Jesus Asks a Question: “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus Asks a Question: “What do you want me to do for you?”

The Grand Inquisitor. Messiah Jesus was a Master of asking questions: some were open-ended, others were very pointed; some were out of curiosity, others were challenging; some seemed rhetorical, others seemed painfully obvious; some were to reveal Himself, others were to guide the other into self-understanding; some were intentionally provocative, others were to kick-start a conversation; some questions were asked to explore a topic to deepen understanding and stretch toward the truth; some were leading questions that He designed to suggest a particular answer, and others were questions in response to questions asked of Him; some were hypotheticals to stimulate the imagination, other questions were used  by Him as stepping stones to think logically from one point to the next. Jesus used questions to dignify the listener, letting that person know that He is taking that person seriously and listening carefully. Many of His questions were acts of friendship and used to pursue a more profound intimacy with someone. Jesus asked very few yes-no questions, and since time was usually irrelevant for Him when He was with people, He rarely asked a “when” question. Several biblical scholars have studied the gospels with Christ’s questions in mind, and they have literally counted a total of 307 questions in His various conversations and teachings. It seems that a worthy spiritual exercise when considering the many questions of Jesus is that we ask ourselves… should I take His questions personally, as if He was asking us that question right now?

Ryan Ellis – Son of David (Official Live Video)

The Question. “Jesus said to Bartimaeus, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man replied, ‘My Master, please, that I may receive my sight!’ Jesus responded, ‘Your trust in Me has made you whole. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace, with your sight restored.’ All at once, the man’s eyes opened and he could see, and he began at once to follow Jesus, walking down the road with Him.” (Mark 10:46-52).

An Obvious Question? Jesus already knew the answer, so this wasn’t simply a request for information. Perhaps He wanted to offer Bartimaeus the thrill of being personally recognized and taken seriously, giving him the dignity of being heard. Maybe Jesus wanted to inspire or stimulate a better answer to that question than James and John gave just earlier (Mark 10:36). Perhaps Jesus knew that Bartimaeus needed to be given an opportunity to express himself, to be given the chance to speak from the heart. Maybe the blind man needed to confirm his trust in Christ as the Messiah. Sometimes we don’t know what we think until we say it, and so perhaps Bartimaeus needed to speak out his confidence in Jesus as the divine healer to confirm his new faith in Him. There’s a good chance, too, that Jesus wanted the others in the crowd to be inspired by the faith of Bartimaeus. This apparently simple, obvious question probably includes all those reasons for asking it, and more.

Bartimaeus is  a blind beggar pleading for food or money outside of Jericho (Mark 10). We don’t know his real first name, because Bartimaeus simply means “son of Timaeus.” We do know his biblical name ironically means “highly prized” or “esteemed.” He is outside the city gates, by the side of the road, an uncomfortable embarrassment to the town folk. Jericho is a wealthy resort town run by the Romans, a ancient city rebuilt by Herod the Great to draw tourists, visitors, and people with money to spend. All of those in and around Jericho would no doubt find him repulsive and would choose to ignore him. Bartimaeus is also a living reminder of the Jewish law in Torah, that he shouldn’t even have to beg in the first place. The Mosaic Law (Lev. 25) states clearly that the Jewish people should take care of anyone in their midst with a disability or with anyone who is not able to make a living. God didn’t like the idea of one of His chosen people begging to survive.

Blind Bartimaeus – YouTube

Hope. Bartimaeus has undoubtedly heard that this roving healer/rabbi named Jesus is coming through town, and that He has already healed a blind man in Bethsaida (Mark 8). Bartimaeus thinks He may be the Messiah we’ve all been waiting for, so if he makes himself known by the side of the road, maybe this Jesus will see him. The dust in the air is so thick, he can barely breathe. There must be a big crowd with Jesus. It doesn’t help that all the town dogs are barking in excitement as they scamper around all these people. Bartimaeus surely hears the throng surrounding Jesus as they approach nearby.

Faith. Even though he is now covered in dust, and swallowed up by the noise, Bartimaeus figured out how to get Jesus’ attention. In his chutzpah, Bartimaeus decided to make a scene. He decided to give loud voice to his little bit of faith. He acclaimed Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, and did so without shame or embarrassment. So he shouts those words that he hopes will stop Jesus in His tracks: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people around Bartimaeus lost patience with him. “Those in the crowd were indignant and scolded him for making so much of a disturbance.” (Mark 10:48). 

