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On Saturday, March 22 twenty-two people met in the lower level at Covenant to gain insight, learn skills, and practice listening well, having hard conversations, and seeking to resolve conflict. In the area of listening we were reminded that asking open questions - questions that don’t have a right answer, but invite thoughtful deeper responses - is a way to prompt people to share if they would like to. For example…if one was talking with someone who clearly loved cars they could ask a closed question:  “What kind of car do you drive?” Or they could ask an open question:  “What did you love (or hate) about your very first car?” The second will likely, if they want to share with you, release several stories and memories for that person that they will talk about.

In the Gospels, Jesus asks a lot of questions. He uses them to probe people’s hearts and motivations. He uses them to invite people to probe their own hearts and motivations. One of these questions is probably my favourite. It is one I like to go back to regularly because it is so open that my answer is almost never exactly the same. We’re going to talk about that today in this Covenant Weekly for March 25, 2025.

Mark 10 is filled with a series of interactions where Jesus disappoints or frustrates people by not giving them what they want. The Pharisees want Jesus to condone their view of divorce - with an ability to cast their wives aside if they want to. The disciples want Jesus to give them the power to keep kids away from him in the crowd. The rich young ruler wants Jesus to give him the assurance of eternal life. James and John want Jesus to give them seats of honour and power in his kingdom to come. Over and over again people come to Jesus with their requests and he offers them something very different than their desires.

As they travel, Jesus and his disciples move through Jericho. And at the edge of the city, where many people are coming and going, the action picks up. Here’s what we read starting in verse 26:

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!”

So far this blind beggar isn’t really asking for anything - at least not anything specific. This one who is cast aside and desperate simply wants someone to have mercy on him. Unlike those who have come to ask Jesus for something so far in this chapter, he has no way to get to Jesus. He has no standing that will let him get through the crowd. Quite the opposite. He is shushed and dismissed. All he can do is cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

And this is what Jesus hears. Each of the uninvited requests - the ones asking for power, control, or certainty - is turned aside. But here Jesus stops. He responds to the cry simply for mercy. Listen to what unfolds and the big powerful questions Jesus asks Bartimaeus.

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,” 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.

This man, broken and aching, seeking someone who will act with mercy towards him is brought face to face with Jesus. And Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

What a powerful question.

With it, he exposes the motivations of all those who previously came to him.

  • Pharisees, what do you want me to do for you? Help you maintain your power and control over women? Give you the ability to cast them aside at your convenience at their expense? No. I’ll not do that. In fact, you need the opposite.
  • Disciples, what do you want me to do for you? Give you power, whether it be over who can come to Jesus or on thrones is the coming kingdom of your imagination? No, I’ll not do that. In fact, you need the opposite.
  • Rich young man, what do you want me to do for you? Give you assurance of eternal life without it actually costing you anything? No, I’ll not do that. In fact, you need the opposite.

Here, face to face with a man only longing for mercy their selfishness and greed are exposed. And Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” Given the context, we already know what the answer from Jesus will be if the man asks for power or wealth or control. There is a sense in which we should expect Jesus’ answer to be, “No!” to whatever the man asks for. That’s been Jesus’ answer throughout this section.

But then the man asks, “My Rabbi, I want to see.” Yes, this is for his benefit, but it isn’t for power or control. It is simply a request for justice - for something wrong in the world to be made right again. And Jesus’ response is powerful. He tells the man, “Go, for your faith has healed you.”

Jesus doesn’t even take credit for the subsequent healing. He tells him that his faith in Jesus to act in a way that supports and brings justice is what initiates the healing.

I was reminded of this in a conversation after church on Sunday morning. James, in writing about what we ask God for, says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” The word righteous has the same root as the word justice. To be righteous is to live in the pursuit of God-shaped (Jesus-like) justice - rightness aligned with God’s kingdom - in the world. This verse suggests that when those seeking justice respond to God’s question, “What do you want me to do for you?” it unleashes great power and initiates wonderful results. The heart and intent of the one asking God to move has a significant impact on God’s response.

I invite each of us to hear God ask us, “What do you want me to do for you?” And answer the question! God is ready to listen to us no matter what we want. But we are also invited to sit with our request and allow our hearts to be examined through it. Why are we asking for what we’re asking? What is our motivation and heart? How does it align with Jesus-like sacrificial love and justice in the world?

Or maybe your response isn’t that complicated. Maybe today it’s a cry for mercy and a simple request, “Lord, I want to be healed.” Speak it out. Let God hear it. God is listening.