Welcome to Buoy, a Life in Deeper Water podcast.

Episode 79. When Jesus Asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” (answer Him)

Hello human.

Picture yourself walking down the road, a few miles outside of Jerusalem the week after Jesus has been resurrected. You didn’t see the empty tomb for yourself, but you heard about it from your rabbi, your neighbors, your friends. You see in the distance someone walking toward you, getting closer, and closer.  He looks to be a young man, in his 30s, on the smaller side, with dark hair and eyes. As he approaches, his steps slow, and he comes face to face with you.

The dust begins to settle, and He asks: “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus walked the earth for 40 days after His resurrection before He ascended to the right hand of the Father. That would be now according to the timing of this episode’s release. The week following His resurrection.

Jesus often asked others what they wanted during His time on earth, what they were after, why they had approached him.

Why is that?

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Consider Mark 10:46-52

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So, they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Jesus is always looking for the intent of the heart. When He fulfilled the law of Moses He replaced more than 600 laws with one, the law of the heart. What is most important to each of us?  The blind man wanted to see, and he believed Jesus could do it. He was healed, but more importantly he followed Jesus. 

He had received his spiritual sight.

I can imagine that many people came to Jesus with ill intent, to be healed with no purpose of gaining spiritual sight, or following the man sent from God. But this does not compromise the question, and why Jesus asks it. And why He said the blind man’s faith healed him. Because that is what was in his heart.

What I Want is Built on the Resurrection Premise

What we want is often not what Jesus was sent to do. Or for the purpose for which He was sent. Jesus asks me to get clear, be honest about what is in my heart, be honest about why I am approaching Him.

So, I return to that dusty road, and Jesus asking, “what do you want me to do?”

Full knowing that He has died for each of us, but also knowing that free will is tethered to our heart strings.

Jesus is not the Savior of our selfish purposes. He is the Savior of our selfish nature.

Jesus is not the Lord of our self-proclaimed life. He is the Lord of our eternal life with Him.

So, I have been thinking about how I answer this question from Jesus:

What do I want Him to do? Because whatever it is, it is built on the premise of what He has already done.

He has already died for my sin.

Now, what do I want Him to do? This speaks to me on several levels. 

First, that I am accountable for understanding the condition of my spiritual health.

So, I want Jesus to provide me with Holy Spirit honesty to guide my spiritual growth.

Second, that I know the sole source of my strength and power.

So, I want Jesus to fortify me to do His work through His power within my life.

And third, I want my faith, which is born out of His faith in His Heavenly Father, to persuade my heart to love others as He loves.

I want Jesus to love everyone on my path through me. With this I inherit His question in my life, the focus of how I serve others with the same question: “What do you want me to do for you?”

And, that I be prepared for answers from others that seem disconnected from Jesus, disconnected from what would be best for that person… but trusting that in putting my servant-heart out there for the sake of others, Jesus will find His way into the center. The center of every person’s intent, the center of the heart.

Inheriting the Question Jesus Asks

So, I come through Easter with three responses to Jesus’ question:

1. Guide my honesty.
2. Fortify my actions to do His work.
3. Love others through me.

What do you want Jesus to do? What are you blind about, that you want to see more fully? How can you go forward in confidence that you have an answer?

How can you go forward inheriting the question Jesus asks, and asking others: “What do you want me to do for you?”

For me, seeing Jesus walking toward me—resurrected—is a very powerful image. It has helped me gain clarity about what I want Him to do in my life. Grow me, fortify me, love others through me.

So, I align with Paul in wishing the same for you.

Ephesians 1:18-23

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. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.