What do you want from Jesus?
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Matthew 20 is just a cool passage of Scripture. I could camp out there for days. It demonstrates Jesus’ wisdom and generosity in the parable of the workers; it reveals His foreknowledge and understanding of His mission as He predicted His death, its means, its perpetrators and His resurrection; it reminds us, His disciples of the primacy of servant leadership; and it magnifies His power to interrupt our disabilities with His ability.
The selection that captivates me today is His encounter with the two blind men. While the disciples and those following Jesus are uncomfortable with their loudness and how they are interrupting their little moment with Jesus, Jesus stops everything to respond to them.
“What do you want me to do for you?” He asks.
“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
Can you place yourself in that scene and feel the heaviness of the moment? Jesus stops everything. The question He asks these two blind men is one that we only imagine in our wildest dreams Him asking us. Truth is, we all long for Jesus to ask us that question.
What do you want me to do for you?
Some folks today continue to reject or neglect surrendering their life to God because of disappointment with Him or unmet expectations. Life has been hard. Death has claimed a loved one, or perhaps a dream. Whether it was when they were younger or last month, they have given up hope and no longer imagine that Jesus would ever ask them such a question. In some strange way, they think that Jesus can’t handle what they might say.
Others aren’t turned off by Jesus, but rather are so consumed by their own selfishness and littleness that they can’t imagine needing Jesus. They don’t know that they are blind. They cannot see, and therefore do not fear, the chasm ahead.
Still others, perhaps, have had prayers gone “unanswered” for so long, that although they have not given up their faith in Him, it’s such a shrunken, pygmy faith that it’s not faith at all. Rather, the Jesus they claim to “believe in” now is only a shadow of the real Jesus. It’s an emasculated, weak, unable (or uncaring) Christ. All because what they’ve asked from Jesus before was not given them.
Yet that question hangs on the hook of our minds…
What do you want me to do for you?
In your wildest dreams, how would you answer that?
Think carefully. You may need your sight back.
“Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him.” (Matthew 20.34)
April 25th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
great post. i needed that. thanks for sharing your insight….it’s very easy for me to see Jesus as this far off Father figure sort of or to analyze how He was when He was on earth but not to view him as the up-close and personal Savior and Lord that He is. he’s still the same. now if i could just learn to go to him first with the needs of my life!
April 28th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Yep. We all could be transformed more deeply and truly if we saw the Messiah as our King who is vitally interested in our everyday affairs, thoughts, and lives. As the fulfillment of the longing of our hearts.
May 3rd, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Please lord don’t let them democrats win in 08!!!!
May 3rd, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Riddick, that’s a tall prayer request! ;)
May 4th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
the freedom to trust
the freedom to be transparent
I feel you though, Riddick, I feel you…