John 9:1-41
Background
Jesus healed the man with a little spit, a spot of mud, and a scrub in a pool. But the miracle didn’t cause rejoicing; it caused a ruckus. The Pharisees argued about the appropriateness of healing on the Sabbath. The parents refused to speak on their son’s behalf. The formerly blind man, after bravely speaking his own mind about his Healer, was thrown out of the synagogue. Jesus compassionately caught up with the blind man, who had not yet laid seeing eyes on Him. Instead of leading with, “Hey—I’m the one who healed you!” Jesus invited the man to affirm his belief that his healing had come from a man of God. When the man expressed his desire to know the Son of Man better, Jesus introduced Himself personally!
Telling the Story
Read the story from a children’s Bible.
A few online options include:
This clip is 5:38 minutes long. It is a good telling of the story. Fairly short and to the point.
Old Holy, an animated character, tells kids the story of the man born blind. This is over 12 minutes in length. Geared more to the younger crowd.
This one is great if you can make your own face to go along with it. There was no free pattern available but it does show you how to put it together.
A Game to Play
Mystery Bag
Fill a bag with a variety of items from around your house and then have the children put their hands inside and try to guess what each of the items are.
Marco-Polo Blindfolded
Choose one volunteer—to be blindfolded. The volunteer is going to try to find a piece of candy you hide in the room after he is blindfolded. The others will guide him/her toward the candy in a Marco-Polo style as follows: Anytime the blindfolded camper calls out “guiding,” the closest person to the candy will say “light.” If the blindfolded camper comes close to an obstacle such as a chair, everyone can call “look-out.” Give a couple of campers the opportunity to play.
See also the attached word search for the story.
Snack Time
Fruity Bandage
Ingredients:
Fruit Roll-Ups fruit rolls,
scissors appropriate for food,
and forks.
First, have kids create fruity bandages by cutting one large rectangle with rounded corners from a Fruit Roll-Up snack. Then have kids cut a smaller rectangle for the bandage pad. Next, kids centre the small rectangle on top of the larger one to make a “bandage.” Finally, poke air holes into the bandage with a fork.
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