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight (The Blind Men Near Jericho) – YouTube

Messiah-Mercy. All the Jewish people knew that the anticipated Messiah would come from the family line of King David. So, Son of David meant Messiah. They also knew that one of the main signs telling of the Messiah would be that He would bring sight to the blind (Isaiah 29, 35, and 42).  The Messiah would heal blindness, which was considered maybe the most spectacular miracle of all. Bartimaeus didn’t stop with calling Jesus the Messiah, though. He followed up with those two words that will stop Jesus every time: “Have Mercy!” Jesus loves to show mercy wherever He goes, and when you ask Him for it, it’s almost like you’ve put a wall in His way or a stop-light on the road, and He can’t go around it or through it till He shows mercy. You ask Jesus for mercy, and you definitely have His attention. Mercy is the defining gene in His DNA.

Jesus Stopped. Despite all the noise and confusion, Jesus heard his cries, and He stopped. All of a sudden, the crowd grew a bit quieter, wondering why the whole train of people have stopped too. What did all the people around Jesus start to say? They kept telling Bartimaeus to be quiet, for He was considered a big sinner who was cursed by God with blindness, unworthy to approach Jesus. So they kept saying things like, “Shush, shush! Jesus is a busy man and doesn’t have time for a cursed blind man, a sinner like you!” But Bartimaeus was tenacious and determined, and he ignored them. After all, this was the chance of a lifetime for him! He will not be denied. He will holler at the top of his lungs, forever, if that’s what it takes to get Jesus’ attention. But Jesus heard, and He stopped. That in itself is a miracle.

Trust. Because Bartimaeus hoped in Jesus, and so he kept shouting. He didn’t give up. He trusted somehow that Jesus would actually heal him. Even though he never saw Jesus or any of His miracles, he believed in Him. He didn’t hold back, he kept making a scene. He trusted Jesus even though he didn’t see Jesus. Think about that. So he then heard Jesus call out to him, and his friends, probably even the disciples, brought him to Jesus. “Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So the disciples called to the blind man, “Cheer up! Be encouraged! Take heart! On your feet! He’s calling you!”

Chutzpah (hoots-pah). Bartimaeus had a chutzpah-style faith. Chutzpah is a Yiddish word that long ago entered English usage. It is from the Hebrew word, “hutspah,” which means insolent or audacious. Chutzpah is a neutral word that can be either positive or negative. Chutzpah can be righteous or unrighteous, holy or unholy. It is an idea difficult to define, so there are a lot of synonyms for it, especially in the biblical sense: spiritual audacity; brazen gall; tenacious stubbornness; headstrong persistence; outrageous guts; shameless nerve; feisty assertiveness; brazen impudence; unyielding boldness; courageous spine; expectant defiance. Chutzpah in a negative sense was just demonstrated by James and John as they asked Jesus to create prominent positions for them in His kingdom. Jesus had just asked the same question of the Sons of Zebedee that he will soon ask of Bartimaeus… “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36). That takes chutzpah! The Holy Scriptures, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, are overflowing with examples of holy chutzpah. One wonders not only if it’s a job requirement for saints and prophets, but also a faith requirement for all believers. In fact, God seems to love chutzpah in us when it is based on our ultimate trust in Him and His character, our unselfish motives, our yearning for justice and mercy. Chutzpah in front of others becomes holy when it is done in obedience to the Lord and is an outworking of our faith in Him. As Rabbi Schulweiss once said, “Spiritual audacity toward God finds a place of honor in Jewish religious thought.” The rabbis of old have always insisted that chutzpah is a valid expression of faith. Just a quick glimpse at the Gospels reveals that Jesus and His followers fully embraced the ancient Jewish ethic of holy chutzpah. When Jesus saw chutzpah in action, He usually said things like, “Great is your faith!” Maybe Christian scholar Dr. Brad Young said it best. “True faith requires bold perseverance. Sometimes it is expressed by brazen impudence. Faith can be defined as chutzpah. Persevere with unyielding tenacity.” (Brad Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian).

The Beggar’s Cloak. Bartimaeus was so excited Jesus wanted to see him, that he threw aside his trusty outer cloak, and jumped up onto his feet in hope and joy. All beggars during that time had a large outer coat that served as something like a picnic blanket, since he would spread it out on the dusty ground and sit on it, as well as using it as a handy surface on which to gather his donations. Throwing aside his cloak in this way means that he probably threw away his donated coins as well. Bartimaeus expected to be healed by this man Jesus, which means he didn’t need his beggar’s cloak anymore. Casting aside his cloak amounted to a profound statement of faith in Christ.  And then, there he was, standing right in front of Jesus, perhaps the first person Bartimaeus had ever seen in his life.

