NOTES for Luk 7:18-35

In the Gospel of Luke, we will read more than once about the various miracles performed by Jesus Christ. The time has come for the Evangelist to explain to the reader why he includes all these stories in his book. The mystery is revealed when Jesus, answering the Baptist's disciples, quotes the prophecies of Isaiah (Isa. 35:5-6; 61:1-2), which foretold the Day of the Lord and the coming of God's messianic Kingdom. The blind and the lame of this Kingdom are the people whom Jesus healed, but not only them: they are also those whose hearts gained sight, whose spirits were healed, and who saw their calling and the purpose of their lives. It is no accident that the Lord contrasts them with the Pharisees and lawyers who did not wish to gain sight or be healed, who were unable to respond to the Gospel or understand the message of the Baptist and Jesus about the approaching Kingdom. The meaning of the messianic miracles therefore extends to the lives of those who were never lame and had always seen well—to the readers of the Gospel, ancient and modern.