Lenten Reader | Day 25

March 18th, 2026

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark 10:35-52

Servant of All

After reading this Scripture, I ask myself, “How can I have a faith like the blind man and be a servant to all?” “What does it look like for me to jump up from what I am doing and follow Jesus?” In life, I feel I can be easily distracted by material things or social media happenings. I forget what it is to follow Jesus blindly and to love others. It is easy to focus on differences and point out the flaws of others, but to be a servant to all, I find that I have to often put my personal biases or preconceived thoughts about the other person aside and just show them love.

In my profession (I am a drug counselor in prison – which is an easy place to have a lot of personal biases and dislike towards others) it is easy to not show God. However, God challenges me to show Him in a dark place, to not allow things to distract me, to follow Him blindly and be a servant to all. I have to pray for patience, discernment, and God’s guidance in my daily life to be a servant to all. I have to rely on other people in my life to help me see rationally and be Christ-like so I can love people that are often overlooked like Bartimaeus. I have found that when I am of service to others, I feel closer to God because I am a physical beacon of light to the Kingdom of God. I feel good and so does the other person. I have the light of Jesus in me, so how can I do a better job in my daily life of showing Jesus to others?

I have found that this can be something simple like a smile, genuinely asking others how they are, helping someone, listening to uplifting music, sharing how God is working in me, volunteering somewhere, praying for someone, and many other spiritual disciplines. God has challenged me to pray for others verbally or send a message saying that I was praying for them when I feel that they need prayer. This has helped me in growing spiritually with others. Listening to the Spirit is how I can have the faith like Bartimaeus and be a servant to all. Prayer works because God is still working today.

Nick Enix