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Luke 18:42

in Luke 18

“Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith has healed you.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath made thee whole.

KJV

And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

This verse in Luke 18

Commentary

20 notes on this verse

A commentator

Tertullian

On Baptism · Written before 220.

Now, whether they were baptized in any manner whatever, or whether they continued unbathed to the end-so that even that saying of the Lord touching the "one bath" does, under the person of Peter, merely regard us-still, to determine concerning the salvation of the apostles is audacious enough, because on them the prerogative even of first choice, and thereafter of undivided intimacy, might be able to confer the compendious grace of baptism, seeing they (I think) followed Him who was wont to promise salvation to every believer. "Thy faith," He would say, "hath saved thee; " and, "Thy sins shall be remitted thee," on thy believing, of course, albeit thou be not yet baptized.

This site's exposition

Jesus stopped and directed

on Luke 18:40-43

Jesus stopped and directed that the man be brought to Him, halting the procession toward Jerusalem for one beggar the crowd had tried to silence. Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers4 voices

A commentator

Ephrem the Syrian

COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 15.22 · Written before 373.

proposed

The Light came into the world to give sight to the blind and faith to those who lacked it. When he approached the blind man, he cried out and said, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." The beggar's hand was stretched out to …

A commentator

Tertullian

The Prescription Against Heretics · Written before 220.

proposed

"Thy faith," He says, "hath saved thee" not observe your skill in the Scriptures.

A commentator

Tertullian

Against Marcion Book IV · Written before 220.

proposed

Surely He could not have first removed this man's blindness, in order that he might afterwards cease to regard Him as the Son of David! However, that you may not slander His patience, nor fasten on Him any charge of dissimulation, nor deny Him to be the Son of David, He very pointedly confirmed the exclamation of the blind man-both by the actual gift of healing, and by bearing testimony to his faith: "Thy faith," say Christ, "hath made thee whole." What would you have the blind man's faith to have been? That Jesus was descended from that (alien) god (of Marcion), to subvert the Creator and overthrow the law and the prophets? That He was not the destined offshoot from the root of Jesse, and the fruit of David's loins, the restorer also of the blind? But I apprehend there were at that time no such stone-blind persons as Marcion, that an opinion like this could have constituted the faith of the blind man, and have induced him to confide in the mere name, of Jesus, the Son of David.

A commentator

Pseudo-Chrysostom

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 500.

proposed

(Chrys. ut sup.) Or because the Jews perverting the truth might say, as in the case of him who was born blind, This is not he, but one like unto to him, (John 9:8.) He wished the blind first to make manifest the infirmity of his nature, that then he might fully acknowledge the greatness of the grace bestowed upon him. And as soon as the blind man explained the nature of his request, with words of the highest authority He commanded him to see. As it follows, And Jesus said to him, Receive thy sight. This served only still more to increase the guilt of unbelief in the Jews. For what prophet ever spoke in this way? Observe moreover what the physician claims from him whom he has restored to health. Thy faith hath saved thee. For faith then mercies are sold. Where faith is willing to accept, there grace abounds. And as from the same fountain some in small vessels draw little water, while others in large draw much, the fountain knowing no difference in measure; and as according to the windows which are opened, the sun sheds more or less of its brightness within; so according to the measure of a man's motives does he draw down supplies of grace. The voice of Christ is changed into the light of the afflicted. For He was the Word of true light.

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Bonaventure

Commentary on Luke, Chapter 18 · Written in the 13th century.

proposed

Fourth, as to the integrity of health, he adds: And Jesus said to him: Receive your sight: your faith has made you whole, through the infusion of divine grace. For by the regard of faith our heart is raised up to justice; Romans 5: "Being …
13 more voices on this verse

The Medieval Church6 voices

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 2 · Written before 604.

proposed

To this light, indeed, faith is the way. Hence rightly it is immediately answered to the blind man as he is enlightened: "Receive your sight, your faith has saved you." But to these things carnal thinking says: How can I seek spiritual light, which I cannot see? How is it certain to me that it exists, since it does not shine upon my bodily eyes? To which thought, indeed, anyone may briefly respond that even these very things which he perceives, he thinks not through the body but through the soul. And no one sees his own soul, yet he does not doubt that he has a soul which he does not see. For the visible body is governed by the invisible soul. But if what is invisible is taken away, immediately that which seemed to stand visibly collapses. Therefore from an invisible substance one lives in this visible life, and is the existence of an invisible life doubted?

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 604.

proposed

(ubi sup.) Well then was it said to the blind, Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee.

A commentator

Symeon the New Theologian

Commentary (church-history corpus) · Written before 1022.

proposed

So then, let everyone who wants approach Him, and let the one say: "Son of David, have mercy on me"; and, if he hears, "What do you want Me to do for you?" let him say quickly, "Lord, let me receive my sight," and right …

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Luke · Written before 1107.

proposed

See also the absence of pride. "Your faith," He says, "has saved you," since you believed that I am the proclaimed Son of David, the Christ, and showed such fervor that you did not fall silent despite being forbidden. From this we learn that when …

A commentator

Bede

On the Gospel of Luke · Written before 735.

proposed

And Jesus said to him: Look, your faith has saved you. And immediately he saw and followed Him, glorifying God. He sees and follows, who works the good he understands. He indeed sees, but does not follow, who indeed understands good, but despises performing good …

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 1107.

