. 17). There is no way to recognize Jesus Christ for who He is apart from a miracle of God to open spiritually blind eyes. But when Christ opens the eyes of a soul, suddenly truth becomes recognizable.
This poor, blind beggar, who had never seen anything in his life, clearly recognized the Son of God. Meanwhile, the religious leaders who thought they knew everything could not even recognize their own Messiah. Spiritual sight is a gift from God that makes one willing and able to believe.
What did this man first see with his newly opened eyes of faith? He saw Christ as sovereign Lord. Verse 38 says, "He worshiped Him." He fell on his knees right there and worshiped. It is a beautiful climax to the story. It was not a question of "making" Christ his lord; when the scales fell off his spiritual eyes, he saw Him for who He was, and the only possible response was to sink to his knees.
4. Th e King James Version reads, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" "Son of Man" and "Son of God" are both terms Jesus used to emphasize His incarnate deity. Th e blind man evidently understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, because his response was to worship Him (v. 38).
Jesus Heralds His Gospel
John 9 closes with these words: "And Jesus said, 'For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.' Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, 'We are not blind too, are we?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, "We see," your sin remains' " (vv. 39 – 41).
It is a tragic thing to be spiritually blind, but it is more tragic still to be blind and not know it. These Pharisees thought they could see. After all, in terms of theological knowledge, they were far beyond this beggar. But unlike him, they had never had the blindness removed from their spiritual eyes, so they could not recognize Jesus for who He was. They knew doctrine, but they could not even recognize the Messiah. They were blind, and they didn't even know it.
The result of spiritual sight is a surrendered, worshiping heart. The result of spiritual blindness is more blindness, more sin, and ultimately certain doom. Mere doctrine is no help for spiritual blindness; light cannot cure blindness. The only hope for those locked in the darkness of spiritual sightlessness is a miracle of God to open their eyes. That is what God does through His Spirit in salvation (1 Cor. 2:9 – 10). Those who would be saved do not require in-depth theological instruction to know that Christ is Lord and that they should obey Him; the truth becomes self-evident when their spiritual blindness is removed.
Salvation is a supernatural, divine transformation — no less than a miracle that takes place in the soul. It is a true work of God, and it must make a difference in the life of the one whose eyes have been opened. The believing person will see Christ for who He is — sovereign Lord of all — and that revelation, to one who formerly could not see, will inevitably provoke worship, adoration, and a heart that desires to do the will of God. None of that is the result of theological tutoring; it is the work of God's Spirit in the heart of the redeemed.
He Challenges an Eager Seeker
any years ago, in the early days of my ministry, I was on a cross-country flight. The man seated next to me noticed I was reading the Bible. He introduced himself then surprised me by asking, "You wouldn't happen to know how I could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, would you?"
Of course, hot prospects like that do not approach me very often, so I didn't want to lose this one! I said, "Well yes, you simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior." I explained that Jesus had died and risen again so that we might have eternal life. I told him all he needed to do was receive Christ as his personal Savior.
"I'd like to do that," he said. So I led him in a prayer, and he asked the Lord to be his Savior. Later that month I baptized him. I was very excited about what had happened and was eager to follow him up in discipleship. After a short time, however, he broke off contact with me. Sometime later I discovered that he had no continuing interest in the things of Christ.
What happened? Why is this such a common experience? Most people who witness for Christ regularly would admit that it is relatively easy to get people to profess faith. Getting them to follow the Lord is a much more frustrating experience. All of us have known "converts" who seem initially to embrace the idea of salvation enthusiastically, but never really follow the Lord. Why?
I really did not understand the reasons myself until I studied the account of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. There we read of a young man who asks in the clearest possible terms how he can lay hold of eternal life. If there was ever a place to look for a straightforward presentation of the gospel according to Jesus, we would expect it here. What we find is a startling discourse:
Behold, one came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? Th ere is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and
Jesus Heralds His Gospel
mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Th e young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" Jesus said to Him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property. (vv. 16 – 22)
At first sight, we might wonder what kind of message Jesus was trying to give this man. A closer look reveals clearly what it was. If we could condense the truth of this entire passage into a single statement, it would be Luke 14:33: "So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."
Our Lord gave this young man a test. He had to choose between his possessions and Jesus Christ. He failed the test. No matter what points of doctrine he might affirm, because he was unwilling to turn from what else he loved most, he could not be a disciple of Christ. Salvation is only for those who are willing to give Christ first place in their lives.
The issue here was clearly this man's salvation, not some higher level of discipleship subsequent to conversion. His question was about how to obtain eternal life.
