The first occasion is when James and John approach him with a fairly open-ended request: “We want you to do whatever we ask”. It’s no wonder our Lord wants to know a bit more first! And he is wise to do so: James and John want him to grant to them (and not to others) the honour and the right to sit by his side, one on his left and the other on his right. To have the places of prominence and prestige. To be right at the heart of all that happens, helping to broker his power and basking in reflected glory.
When asked if they can endure what their Saviour will go through, they answer yes. They believe they have what it takes. How foolish and deadly is human pride. Well, they would indeed drink that cup, each in their own way, but certainly not as they had fondly imagined.
If we think they were alone in wanting that kind of position, let’s notice that the other disciples also debated which of them was the greatest. And let’s remember that we, too, can be so full of self-confidence that we don’t even consider and account for the cost of following Jesus.
It’s a very humbling scene.
And one that is quickly followed by a blind beggar, Bartimaeus by name, asking Jesus, the Son of David, to have mercy on him. He, too, is asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” It might seem his need is pretty obvious (a blind man will want to see, of course) but there is wisdom in our Lord’s approach: What does Bartimaeus most value? And does he truly believe that the Son of David can meet his deepest need?
His answer is plain but profound: “Rabbi, I want to see.” Where James and John wanted their faces turned to the adoring crowds, Bartimaeus wants his sight restored with his face turned towards Jesus. There is a huge gulf between them. He will never before have asked anyone else to restore his sight, but he asks Jesus - that tells us something important about his perception of the Lord. Their folly is set in sharp relief by his faith.
How might we answer that same question? There are many legitimate things we can and should ask for and we need have no hesitation in laying those requests before the Lord. There are also many unworthy requests that we might make, to our shame. But the answer given by Bartimaeus is one that ought to accompany us down the years, because it reminds us of the heart of the matter: "I want to see" - I want to see you, Jesus, in all your wonderful glory and in the majesty of the grace that heals completely the sin-sickness of my burdened soul.
It is this great need for inward sight that animates the prayer of the apostle Paul for the Christians in Ephesus:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
What is it that you want Jesus to do for you?
And one that is quickly followed by a blind beggar, Bartimaeus by name, asking Jesus, the Son of David, to have mercy on him. He, too, is asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” It might seem his need is pretty obvious (a blind man will want to see, of course) but there is wisdom in our Lord’s approach: What does Bartimaeus most value? And does he truly believe that the Son of David can meet his deepest need?
His answer is plain but profound: “Rabbi, I want to see.” Where James and John wanted their faces turned to the adoring crowds, Bartimaeus wants his sight restored with his face turned towards Jesus. There is a huge gulf between them. He will never before have asked anyone else to restore his sight, but he asks Jesus - that tells us something important about his perception of the Lord. Their folly is set in sharp relief by his faith.
How might we answer that same question? There are many legitimate things we can and should ask for and we need have no hesitation in laying those requests before the Lord. There are also many unworthy requests that we might make, to our shame. But the answer given by Bartimaeus is one that ought to accompany us down the years, because it reminds us of the heart of the matter: "I want to see" - I want to see you, Jesus, in all your wonderful glory and in the majesty of the grace that heals completely the sin-sickness of my burdened soul.
It is this great need for inward sight that animates the prayer of the apostle Paul for the Christians in Ephesus:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
What is it that you want Jesus to do for you?
************
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto Me, and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
The living water: thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,
And all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk
Till travelling days are done.
(Horatius Bonar, 1808-89)
