Faith Turns a Blind Eye | December 7, 2025

I walked us through Luke 18:31-43 with a question in our hearts: can faith help us see when life’s plan feels hidden? I opened with Admiral Nelson at Copenhagen, “turning a blind eye” to the retreat flag and pressing forward. That image set the frame: faith sometimes refuses the loudest signals of fear and futility. Jesus, on His relentless road to Jerusalem, tells the Twelve exactly what will happen—mocking, flogging, death, and on the third day, resurrection. They can’t connect the instructions to the finished picture. Like an unbuilt piece of furniture, the parts don’t seem to add up. Luke says the meaning was hidden, yet they kept following. That’s a picture of faith on ordinary days—trusting a plan we do not fully understand.

Near Jericho, a blind beggar hears the stir of a crowd. The people label Him “Jesus of Nazareth,” but the beggar cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” He names Jesus rightly—as King—and refuses to be silenced by the crowd or his circumstance. Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He answers, “Lord, I want to regain my sight.” Not first-time sight, but restored sight. Jesus replies, “Regain your sight; your faith has made you well.” The word behind “made you well” is sozo—rescue, preservation, salvation. His faith did not simply secure a healing; it reoriented his future. He follows Jesus and glorifies God.

Here is the invitation: sometimes faith must “turn a blind eye” to the voices that define us by scarcity, failure, or despair. Faith does not only ask God to do what we cannot; it entrusts the journey itself to Him, believing He is using even the confusing middle to bring us to a good end. God has plans to give you “a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Ask Him for spiritual sight—to see His mercy in the moment, His purpose in the process, and His kingship over your story. Don’t let the crowd quiet your prayer. Name Him rightly. Cry out for mercy. Trust Him with the path, even if it leads through a cross before it looks like a crown. Faith restores sight—and with it, hope and a future.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith sees beyond immediate signals Faith sometimes must ignore the loudest warnings when those warnings are fear masquerading as wisdom. Nelson’s “blind eye” picture helps us notice how retreat can feel safer than obedience. Faith isn’t reckless; it’s responsive to the King’s call, even when the optics look grim. It moves toward God’s purpose rather than the crowd’s panic. [05:41]
• 2. Follow when the plan feels hidden The disciples heard the details yet couldn’t connect them to glory. We often live there—between clear words from Jesus and an unclear path. Real trust keeps walking, not because we grasp everything, but because we know Who goes before us. The meaning often appears in motion, not before we move. [13:33]
• 3. Name Jesus rightly, live accordingly The crowd called Him “Jesus of Nazareth”; the beggar cried “Son of David.” Titles shape expectations: a hometown teacher offers advice; a Davidic King offers mercy, rule, and restoration. When we confess Jesus as King, our prayers become bolder and our obedience deeper. Right naming births right living. [17:33]
• 4. Faith acts; God restores and saves Sozo is more than a fix—it is rescue into a new future. The beggar’s faith did not stay internal; it cried out, persisted, and approached. God met that movement with restoration that became worship and discipleship. Saving faith both sees and follows. [28:05]
• 5. Turn a blind eye to despair Your situation is not your identity. Faith refuses to let scarcity, shame, or delay define the horizon. Turn a blind eye to the labels and lift your eyes to the Lord who writes your story. Let His voice be the loudest one. [30:12]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:46] - The retreat flag and Nelson
• [05:41] - Faith Turns a Blind Eye
• [09:00] - When instructions don’t connect
• [11:08] - Jesus predicts suffering and rising
• [13:33] - Hidden meaning and resurrection debate
• [15:47] - A blind beggar in Jericho
• [17:33] - Jesus of Nazareth vs Son of David
• [19:05] - Royal procession and Davidic promise
• [22:08] - Regain your sight by faith
• [25:09] - Trusting the journey, not just outcomes
• [28:05] - Sozo: faith that saves
• [30:12] - Turn a blind eye to labels
• [33:06] - Jeremiah 29:11 and prayer

1. Read Luke 18:31–34. What specific events does Jesus predict will happen to him, and how does Luke describe the disciples’ ability to understand those words? [11:08]
2. Read Luke 18:35–37. How does the crowd identify Jesus compared with how the blind man identifies him, and why does that difference matter in the scene? [17:33]
3. Read Luke 18:40–41. What question does Jesus ask the blind man, and how does the man answer? How does that exchange shape what happens next? [22:08]
4. Read Luke 18:42–43. What immediate responses follow the man’s healing, and which Greek word does Luke use to describe the effect of the man’s faith (think: more than physical healing)? [28:05]

1. The disciples heard Jesus’ prediction but “the meaning was hidden” to them. What does this reveal about the kind of trust it takes to keep following when God’s plan is not yet clear? [13:33]
2. The blind man calls Jesus “Son of David” rather than “Jesus of Nazareth.” How does naming Jesus as King (Davidic Messiah) change the posture and content of the man’s request and expectation? [19:05]
3. Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” and then says, “Your faith has made you well.” How should a clear, specific request and personal faith work together in the process of receiving restoration? [22:08]
4. The verb sozo is used to describe the man’s deliverance—rescue, preservation, salvation. In what ways does this miracle point beyond physical sight to a larger salvation or reorientation of the man’s future? [28:05]

1. Where in your life right now do you feel the plan is hidden—where you can’t connect the dots between present pain and future hope? What would “keeping on the journey” with Jesus look like in that situation this week? [13:33]
2. Who or what are the “crowd” voices that try to label you by scarcity, failure, or shame and tell you to be quiet? Name one specific voice or message, and one concrete step you will take to “turn a blind eye” to it. [30:12]
3. How do you typically address Jesus in prayer—more as a near teacher or as sovereign King? Try praying this week using a royal title (e.g., “Son of David, King”) for a specific need; what felt different about that posture? [19:05]
4. Jesus invited the blind man to say clearly what he wanted. Take five minutes this week to write a short, specific prayer asking God to restore one lost thing (sight, direction, relationship, hope). What is one faith-step you will take after praying? (example: make a phone call, join a group, start a course) [22:08]
5. If sozo implies rescue into a future, what would “regaining sight” look like practically for you—renewed direction, restored relationships, courage to change careers? Identify one tangible sign you would take as evidence God is moving and one practical next step toward it. [28:05]
6. Jesus lists the cost of following (leaving house, family, security). What is one thing you are quietly holding onto that might keep you from following more fully? What is a concrete, humble action you will take to start loosening that hold this month? [09:00]
7. The blind man persisted despite being told to be quiet. What discipline or habit will help you persist in prayer and faithful action when others try to silence you? Name one accountability partner or practice you will use for the next two weeks. [17:33]