The term eternal life is used about fifty times in Scripture. It always refers to conversion, evangelism, the new birth — the entire salvation experience. In fact, the most familiar gospel verse of all, John 3:16, uses the expression: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
Much of the work in evangelism is getting people to come to the point where they sense their need for salvation. This young man had come to that point before he ever asked Jesus the question. He was the perfect evangelistic target. He was ready to sign the card, raise his hand, walk the aisle, or whatever. He passed over the whole process of preevangelism. There was no need to explain to him how we know God exists, why we can trust the Bible, or why he should be concerned about eternity. Like that young man who approached me on the airplane, he appeared ready. To the human eye, he looked like the hottest evangelistic prospect the Lord had encountered so far. He was ripe. He was eager. There was no way he would get away without receiving eternal life.
But he did. He left not because he heard the wrong message, not even because he didn't believe, but because he was unwilling to forsake what he loved most in this world and commit himself to Christ as Lord. Instead of taking him from where he was and getting him to make a "decision," Jesus had laid out terms that were unacceptable to him. In a sense, Jesus drove him away.
He Challenges an Eager Seeker
What kind of evangelism is this? Jesus would have failed personal evangelism in almost every Bible college or seminary I know! He began by preaching law to the young man and at this point didn't even mention faith or the facts of redemption. He didn't challenge the man to believe. He failed to get closure. He didn't draw the net. After all, when a person comes along saying he wants eternal life, you can't let him get away, right?
Wrong. Our ideas of evangelism cannot indict Jesus; rather, He must judge contemporary methods of evangelism. Modern evangelism is preoccupied with decisions, statistics, aisle-walking, gimmicks, prefabricated presentations, pitches, emotional manipulation, and even intimidation. Its message is a cacophony of easy-believism and simplistic appeals. Unbelievers are told that if they invite Jesus into their hearts, accept Him as personal Savior, or believe the facts of the gospel, that is all there is to it. The aftermath is appalling failure, as seen in the lives of millions who have professed faith in Christ with no consequent impact on their behavior. Who knows how many people are deluded into believing they are saved when they are not?
What went wrong with this young man? Why did he seem to start so well yet turn away from Christ without receiving eternal life? He seemed to have the right motive and the right attitude; he came to the right source; and he asked the right question. But he went away unredeemed.
He Had the Right Motive
This man came seeking eternal life. He knew what he wanted, and he knew he didn't have it. He had just about everything else, but not eternal life.
Nothing was wrong with his motivation. It is good to desire eternal life. This man was not looking for more wealth, but for something far more important — spiritual life. Jesus said, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteous ness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).
This man was young (Matt. 19:20) and rich (v. 22). In Luke 18:18 we learn that he was a ruler (archo mn in the Greek text). That most likely means he was a ruler of the synagogue (cf. the same use of the word in Matthew 9:18). Thus it appears he was a Jewish religious leader — devout, honest, young, wealthy, prominent, highly respected, and influential. He had everything. The words "and behold" (v. 16), are an exclamation indicating wonder and amazement. Matthew must have been astonished that this man would seek out Jesus and admit he needed eternal life.
Here was a man undoubtedly in turmoil. All his religion and wealth had not given him confidence, peace, joy, or settled hope. There was a restlessness
Jesus Heralds His Gospel
in his soul, and he felt the absence of assurance in his heart. He came on the basis of a deeply felt need. He knew what was missing: eternal life.
Biblically, eternal life speaks not only of the promise of life in the ages to come, but also of the quality of life that is characteristic of the redeemed. It signifies quality as much as duration (cf. John 17:3). It is not just living forever; eternal life is being alive to the realm where God dwells. It is walking with the living God in unending communion.
This seems to be what the rich young ruler wanted. Apparently he perceived that he did not have that caliber of life. He knew that he did not walk with God or commune with God. Perhaps he sensed an inability to respond to God fully. He was not experiencing God's love, rest, peace, hope, joy, or security. At any rate, he knew he did not possess spiritual life or the assurance that he belonged to God.
In this the young man was very perceptive. Spiritually, he had gone far beyond the Pharisees, who were content with their own musings and praying for show. He was not. He knew he was missing eternal life, and he wanted to have it. No one can fault his motivation in approaching Christ.
He Had the Right Attitude
Not only was the young man's motivation correct, but his attitude was commendable as well. He was not haughty or presumptuous; he seemed to feel his need deeply. Many people know they do not have eternal life, but they also feel no need for it. They realize they do not sense the divine dimension, but they are not really interested in it. Not this young man. He was desperate. One can feel the urgency in his question, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I might have eternal life?" without prologue or warmup, he just blurted it out.
