One Wish
In November of 1992, Disney released a movie that quickly became the highest-grossing film worldwide that year.
In the 90s, Disney released several movies that still, some 20-30 years later, are wildly popular. Movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Pocahontas. But this movie in 1992 became iconic in its own way. It became a tv series, a Broadway musical, and in 2019 they produced a live-action remake. It featured a magic carpet, a genie, and a peasant boy named Aladdin.
If you remember the movie, it was based on a folk tale that appears in certain later editions of The Arabian Nights. In Disney’s version, Aladdin discovers a magical lamp that contains a genie, famously voiced by Robin Williams. Because Aladdin discovers the lamp, the genie has to answer to him.
Aladdin gets three wishes, but the Genie says there are three rules: he can’t kill, can’t make someone fall in love, and can’t bring people back from the dead!
Aladdin’s first wish is for the genie to make him a wealthy prince! He wants to win the heart of the princess, but he can’t do that as a poor boy living in the streets. He needs to look like a wealthy prince. So the genie grants his wish! He uses his next wish when the evil Jafar throws him into the sea. He’ll drown without the genie’s help! The genie saves his life, and now, he’s only got one wish remaining.
What do you do if you only have one wish? If there’s only one thing you could ask for, what would it be?
We live in a world where a lot of people kind of look at God like a genie in a bottle. But God isn’t a genie. There’s no magic here. He can’t be contained in a bottle. He’s the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Any form of religion that belittles God by treating Him like a genie in a bottle is not the gospel. Our God is all-powerful, uncontainable, He doesn’t answer to anyone, and maybe the best part… we get to come to him with more than three requests! But we don’t ever have to wish; we get to come to Him with every care, every need, every burden, everything.
But it’s an interesting question to consider, if there was only one thing you could ask for, one thing you could ask God for, what would it be?
Blind Bartimaeus
That happened to one man who was sitting beside the road outside of the city of Jericho one day. He got what felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask Jesus for one thing, and what happened next changed his life.
This story is found in the gospel of Mark. Mark is the second book in your New Testament, but it’s likely the first gospel story that was written. It was written before Matthew, Luke, and John. All throughout the gospel of Mark, Jesus is on the move. At this point in the story, He’s headed to Jerusalem for the last time. What awaits Him in Jerusalem is a cross. But before He gets to Jerusalem, He has a divine appointment in Jericho.
Mark 10:
46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road.
Mark sets the scene quickly. Jesus and his disciples are leaving Jericho. Jerusalem is the next stop. It’s 15 miles away. But before they get there, they have something to do here. Mark says there is a blind beggar sitting by the road named Bartimaeus.
To be disabled in any way in the first century was hard. I know it’s not easy today. But back in the first century, it had to be even harder. I’m thankful for all the technology and different ways that make life better and the quality of life better for people who are disabled in different ways. There wasn’t much help or hope for people in the first century who were struggling with disability. And people were often devalued by the community because of their disability.
For Bartimaeus, being blind meant he didn’t have a way to work or to earn income for his family. The only way he could contribute, the only way he could survive, was off the charity and goodwill of people. To sit by the road and beg was his only option. He had to depend daily on the charity and generosity of others to live.
Mark says that Bartimaeus is sitting on the side of the road when Jesus, followed by a large crowd, comes walking by.
Have Mercy on Me
47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Bartimaeus can’t see Jesus, but he hears the commotion as the crowd comes by. He’s listening and he’s hearing the buzz. He knows these aren’t your ordinary travelers passing by. Someone important is a part of this group. Something of significance is happening on this road. And then he figures it out. He hears the people talking. It’s Jesus of Nazareth. Bartimaeus has heard that name before. He’s heard the stories. Everybody has heard the stories. He’s a miracle worker. A teacher. Some people even say He’s the Messiah! If He is Messiah, He must be the Son of David!
There was a tradition in Judaism that Solomon, the Son of David, had healing powers. Up to this point, Jesus has healed people on 15 different occasions in Mark’s gospel displaying His miraculous healing power. Jesus is living up to the name, Son of David! So Bartimaeus calls out to Him as He’s walking down the road… Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
That cry for mercy is a cry for healing.
