What a great question. It’s a perfect response when someone comes to you and says, “Can you help me?” I bet you get that question a lot! Of course, we might not want to ask what they want because of fear that they will ask for something we are not prepared to give. Or we might not ask it because we are presuming to already know that they want. Whenever I’ve been asked that question, it forces me to think about my specific wants and to be more thoughtful and specific in my request.

In the latter part of the first chapter of John we read about an event immediately following Jesus’ baptism. When Jesus first met Andrew, who at the time was a disciple of John the Baptist, he asked him: “What do you want?” Andrew wanted to know where Jesus was going, and Jesus invited him to come with him. Andrew became the first of a tightly knit team of followers of Jesus. It’s clear that Andrew wanted a relationship with Jesus (John 1:35-40; Acts 1:13).  Andrew, like Jesus’ other apostles, was in it for the long haul.

In another example, Jesus was not so encouraging because he understood the motivation for the question.  James and John had come to Jesus to ask “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” (That’s pretty cheeky if you ask me). Jesus asked “What do you want me to do for you?” In other words, he wanted them to be more specific before he agreed to anything. They said “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Jesus basically denied their request, for their own good. He knew that they wanted the glory without the sacrifice (Mark 10:35-40).

At another time two blind men acknowledged Jesus as “Lord, Son of David” and asked him to “have mercy on us.” Jesus asked them “What do you want me to do for you?” They were very specific in their response: “Lord, we want our sight.” The scriptures say that ^“Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matthew 20:29-34).

What do we learn from these dialogues between Jesus and those to whom he asked the question?

Basically, I think we learn that Jesus wants to know our desires, he listens, he responds, and he doesn’t always give us what we ask for. However, digging deeper, don’t we wonder why Jesus sometimes gives us what we ask for and other times he chooses not to?

There are those basic, foundational requests, such as Andrew’s request to follow Jesus. And there are those who like the blind men who asked with desperation and humility, acknowledging Jesus Lordship:

• I want to see!
• Help me to believe!
• Rescue me, save me!
• I want to follow you wherever you go!

These requests are made boldly, with a desire to honor God and the confidence that with Jesus all things are possible. We are encouraged by these Bible stories to go to Jesus with these sincere requests.

When Jesus asks “What do you want?” he also wants our motivation to be for His glory. I admit that my big problem is pride, and trust me it is a big problem. I’m more like James and John than Andrew in what I want. I want to be rewarded and recognized for following Jesus, but I’m not sure I’m willing to do what is required to truly sacrifice all for Him. It’s easy to say we are until we are placed in an actual situation. So I pray for true humility. If you are inclined to pray for me, this is my prayer request, that I would exalt Jesus and Jesus only in everything that I think, do, and say. That is what I want.

How will you answer Jesus when He asks you that question?

In Christ,

Judy