What do you want me to do for you?

The story of Bartimeus in the gospel of Mark (chapter 10, verses 46 through 52) is a beautiful tale of the faith of man and the grace of God.  But one part puzzled me is in verse 51: “And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight."”

It seems a bit odd for Jesus to ask Bartimeus what he wanted, it seems obvious.  But, Jesus knew, and wanted to make sure that Bartimeus knew, that he was facing a choice when he encountered Jesus. It seems a simple choice, when we have a problem, to ask to be healed by someone who has the power to do that.  But, the choice for Bartimeus wasn’t quite that simple.

Every choice, especially a choice involving Jesus, has consequences (Jesus goes into this in great detail in Luke 14 27-33).  For Jesus to restore Bartimeus’s sight has an obvious benefit, but regaining his sight meant that he would, in effect, lose his job.  He could no longer beg for a living, he would have to find another (and almost certainly, a more physically demanding) line of work.  This may have also been true of Bartimeus’s relatives, as they may have been supported by his begging.  And, after the initial rejoicing, how long would it be when the attention he received after regaining his sight was gone, and he was just another guy. He used to get a lot of attention and sympathy when he was blind.

Jesus asks each of us that same question.  He starts with what He has done for us: saved us, taken away our sins, died on a cross for us.  Once we accept that, accept Him, and became aware of who we are and how far our behaviour is from what He desires it to be.  It’s at this point He asks us "What do you want me to do for you?".  And, on the surface, the answer seems obvious: “Heal me, Lord”, for just as Jesus had the power to restore sight, He also has the power to restore and reform our lives. But like, with Bartimeus, there are consequences. There are parts of our lives that are in conflict with Him, but we have grown comfortable with and have grown to like.  Choosing Jesus, choosing life and light, illuminates and identifies our areas of darkness, which can be quite confronting. But, if we want Him, we must throw off the old life just as Bartimeus throws off his cloak as he makes his way to Jesus.

This is why Jesus asks the question.  We need to consider the consequences carefully before answering, but we cannot let the consequences stop us from asking for His help, because our lives will always be so much better when He heals them.