Shouting for Specifics

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!..... "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

Mark 10:47-51

As I read the story of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10 and then the story of the blind beggar in Luke 18, I am initially struck at the boldness of both in shouting for Jesus.  Both used the name for Jesus, Son of David, referring to the tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great healing powers. They also had to shout loud enough to be heard over the crowds, bringing attention to themselves and their plight. 

Ancient people believed that blindness was the lowest degradation that a person could endure.  Together with cripples and lepers, blind people were the outcasts of society.  Most biblical incidents indicate that they were relegated to being beggars.  Their place in society and the utter hopelessness for recovery, heightens even more Jesus' concern for them. Blindness in the New Testament, Biblical Illustrator, Gil Lain

Jesus' words, "What do you want me to do for you?" burns in my heart.  While I can be very superficial and spout out a litany of requests, Jesus' question begs for me to risk bringing attention to those things in my life that keep me blinded to the life he has called me to live.  Dare I be so bold and shout to the Son of David, exposing myself to the crowds of people around me?

The healing that happened to both men resulted in immediate praise....how could I not risk myself so that God's healing in my life would lead me to praise in a way that is uncontrollable?  In the passage in Luke 18, God's healing initiated praise among those that were witnesses to God's miraculous healing.  Am I willing to live in bondage and brokeness and keep others from seeing God's work in my life? 

Jesus, Son of David, give me the courage to open myself up to your miraculous healing despite the risks of bringing attention to those inadequacies in my life.  Help me to be honest in your question to me, "What do you want me to do for you?"