YEA Lesson Library
Believing is Seeing
About This Lesson
Using Jesus’ healing of Blind Bartimaeus, this lesson teaches the student to trust God to answer prayers.
Scriptures
Matthew 9:28-29
Matthew 17:20
Matthew 20:30-34
Mark 10:46-52
Mark 10:52
Mark 11:22-24
Luke 18:35
Romans 4:20-22
Romans 5:1-2
Romans 10:17
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Words to Know
FAITH - unquestioning trust
ANXIOUS - eagerly wishing
MERCY - kindness, forgiveness
The Lesson
Blind people cannot see. If you were blind, what kinds of things would you miss? You wouldn’t know what your mother looks like. You couldn’t see the color of your clothes. Is the traffic light red or green? How would you know if it was day or night? The man in today’s lesson was blind. He was anxious to see Jesus.
Bartimaeus couldn’t make a living for himself. He couldn’t be a farmer. He couldn’t see the ground or seeds. He couldn’t be a carpenter. He would have to see the nails and wood. A fisherman needs to see out on the water. Bartimaeus couldn’t read, write, or paint. There just weren’t many jobs for a blind man.
Day after day Bartimaeus sat by the roadside. He begged money from people who passed by. Some people just walked on by. They pretended they didn’t see him. Some people treated him badly. But, some people were kind. They gave Bartimaeus a few coins. This is how he bought his food. It was hot sitting in the sun all day. Bartimaeus had a hard life.
One day Bartimaeus heard voices in the distance. He couldn’t see who was coming. But, it sounded like a lot of people. Bartimaeus felt the thumping of many feet walking on the road.
Bartimaeus was excited. Maybe someone would give him some money. He called out, “What’s going on? Where is everyone going?” Someone told him Jesus had come to town.
Jesus – Bartimaeus had heard of Him. People said Jesus fed the hungry. He made sick people well. “Maybe He can help me,” Bartimaeus thought. It would be so nice to be able to see.
Bartimaeus called in a loud voice, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” All the people stopped. Jesus wanted to know why Bartimaeus called to Him. “Sir, I would love to see again,” said Bartimaeus.
Jesus touched the blind man. It was a loving touch. Then He said, “Go. . . your faith has healed you.” Bartimaeus couldn’t believe it! He opened his eyes. Right in front of him stood Jesus. Bartimaeus could see! Jesus rewarded his faith. Bartimaeus was so happy he started following Jesus.
What do you do when you are sick or afraid? When you are afraid, do what Bartimaeus did. Jesus can do wonderful things. He performed lots of miracles. Do you think He can help you?
Jesus wants you to believe Him and trust Him. He wants you to ask Him for help. He will answer your prayers. Then you can tell others what Jesus did for you.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for healing Bartimaeus and teaching me about faith. Help me to learn to trust you like he did. I know that you will help me if I ask you to. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Matthew 9:28-29
Monday - Mark 11:22-24
Tuesday - Matthew 17:20
Wednesday - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Thursday - Romans 4:20-22
Friday - Romans 5:1-2
Saturday - Romans 10:17
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Describe what it might be like to be blind.
2. Tell how Bartimaeus made money to live on.
3. Tell how Bartimaeus knew someone was coming down the road even though he couldn’t see.
4. State what Jesus did to give Bartimaeus his sight.
5. Recite their memory verse
Topics & Themes
Bartimaeus
Blindness
Faith (Belief)
Fear
Jesus, His Miracles
Healing
Jesus, son of David
Mercy
Physical Infirmities -
Blindness
Poverty/Beggars
Prayer
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA students and teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse charts, pencil, sand paper, washcloth, book, metal cooking pot, spoon, coins in a metal container, slice of apple, orange or banana, slice of bread, carrot, celery, cucumber, songbook, CD/cassette tape and music player
Preparation
Because of our media-based society, today’s children want to be entertained, amused and informed. If we as Christian educators fail to make our lessons appealing and applicable to children’s lives today, we will miss the mark when it comes to reaching and teaching children.
When telling this Bible story, strive to stir the emotions of the children. If they can identify with the fears, the hurts, the love or joy of the Bible character, the story will be cemented in their minds. Thoroughly study your lesson. Ask questions and search for details that will evoke an emotional response in the children.
How to Teach This Lesson
As you introduce children to blind Bartimaeus, you need to flesh him out in order to make him more than a two-dimensional character. Help the children feel his frustration at not being able to see. Use examples from the everyday life of a child, like trying to pick out clothes to wear to school, kids not wanting to play with him, not being able to play baseball or trying to feed himself, in order to make it real to them. Demonstrate how difficult it would be to get dressed in the morning by having a child try to dress himself while blindfolded. Place adult sized shirt, pants, shoes and sox on a table. Lead the blindfolded child to the table and ask him to dress himself.
Awaken the hope that Jesus might possibly be interested in helping Bartimaeus. Children crave attention. They will readily be able to understand Bartimaeus’ importunity in calling out to Jesus in the crowd. Guide them into understanding that faith is demonstrated when we act on our hope. We pray, asking for God’s help, knowing that He is able to help us. Sometimes He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we would want, but we continue to trust Him that He loves us and wants us to be in His Kingdom with Him.
