What Do You Want Me To Do For You? Series

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.