Questions Christ Asked Long Ago & Still Asks Today Part Four: "What Do You Want Me to Do for You?"

Lisa Rzepka, March 26, 2006
Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Text: They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52)

Our second reading of the morning comes from the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 10, verses 46-52. Jesus is on his final journey from the Galilean Region to Jerusalem and with him are the twelve disciples and a large crowd.

In our Lenten preaching series, Mary, Al and I are looking at the questions Jesus asked in Scripture and continues to ask us today. Lately, I have been preparing for our Lenten Talk2Me Class, and practicing with the participants positive communication techniques, so I am impressed with Jesus' polite question: "What do you want me to do for you?" An unproductive and somewhat familiar version might be "What do you want from me?"

The latter question would have been understandable considering the circumstances. Jesus is on a mission —proclaiming the Kingdom of God—and he's taking that message to Jerusalem. He's traveling from the far reaches of the Galilee to the center of power -- on foot! This sixty-five mile trek is burdened with heat so hot it's hard to breathe; not only is there heat but the air swirls with dust kicked up by the disciples and the crowd he has with him. Now climate contributes to wear and tear on the body but he's also been traveling in a group. And those of us who have traveled in groups, well, we know how strenuous on the psyche that can be! As their leader there have plenty of questions and challenges for Jesus to address. Finally, they reach an oasis—Jericho. It's time to kick back and tip a cold one when someone interrupts, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Although the crowd tries to silence the beggar, Jesus politely asks, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Imagine God appearing amidst your daily toil and asking, "What do you want me to do for you?"

I found this scenario quite descriptive:

Joan was puttering around the house and she thought she heard something. She went and turned down the music that'd been keeping her company. She peeked out the side window and caught a glimpse of someone standing on her front porch with a bouquet of balloons. Joan stared for a moment and muttered to herself, "What in the world?" As the man reached for the doorbell, he turned toward Joan. He looked familiar. Where had she seen that face before…he looked like…like that guy from the show Extreme Makeover! Oh, my gosh!

Joan ran to the front door and threw it open. "Did I win? Aren't you the guy from TV?" she shouted.

The man smiled and said, "Joan, don't you recognize me?" Joan's hand flew to her mouth. The answer came from her heart, not her head. She heard herself say, "Jesus?" As soon as the name was out of her mouth she knew it was true. Jesus said, "Yes, Joan. I'm here to give you something. Tell me, what would you like me to do for you?"

She was stunned. Joan said, "What do I want from you? I thought I was supposed to want whatever you wanted me to want." Jesus chuckled and said, "Well that works too. But let's try something else for today, what can I do for you?"

Joan wrapped her arms around herself not completely sure what was going to come out. What did she want? From God? Anything at all? She shifted her weight and said, "I don't quite know. I know what James would want. He'd say, "Honey, choose money. Get enough money for retirement. Get enough so we can buy a boat, maybe an RV. Oh, and enough to spend winters in Florida."

Jesus asked, "So that's what you want? Money?"

Joan answered quickly, "No. No. That isn't what I really want. Wait. Wait. Let me think." Joan started to chew her nails. Jesus waited.

Then she said, "I don't know. I know what I used to want. When I was a young girl I wanted to be a famous movie star. I wanted to live in California and wear expensive clothes. I sing a little, you know." She looked into his kind eyes. "Oh, I guess you do know."

Jesus smiled. "So you want to be a famous movie star? That's what you want from me?"

"No. Wait. Wait." Joan started to sweat. The heat spread up her neck and her face flushed. She groaned. "Wait. I don't know what I want. I know what I should want. I should want my children to be safe and healthy. I should want them to find partners to love and to give me lots of grandchildren. And I do want that. But..."

"So you want health and happiness for your children. Is that what you're asking for?" Jesus said.

"No. I mean yes, it is what I want. I mean what I want for me. I mean…I don't know what I mean." And Joan's eyes started to fill with tears as she swallowed a deep sob.

Jesus reached out and touched Joan's shoulder. "It's ok, Joan. Let's sit together awhile so you can think. Then you can tell me what you want." (adapted from "The Healing of Bartimaeus: Retelling the Story" by Pam McGrath. The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible, Vol. 9, pages 133-135.)

Joan is struggling with what she truly wants in her deepest heart. What her prayer is -- for herself. And, she evidences the idea that "some of the greatest tragedies of life [are not] being denied what we want…No, the greatest difficulties of life often come from getting what we desire: [fame, money, more things.] It's when we get what we want that we have to determine what good it brings us and what good it withholds." (as quoted by Kathleen Long Bostrom in For Everything a Season: A Study of the Liturgical Calendar, p. 43)

Joan probably had the adage, "Be careful of what you ask for" spinning in her head when Jesus posed his question. We all know of experiences of wanting something that turned out not to be a blessing but a curse. Betty Ernst shared such an experience with the Ruth Circle this week. She said that her father always wanted a Billy goat. One morning he woke up and someone had obliged his wish. When he opened the front door there was the goat - which proceeded to chase him through the house and out into the back yard! Sometimes our desires can chase us in circles.

