Erma Bombeck once told how she was sitting in church when a small child turned around and began to smile at the people behind her. Smiling. Doing nothing else. Suddenly the mother whispered sharply, “Stop that smiling… you’re in church.”
Why did you come to church today?
Why are you here?
What do you want?
I don’t know what’s going on in your life—the concerns you face, the worries pressing on you. But I do know this: Jesus still asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
There are churches where you can come as you are and leave as you were. Did you come today with a need or a desire? Will you leave in the same condition you walked in?
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The Text
Mark 10:46–52 tells of blind Bartimaeus:
> And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging… And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called… And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
It’s a familiar story. And when we hear something familiar we’re tempted to put our minds in neutral and think, I’ve heard all this before. But the Spirit wants to speak afresh today.
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Strange Questions?
I enjoy listening to commentators on TV. Years ago when Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White fumbled, the announcer said helpfully, “That’s something they were hoping to avoid.”
We ask obvious questions all the time:
To someone with an arm in a cast: “Did you hurt your arm?”
After a funeral: “Is Ned dead?”
A first-grade teacher tells her class, “Raise your hand if you need to go to the bathroom,” and a little boy asks, “How will that help?”
Silly questions. And yet Jesus sometimes seems to ask the most obvious questions of all.
Here is Bartimaeus—blind. He cries, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stops, calls him over, and asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Isn’t it obvious?
Remember the man at the pool of Bethesda who had been crippled for 38 years? Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” Surely the answer is self-evident.
But the Lord never asks a foolish question. He doesn’t need information. He already knew Bartimaeus’ need even better than Bartimaeus did. Jesus asks to draw out faith, to probe the heart, to refine the desire.
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The Cry of Bartimaeus
Picture the scene. Bartimaeus is sitting in his usual spot when he hears unusual commotion. “What’s happening?”
“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
Can you imagine the leap of his heart? He begins to cry out loudly—literally to scream—“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” People try to hush him, but he shouts all the more.
Jesus stops. The crowd parts. The Master calls him forward.
And then comes the question that still echoes:
“What do you want Me to do for you?”
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Prayer Is Wrestling
That question lies at the heart of prayer. Prayer is not a ritual; it is a personal encounter, even a wrestling match, with the living God.
Paul wrote in Romans 15:30, “Strive together with me in your prayers.” The word strive means wrestle. Think of Jacob at the river Jabbok, wrestling until dawn. His greatest struggle wasn’t resisting the devil. It was surrendering to God—yielding to what God wanted to do in him.
My hardest battles in prayer aren’t about saying no to Satan. They’re about saying yes to God.
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Now let’s walk through three life-shaping questions that rise from Jesus’ encounter with Bartimaeus.
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1. What Do You Want Jesus to Do for You?
If God already knows our needs (and He does), why ask? For the same reason He asked Jacob, “What is your name?”—to draw out confession and clarity.
Jacob had to say, “My name is Jacob—supplanter, trickster.”
Bartimaeus had to say, “Lord, I want to see.”
You and I must name our deepest need.
Persistent asking matters. Jesus told parables of the persistent widow and the midnight visitor to show that we keep on asking. Like a child waiting for a parent to change their mind, persistence reveals how much we care.
But Jesus’ question also tests whether we really want what we say we want. The lame man at Bethesda might have enjoyed the security of being cared for. Healing would mean responsibility, work, change. Sometimes we prefer the comfort of spiritual illness to the challenge of spiritual health.
Do you really want the revival you pray for? Revival might mean new obedience, new giving, new service, new expectations. Sometimes we like being spiritual invalids because it asks nothing of us.
So Jesus presses: What do you want? Is this really what you want?
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2. How Badly Do You Want It?
Desire must become determination.
People say, “I’d give anything to play the piano like that.” Really? If you meant it, you’d practice for years.
When my doctor once told me to walk three miles four times a week and eat well, my first instinct was, “Can’t you just give me a pill?” Spiritually, we often want the pill—not the process of discipline, study, and prayer.
Bartimaeus shows what real desire looks like. He ignores public opinion. The more they try to silence him, the louder he shouts. And when Jesus calls, he throws off his cloak—his outer garment that would have tripped him—and runs. No hindrance, no hesitation.
How badly do you want spiritual sight, freedom, holiness? Badly enough to disregard the crowd, to throw aside anything that entangles?
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3. What Will You Do With It When You Get It?
Finally: if Jesus grants your request, what then?
After the healing Jesus says, “Go your way.”
Bartimaeus could have gone sightseeing, found a job, or done anything he pleased. Instead he chose to follow Jesus on the road. He used his new sight to glorify God.
God is ready to give anything that will make you a better disciple—but He rarely gives blessings you will not use for His glory. If we don’t honor Him with the money, health, or time we already have, why would He add more?
What will you do with the blessing when it comes?
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Jesus Is Passing By
Today, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. He still asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Maybe you need forgiveness. Maybe you long for a deeper walk with God, healing of a relationship, freedom from a hidden sin, courage for a calling. Whatever the need, it always comes to this: and he came to Jesus.
Come to Jesus. Name your need. Persist in prayer. Cast aside every hindrance. And when He blesses, follow Him.
