How to Use
The Amazing Question
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
“Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”
And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus,
praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.
(Luke 18:35–43, NLT)
Jesus’ question to the blind man in Luke 18 has been referred to as The Amazing Question, and not without reason. This question is indeed amazing for its ability to, first, provoke reflection, and subsequently, to reveal our deepest longings. And for that reason, this question provides a great opportunity to invite others into spiritual conversation.
“What do you want Me to do for you?”
“If Jesus asked you that question, what would you say?”
Asking the Amazing Question (And Soliciting Responses)
This could be done in any number of ways; questions have been asked for as long as humans have been around, in every imaginable medium. One advantage of asking through social media is that it provides the opportunity to sow the seeds of spiritual conversation very broadly, while still providing opportunity for following-up. Here is an example of what this could look like:
This is what it could look like as an Instagram story. Your post will be a little different depending on what medium you use to ask the question, but you’ll want to at least include:
The question: “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The context: Luke 18: 35-43
The invitation: “If Jesus asked you that question, what would you say?”
The response mechanism: Text field with opportunity to respond to the question
And potentially, the Jesus Film clip of the amazing question
This is another example of what it could look like with the accompanying text:
Story 1, Link to IGTV
Luke 18:35-43 tells about an interaction between
Jesus and a blind beggar. When the blind man learns
that Jesus is nearby, he begins to call out and stop
Him.
As he approaches, Jesus asks him one simple
question, “What do you want me to do for you?”.
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”
Story 2, Link to IGTV
If Jesus asked you that question, what would you say?
What do you want me to do for you?
Responding to Responses
Here are some things to keep in mind as you follow-up with those who have answered the amazing question:
Show empathy; affirm that it is ok to be in need and want help – that is the human condition.
Offer prayer (and actually pray).
Pursue further conversation connecting their answer to pieces of the gospel. This may be better done
through a more personal medium, whether direct messages or a voice/video call.
○
A good follow-up question: Why?
E.g. Someone may say they want money, but there are deeper desires underneath that type of
answer (money is just a bunch of dirty, paper rectangles; it’s significance lies in what is done with
it, or how it alters one’s feelings and perceptions). Money may be sought because: We think it can
buy comfort, we think it can provide security, we think it will grant us power, etc. These deeper
motivations can be surfaced by the “Why?” question, and provide more direct paths to the gospel.
Further resources for following-up:
Content: How to share my story (This is presented in the context of themes taken from short films, but can
be easily applied to themes taken from responses to The Amazing Question)
Content: How to share the gospel