What is your deepest desire? What do you want God to do for you?

Let's imagine a slightly different ending to Joan's story. Perhaps Joan, like Bartimaeus, asks for her sight to be restored. You see, the Bartimaeus story can be read at two levels. Quite simply it is a miracle story about a beggar wanting his sight restored. But in the larger context of Mark's gospel this is also a story about discipleship, spiritual blindness, and staying close to the One we follow.

Mark keeps the temperature up for disciples on this long hot journey to Jerusalem. As the journey commences, a different blind man approaches Jesus and requests his sight. This particular time Jesus reaches out and puts saliva on the man's eyes and asks, "Can you see anything?" The man answers, "I can see people but they look like trees walking." So Jesus touches his eyes again and looks intently at the man and his sight is restored. This two-stage healing process foreshadows the shaping of the disciples who repeatedly don't seem to 'get' what it truly means to follow Jesus. Both of these healing stories involve 'outsiders' who help shape the disciples - shape them into being the ones who proclaim the transformative power of God even when Jesus is no longer with them. Both blind men were outside the group of disciples as were the children who the disciples tried to keep away. Children who 'see' God with awe and wonder, discovery and trust and to whom the Kingdom belongs. Outsiders including healers, people who heal in the name of Jesus when the disciples themselves have failed. And this morning we hear of a beggar who asks not for money but for sight. He's a stark contrast to the Rich Young Man Mark tells us about whose vision is blurred by his material things and who walks away from Jesus grieving.

During the journey Jesus foretells what he 'sees' in his own future -- his suffering and death. And instead of consoling him, the Zebedee brothers, James and John, try to get a bid in for positions of honor, one to sit on Jesus' left and one on his right in glory. Be careful what you ask for…Jesus says, Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? The irony of the Zebedees' vision is that, in Jerusalem, those on Jesus' right and left hang on crosses.

So when Joan asks for her sight, Jesus might respond, "But you saw me out on the porch. You've been looking at me throughout this whole conversation."

Tentatively Joan confesses, "I believe, and yet, I struggle with my faith. In my heart I want to see and know truth. Please help my unbelief."

Mark recounts for us a prayer for unbelief in his gospel account. Joan's confession about struggling with faith is a reality most of us encounter somewhere along the way in our lives of faith. Some struggle with the belief in the power of God to transform life. Some struggle with the 'things' that cloud our vision. It's challenging to have unwavering faith all the time. Not when there is so much pain and brokenness that clouds our vision and gets in the way of our trust - greed, intolerance, indifference, pride - well, you know. Sometimes we pray for a miracle to strengthen our faith - but sometimes it's the strength of our faith that helps us see the miracle. And, by definition a miracle just doesn't exist without faith.

Reformer Martin Luther felt that that's why it's necessary to participate in worship and communion. To intentionally set aside time for reflection and communion feeds our faith and by doing so it lifts the veil that the world has covered our eyes with.

As Presbyterians we believe that faith is a pure gift of God. We believe that faith "quiets the conscience and opens a free access to God, so that we might draw near to God in confidence." (The Second Helvetic Confession 5.113-4) By faith we are given eyes to see the beauty, wonder, and hope in life. By faith we believe in the transformative power of God to make possible what we believe to be impossible for the benefit of the whole community.

Yes, faith is a pure gift of God but the distractions in life require our efforts in overcoming the obstacles to our faith. Bartimaeus called upon Jesus for what he needed. The crowd got in the way - initially they were an obstacle. What gets in the way of your faith?

When Jesus calls Bartimaeus, and this is truly a call story, Bartimaeus showed his trust by throwing off his cloak and standing before Jesus. Jesus never even touches him - but by faith is made well - and Bartimaeus follows Jesus 'on the way.'

Mark shows us the full range of discipleship—the various stages and struggles we move in and out of. Jesus shows us what faith really is by showing us what it is not. Faith is not simply following. Not simply following Jesus. Not even following God. Why? Because following is never enough. Followers can't move mountains, cast out demons, or stay afloat in stormy seas.

Princeton Professor Brian Blount tells the story of a mission project board meeting he attended at a church he served. One of the elders, furious at the other elders in the church because none of them were helping him in his efforts, demanded, "All of you said when we began this clothing project, 'Willie, go on and lead, we'll follow.' Well," he growled, "you're following, but you're following from so far back I can't see you." (Brian K. Blount, Preaching Mark in Two Voices, p. 172)

How far back are you? What can Jesus do for you, to bring you into discipleship? Like Joan, perhaps you need to sit with Jesus for awhile, let your faith quiet your conscience and draw you close - keep you from following too far behind. This spiritual discipline is prayer filled, and helps us respond to God with the same question Jesus asks us, "What do you want me to do for you?" May your answer to Christ's question strengthen your faith and give you the power to proclaim God's transforming love to others who struggle in the toils of this world. Amen.

© Copyright, 2006, Rev. Lisa Rzepka
All Rights Reserved.
Providence Presbyterian Church
Fairfax, Virginia