Why do you think Jesus asked the men who were blind what they wanted him to do for them? It seems like it would have a pretty obvious answer, no? Is Jesus dense?
Of course not. He’s deliberate.
Part of his way of loving is letting people voice their need. Healing isn’t just something done them; it’s something entered into with him. By asking, Jesus dignifies them. He doesn’t assume. He gives them the chance to say aloud the deepest longing of their hearts.
This is how God works with us, too. Of course God knows what we need before we ask (Jesus himself says so). But there’s something about putting words to our desires that clarifies them, humbles us, and opens us to receive. Sometimes the process of naming our need is as transformative as the healing itself.
Speaking things aloud has a way of bringing a reality to them. Sometimes we even find out that what is in our head, when it comes out, sounds different and we actually shift what we think is going on. This is why the counsel that comes through the conversation of a good friend or talking with a counselor or therapist…or praying aloud…can be so helpful.
And notice the men who are blind do not hesitate: Lord, we want to see.
Their honesty, their courage to say it plainly, becomes the gateway to mercy and healing.
So maybe the question wasn’t about Jesus learning something. Maybe it was about the men learning what they most deeply longed for — and about us learning that God wants to hear it from our own lips.
Matthew 20:29-34
As Jesus and his disciples were going out of Jericho a large crowd followed him. When two blind men sitting along the road heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Show us mercy, Lord, Son of David!”
Now the crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet. But they shouted even louder, “Show us mercy, Lord, Son of David!”
Jesus stopped in his tracks and called to them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
“Lord, we want to see,” they replied.
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they were able to see, and they followed him.
Psalm 142:1-3a
I cry out loud for help from the Lord. I beg out loud for mercy from the Lord.
I pour out my concerns before God; I announce my distress to him.
When my spirit is weak inside me, you still know my way.
Prayer
God,
In your mercy, hear my prayer.
Through my honesty, heal my need.
By our love, reveal your Kingdom.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.