Jesus heals a blind man
key words
biblical reference
Mark 10:46-52
lesson objective
To enable children to understand that Jesus has the power to heal.
memory verse
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16b, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Jesus and his disciples had reached the final stage of their journey to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The streets were full of people going to the Holy City. The travelers sang, and their voices echoed on all sides. Despite so much noise, the word spread that Jesus was among the crowd.
Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was a blind beggar who sat on the side of the road. When he heard Jesus approaching, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10: 47b). This man wanted to recover his sight, and he turned to the Master to heal him.
This is the first time that Jesus is publicly called “Son of David.” The Jews considered that David was their father, and that one of his descendants would be the Messiah.
Jesus asked the people around him to bring Bartimaeus to him. He asked him “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus’ response revealed that he trusted Jesus’ power to heal. When Jesus performed this miracle, Bartimaeus received his sight. The reaction of Bartimaeus is of joy, and for this reason he decides to follow Jesus, praising him for the miracle. Jesus, in truth, is the Savior, the Son of God, because he attended to the call of Bartimaeus, even on his way to Jerusalem.
In the minds of many children, life is full of wonders, and almost nothing seems impossible to them. Perhaps they watch incredible situations on television and in video games. So, life is a mystery, but not knowing how something happens does not mean it cannot happen.
The idea that Jesus gave Bartimaeus instant sight is easy for children to accept or believe. He is the Son of God, and his character should not be a mystery to your children. They must know that he has the power to heal. Better still, your children can talk to him and ask him to love them and take care of them each day. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, wishes to be personally involved in their lives.
Preschoolers express their amazement in a very natural way. Have you seen them react to an illusionist’s magic trick? Their eyes widen in amazement! Watch the children during Easter time. Do they express wonder at the amazing things that Jesus did to help people?
Do they realize that Easter is a time of celebration for the life of Jesus? Encourage them to express their love for Jesus through prayers and activities in class.
introduce the lesson
Attention
Choose some activities to capture the attention of the children and help them learn today’s lesson.
Dark room
Bring the children together to teach them the Bible story. Ask a volunteer to turn off the lights if this is possible. Otherwise, ask everyone to close their eyes so they do not see anything.
Ask: “How difficult is it to see in the dark?”
Turn on the lights or ask your children to open their eyes.
Ask: “Does light help us to see better?” (Allow them to respond).
Say: “Today’s story tells us about a man named Bartimaeus. His name means ‘the son of’ (Bar) ‘Timaeus’. He was blind and could not see with the light on or off, with his eyes open or closed. This made life difficult for Bartimaeus, but there was someone who helped him see.”
I can see
Tell the children to form a circle and close their eyes. Let them know you will select one child to open his eyes and walk around the outside of the circle. The child will touch someone on the shoulder. Direct the child who is touched to say, I can see! Then let that child walk around the circle and touch another child on the shoulder. Proceed with the game until every child has been touched on the shoulder or the time you assigned to this activity is finished.
teach the lesson
If you have a special guest to narrate the Bible story, tell the children to pay attention to that person.
Blind Bartimaeus.
Easter is a very special time for us to celebrate Jesus, the Son of God. We can celebrate by remembering stories. This story tells of the occasion when Jesus met a blind man, the son of Timaeus. Let’s see how Jesus helped this person.
Bartimaeus lived in Jericho, was blind, and could not see anything. Every day he sat by the side of the road. And, though he could not see the people, he could hear them. He had no job because of his blindness, so he begged for money from the people passing by.
One day, Jesus and his disciples were walking near the place where Bartimaeus sat. He heard the noise of many people walking, and he knew that something was happening.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Someone very important is here,” the people answered.
“Who?” he asked again.
“Jesus!” they replied.
“Jesus, Jesus! Help me!” Bartimaeus began.
“Shhh! Do not yell, be quiet!” the people around him scolded.
“Jesus, Jesus!” Bartimaeus continued to scream. “Help me, Jesus! Help me, Jesus!”
Jesus stopped, and all the people did too. “Call Bartimaeus,” said Jesus.
“Do not be afraid, Jesus calls you,” the people told Bartimaeus. He was so excited that he even jumped to his feet and hurried to get to where Jesus was.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was someone special, the Son of God, and that he could do something special.
“I want to see!” cried Bartimaeus.
“You can go, now you can see, your faith has made you well” Jesus said.
Bartimaeus could see! How wonderful! Now he could see Jesus, the people, the sun and everything around him. He was so filled with happiness that he did not go home, but he followed Jesus along the way.
connect the lesson
The book of Bartimaeus
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #14-A and #14-B, crayons, and scissors. Tell them to color the four frames of pictures, and then cut them along the dotted lines. When they are finished, ask them to arrange the pictures in order while they retell the story. Glue or fasten the four squares into a small book. If you wish, use a blank sheet to make a cover, and paste on it the memory verse. Preschoolers may not have good cutting skills. You may need to cut these items for the children.
Have the children mark over the dots in SAS #14-B to show the key words "Jesus Lives".
Encourage the children to use this booklet so they can tell their friends and family the story of Bartimaeus.
practice the memory verse
Father and son
Write the words and the reference on 11 large cards. Then number the cards 1-11. Mix up the cards for the children to put in order. Since most preschoolers cannot read, they may be able to use the numbers to arrange the cards in correct order. If children cannot do either one, let them hand you the card so you put them in the right order. Repeat the verse several times.
Verse Mix-up
Write the words that make up the memory verse on several large cards, and mix up them for your children to put them in order and read the full text. Remember that preschoolers are starting their learning process, so it is necessary to make the letters large and thick. Many cannot read yet. Help them join the syllables to form words. When they have the full text, repeat it together several times.
Father and son
Give the children a blank sheet of paper and a crayon. Demonstrate how to draw stick figures of a father and son on a sheet of paper or the chalkboard. Let the children draw stick figures of a father and son. Say the memory verse and let the children hold their artwork for others to see when they say the words “son of the living God.”
wrap-up
Pray
Sing a song before you say goodbye. Form a circle with the children and allow each one to say a brief prayer of thanksgiving. Conclude by praising God for the miracles of healing he does in the midst of his people.
Encourage
Encourage the children to continue to pray about family members and friends and to give God thanks when he answers their prayers. Remind them that just as God healed Bartimaeus, he listens to us when we call out to him about our needs.
Invite
Sing a song before you say goodbye, and invite the children to any upcoming special Easter celebrations. Remind them to pray during the week, and to review the verse at home.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™