What do you want Me to do for you? Jesus asked this question to two different people. He got two completely different answers, Jesus gave two completely different responses. In the scripture reading earlier we read how Jesus asked this question to James and John (Mark 10:35-40), We will contrast this with blind Bartimaeus, the response he gave to Jesus and Jesus’ answer to him.
Mark 10:46–52
Be careful what you asked for. A woman went to the doctor’s office, where she was seen by one of the new young doctor. The doctor asked what he could do for her and she demanded a immediate cure. After about 4 minutes in the examination room, she burst out, screaming as she ran down the hall. An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story. After listening, he had her sit down and told her to go relax in another room. The older doctor marched down hallway to the back where the first doctor, that new young doctor was and demanded, "What’s the matter with you? Mrs. Terry is 63 years old, she has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?" The new doctor continued to write on his clipboard and without looking up he said, "Does she still have the hiccups?" [1]
Apparently the woman got the immediate cure she was originally looking for. What if Jesus asked you, “What do you want me do for you?” What would you answer? Too often we treat questions like this too lightly. We think going to Lord with request to make our lives a little easier is like we bellying up to counter at McDonald’s making an order and we expect God to respond in like fashion by asking, “Do you want Me to supersize that?”
“What do you want me do for you?” This question is straight out the OT.
1 Kings 3:5 (NKJV) At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
You know the story. Solomon did not ask for riches, the death of his enemies, nor even for a long life. He asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule over God’s people. His answer pleased God and God gave him wisdom and knowledge, along with riches, peace in the kingdom, and a long life. Let’s look briefly at those verses we read earlier.
Mark 10:36–37 (NKJV) 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
James and John had no clue as to what they were asking for. Their eyes had been opened and they knew just who Jesus was. They were in tight with Jesus, so it was natural to assume that Jesus would grant their wish favorably.
Mark 10:38 (NKJV) But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
In the story from our focal, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem awaited a Roman cross. The cup Jesus was referring to was the cup of suffering. In God’s economy, suffering and glory goes together hand-in-hand. The scripture does tell us that the disciples will in fact suffer, just as Jesus suffered. But at that point in time, there were stars in their eyes, they were making a selfish and self-serving request to Jesus. Now to Blind Bartimaeus, we find him by the road begging.
Mark 10:46 (NKJV) Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
Jesus and the crowd was traveling down main road, and Bartimaeus was just on the side of the road, begging. Mark has way of writing with little indicators of change. We will revisit that Bartimaeus was only by the road later.
Mark 10:47 (NKJV) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus may have been blind physically, but as we will see, he has some spiritual insight. Obviously Jesus’ had a reputation that preceded Him. Bartimaeus has heard about Jesus, but calls out to Jesus according to His title: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The title “Son of David” is clearly a Messianic title, one that was well known. In Jewish thought, that title indication the coming of a Messiah Warrior King who would rid Israel of her enemies. Bartimaeus has twisted that meaning as to now the “Son of David” is One who can bring healing and wholeness. To the crowd and many of the disciples, Jesus is way too important to stop his journey for a poor blind man.
Mark 10:48 (NKJV) Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
I hope I would never be one to prevent someone else from coming to Jesus. We don’t stand in the way as much as our actions. Too many time others who would come to Jesus would say about us , “If that’s what being a follower of Christ is, I what no part of it.”
As demonstrated many times before, Jesus had demonstrated compassion for the “least of these.” He made time for the children, He stopped to see the woman (who had the issue with blood) who touched Him. He healed the lame, the blind, the leprous, many with various infirmities including demon possession. Bartimaeus is not a speed-bump in the road. He was the road. He is the reason Jesus had come.
Mark 10:49 (NKJV) So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”
Jesus does not want to do something for Bartimaeus, He wants to do something with Bartimaeus. Jesus did not go to Bartimaeus, but rather called Bartimaeus to him himself. The crowd even recognizes that being called by Jesus is special. For Jesus to call, “even to the least of these,” is a reason to rejoice. The scripture as clear, we cannot go to Jesus on our own. We must be called.