Anybody sitting by the road today? Crying out to Jesus? Anybody need healing today? Anyone hoping he’ll hear you? I’ve got Good News!
Bartimaeus cries out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”
The crowd that had come around Jesus told Bartimaeus to stop crying out. But he cried out louder.
The crowd that had come around Jesus thought Jesus was too important, too busy, to be bothered by a blind beggar. But he cried out louder.
The crowd that had come around Jesus wanted Jesus to see them, hear them, but Jesus heard the cry of Bartimaeus, because he cried out louder.
The Power of Crying Out
Can I tell you a secret today? It’s an open secret, but many people don’t know it. There is power in crying out to God.
A lot of us have been taught to pray quietly, to bow our heads and close our eyes, to use our inside voices, and listen… There is a sense in which we always want to approach God, who is Holy, who is Awesome in Power, who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, with reverence and awe. Absolutely.
But there is power in crying out to God. In crying out loud to God! Just read the psalms…
Psalm 3:4 – “I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.”
Psalm 30:2 – “O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.”
Psalm 34:6 – “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”
Psalm 34:17 – “When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”
Psalm 57:2 – “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”
Psalm 86:3 – “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.”
And there’s more! Over and over and over again throughout the psalms and throughout Scripture, the people of God cry out to God in prayer. Cry out loud to God in prayer.
“The prayers that come leaping out of the soul—the gust of strong emotion, fervent desire, lively faith—these are the truly spiritual; and no prayers but spiritual prayers will God accept.” – Charles Spurgeon
There is power in crying out to God.
There is power in naming and making your request known to God.
And here’s the Good News… when you’re sitting beside the road, crying out to God, He hears your cry. He hears your prayer!
The Invitation to Come
49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”
So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
You may remember this moment, when Jesus started His ministry and called His first disciples and said, Come, Follow me… They left everything and followed Jesus.
Here in this moment something similar is happening. Jesus calls Bartimaeus to come to Him, and Bartimaeus throws his coat to the side, leaves everything he has, what little he has, behind, jumps up, and comes to Jesus!
Just imagine this moment. Jesus has heard your cry. You’ve heard what Jesus has done, what Jesus can do. You’re standing before Him, but you can’t see Him. You’re blind. You don’t have physical sight. But you had the spiritual sight to see what others can’t see. That Jesus is the Son of David.
In fact, you’re about the only person in Mark’s gospel who calls Jesus the Son of David. You can see something almost no one else sees. But you can’t physically see what everyone else sees, and you want to. You want to see. You know what you want. Everyone knows what you want.
What Do You Want Me To Do For You
Now, you’re standing before Jesus the Son of David, Jesus the Healer, and He asks you this question…
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
Bartimaues could have asked for anything in this moment. This had to feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But there was only one thing that he wanted. He knew what he wanted. The crowd knew what he wanted. Why didn’t Jesus know what he wanted? Why does Jesus ask this question? It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? Surely Jesus knew. Jesus is all-knowing! Jesus is God! Surely Jesus knew what Bartimaeus wanted. So why did Jesus ask the question?
Sometimes, I do this with my kids. I know what they want. I know what they need. But I ask them anyway. I know what they are going to say before they say it. But I ask them anyway. I know the desire of their heart. But I ask them anyway. Why?
I guess there’s a part of me that wants to hear my son, my daughter, share their heart. You never know what’s in someone’s heart until you ask. There’s a part of me, because I love them, that doesn’t want to assume I know exactly what they’re going to say. I want to leave room to listen, to learn, to hear their heart.
I don’t know exactly why Jesus asked Bartimaeus. The answer seems so obvious. But if I had to guess, I’d say He loved Bartimaeus dearly. Not only had he heard His cries on the roadside that day, He’d heard Him pray many times before. He remembers the day Bartimaeus lost His sight. Jesus was there. He remembers every day before and every day after. He remembers the difficulty, the suffering, the pain, the heartache, the trouble, the days he begged and came home with nothing, and the days he begged and came home with something. If I had to guess, Jesus asked the question because He wanted Bartimaeus to know He cared. Maybe Bartimaeus can’t see Jesus, and has never seen Jesus, but Jesus has seen Bartimaeus. And He wants him to know that He cares.
