Twice in this next passage Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” Each situation is different as they come to Him with different attitudes. Given that, hopefully, it will make you stop and think about how you approach Jesus in prayer. Let’s dig in…
Mark 10:32-52
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
32 They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. 33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans (Gentiles). 34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”
Jesus Teaches about Serving Others
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
36 “What is your request?” he asked.
37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”
39 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”
So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“My Rabbi (Rabboni),” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
Mark 10:32-52 NLT
The Messiah will be Killed
Why did Jesus refer to himself as the “Son of Man” in the 3rd person?
That stems way back to the Old Testament and a prophecy of Daniel’s…
13 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14 NLT
“Son of Man” refers to the Jewish Messiah — the King that was coming with authority, honor and sovereignty over ALL the nations of the world. Unfortunately, the Jews were expecting the Messiah to get rid of the Roman oppressors once and for all. However, that was not how it was going to work. Jesus came to save the first time. It’s in His 2nd coming that He’ll come in the clouds, to eliminate not just oppressors, but the Antichrist, the False Prophet and Satan all at once. That’s all in the Book of Revelation.
He didn’t come right out and say, “I am the Messiah“, because people would have wanted to make Him King right then and there.
Jesus Predicts His Suffering and Death
Here, Jesus, for the 3rd time, tells His disciples what’s ahead of Him in Jerusalem. He’s giving them fair warning. Yet, they still don’t get it. Though Jesus raised several people from the dead, they still had no concept of the resurrection. Thus, James and John want to make sure they get prominent positions in the coming Kingdom.
They had no idea, nor could they fathom what really was going to happen only a few days later. Jesus did end up with a person on either side of Him — 2 criminals. It had nothing to do with political leadership or power. This reflects again what He said about the least, the last and the lowest.
Son of David!
Lastly, we have blind Bartimaeus. There’s a lot going on here, let’s unpack it…
- In those days, a blind person had no way to make a living except to beg. He was situated on the road to Jerusalem. It was just before the Passover and there were many people on the road making the annual pilgrimage. Similar to our Christmas giving season, people were generous to the poor.
- Bartimaeus heard the commotion and when He heard it was Jesus, He knew that He could heal his blindness.
- He cried out, “Son of David!” That was another reference to the Messiah. Notice that Jesus didn’t tell him to be quiet, as He was on the way to the cross.
I turn again to The Gospel of Mark (Part 5) Bible study from the free, YouVersion Bible app…
Bartimaeus may have been physically blind, but those around him were spiritually blind. It’s ironic because as people mindlessly traveled to usher in Passover (which celebrated the future Messiah and salvation), they were blindly unaware the Messiah was already in their midst! Yet, this blind man knew. He saw. He cried out.
Not only did Bartimaeus cry out, but when led to Jesus, he left his cloak behind–a decision born from faith. Think of it this way: You’re in Times Square at Christmastime. Now, close your eyes, drop your wallet, and walk away. What are the odds you’ll find it again with your eyes closed? But if you knew you could retrieve it with your eyes opened, you would faithfully let it go. Bartimaeus cast off his most treasured possession, knowing he would be healed.
There’s a lovely paradigm in the life of this blind man, and it’s one of Mark’s motifs in his writing. Mark conveys the notion that many people who believe they are following Jesus are merely following an idea, a crowd, a tradition. They are spiritually blind. Yet, Bartimaeus comes on the scene with no premise, no motive, no shallowness of religiosity, just an awareness of who Jesus is, with faith that He will meet his needs, and the desire for true discipleship by following Him.
Lisa Sapp, The Gospel of Mark (Part Five):
https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/25836-the-gospel-of-mark-part-five
“What Do You Want Me to Do For You?”
Notice that Jesus asked the same question to James and John and to Bartimaeus. Notice, too, that only Bartimaeus got what he wanted because he BELIEVED. He was sincere. He asked with a different attitude. He became a follower of Jesus. Bartimaeus knew WHO Jesus was.
I imagine, though blind, Bartimaeus sat in the back of the temple or synagogue and listened intently to the readings of the Old Testament prophets. He had no doubts as to WHO Jesus was.
Are YOU spiritually blind?
So, what do YOU want Jesus do for you?
The ONE thing that HE CAN give you if, you honestly and sincerely want it, is SALVATION.
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Top image by Sweet Publishing from FreeBibleImages.org, (CC BY-SA 3.0)
