As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David !”  The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.  ~Matthew 20:29-34 (NASB)

After reading the verse above, it occurred to me that the bible records that wherever Jesus went people cried out Him.  Especially those that had been shunned by society, the outcasts, and the rejects, those who had lost all hope the things of this world, in others and in any ability to save themselves.  

“La Conner, WA”               Mark Schutter ©2013

Isn’t this still true today?  Even after 2000 years, when we are hurt, lost and without hope it is then that we cry out to God.  I wonder if in those moments those who profess no belief in God also find themselves calling out to ‘God’.

Throughout life we cry out when in distress, often more silently as we ages so as not be seen as weak.  But what really struck me was the response of Jesus, he stopped, called to them, then simply and directly asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 

The God of the universe did not indicate that He already knew what they wanted.  He asked and waited for them to answer. In those moments, as they stared into the eyes of Jesus, what thoughts were running through their minds as He simply waited for them to respond?

Could it be true that Jesus, often in a still small voice, is asking this very same question even today, to you and to me?   

“What do you want Me to do for you?”

I leave you with this –

• Are you able to answer this question clearly? 
• What specifically is your heart, your soul yearning for?
• Do you know what it is that you want Jesus to do for you?

So often we want for lack of asking, fearful of the response. The blind men knew exactly what they wanted Jesus to do for them, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.”  Clear and straight to the point was their answer. 

This question may come in the midst of the busyness of your day or the quiet moments deep in the night.  I encourage you to spend some time thinking about how will respond when Jesus asks you, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Please post your thoughts in the comments, I would love to hear them.  I plan to respond with my answer to this question in a later post.  For now, my answer evades and puzzles me greatly. ~M