Jesus Heals a Blind Man - NCNNews.com

Jesus Heals aBlind Man1Preparing for WorshipIn today’s story, blind Bartimaeus is sitting by the side of the road. First a murmurthen a shout passed through the crowds who were going into Jerusalem for the PassoverFeast. Jesus was coming up the road! Scripture tells us Bartimaeus began shouting whenhe heard Jesus was passing by. Bartimaeus called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy onme!” (Mark 10:47).Bartimaeus continued to call to Jesus until He responded. Many people aroundJesus tried to quiet Bartimaeus, but Jesus took time to speak with this blind beggar. Bartimaeusasked Jesus to heal him, and Jesus replied, “Go! Your faith has healed you.”Life brings about unique circumstances for each of us. It is tempting to give up onpraying for help, if help does not arrive quickly. In every situation, God has the power tosave and heal us. God wants us to have faith like Bartimaeus—faith that God can help us,regardless of our circumstances.BIBLE STORYMark 10:46-52“I Want to See!”UNIT BIBLE VERSE“You are the Christ, the Sonof the living God.”MATTHEW 16:16BIBLE TRUTHJesus is God’s Son.WORSHIP GOALTo help children know Jesus,God’s Son, has the power toheal.MAM, Unit 1ACTIVE WORSHIP music & movementCHECKTO USEActivitiesWorship Through MusicWorship Through MovementBlind MemoryWho Is Jesus?Listen and FindCurriculum ResourcesGreat Big Praise 1 songbook, CD or cassetteBallsBlindfoldOther MaterialsWORSHIP WITH YOUR KIDSYoung children often have remarkablefaith. If you show them youbelieve Jesus is powerful, they willlikely believe it too. Make your faithin the power of God a part of everydayconversation, and let the childrensee you earnestly pray.BIBLE TIME WORSHIPCONNECTING WORSHIP TO LIFEBlack BoxI Want to See!Blind BartimaeusBlind DrawingSightless SnackBartimaeus SeesPrayerWorship Time Connections, Sheet 1Large appliance box, blanket, picturesfrom a magazine, tapeNight eye maskCardboard box, blindfold, varioushousehold items (three per child)Baby carrots, crackers, napkins,adult helpersCrayonsTIPS & TOOLSTeaching tips for a lesson activity.General teacher training helps.1–1

things children would easily recognize, like a playground, animals, or toys.) Cover theopening of the box with a heavy blanket to block out any light.During worship, say, I have made a special black box for you to play in today. Eachof you will have a turn to go inside the black box. I will count to five, then you need tocome out of the box. Have children take turns going inside the box. Once everyone hashad a turn inside the box, say, Did anyone see anything while you were inside the box? Itwas dark and very hard to see because there was no light. There were pictures on theinsides of the box. Because it was dark, you couldn’t see them. Today you will hear aboutsomeone who was blind. If you are blind, you can’t see anything. Let’s find out whathappened when the blind person met Jesus.I Want to See!Bartimaeus was blind, so he could not work for money. He sat on the side ofthe road, outside the city of Jericho. Whenever Bartimaeus heard someone walkpast him, he would beg for money.Jesus and His disciples left the city of Jericho. Crowds of people followed Jesuswherever He went. They loved to listen to His teachings. Bartimaeus heard the peoplecoming down the road. As they came closer and closer, Bartimaeus could hearthe people were talking about Jesus. He had heard about Jesus too. He knew Jesushad the power to heal! Bartimaeus began to shout as loud as he could, “Jesus! Jesus!Help me!” The people around Bartimaeus told him to be quiet. But Bartimaeuskept calling out to Jesus.Then Jesus stopped walking. He said, “Call him.” The people told Bartimaeus,“Jesus is calling you!”Bartimaeus was so excited! He threw off his coat and jumped to his feet. Peopleguided him to Jesus. Then Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”Bartimaeus told Jesus what he had always wanted. “Jesus,” Bartimaeus said, “Iwant to see!”“You are healed. Because you believed that I could make you see again, youcan now see.” Bartimaeus opened his eyes. He could see!Blind BartimaeusDuring worship, have the children sit in a circle. Say, • night eye maskLet’s pretend each of you is Bartimaeus. Before Bartimaeusmet Jesus, he was blind. When you get the eye mask, put it over your eyes and say somethingyou remember about Bartimaeus before he met Jesus. (He was a beggar. He couldnot work. He sat on the side of the road. He was sad.) Then take off the mask and saysomething you remember about Bartimaeus after he met Jesus. (He could see. He washappy.)Pass the eye mask around the circle, giving each child the opportunity to rememberthe old and new Bartimaeus.If you do not have a night eye mask,have children close their eyes while theyremember the old Bartimaeus and opentheir eyes while they remember the newBartimaeus.Blind DrawingBefore worship, place all the items in the box.• cardboard boxDuring worship, say, Each of you will have a turn to • blindfold• various household items (threeput on the blindfold and guess what is in the box. The goal items per child)is to guess what it is by feeling it with your hands. Youaren’t allowed to look at it. Just like Bartimaeus couldn’t see, you won’t be able to see,1–3Examples of various items for the box:cotton balls, ball, apple, blanket, stuffedanimal, hanger, book, sunglasses, scarf,crayon, scissors

either. You will get to draw out three things from the box. When you guess what the itemis, the rest of the children will say together, “Jesus healed Bartimaeus!”Give each child a turn to be blindfolded and guess what is in the box. As the childdraws an item from the box, help him or her to keep the item in the box as they feel it, sothe rest of the children do not give away the secret.Connecting Worshipto Everyday LifeSightless SnackDuring worship, say, I want to see if you can discoverwhat you are eating before you see it with your eyes. Closeyour eyes and hold your hands out. Someone will place asnack in your hands. When you feel the snack, keep your• baby carrots• crackers• napkins• adult helperseyes closed. Don’t take a bite until we tell you to eat. Keep your eyes closed while you eat.Have the adult helpers give a carrot to each child. Then, tell the children to eat. Remindthe children to keep their eyes closed while they eat. After a minute, say, Can anyone guesswhat they are eating? Open your eyes and see if you were right. Then, give each child afew crackers.While the children are eating, say, It must have been hard for Bartimaeus to eatwithout being able to see! When Jesus healed him, he could see again. He could see whathe was eating! Let’s thank God for His healing power. Jesus was not an ordinary Man.Jesus is God’s Son. Because He is God’s wonderful Son, He could help the blind man see.Bartimaeus SeesDuring worship, give Worship Time Connections,Sheet 1 and crayons to each child. Say, There are two pictureson your page. One picture shows what Bartimaeus• Worship Time Connections,Sheet 1• crayonscould see before he met Jesus. The other picture shows what Bartimaeus could see afterhe met Jesus. Color the picture of what Bartimaeus sees.PrayerLead the children in a prayer, thanking God for healing Bartimaeus. We can praiseGod for His power to heal us. Pray for any specific requests the children mention.Copyright by WordAction Publishing.Canadian GST No. R129017471.1–4