Jesus Heals a Man who was Blind

Hi there parents! Welcome back! Or if you're new here, welcome! The following blog is here to be a tool for you to help your kids grow in their faith while we can't be meeting weekly during this time. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20). 

As we begin to gather together again in person, I want to assure you that I will continue to publish this blog to keep our little ones engaged in the gospel until we can meet again for children's church. Please let them know I miss them all and can't wait to meet in person again soon! Please watch your email for procedures and practices soon as well as a start date. 

May I encourage you with a verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures? Chapter 6 verse 9 says, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Maybe you don't have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or maybe your children are to young to sit for that long. Take the key points and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day to day. Be blessed this week my friends!  

Each week we will include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, memory verses and possibly a craft or 2. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson so you can read directly from it or change it up to suit your children. Take a few moments to print the activity pages as well as the additional activities and review the lesson so you can make adjustments as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages and loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you'd like or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the course of the week. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. I'd love to hear from you!  

So let's get started. I like to begin each week with Blessings and Bummers. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives during this time at home? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest bummers? 

Parents share your blessings and bummers, and encourage the kids to do the same. Here is mine. My blessing this week is that I got to ride my horse, Bella. I love horses. They are such magnificent and amazing creatures. I am so glad that God created them and that I get to see them every day! 

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, we love you Lord. You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us Lord. Thank you for all of the amazing things you have given us and have done for us. Help us to appreciate all you do for us and to look to you in all that we do. In Jesus name, Amen. 
(please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)

Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers! Let me ask you a question: What is something amazing that you have seen? The ability to see is a wonderful gift from God. We best enjoy many parts of God’s creation by seeing them, like beautiful sunsets, majestic mountains, or all the glorious stars in the sky. Today, we will learn about a time Jesus encountered a man who couldn’t see any of those things. He was blind. What do you think Jesus did for this man? We’ll find out. Let's start with an activity and our Big Picture Question.

Remember last week we looked at the big picture question and answer: Why did God create people? God created people to worship Him, love Him, and show His glory. God did not need us to love or worship Him; He is perfect and needs nothing. Creating us so we could experience His love and celebrate His greatness was just one way God shows His goodness. When we do what we are created to do, it glorifies God and blesses us.

Today’s Bible story is called “Jesus Heals a Man who was Blind” Let’s find out why he needed Jesus’ help.

Last week we mentioned that Jesus healed ten men, and one was saved. Then we learned about a time Jesus healed a woman and raised a girl from the dead. This week, we will look at one more story in which Jesus worked a miracle to heal a person. This time, our story is about Jesus’ healing a man who had been born blind.

Look for Session 4.

This story gives us some wonderful news about the pain, sickness, and brokenness of the world. It is fairly common to think that if something sad or difficult happens to you, it is because God is punishing you. This story helps us see that sad or difficult circumstances are not God’s punishment, but ways that God can show His glory.

The world is broken by sin. That means that we all face sad or difficult situations sometimes. Our actions have consequences too, so there are times when our sinful choices cause pain and suffering to us and those around us. But the natural consequences of foolish choices are not the same as God’s choice to punish us.

Jesus’ disciples thought the man born blind must have either had wicked parents, or perhaps he was wicked himself. But his blindness was not punishment; it was God’s way of showing His power and glory in the world. Afterward, the man who had been blind had faith that Jesus is the Messiah.

The Pharisees refused to believe the truth. Jesus said that, even though they could see, they were the blind ones! As you can imagine, they didn’t like that at all. But Jesus wasn’t talking about physical sight, He was talking about the ability to understand and believe the truth.

Our sin makes us unable to see the truth about God. Jesus came as a light in a dark world. He came to give us sight—true understanding of God and His kingdom. Those who trust in Jesus see who He is and worship Him.

In a way, we are all born blind because we are born dead in sin. We cannot understand God’s Word. We cannot see the truth of the gospel. Thankfully, God reveals Himself to us in the Bible so that we can have faith and live forever with Him.

Bible Time! 

Help kids find John 9. Remind the kids that they can search the table of contents to figure out which page John starts on. Help them understand that Bible scholars added the large chapter numbers and the small verse numbers to help us organize and study God’s Word.

Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss:

Why was the man born blind? (so God’s works might be displayed in him, John 9:3)

How did Jesus heal the man? (Jesus mixed spit and dirt, put the mud on the man’s eyes, and told him to wash it off; John 9:6-7)

What did the religious leaders do to the healed man? (threw him out of the synagogue, John 9:34)

In what ways are we like the man born blind? Guide kids to consider what it means to be born in sin. Help them see that spiritual blindness prevents us from being able to pursue God on our own. Guide kids to discuss what it feels like to be in darkness. Point out both the fear of the dark that some have and also the practical limitations of doing things in the dark.

Why do you think Jesus calls Himself the Light of the world? Help them understand the ways in which Jesus “lights up” our life, such as helping us see and understand God’s truth, giving us joy, and helping us walk in obedience to God. Point out that, while it is difficult to do things in the dark, light helps us work.

How can we be given “spiritual sight”? Direct kids to think about the message of the gospel. Help them see that they cannot earn salvation, but it is given freely to those with faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Remind them that with salvation comes new life and the Holy Spirit’s help to love and obey God.

Say • Jesus gave sight to a man who was blind. In a similar way, Jesus gives us spiritual sight when we trust in Him. God forgives our sins and opens our eyes to see the truth of His Word. The Holy Spirit helps us love and obey God.

Let's look at our new key memory verse together: This is a new one this week! It's a bit long but I know you can handle it! Here's a fun activity to help:

Before the session, write each word or phrase of the key passage on a separate sheet of paper. Ask your kids to say the key passage from memory. Thank the kid/s for their efforts and encourage all the kids to continue working to memorize the passage. Select a volunteer to wear a blindfold. Give her all the key passage papers. Encourage the other kids to help her put the key passage in order.

Say • Our key passage tells us that Jesus took on our sickness and sin to heal us from sin and death. Only Jesus is able to save us from sin and heal the damage sin causes in our lives. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives all our sin and gives us eternal life.

Let's close in prayer: 

Father, thank You that we can gain spiritual sight by faith in Your Son. Help us see the truth of the gospel and have courage to tell others about You. Open the eyes of those we interact with so they can see You and have a relationship with You through Jesus. Amen.

*If anyone reading this has questions about being born again, eternal life with Jesus, or God's love for us please feel free to contact the church at fcbc@fcbc.church and someone will get back with you to talk.*