Jesus Without Language

With this little pop up box, one moment Bartimaeus is blind and the next he can see! This is one of those really simple and yet really effective crafts for groups that like to be a bit clever and can cut, fold and glue in a straight line. The result is a little hand held box that is addictively fun to press again and again. Want to turn this into a prayer activity : cover the rest of the box with prayer needs and have the kids pray for something on the box every time they press it down. Talk about how we often close our eyes when we pray but for Bartimaeus, meeting Jesus meant opening his eyes to see God.

 
…continue reading

 

This Bartimaeus worksheet looks at the idea of our senses and the way that Bartimaeus abandoned his cloak. The worksheet is best completed in small groups so the questions can be discussed. This worksheet is designed for independent readers, though it would be suitable for younger children with teacher support.

To complete the worksheet you will need something to write and draw with.

The PDF can can be downloaded by clicking on the image.

Blind Bartimaeus is a fantastic story because it holds many layers of meaning without reverting to complex or Jewish symbolism. For younger children Bartimaeus is a sick man who wants to be healed. As they get older the idea that he had listened and waited and was making a fool of himself for shouting at the air, hoping to be heard by Jesus, highlights both his faith and the importance of listening. As we move into the teens the significance of his cloak becomes more apparent, that this one form of shelter and identification can be so bravely abandoned, challenges them to move their faith beyond their own security.
 

Blind mans bluff – This traditional game is a great introduction for younger children to the concept of blindness and a good for older children to reinforce the faith it took for Bartimaeus to move towards Jesus.
 
…continue reading

 
Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to Bartimaeus (Mark 10).

Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.

The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(Please note : these images have no watermark but are not copyright free, they are only intended for classroom use.)

English

German

Bartimaeus has 4 main elements to his story and this little flipbook tries to reveal 3 of them, sadly it can’t shout. His blindness is healed, he leaves his cloak and goes with Jesus. It’s a great craft for mid to older groups that like fast results with minimum work and makes a fun take home keepsake.

 
…continue reading

 
If you want the teachers page then please click on the image for the pdf.

Today’s hero is Bartimaeus because he shows us the gift of a Listening

Essential Teachers notes:
While we would all like to advocate listening in our lessons this story should not be seen as an opportunity to hone our manners but to open ourselves to possibilities that may transform our lives. Giving Bartimaeus sight was a great gift from Jesus, but it came because Bartimaeus was willing to sacrifice his security, to make himself look foolish, and to act on faith. Bartimaeus is a really straightforward story and older children could easily re-read the passage from the bible as a way of pondering on it.

Main Passage : Mark 10

—————————————- …continue reading