Interruption. Jesus was walking along on His way to Jerusalem, and then He was stopped by Bartimaeus. He stopped in the road to talk to a blind beggar. It seems Jesus was always ready to be interrupted. He was patient and observant in His kindness. It’s easy to forget that Jesus had what could be called a Ministry of Interruptions. Most of His miracles seem to have been done during His countless interruptions as He went from one place to another. Yes, those interruptions seemed to halt whatever continuity He had in his life. But then again, did His life have any continuity? Whatever rhythm His life had was constantly being redirected. Perhaps the interruptions Jesus welcomed were actually the main point of His ministry. All those random detours in His ministry were embraced by Jesus as sacred moments, and not a nuisance, and of course were not random in the least. Here He was, walking steadily down the road, probably thinking about His coming Passion in Jerusalem, and He still was ready to delay His agenda. Jesus, always interruptable. The Gospels are full of other heaven-sent interruptions that Jesus welcomed. One NT scholar estimated that there were as many as 35 interruptions in the first three chapters in the Gospel of Mark alone! It turns out that Christ’s agenda was to be interrupted! His to-do list was to be constantly detoured. Interruptions were accepted as timely moments, Kairos-time, for the Lord to sing His Song of compassion, mercy, patience, and grace. With Christ, He didn’t worry about whatever project He was working on. Mere efficiency of His time wasn’t even close to a concern of His.

Healed. Amazing! Jesus stopped to heal Bartimaeus, and He didn’t even have to touch him. He just gave the word, and Bartimaeus could see! Isn’t that just like in creation, when all that was needed was a word, and it was done? Well, this is a new world for Bartimaeus, that’s for sure. Despite the jostling crowd, He surely looked at Bartimaeus as if he was the only person in the world. This was the last healing mentioned by Mark in his gospel, and the only one he recorded in which the healed person immediately followed Jesus and became a disciple.

“Sozo.” The word that Mark used for healing here is a comprehensive word that usually includes both physical and spiritual salvation. Sozo means to rescue, deliver from danger, save, heal, make whole. The implication is that Bartimaeus was saved inside and out, physically and spiritually.

Up Close and Personal. The closer Bartimaeus got to Jesus, the more personal Jesus became to him. Bartimaeus went from stating a general statement of belief, “You are the Messiah,” to a personal statement, addressing Jesus as “Rabboni.”  This is a Hebrew word that is only used twice in the Gospels… once here with Bartimaeus and the other with Mary Magdalene in John 20:16 after the Resurrection. Rabboni is a very reverent term, which means “My Master” or “My Great One.” His initial general belief statement was not good enough for Bartimaeus. He wanted a personal relationship, he wanted more of a friendship with Jesus, not accepting a merely abstract acceptance of Him. The closer Bartimaeus got, the more personal Jesus became to him. To Bartimaeus, Jesus was generally the Lord, but He was also specifically MY Lord. To believe in a creed is one thing, an important thing, but having a personal relationship with Jesus is another thing entirely. And now, because the general Lord is his personal Lord, Bartimaeus does finally feel the significance of his name… highly prized and esteemed.

Style. It’s fascinating that Jesus healed the blindness of Bartimaeus with just a word. Not long ago (Mark 8), He used quite a process to heal another blind man. He literally spit on the man’s eyes and then touched them. The healing still wasn’t completed, so Jesus touched his eyes once again, and finally the healing was done. Then another time (John 9), Jesus healed a blind man by spitting on the ground, making mud, and then spreading the mud on the man’s eyes. Jesus then asked this man to wash off the mud in a nearby pool of water. Finally, that blind man could see. And then again (Matthew 9), Jesus simply touched the eyes of two blind men who were following Him everywhere. So that’s four scenes of Jesus healing the blind, and he healed those men in four different ways. Apparently, there is no one formula for His healing work. God is creative in His healing style, and so we shouldn’t expect all His miracles to look the same. He loves to do the unexpected. Do we sometimes put God in a box?

Following Jesus. After Bartimaeus was healed, he immediately started following Jesus as they all walked down the road. The healing was not the end of the story. He started a new life of friendship with Jesus, following Him, obeying Him. He was healed in order to follow. Without his chutzpah, one wonders if Bartimaeus would have ever been healed. Jesus probably would have healed him regardless, but the persistent, stubborn shouts of Bartimaeus certainly helped the process along. And now with his new sight, he knew the right direction to walk in. Right at Jesus’ heels. Did he follow Jesus all the way to Jerusalem? Did he find other healed blind men on the road? Was he at the Cross when Jesus died? We don’t know. When Jesus heals us of our blindness, let’s be like Bartimaeus and follow Jesus down the road, to wherever that takes us.

Taking the Question Personally. If there ever was a question of Jesus that we can take personally, this is the one.

