Summary
"What Do You Want Me to Do for You?"
On the road to Jericho, in the final weeks before the cross, Jesus is surrounded by a crowd that follows him for many reasons—some have witnessed his miracles, some have heard him teach with authority, and some hope he will overthrow Rome and restore Israel. Into the noise of that procession breaks the voice of a blind beggar by the roadside, crying out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" The crowd sternly tells him to be quiet. He shouts all the louder. His second cry, in the Greek, is not polite request but a visceral plea wrenched from the depths of suffering Luke 18:35-39.
Why would the crowd silence him? Perhaps because, as a blind beggar, he was an outcast they considered of no consequence. Or perhaps because they wanted Jesus for themselves and resented this interruption. Either way, Jesus stops. He stands still, the whole procession halts with him, and he commands that the man be brought near. Then comes the question that defines the whole encounter: "What do you want me to do for you?" Luke 18:40-41.
That question is staggering when we put ourselves in the beggar's place—or in our own. No one prays for a hailstorm, a broken marriage, or disaster. We come to the Lord with very specific needs, and most often our prayers sound like the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread." Luther's Small Catechism explains daily bread as everything needed for this life—food, drink, clothing, home, spouse, children, government, weather, health, friends, and the like. It covers everything on this side of heaven. Yet in our sinful flesh, "give us our daily bread" easily curdles into "give me, give me, give me"—not just food but fine dining, not just shelter but a fancy house, not just a good name but a monetized following. The petition that should teach us to receive God's gifts with thanksgiving becomes a list of prideful, selfish desires. This is why the Third Petition comes first: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We ask the Lord to give us a heart that seeks his will, not merely a will bent to serve our own “What Do You Want Me To Do For You?” 11-12-23.
Bartimaeus answers differently. "Lord, let me see again." He had once seen and now was blind, and he asked Jesus to restore his sight. This is the picture of every Christian brought before God in baptism. There the old sinful self is drowned and we are raised to new life, born of the Spirit, washed and forgiven, sealed and named as God's own child. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see what Christ has done on the cross, bearing the weight and punishment of our sin so that we can stand before God without shame, clothed in Christ's righteousness. The baptismal promise is always at the ready; we do not need to be re-baptized every time we sin, for our eyes are opened again and again to the grace already given.
Luther's explanation of the Fourth Petition itself echoes this: God gives daily bread to all people, even the wicked, without our prayer; we pray that he would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. We pray, in other words, for sight—that the Lord would open our eyes to see that it is he who provides, and to give him the thanks and praise. Jesus says to the beggar, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you" Luke 18:42. It was faith that recognized who Jesus was, faith that called him Lord and Son of David, faith that knew he could and would heal. And that faith itself was a gift. As Paul writes, "By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8. Faith is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1.
"Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God" Luke 18:43. When Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" we will always have a list. But the deepest answer to that question has already been given. Your life has been redeemed. Your sins are forgiven. Your eyes have been opened. You are called to walk in the freedom of God's own people. This is what Jesus has done for you.
Video citations
- “What Do You Want Me To Do For You?” 11-12-23 — If you would please open your Bibles to Luke, the 18th chapter will be in the Gospel of Luke the 18th chapter. If you're using a Pue edition of the Bible, you can find this on page 71 in the New…