John 6:44 (NKJV) No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
But that doesn’t mean our response is automatic. Many people take a call from Jesus as an inconvenience. The things and the ways of the world steal our blessing and salvation and holds us back. It steal out time with Jesus. But not for blind Bartimaeus.
Mark 10:50 (NKJV) And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
Only Mark records this little tidbit of information in this story. Throwing aside his garment means Bartimaeus is throwing aside all that he has. His garment is what he lays out on the ground for people to toss their alms into. His garment is what kept him warm at night. For the poor blind beggar, his garment was everything. But nothing was going to stand between him and Jesus. Then Jesus asks the question, which you would assume the answer is obvious.
Mark 10:51 (NKJV) So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
Jesus may have asked the obvious, but to blind Bartimaeus, he has waited his entire life for this moment. He threw aside all the hindered him, all that held him down from coming to Jesus. He called Jesus here “Rabboni” vice Rabbi. This a a more strengthen form of Rabbi. Here Bartimaeus is in essence saying “My Lord, my Master, my Teacher.” It has now become personal. From the “Son of the David” the Messiah that is to come, to that one standing before him asking what He wants to be done for him. He cries out, “I want to see, I want my sight!”
In humble trust Bartimaeus asks not for wealth, power, or success, but only for sight; he asks not to be superhuman, but simply human. For the well, normalcy may seem the bare minimum, but for the ill and troubled normalcy is God’s greatest gift. [2]
Contrast this to the response that James and John had with Jesus. “I want honor and glory.” Poor blind Bartimaeus just wants to be normal. He has been suffering all of his life, and now relief is here.
Mark 10:52 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
Again, it was the same as the woman with the issue of blood. It was faith. “Made well” – here again is the Greek word “sozo” which can easily be translated as it is in other places as “saved.” Bartimaeus’ faith has saved him. But Jesus did far more than open up the physical eyes of Bartimaeus, He open up the eyes of His spirit.
“Immediately he received his sight.” He saw Jesus. He followed Jesus. Not only did he follow Jesus, he followed “on the road.” In the Greek we could easily say “in the way” which in Greek is the word used for discipleship. Bartimaeus followed Jesus, in the way. And that way, the road Jesus was traveling was uphill. Jericho lies about 850 feet below sea level and Jerusalem is about 2,500 feet above sea level. That 15 mile road from Jericho to Jerusalem is 3,350 foot climb. To follow Jesus is an uphill climb and that road led Jesus to a horrible death on the cross. But Bartimaeus followed Jesus up that road. But Marks description, he became a disciple, a follower of Jesus.
Remember where we first found Bartimaeus?
Mark 10:46 (NKJV) Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
Bartimaeus was sitting by the road begging. He was only “by the way.” Because he was blind, he only heard the world go by. And he lived from the crumbs that came his way. How many of us just sit by the way watching? A saving faith gets us in the game, and off the bench, off the sidelines, off from being “by the way” and placed firming “on the way.” Now Bartimaeus was “in the way. ” He was actively following Jesus. His faith not only healed and saved him, but moved him into being a disciple.
Faith that does not move you into being a disciple, that does not lead you into following Jesus, is no real faith at all. The scripture do not say that when Bartimaeus received his sight that he ran back to grab his cloak, so lay out his cloak by the road and resume begging. Bartimaeus left all that he had and followed Jesus.
Remember the rich young ruler (from a sermon a month ago)? He went away sad because he had great possessions. And the rich young ruler left Jesus, left salvation, and never became a follower.
What is holding you back this morning? What is holding you back from following Jesus. If Jesus were to ask you, what could He do for you, what would you ask?
[1] Adapted from the illustration submitted to SermonCentral.com by Jonathan Busch
[2] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 331.