1. Torah-Care. If someone now is barely surviving, and needs a helping hand, should people take care of this privately or should the government take care of it? Who should provide the safety net?
2. Cherished. Are there times when you don’t feel especially cherished or esteemed or prized? We all just might depend too much on other people for our affirmation. Maybe we should take our cues from, and focus our self-worth on, the Creator of the universe, who says that each of us is made in His image, and thus have dignity, and worth, and are sacred. According to God, we are all prize packages! Now that’s the vote of confidence I can depend on. What situations tend to take away your self-respect or make you feel less than prized?
3. The Side of the Road. Do you ever feel like Bartimaeus, pushed aside, benched, put on the sidelines away from the normal life of ordinary people? Have you ever been rejected like him, made to feel like an outsider looking in, on the side of the road in a busy world, away from all the action? That’s a lonely and uncomfortable place to be. Notice what the persistently hopeful Bartimaeus does as he is chronically overlooked and chokes on everyone’s dust. There is no one willing to speak for him in all this chaos, so he shouts.
4. Shouting. We can approach Jesus the same way, boldly and with confidence. Remember that God’s judgment throne is actually called the Throne of Grace. So there’s nothing to be afraid of. Of course, Jesus will hear you even if you whisper. And if all you can do is groan, He will hear that too, and even understand your groanings. If you are lonely, afraid, needy just like Bartimaeus, approach Jesus and tell Him what’s on your mind. Jesus is the best listener in the world. You don’t even have to shout. Have you ever approached God and didn’t know how to say what is on your mind? Have you ever felt that you were having a hard time getting God’s attention?
5. Talk On. Do you know that when you want to talk to Jesus, instead of having people telling you to be quiet, you have a great cloud of witnesses cheering you on? You have a Christian family of brothers and sisters urging you to talk to Him. They won’t discourage you or tell you to pipe down. You might run into people who say things like, “Don’t waste your breath, you may as well not say anything.” But don’t listen to anyone who would discourage you to talk with Jesus. Be like Bartimaeus.  Have some holy chutzpah, boldly talk to Him all you want, and don’t worry about making a scene.
6. The Role of the Disciples. It’s interesting to notice how the role of the disciples changed in the course of the story. At first, they were more or less Christ’s bodyguards, keeping out the riff-raff, shooing away the impediments in the path of Jesus. Then, Jesus stopped, and so of course the disciples had to stop as well. Jesus told them to bring this blind man to Him, and they willingly went over to Bartimaeus and said, “Cheer up! Be encouraged! Take heart, blind man! Jesus wants to talk with you!” They went from being overly concerned about their progress as they made their way out of Jericho to Jerusalem, to actually participating in the ministry of Jesus! Without the disciples, Bartimaeus made never have been able to get to Jesus in that crazy throng! Not only that, but they made the blind man feel welcome and included. May the same be said of us as we follow Jesus and take part in whatever ministry He wants for us.
7. Blindness. Aren’t we all blind in some way? We simply don’t see as well as we should. Blind to God’s goodness and wisdom, blind to God’s power and glory, blind to the needs of others, blind to our own needs. Blind to truth. We can be blind in understanding Scripture, in how to worship. We all need to be healed of blindness. Praise the Lord, Jesus can bring us from darkness to light and heal our blindness, just as He healed the blindness of Bartimaeus. In what ways are you blind? See Again (Bartimaeus) – Chris Cope (Official Lyric Video)
8. Following Jesus. After Bartimaeus was healed, he immediately started following Jesus as they all walked down the road. The healing was not the end of the story. He started a new life of friendship with Jesus, following Him, obeying Him. He was healed in order to follow. And now with his new sight, he knew the right direction to walk in. Right at Jesus’ heels. Did he follow Jesus all the way to Jerusalem? Did he find other healed blind men on the road? Was he at the Cross when Jesus died? We don’t know, but I’d like to think so. When Jesus heals us of our blindness, let’s be like Bartimaeus and follow Jesus down the road, to wherever that takes us.
9. An Answer to His Question. As we think about His question, and Bartimaeus’ answer, and the fact that he was then able to truly see Jesus, perhaps the psalmist David provided the ultimate answer to Christ’s question… To Dwell on His Beauty. It’s not enough to simply appreciate or admire the beauty of Christ. Instead, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and His beauty, to gaze upon Him and worship His beauty, to allow His beauty to be formative in our lives. David exclaims in Psalm 24:7 that he has ‘one thing’ he wants more than anything else, there is one thing that would help form and direct his life… “to gaze with complete focus upon the sweet and delightful beauty of the Lord.” There’s a good chance that centering our life on the beauty of Christ, of worshiping His beauty, of allowing His beauty to change our lives into one like His, is indeed our ‘one thing most needful’ when we consider our answer to His question.