Asking Jesus

I remember several moments in my life where I bargained with God. I have said prayers in a similar form to the following. God, if you do this, I’ll do this to be a better follower. Nine times out of ten, the results could have been better. Then, the one time out of ten, I prayed this prayer, and it worked out; later, I realized it was just God’s grace. It had nothing to do with the bargain I had made with Him. You know how I know this? Over and over, like the Israelites, I didn’t keep my end of the deal. In this passage (Mark 10:35-45), right before the one we are exploring today (Mark 10:46-52), James and John come to ask Jesus for a favor. When he asks them what it is, they request positions of honor when Jesus is seated in glory as king. Jesus then has to use this moment to teach them and the disciples that the organization of the kingdom isn’t like the kingdoms now on earth that are based on power and prestige but on how they serve each other. Jesus, who has now announced his coming death and resurrection twice, tells them they must serve each other like he is serving them to the cross. They have to live a life modeled after the king himself.

These are heavy words to try to understand. As they continued to Jerusalem, they passed by a blind man who was calling out and shouting to Jesus. The crowd is prominent again, and instead of letting the man through to see Jesus, the crowd tries to quiet him down and have him leave Jesus alone. However, Jesus hears him and calls the man to Himself. This time, instead of being asked to make a request (like James and John), Jesus asks the man what he wants. The man asks for sight. The man doesn’t ask for glory or new status. He desires to be able to see. Jesus grants this request and tells the man, “Go[…]your faith has healed you,” instead of leaving, the man continues following Jesus. The blind man’s story contrasts with that of James and John. The disciples were rightly excited about following the messiah; they just hadn’t understood all that Jesus was trying to teach them along the way. The blind man, however, heard of Jesus and came with the request to see. I think when the blind man got his sight, he saw with both his eyes and his heart and started following Jesus.

Far too often, I have looked at my faith in Jesus as a way to clean up my life and world. While Jesus is restoring those who follow Him, His work is more about reconciling the sinner to their creator. As this transforming work happens, the sinner begins to join the creator in the work that glorifies His image. This transformation, in many ways, contrasts with the world’s understanding. This transformation leads to serving those around us because just like we needed to encounter the love of our savior and king, we also begin to want others to experience that love. At that moment, we surrender and become servants. We allow the image of God placed in all of us to shine. So, instead of coming to Jesus with requests focused on our worldly situations, we may come to Jesus asking for the things that will allow us to serve Him more faithfully.