Finally, encourage the children to enter into the joy and thankfulness of Bartimaeus’ healing. Emphasize the importance of expressing our gratitude for the things that Jesus does for us. This might be a good time to ask one of the children to lead in a prayer of thanksgiving.
Review Questions
1. If you couldn’t see, what are some of the things you would miss?
2. How did Bartimaeus make a living for himself?
3. How did Bartimaeus know that someone was coming down the road, since he couldn’t see?
4. How did Jesus react when Bartimaeus called out to him? Was He angry?
5. What did Jesus tell Bartimaeus?
6. After he received his sight, what did Bartimaeus do?
Teacher-Directed Activity
To demonstrate what it would be like to be blind, play this Sensory Stimulation game.
What does it smell like?
Have the children sit in a circle and close their eyes. While they have their eyes closed, go around the circle with a piece of fruit (apple, orange or banana) and let the children smell it. No peeking! Next, go around the circle with a piece of bread for the children to smell. Finally, have the children smell a vegetable (carrot, celery, cucumber, etc.). Now have the children guess what they smelled.
What does it sound like?
With the children seated in the circle with their eyes closed, walk behind them flipping through the pages of a book. Be sure to go all around the circle so that all of the children can hear the sound. Next, with a metal cooking pot and spoon, walk around behind the children stirring the pot. Finally, place some coins in a metal container and walk around jingling the coins. Ask the children to guess what the sounds were.
What does it feel like?
One at a time, pass around a paper lunch sack with a piece of sand paper, a pencil and a washcloth inside. Each child may reach into the sack and feel the items. After each child has had a chance to feel all three objects, ask them to guess what they were.
Explain to the children that when a person is blind, they must rely on the sense of touch, smell and hearing to take the place of their sight.
REACH Activity
Special Materials Needed:
String, beads, sunglasses
Activities:
1. Make a list in your Bible notebook of five things that you would miss “seeing” if you suddenly lost your sight. Share with family and friends.
2. God created all parts of you and each is remarkable in its own way. Use an encyclopedia to find at least five facts about the eye and how it works. Write the facts in your Bible notebook.
3. Draw a picture of the eye and label it. What do you think is the most interesting fact about the eye? Write it in your Bible notebook. Share with family and friends.
4. If you were walking by Bartimaeus and saw him begging for money what would you think and do? Why? Write a paragraph in your Bible notebook. Share with family and friends.
5. Faith means unquestioning trust. Use your Bible and concordance to find at least two more Scriptures about faith. Write them in your Bible notebook. Share with family and friends.
6. Draw a picture of Bartimaeus following Jesus after he was healed from his blindness. Share with family and friends.
7. Jesus wants to know when you have a need, like healing a sickness or having Him with you when you are afraid. He wants you to have faith and trust Him. In your Bible notebook write at least two ways that Jesus will know that you have faith in Him. For example, are you afraid of something? Write a prayer in your Bible notebook asking Jesus for His help.
8. Write a play from the YEA lesson. Be sure to read Mark 10:46-52 before you write your play. Instead of performing the play in front of an audience, tape record the play. Then listen to the performance with family and friends.
9. Write an acrostic poem in your Bible notebook about the YEA lesson, using B-A-R-T-I-M-A-E-U-S. Share with family and friends.
10. Draw or trace the outline of eyeglasses on a piece of construction paper. Write half of the memory verse on one lens of the glasses; then write the other half on the second lens. Cut the glasses out. Practice the verse until it is memorized. Plastic, children’s sunglasses can be used. Cut construction paper to the size of the lenses, write the verse on the paper, and tape to the lenses.
11. Sing: A. “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” on page 23 of Kids Classics Collection. B. “Isn’t He Wonderful?” on page 42 of Kids Classics Collection. C. “Open My Eyes, That I May See” on page 165 of the CEM Hymnal. D. “Faith of our Fathers” on page 71 of the CEM Hymnal.
12. Pretend you are Bartimaeus. Since you are “blind,” you can’t write in a journal about how you will be begging along the roadside. But you can dictate your thoughts to your mom or dad to write in your journal for you. Talk about how it feels to be blind and to have to beg just to get enough money to eat.
13. Now write a journal entry, pretending you are Bartimaeus after Jesus has healed your eyesight.
14. People can be blind physically. They can also be blind spiritually. What does that mean? How can we help those who haven’t seen Jesus in their lives? Write your answers in your Bible notebook. Then talk your family at supper tonight about what affect your actions can have in God opening someone’s eyes.
15. Pretend you are an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist is an eye doctor. Have someone pretend to be the news anchorperson interviewing you. Talk about your professional astonishment that this blind man has been completely healed.
16. Add faith as this week’s hidden treasure to your treasure chest. Glue a string of beads to the chest to give it some dimension.
17. Do a sword drill with this week’s Daily Devotionals.
More Information: Use the Daily Devotional Scriptures to have a sword drill. Read the Scripture reference to the child. Then start the timer. When the child has found the verse, stop the timer. Read the verse and talk about how it relates to the lesson. Challenge the child to see how quickly he/she can find each of the verses in the Bible.
Song
“Isn’t He Wonderful” is on page 42 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead in prayer thanking God that we can see. Ask Him to help us to remember when we see a blind person to be helpful of their needs.
Printable Pages
