What do you do when everyone says be quiet?
Bartimaeus was blind and sat by the road begging. When he heard Jesus was passing, he shouted for help. The crowd told him to be quiet. He shouted louder. Jesus stopped, called him over, and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Bartimaeus was blind and sat by the road begging. When he heard Jesus was passing, he shouted for help. The crowd told him to be quiet. He shouted louder. Jesus stopped, called him over, and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
About 5 minutes: 3 choices and 2 ways-of-knowing stops. Kids play Bartimaeus deciding whether to shout, someone in the crowd, and Bartimaeus again, throwing off his cloak. Written with kids who are blind or have low vision in mind, and for any child who has been told to hush. Jesus is a soft light, never a person.
Ages 4–9
This is one of the hardest questions there is, and it deserves a real answer, not a quick one. You can say: the Bible doesn’t promise everyone gets healed in this life, and it never says people who aren’t healed have less faith. What Jesus praised in Bartimaeus was that he shouted, came, and followed. Everyone can do that. And Jesus stops for everyone who does. For a child with a disability: Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted instead of deciding for him. Being treated as a whole person who gets to speak for yourself is in this story too, and it’s for everyone.
Mark 10:46–52; Matthew 20 and Luke 18 tell it too (Matthew has two blind men). Leaving Jericho on the way to Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus passes a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, who shouts “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” The crowd rebukes him; he shouts louder. Jesus stops, has him called, and asks what he wants. “Rabboni, let me see again.” Jesus says, “Go, your faith has healed you.” He sees at once and follows Jesus on the road.