What Do You Want Me To Do For You? Series

Who Is This Man?

What Do You Want Me to Do for You?

Mark 10:46-52

Choose Wisely

“He chose poorly.” Those were the understated words of the ageless knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as the movie’s villain’s face melted away in vintage Spielberg fashion. If you recall the scene, Indiana Jones and the bad guys are all on a quest to find “the Holy Grail,” supposedly the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper. Both the good guys and the bad finally arrive at the cave where it has been kept safe by an ageless knight since the last Crusade in the thirteenth century. According to the legend, anyone who would drink from the Holy Grail would have eternal life. (Of course, this is all medieval mythology with no basis in truth.) There are several cups of varying descriptions laid out before the eager questers to choose from. “But,” the knight warns, “choose wisely!” With gun in hand, the bad guy insists on being the first one to choose. His lovely assistant, who is an eminent archeologist, points him to a gilded golden goblet. And the rest of the story is, as they say, “cinematic history.” He chose poorly.

Our text today in Mark’s Gospel narrates the final episode of Jesus’ ministry before he enters into Jerusalem to fulfill his Father’s will. In the previous two stories, Jesus asked a similar question to a rich man and the sons of Zebedee who sought him out: “What do you want me to do for you?” In both instances, they “chose poorly.” We hear the same question put to a blind beggar in today’s message. His response shows us how to choose wisely.

Text: Mark 10:46-52 (NLT)

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

Eager to See

As Jesus was approaching his rendezvous with destiny in Jerusalem, he had to pass through the old town of Jericho. It was only about fifteen miles from the city walls of the Holy City. As Jesus was hurrying along, the beggar, Bartimaeus, called out from his station at the side of the road, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” No doubt, Bartimaeus, had established his place along the side of the road for a long time. It wasn’t unusual for beggars to position themselves there in Jesus’ day even as they still do today. Bartimaeus must have heard about Jesus from people who had passed by him on their way up to Jerusalem. The poor beggar had probably heard about the miracles that he had done and determined that if Jesus ever came his way that he would do everything he could to get the rabbi’s attention. He was desperate and Jesus was his only hope of changing the miserable circumstances of his life. Even though the people tried to shut him up, he called out even louder.

Up to this point in Mark’s Gospel, no one had ever called Jesus, the “Son of David.” It wasn’t just a cliché. For the first century Jew, the term, “Son of David” was a title reserved only for the Messiah. Earlier in the Gospel, Peter had declared that Jesus was the Messiah and the Lord warned the twelve not to tell anyone else. But when Bartimaeus yells out this messianic title, Jesus doesn’t stop him. The people tried to brush him aside but Jesus affirmed him and his declaration that he was, indeed, the Messiah. The Rabbi would no longer keep his messianic identity a secret. He stopped in his tracks and invited the desperate beggar to come to him.

Having heard the invitation from Jesus, Bartimaeus abandoned his place and came rushing forward. Mark tells us that he threw his coat aside. No small detail. Bartimaeus, no doubt, used his coat like the other beggars did and spread it on the ground in front of him to catch the coins that might be tossed his way. It was his sole means of support and income and it no longer meant anything to him as he came rushing forward to meet his Savior.