Mark 10:51

He is on an important journey; must the whole procession stand still for the cry of a poor beggar from the very outer edge of the crowd? The moment the cry for mercy falls on the ear of the Son of David, it stops Him. He does not move another step... What a sight! Look again! A poor blind beggar in the dust, and Jesus waiting on him. "What do you want me to do for you?" He does not hurry through His work of mercy; He lingers over the scene... What a position for a needy soul to be in! It is as if the Lord had said, "Ask what you want. I am waiting to serve you — waiting to grant your request."

With what grace Jesus bends over the poor man, and asks, as if He were his servant, "What do you want me to do for you?" He did not take a place of obvious superiority. He did not make the poor man feel he was kept at a distance. He let him know and feel that He was dealing with him in love and grace, and He drew the heart of the helpless one entirely to Himself.

You will have been struck by the contrast between two men. The rich man comes and asks, "What shall I do?" To the poor blind beggar at the end of the chapter, Jesus says, "What do you want me to do for you?" What a difference between the sinner's "What shall I do?" to the Saviour, and the Saviour's "What do you want me to do for you?" to the sinner. Who can be saved? Anyone who lets Jesus save him; any man who will let Jesus play the Saviour's part — that is the man who will be saved.

There is the word Rabboni, which is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew Rabbi, meaning my Master or Teacher. It occurs twice. In one place translators turned it into Lord (Mark 10:51); in the other they kept the word itself, spelling it out in the letters of another language (John 20:16).

According to the Jews the levels of honour rose from Rab to Rabbi, and from there to Rabban or Rabboni.

See how good this is: when the Lord asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" the blind man replies, "Let me recover my sight." The Lord takes the place of the doer, and the blind man accepts the place of the receiver. At once the Lord acknowledges this simple faith.

Grace stood still at his cry and gave him all he desired freely. "Jesus said to him, Go your way." Then — Bartimaeus, no terms are laid on you; go north, south, east, or west, as you please. You are free! Which way did he go? "Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way." Moved by grace he entered the path of discipleship. He followed Jesus.

"Rabbi, let me recover my sight," said the blind man... His eyes were opened, and what was the first object he saw? Jesus! And that is what happens when the eyes of the sinner are opened. He sees Jesus.