What do you want me to do for you?

Luke 18:35-43

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. 38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” 42 And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” 43 Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.

Food for thought!

Let us re imagine the scene. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to the Passover. He is not alone; he has a big crowd around him, listening to every word he says. Any noise from anybody is an unwanted distraction. A nuisance.

Sitting on the roadside is a blind beggar. This man is many things: he is blind; he is a beggar; he is sitting along the side of the road. Because he is a blind, he is a beggar, and because he is begging he is sitting on the side of the road; he is not part of anything; he is on the roadside of life and living. He is only good in one thing, curiosity. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by.

Immediately he cried out to Jesus for help and healing. Thereupon everyone tried to silence him. The people round Jesus were missing what he was saying because of the clamour of this blind man. "Quite!" They told the man. "You're distracting us; please shut up!" They seemed to say.

This was a crucial moment. What will the man do? Shut up or shout up? Have you ever been like this man? You desire something very important in your life, or you have a dream, or a vision, or a deal or a business idea. As you try to turn it into a reality, you begin to hear counter voices all over suggesting that you forget and abandon the idea. Maybe you wanted to go back to school for a degree, or you wanted to stop smoking, or wanted to start a business, or change jobs, or...!

The man would not be silenced. He shouted again, this time louder; he screamed so much that everybody took notice, including Jesus. The man was determined to come face to face with Jesus. Nothing would stop him. He refused to be silent and he refused to be restrained. His sense of need drove him relentlessly into the presence of Jesus. If anyone wants a miracle that is the spirit one must show. A gentle, sentimental longing never really taps the power of God; but the passionate, intense desire of the very depths of the human heart will never be disappointed.

 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”

We live in a society of almost infinite choices and opportunities, and because of that, most people find themselves pulled in dozens of directions. Jesus' question helped this man to prioritize his needs; to focus and not scatter himself with endless requests: "I want to see!" He said. I wonder what you would say! What is your ONE thing in life that you need? It must be one thing because wanting everything is wanting nothing. We do well to narrow our focus; our mind doesn't realize our dreams until it has a clear object.

Have you ever realized that if you consider buying a particular kind of car, dress, shoe, or anything, you begin seeing them everywhere you go? As John C. Maxwell says, it is because when our mind focuses on anything in particular, this something expands; what you focus on expands; narrowing your view widens your perspective.

Luke 10:41

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — indeed only one.