Why did Jesus ask Blind Bartimeus what the man wanted Jesus to do for him?

There is an important lesson to look at here for us to understand. Notice something else, the people around Jesus try to silence blind bartimeus. That is an interesting insight. You know, “Do not bother the master. You are not important to him.” Finally, Jesus says, bring him to me and asks him the question. First, is it all that obvious what he wants? Maybe, maybe not.

Jesus is pointing out many things, first, he is showing how the importance of each person’s intention is although in the human way of thinking it may not appear that way. Second He is pointing out the importance of voicing those concerns and thirdly he is showing the importance of every person. Blind Bartimeus gets his sight through no fault of the Apostles and Disciples. He was persistent in his prayer, he ignored the nay sayers and he was heard by Jesus.

This is a common principle in the bible and it leads us to ask the question “to whom do you listen?” In the book of Job, this man who is suffering so much, learns who his friends are by those who are his naysayers. Many condemn him as a sinner strictly because he is suffering so much, they take this as a sign of his sins. Yet, the truth is that he is suffering so much as the Devil is trying to get him to sin, not to get him to stop sinning. The naysayers have it wrong. They are thinking as human beings not as God thinks and they are not allowing God’s way of thinking to enter into their way of thinking.

Now let us return to Blind Bartimeus, Every single person, except Jesus, thinks as humans do and Jesus is always telling us to think as God does, but that means we have to change our way of thinking. So Jesus asks Blind Bartimeus what he wants him to do for him. Isn’t it obvious, Jesus? But maybe it is not. He asks the question that he wants to be healed. Jesus heals this man who was blind, who many felt that he was not worth his time, that many felt he was some stupid sinner and you know they say that Jesus did not come for people like him and Jesus heals him. The man has faith that Jesus may heal him, but what else does he have to learn during this time. This is an important question.

He also experienced the love of Jesus, a love that is greater than any healer, and a love that is greater than any healer can show. He shows that love unconditionally–to those who feel loved and those who don’t–that love is a transforming love and that love transforms lives. Here is a question, did Jesus’ followers understand that love? Did Jesus’ followers understand Jesus’ vision? What did Jesus’ followers understand?

Jesus’ mission remains the salvation of souls not just the healing of individuals, indeed Jesus would not heal a soul that would lead to his condemnation. Yet is that not the same today.

Ann Shields told the story during her time in the FIRE rally here in the 1980’s of praying for a person and seeing nothing happen. Eventually she learned that the person for whom she was praying was not getting better because she was praying for the wrong thing. She was praying that she would live a life in which she would fit better in society and not continue to fall through cracks of drug addiction and self-destruction. Then Ann Shields explains that she learned that she needed to pray not that she would fit better in this world but that she would be open to God’s grace leading her into the next. It was when she prayed for this that she saw the person begin to change. It made no difference if she fit well in this world, if she simultaneously did not fit better in the world to come.

In my own prayer, there are those that I know that will never have a normal life. I have dealt with people that I pray would end up in jail, why? Because I want to see them punished? Hardly, because I realize that their life is so miserable now, that as miserable as their life is now, it will be less miserable there. I am talking of people that I am just waiting for the call to learn that they died on the street. People for whom no one could do anything for them. I pray for them not that they will get better, I do that of course, but that when they wake from death, they will wake in Heaven because they are barely with hope here on Earth. I can pray for them to have the picket fence around the nice house, but I know that the miracles God will have to do in their lives to get them that are great. Yet, is God calling them ultimately to the picket house, no, but to Heaven and I can pray for that and I do.

What is it that you want Jesus to do for you? Are there things that Jesus can do for you that you are not yet aware? If Jesus asked you what you want Him to do for you, what you would say? What if He told you that you have other needs, would you listen or move on to someone else?

Photo Credits:

Top: pzAxe

Middle Yanc

Bottom: Keithpix