So Bartimaues, what do you want me to do for you?
“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
Jesus healed Bartimaeus. Instantly, he could see. The first face he saw was the face of Jesus. Not only was Bartimaeus healed in that moment, he was transformed. He was changed. He went from sitting beside the road to following Jesus down the road. And that road they were walking on was headed to Jerusalem. That road led to death and resurrection. Bartimaues, having been healed, having been forever changed, joined Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.
The Question
This morning, I wonder, what would you say if Jesus were to ask you the question:
“What do you want me to do for you?”
In fact, I’d like you to imagine yourself in this story. Close your eyes, if you would like, and imagine you’re the one sitting beside the road when Jesus comes walking by. You cry out to Him. You call His name. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
There are people around you telling you you’re wasting your time. They may say things like…
There is no God.
You’re wasting your breath.
God’s got more important things to do than worry about you.
If there is a God, He’s not concerned with the details of your life.
God doesn’t answer prayer.
God doesn’t care.
But you keep praying! You keep crying out. You keep calling on His name.
And then, you hear it. It’s Jesus. It’s His voice. And He is calling you to come to Him.
You find yourself standing in the light of the presence of Jesus, the Son of God. He is all-powerful. And He asks you this question:
“What do you want me to do for you?”
What do you say?
How do you answer that question? Jesus isn’t a genie in a bottle. This is not like that. You are standing before the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and he’s asking you, face to face, this question.
“What do you want me to do for you?”
What do you say? How do you answer? What do you need Jesus to do for you today?
Jesus sees. Jesus hears. Jesus cares.
He is intimately aware and actively involved in the details of your life. And when you pray, He hears. When you cry out, He listens.
Today, what I want to encourage you to do is to answer that question, and whatever it is you need Jesus to do for you, turn that into a Breath Prayer.
Maybe today you’re asking for peace. Maybe you’re asking for healing. Maybe you need hope. Maybe you want Jesus to make you brave. Maybe you need Him to set you free from addiction. Or mend your broken marriage. Or put the past behind you. Or renew your strength. It’s ok to not be ok. And it’s ok to pray, to cry out to God, to tell Him what you need because He cares for you! (1 Peter 5.7).
Breath Prayer
Whatever it is you’re praying for, turn that into a breath prayer.
A breath prayer is simply a one-sentence prayer you can pray in one breath. You can pray it over and over again, or at different points throughout your day.
It’s a simple way to practice being in the presence of Jesus, of remembering that you are always in the presence of Jesus, and knowing that He cares for you.
Your breath prayer may go something like this…
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, set me free from my sin and shame.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, break the chains of my addiction.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, make me brave.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, help me forgive as you have forgiven me.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, heal my body.
Or, like Bartimaeus…
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, I want to see you.
Whatever it is you want Jesus to do for you, pray that prayer. Make your request known to God because He cares for you. And as you pray that prayer, He will transform you.
As you pray that prayer, He will heal you. And as He answers that prayer, may you, like Bartimaeus, follow Him down the road, along the way. May you walk with Him.
The Rest of the Story
We don’t know what happened to Bartimaeus.
Some scholars think that because Bartimaeus is called by name in Mark’s gospel, Mark probably knew him and that Bartimaeus was a part of the Christian community after the resurrection. Some traditions say that he became a missionary. I don’t know what happened to Bartimaeus, but my best guess is that he was forever changed. How could he not have been?
After Jesus healed his eyes, he not only saw the face of Jesus, but just a week later, he was an eyewitness to the crucifixion of Jesus. And then, just a few days later, he might have been a witness to the resurrection. He might have been among the 500 people Jesus appeared to in the 40 days after His resurrection before His ascension!
When we move from being on the roadside to being a witness of what Jesus has done for us, in us… when we are transformed by His power and grace, we can’t help but live the rest of our days following Him down the road, no matter where it leads.
I pray today that we will have the faith to pray in His name, answer the question: What do you want me to do for you? And that we will follow Him as we walk with Him along the way!
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