Hi all! This month we are learning about the miracles Jesus did. A miracle is something that shouldn’t be able to happen, but God makes it happen, because God can do ANYTHING!

 

Today’s story is from John 9.

One day as Jesus went along, He saw a man who had been blind his whole life. He was asking people for money because he couldn’t see to work.

Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Teacher, did this man or his parents do something bad that God made him blind?”

“No, neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and put it on the man’s eyes.

(We used play-doh to illustrate this part)

“Go,” He told him, “wash off your eyes.” And when the man washed off his eyes, then he could see!

All the people in the town said “Isn’t this the same blind man who used to sit and beg for money?”

Some said “Yes! It’s him!”

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he insisted, “I am the man! And now I can see!”

“How were your eyes opened?” they asked.

He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see!”

“Where is Jesus?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

They brought him to the Pharisees who were not happy that Jesus had healed the man on the sabbath (the day of rest). “He must be a sinner, someone who disobeys God’s rules!”

But others asked, “How can a sinner do such amazing things?!” So they were divided.

They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. They even asked them if this really was their blind boy! They had a LOT of questions for the mom dad and man who had been healed and he said, “All I know is, I was blind but now I see! We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the Godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. This HAS to be the work of God.”

But some of the Pharisees didn’t want to believe it. They called the man a sinner and told him to leave the city!

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in Me?”

Then the man said, “Yes, Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus said, “I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

When Jesus was talking about blindness this time, He wasn’t talking about their eyes. He was talking about their hearts. He was saying He came to show God to everyone. Some people would open the eyes of their heart and love God and some people would stay “blind” and not see the real God.

The Pharisees didn’t really want to see God. They wanted to follow the rules and get all the trophies for being the best at following rules. But they didn’t see Jesus. They didn’t really see that what God wants even more than for us to follow the rules, is that He wants us to LOVE Him and LOVE others. That is how we REALLY obey God.

The Pharisees were supposed to know what the Bible says better than anyone. But they didn’t really do what God wanted, so He called them “blind.” And the man who could now see believed in Jesus and so he could see with his eyes AND his heart.

Here is a video posted by SabbathSchool.

This video features Celtic Women singing “Amazing Grace.”

And this video is a kid’s version of “Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord” posted by GodsKidsWorship.

Thanks for joining us. Love to you all!