Another seemingly unnecessary and even ridiculous question. With a blind man standing in front of the One who heals, it would seem obvious as to what he wants. But Jesus asked this question for three definite reasons which we need to appreciate.
It was personal: ‘Me’ and ‘you’. Whilst there were crowds of people all around, just two people mattered right now. From being one in a crowd, the blind man Bartimaeus, was now one-to-one with Jesus. You can’t get more personal than that. Having made a great noise and nuisance of himself, Bartimaeus now stood face to face with Jesus and you can imagine the hush that fell on the crowd. There was no going back now.
Bartimaeus couldn’t hide behind others or pretend that Jesus meant someone else. It was his needs that Jesus cared about and it was his needs that Jesus wanted to meet. It’s the way Jesus works. One to one.
Jesus has what you need if only you’ll ask. You can’t hide behind others or hope that their response will cover you as well. There’s no merging in with the crowd. Jesus knows you and each of us must come to him for ourselves.
It encouraged faith. Did the faith of the blind man match the level of noise he had made? Easy to shout out in a crowd, but not so easy when face to face with putting your faith where your mouth is. Bartimaeus had got this far and now a whole world of difference was dependant on how much he dared to ask for. Faith is not measured by the level of noise but by the size of our leap. You can play safe or go for it. Bartimaeus could have been discouraged by being asked such a question. If Jesus had to ask what was needed when blindness was staring him in the face, was he really capable of healing? The answer wasn’t so much for Jesus’ benefit as for the benefit of the blind man. To put into words what is in your heart is a real boost to faith.
Declaring publicly your confidence in the Lord makes such a difference. The faith within needs to be expressed. What often seems unnecessary to us matters to the Lord. A seemingly unnecessary question encouraged faith in an omnipotent God to be declared. It dug down deep. ‘What do you want…?’ You can’t get any deeper than that. It reached right into the very depths of his heart and from the very depths he cried out. Nothing else mattered as much as this. A job, clothes, home, friends, food all paled into insignificance compared with this one thing.
Jesus is not wanting the polite pretence that we might offer him. He doesn’t want to hear impressive words or fake humility, nor the glib ‘fine thanks’ that we say to each other when really we’re anything but.
Jesus goes deep, not to hurt, but to heal; not to expose but to restore. God is concerned with hearts’ desires because his heart’s desire is for us to know him more deeply. Be honest with the Lord, even if you find it hard with other Christians. What is your heart’s desire? Be honest with the Lord, declare your trust in him and know the blessing he alone can give.
This is a sample from the booklet Questions Jesus Asked published by Damascus
Trust, which is available upon request.
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This is the last blessing of Revelation and it comes on the back of a very full and detailed description of both the new heaven and the new earth along with the New Jerusalem (21:1-22:5). There are several parallels between this end passage and the opening chapter. It’s as if the whole revelation is brought full circle, underlining that there are no loose ends in God’s plan. Everything is sorted and all that happens now is in order that the end goal is reached. Let’s notice some of these parallels.
Firstly, just as John fell prostrate when he first saw Jesus in chapter one, now he again falls prostrate having seen this awesome, breathtaking beauty of the new heaven, new earth and the new city. Secondly, Jesus speaks the closing words of Revelation just as he spoke at the beginning of the book. Thirdly, Jesus declares some of his attributes just as he did at the start. Finally, just as the whole book opens with a blessing, so now it concludes with one.
This last blessing presents us with a condition and two subsequent results. It is also followed by a very stark description of those who are excluded, as if to underline the reality of all that has previously been spoken and revealed. The condition for the blessing is to have robes that have been washed. We have already seen the blessing for those invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:9), and with the invitation is the provision of wedding clothes (19:8). We’ve also read of the blessing that comes from keeping these clothes with us in order that we are neither naked or ashamed (16:15). Now there are two further things to notice about these clothes.
This verse would suggest that the saints are active rather than passive in keeping themselves right before God - ‘who wash their robes.’ If we are to understand that the robes mentioned here are similar to the ‘robes’, ‘clothes’ and ‘linen’ mentioned in chapters 6:11; 16:15 and 19:8, which were worn by the saints, then they speak of our standing before God and we have a part to play. In other words, God provides us with the clothing of righteousness in his Son, but we are to keep ourselves right before God. We’ve already seen that they are washed ‘in the blood of the Lamb’ (7:14). Once again, the Greek verb is in the present continuous tense; literally, ‘keep on washing’. This is not to suggest that the first wash leaves some dirt or stain, but rather that by living in the world, we are in danger of being contaminated by sin and so there is need for us to continually be washed by Christ’s blood.
What a blessing it is to know that the blood of Jesus still cleanses us from sin and unrighteousness - after all these years! Oh what a Saviour - that none of us should be lost because our robes are unclean!
Now the two results are clearly stated. The first is ‘that they may have the right to the tree of life’, and the second is that they ‘may go through the gates into the city’. The tree of life has been spoken of earlier in the chapter. It produces twelve types of fruit, each one produced according to its month (will there be twelve months in the new heaven and earth?). Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.
Now there are some worthwhile comparisons with Genesis. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was eaten contrary to God’s instructions (Genesis 2:9& 17). It resulted in a curse (Genesis 3:17). Following this, God banished Mankind from the garden of Eden to keep him from eating of the tree of life (Genesis 3:22). But how different it is in the new city. Whilst there is no tree of good and evil, there is the tree of life and those who have their robes washed have the right, and are welcomed, to enjoy its fruit. Also, there is no longer any curse (22:3). That which we were prevented from doing as a result of sin, we can have the right to enjoy as a result of Christ’s salvation.
Now the ‘right’ mentioned here speaks of having the authority to do something. In Genesis, God gave Man the authority to enjoy everything except the two trees in the centre of the Garden of Eden. Now God gives the authority to enjoy all of his new creation including the fruit of the tree of life.
The second result is free access in through the gates. We have read that these gates are never closed (21:25) and again this stands in sharp contrast with the banishment from the Garden of Eden. These gates are not to keep the unwanted out but they speak of the very real welcome and inclusion redeemed by the Lamb. Entering in through a gate is a very definite way of distinguishing between those inside and those outside. Jesus once referred to himself as the gate of the sheep-fold (John 10:7) and often spoke of a very real distinction between those who were accepted and those who were not. That clear distinction will be there in eternity and as if to underline the importance of keeping ourselves right before the Lord, the following verse (15) speaks of those excluded from that which God has prepared for those who remain true and faithful to him. So let’s be sure to keep close to Jesus....until he comes again.
This is a sample from the booklet Promises For Those Who... published by Damascus Trust, which is available upon request.