‘What do you want me to do for you?’

What would you say if Jesus said to you,  ‘What do you want me to do for you?’

Hold on just a minute I’ve got that list here with me, let me pull it up, it is in my dropbox and I’ll be able to tell you…

Can you think about what it is you would want from Jesus if He could do anything for you?  Because you see the thing that is “most obvious” is not what Jesus thinks we want. For instance see our reading for today from Mark 10:46-52.

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

When Jesus heard the blind man calling He told the disciples to get him and bring him to Him. Now I bet that Jesus knew the man was blind. And if He knew this wouldn’t you think that the thing the man would want would be to be able to see? Or maybe the blind man needed to ask for what he wanted… But Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” This makes me think that maybe there was something else Jesus saw in him that needed to healed, or forgiven or done for him. Wouldn’t being able to see be the best thing for him? What else could be better?

I am not blind and hope I never am, but there are many things in my life that could be better, and if Jesus could let me know what they are, maybe I would know to ask for that part of my life to be healed, or for the better thing that He sees I need.

Maybe the most obvious is not the best thing, but Jesus still heals him and tells him to go, and his faith has made him well. The blind man was healed because he believed that Jesus could give him his sight, and that is what healed him. The fact he knew Jesus could do it… What if we all truly believed that Jesus could do the thing that we want, what would you ask Him to do for you?