Mark 10:17 says the man came running. He also came publicly. Unlike Nicodemus, who came by night, this man came in broad daylight and in front of other people. Mark says the Lord was on the road, having just set out on a journey. No doubt there was the usual crowd around Him. This fellow ran right through the crowd, unhampered by the fact that the people knew who he was. He was bold enough to confess publicly and openly that he did not possess eternal life. For a man in his position to ask such a question took tremendous courage. He had a lot to lose by openly admitting that he lacked eternal life.
Mark also tells us that this rich young ruler knelt at Jesus' feet. In a position of humility before the Lord, he acknowledged the undesirable situation he was in. He had the integrity not to hide it. He wanted eternal life so badly that he risked losing face with all those who looked to him as a spiritual giant already. Nevertheless, in frustration over his inability to find peace, he asked, "What am I still lacking?" We sense his anxiety, lack of fulfillment, and great
He Challenges an Eager Seeker
consternation. He had been religious all his life, yet something was missing. This is the cry of a heart in deep need.
What are we to make of the young man's claim that he had kept all of the law? Of course he exaggerated, but apparently he did live an exemplary life outwardly. He was a moral man, not a gross sinner. He conformed to the strict standards of his religion.
But the man felt a deep void. If someone had approached him and asked, "How would you like peace, joy, happiness, and love?" he certainly would have responded. Had he been in an evangelistic ser vice, there would have been no need to sing additional verses of "Just as I Am" for this man. He was ready. He was enthusiastically in pursuit of eternal life, and he seemed to have the right attitude.
What an opportunity! This fellow was eager, seeking a "can't miss" convert. He was young, rich, intelligent, and influential. Think what he could do for the Lord! He could give his testimony, write a book, and be a large donor to the Christian cause. No evangelist worth his salt would muff an opportunity like this.
He Came to the Right Source
But the young ruler had not come to just an evangelist — this was the Source of eternal life Himself. Here was the right place to be pursuing what he wanted. Some people look in the most bizarre places for eternal life. Satan is a master counterfeiter when it comes to false assurance. Most people never find eternal life because they spend their entire lives looking in the wrong places.
First John 5:11 says, "The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." Verse 20 says of Jesus, "This is the true God and eternal life." Not only is Jesus the source of eternal life, He is eternal life. So the rich young ruler was looking in the right place.
No doubt this man had heard about the power of Jesus. He addressed Him as didaskalos, "master," or "teacher." With that title, he acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher of divine truth. Mark and Luke tell us he called Him "good," using the Greek word agathos, which implies that He saw the Lord as good in nature and in essence. He would have used the word kalos if he had meant to denote strictly external goodness or good form. So in saying "good teacher," he was not just calling Jesus a capable teacher — he was affirming that he believed in the Lord's essential goodness.
That is not to say the young man believed Jesus was God. He probably did not even realize that Jesus was the Messiah, let alone God in human flesh. It is likely that he was captivated by the authority of Jesus' teaching and the power of His virtuous life. He wanted to get this teacher's guidance on the issue of eternal life because he believed Jesus had it. It seems that Jesus' reply, "Why are
Jesus Heralds His Gospel
you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good" (v. 17), was meant to prod him into realizing who He really was.
Nevertheless, though he didn't acknowledge that Christ was Messiah or God in the flesh, he certainly had come to the right Person. "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
He Asked the Right Question
Many readers of Matthew 19 have taken the young man to task for his question. They say his mistake was in asking, "What good thing shall I do?" In other words, he had a works-oriented mind-set. And, of course, it is true that he was attuned to a religion based on works. He had been raised in a Pharisaic system of tradition. He was trained to think of religion as a system to earn divine favor. But with all that in his background, he asked a fair question. It was not a calculated bid to trap Jesus into condoning self-righ teous ness. It was a simple, honest question asked by one in search of the truth: "What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
After all, there is something we have to do to inherit eternal life: we have to believe. This man's question was not much different from the question of the multitudes in John 6:28: "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered those people with a simple and straightforward reply: "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him who He has sent" (v. 29).
But this is where the story takes an extraordinary turn. Jesus' answer to this young man seems preposterous: "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:17). Our Lord revealed nothing of Himself or the facts of the gospel. He did not invite the man to believe. He did not ask for a decision. Instead, Jesus erected a wall in front of him, which drew the inquirer to a sudden stop.
Strictly speaking, Jesus' answer was correct. If a person could keep the law all his life and never violate a single jot or tittle, he would be perfect, sinless (cf. James 2:10). But no one except the Savior alone is like that; we are born in sin (Ps. 51:5). To suggest that the law is a means to eternal life clouds the issue of faith. So why in the world would Jesus tell him that? If he had come with the right motive and the right attitude to the right source, asking the right question, why was it that Jesus did not simply tell him the way of salvation through faith?
He Was Filled with Pride
In spite of all the young man had going for him, he was missing an important quality. Jesus knew the young ruler was utterly lacking a sense of his own