32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
Do we ever help someone without asking them what they want? We just barge in and take over, ignoring the other person’s wishes. Jesus is walking along and two blind men are yelling for his attention. You and I might say that it is obvious what they want, so why bother asking. But this may not be true. People have individual priorities. A big screen TV and hundreds of channels might be more important than food. No one is going to give you money for the entertainment, but they will give you money for food. Priorities! Jesus would have known their reason for calling out to Him. On other occasions He knew what people were thinking, so why ask what these two blind men want? They are blind, after all. But maybe one of their children was ill and had a greater need than their blindness. Jesus asks the men. He does not impose His will on their lives. He asks. If we are going to be effective servants, then we must learn to ask if we can serve another. Jesus also knew that these two needed to ask. Blindness was understood in Jesus’ day as a sign of individual sin. The blind men would have been pushed to the edge of society. They would have been the butt of many jokes and harsh criticisms. But Jesus affords them the honor due them as human beings. He recognizes their worth and validates that worth with this simple question. He in essence puts them in charge. He elevates their will above His own. It can be dangerous to ask. We might want to do some very small task, but they might ask for something very large. When we ask, we put ourselves out on a limb. We might have to admit that we didn’t really want to help, we just wanted to ease our conscience. We wanted to do a little something to make ourselves feel good. But when we ask, we risk diving into commitment much deeper. They might ask for something that would really cost us. Are you willing to ask like Jesus asked?
The Arnold Journey 