Week of May 4

Jesus asks one of the most profound questions that anyone could be asked: “What do you want me to do for you?” Two blind men are standing before Him, crying out for Him to have mercy on them. It would appear to the naked eye that the need was obvious, but why would Matthew insert this narrative here if it were as simple as a first glance event? Let’s see what the gospel writer has in mind!

We do know that Matthew is the only evangelist to tell us that two blind men were there that day. Mark (10:44-52) and Luke (18:35-43) mention only one blind man, whom Mark identifies as “Bartimaeus.” It really is not so unusual for the men to live and travel in pairs, since they were blind, often socially ostracized, and would be able to assist one another. Matthew may have included this fact to highlight his theme about two or three witnesses (cf. Deuteronomy 19:15; see also 9:27-31; NAC). I know that Matthew often provides extra details in his stories, but I certainly believe that he was making a deeper point in this passage.

Jesus cares about your physical needs. Jesus stops and give the men His full attention, even while the disciples and the crowd rebuke them for bothering the Savior. Keep in mind that we are reading a gospel account, and that the momentum has been carrying Jesus to the Cross. In fact, He is about to make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21:1-11). This would be like asking the President of the United States, as he is making his way to deliver a State of the Union address, to stop, hear, and respond to the loud cries of two disabled vets who were blinded in combat but have been denied treatment at a V.A. hospital! It may also provide a silent rebuke of the disciple’s mother, who had asked Jesus to fulfill her request as well (vv. 20-28). He hears their “heart cry” for healing and He gives them their sight. They then followed Him as new disciples. This is, indeed, a serendipitous moment, but there is more!

Jesus delivers people from their spiritual need. It may well be that Matthew is connecting the upcoming death and resurrection of Jesus to this healing (cf. 8:17 and Isaiah 53:4; EBC). It is believed that Isaiah thought of the Suffering Servant as “taking the diseases of others upon himself through his suffering and death for their sin” (Gundry, as quoted in EBC). 

Jesus shows us the purpose of God sending Him into the world. We elect politicians all the time who promise to deliver us from whatever most citizens claim to be the greatest ailment. Sadly, they often fail in their pledge to rescue voters to the level of their need. Without diving too deeply here, we may see that Jesus’ healing ministry provides a foundation for destroying what ultimately plagues humankind. It is a “function of his substitutionary death.” The Holy Spirit helped Matthew to see the theological connection between Jesus’s healing work and the Cross (EBC). The Spirit makes clear the deepest need of all humanity, the one that God will successfully address through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. We also do well to see this connection because it will show us the depths to which Jesus went on the cross to provide our ultimate healing.

Let me illustrate the theological intent of Mathew’s narrative. I confess that I tear up each time that I see the commercial where young children, who have received cancer treatment to eradicate that deadly disease, ring the bell that signals the successful completion to their treatment. They have gained victory over that illness! I know that each child would answer their doctor’s question, “What do you want me to do?” with the reply, “I want to be healed!” I also often wonder what direction their lives will take following that moment when they sound out the triumph. What larger purpose will they fulfill following that physical rescue from their maladies? 

God asks you today, “What do you want me to do for you?” You begin to answer it when you “see” Him through the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He cares for your physical needs, but the goal is to deliver you from sin, your deepest need, and open the way to a flourishing life that is lived within His purpose for you.

1. The Lord asks you today, “What do you want me to do for you?” Write down your response. Then write down ways that you will live within God’s purpose for you.

2. For Families: This passage and devotional challenge us all, no matter our ages! The question Jesus asked the blind men is also a great discussion question for families. Next time you are at supper with your family, ask a similar question: “What is the one thing that, if you received it, would satisfy you for the rest of your life?”

We remember Solomon, who was asked what he wanted most from God. He could have asked for riches or anything else imaginable, but he rather asked for wisdom, which God gave to him. Let your kids answer, each one, around the table. Let everyone ask questions of the one giving an answer, and explore the choices you hear from each family member.

Share with your kids this story from the life of Jesus. The answer to that dinner question, of course, is that there is no earthly thing that will fulfill that “lifelong satisfaction.” We change, we grow out of our age-related wants, we even become bored after we get what we most desire. But when we choose Jesus, He changes the spiritual part of us that will last beyond our earthly years. When we live according to His plan for us, and walk in His ways, we are always satisfied, body, soul, and spirit.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock