What Can I do for you?
Luke 18:35-43
Luke 18:35 ΒΆ And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
(KJV)
In our scripture setting, Jesus was on His way to Jericho.
Sitting beside the road was a blind man. Since there was no government assistance in those days for those like him, he made his meager living sitting near some crowded road holding out his cup in hopes somebody passing by would drop a coins into it.
There is no doubt this was a daily routine for this poor blind man.
Maybe there was someone who would lead him to some busy intersection of the city, or near a busy marketplace and find a place for him to sit beside the road.
This man was hopeless! He was blind! He could not help himself, having to depend on the kindness and generosity of others just to survive.
Day after day, the same routine! Day after day, the same hopeless situation. Day after day, wondering if he would collect enough coins to buy bread for that day.
But one particular day he sat down by the roadside as usual, but there seemed to be a lot more activity going on around him.
It sounded like there was a lot more traffic than usual on the road that day. A lot more people were walking by. As a matter of fact it sounding like a multitude of people with a whole lot of commotion going on.
Curious, he asked someone, “What’s going on?” “What is all the commotion about?”
And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.
“What? Jesus of Nazareth? THE Jesus of Nazareth?”
I have reason to believe he had heard about Jesus.
I have reason to believe he had knowledge of the many healings that Jesus had done.
Quite possibly he had heard about Jesus of Nazareth and how he went about healing those who were sick, and evening opening the eyes of the blind.
Quite possibly he had thought, “Oh I wish Jesus would come to this town. I wish that someday He would pass by my way. Because if He causes the blind to see, maybe he will heal me!
So when he hears that all that commotion was about Jesus passing by he can hardly believe his ears!
“Wow!” Did I hear you correctly? Did you say Jesus? Do you mean Jesus of Nazareth? The healer?”
Oh, he could hardly contain himself! He got all excited! His faith began to birth within him!
“Oh how many times have I wished for this moment, and now He really is here!”
So I can see him in my imagination as he arises up with faith, anticipation, and excitement.
And in verse 38, “And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
He cried! Now notice here that the Greek word this word was translated from is bo-ah'-o meaning to shout, or as we in Arkansas would say, “To Holler.”
He wanted to be heard above the crowd. He didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity! Jesus may never pass this way again! He couldn’t miss his chance to be healed!
So, he Hollered, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”
But notice verse 39, “And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Or, they which was in front of him, those who was blocking his way to Jesus, rebuked him, and told him he should just shut up!
Possibly someone in the crowd told him, “Shut up! You’re just an old beggar! Get out of the way! Go back and sit down with your begging cup! Jesus don’t have time for you! “
But what did he do? “But he cried so much the more.”
Now its interesting that the Greek word in verse 38 is bo-ah’-o, which means to shout, to holler!
But the Greek word for cried in verse 39 is krad'-zo which means to scream!
In other words he was determined he wasn’t going to allow someone else to block his blessing, to block his healing, or to block his opportunity!
It’s like, “No, I’m not going to shut up! No, I’m not going to hold my peace. No, I’m not going to sit down!”
So he screamed at the top of his voice, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”
“You guys get out of my way, I’m not going to allow this moment to pass me by! I’m not going to miss my opportunity!
In my imagination I can see this poor blind man pushing and shoving his way through the crowd screaming, “Jesus, Jesus, thou Son of David have mercy on me.”
“I’m tired of being blind, I’m tired of having to beg for my bread. I’m tired of be bound by blindness. I want to see, and you have the power to set me free.”
Now listen what happened next!
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
“And Jesus stood.” He stopped in his tracks when he heard the frantic cry of a desperate man!
Now here is what I want you to take note of; Jesus said, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?”
Or, “What do you want me to do for you?