proposed

And to show that our Lord did not even walk without doing good, He performed a miracle on the way, giving His disciples this example, that we should be profitable in all things, and that nothing in us should be in vain.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And Jesus said unto him, receive thy sight,.... Be it to thee as thou desirest, look up and see: thus by a word speaking, and power going along with it, without making use of any means, he fulfilled his desire. Thy faith hath saved thee; or has obtained salvation for thee, a temporal salvation; and it may be also a spiritual and an eternal one: for that is the concern faith has in salvation; it is the means of obtaining and enjoying it: Christ, the object of faith, is the author of it.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? This parable has its key hanging at the door; the drift and design of it are prefixed. Christ spoke it with this intent, to teach us that men ought always to pray and not to faint,

The Nineteenth Century5 voices

The miracle described in these verses is rich in instruction. It was one of the great works which witnessed that Christ was sent by the Father. (John 5:36.) But this is not all. It contains also some lively patterns of spiritual things which deserve attentive study. We see, for one thing, in this passage — the importance of diligence in the use of means. We are told of "a certain blind man who sat by the wayside begging." He sought the place where his pitiful condition was most likely to attract notice.
I do not remember that this expression is found anywhere else in the Word of God. It is found in these two places in the Gospel by Luke, but not in any other Gospel. Luke also gives us in two other places a kindred, and almost identical expression, ‘Thy faith hath made thee whole.’ This you will find used in reference to the woman whose issue of blood had been staunched (Luke 8:48), and in connection with that one of the ten lepers who returned to praise the Saviour for the cure he had received (Luke 17:19).

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

What wilt thou, &c.--to try them; to deepen their present consciousness of need; and to draw out their faith in Him. Lord--"Rabboni" (Mr 10:51); an emphatic and confiding exclamation.
The miracle described in these verses is rich in instruction. It was one of the great works which witnessed that Christ was sent by the Father. (John 5:36.) But this is not all. It contains also some lively patterns of spiritual things which deserve attentive study. We see, for one thing, in this passage — the importance of diligence in the use of means. We are told of "a certain blind man who sat by the wayside begging." He sought the place where his pitiful condition was most likely to attract notice. He did not sit lazily at home, and wait for relief to come to him. He placed himself by the road-side — in order that travelers might see him and give him help. The story before us, shows the wisdom of his conduct. Sitting by the wayside, he heard that "Jesus was passing by." Hearing of Jesus — he cried for mercy, and was restored to sight. Let us mark this well! If the blind man had not sat by the wayside that day — he might have remained blind to the hour of his death. He who desires salvation, should remember the example of this blind man. He must attend diligently on every means of grace. He must be found regularly in those places where the Lord Jesus is especially present. He must sit by the wayside, wherever the Word is read and the Gospel preached, and God's people assemble together. To expect grace to be put into our hearts, if we sit idling at home on Sundays, and go to no place of worship — is presumption and not faith. It is true that "God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy" — but it is no less true that He ordinarily has mercy, on those who use the means of grace. It is true that Christ is sometimes "found by those who seek Him not" — but it is also true that He is always found by those who really seek Him.
I do not remember that this expression is found anywhere else in the Word of God. It is found in these two places in the Gospel by Luke, but not in any other Gospel. Luke also gives us in two other places a kindred, and almost identical expression, ‘Thy faith hath made thee whole.’ This you will find used in reference to the woman whose issue of blood had been staunched (Luke 8:48), and in connection with that one of the ten lepers who returned to praise the Saviour for the cure he had received (Luke 17:19). You will find the expression, ‘Thy faith hath made thee whole’ once in Matthew and twice in Mark, but you find it twice in Luke, and together therewith the twice repeated words of our text, ‘Thy faith hath saved thee.’ Are we wrong in supposing that the long intercourse of Luke with the apostle Paul led him not only to receive the great doctrine of justification by faith which Paul so plainly taught, and to attach to faith that high importance which Paul always did, but also to have a peculiar memory for those expressions which were used by the Saviour, in which faith was manifestly honoured to a very high degree. Albeit Luke would not have written anything which was not true for the sake of maintaining the grand doctrine so clearly taught by the apostle, yet I think his full conviction of it would help to recall to his memory more vividly those words of the Lord Jesus from which it could be more clearly learned or illustrated. Be that as it may, we know that Luke was inspired, and that he has written neither more nor less than what the Saviour actually said, and hence we may be quite sure that the expression, ‘Thy faith hath saved thee,’ fell from the Redeemer’s lips, and we are bound to accept it as pure unquestionable truth, and we may repeat it ourselves without fear of misleading others, or trenching upon any other truth.

The words behind it

11 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Psalms 107:20

    He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 8:8

      The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

    • Psalms 103:3–4

      He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,

    • Psalms 147:15

      He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.

    • Psalms 147:3

      He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

    • 2 Kings 20:4–5

      Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

  • Through

    Luke 8:48

    “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

    it leads to

    • Luke 7:50

      And Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

      Reached by 3 separate paths from here.

    • Matthew 9:22

      Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was cured from that very hour.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    Luke 17:19

    Then Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well!”

    it leads to

    • Mark 10:52

      “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

Where this verse is studied

About Luke

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt, about 1668. Public domain.
The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt, about 1668. Public domain.
This page draws on 19 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Luke; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 18; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1162: “Saving Faith” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 15.22; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 2; Gregory the Dialogist, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Pseudo-Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Symeon the New Theologian, Commentary (church-history corpus); Tertullian, On Baptism; Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics; Tertullian, Against Marcion Book IV; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Luke and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.