There is a beautiful disconnect between our aspirations and our reality. We aspire to greatness, to leave a legacy, to make a name for ourselves, and yet humility and service don’t come with glowing awards. Indeed the greatest of saints will probably be people we have never heard the slightest utterance of their deeds, nor whispers of their names.
The lesson of James “the minor”, “the little”, “the lesser”, or “the younger” is probably the most vivid example of this. There must have been a great reason for Jesus to chose this man over the others who accompanied their party, but the reason remains obscured. Little James, perhaps younger, perhaps shorter, was by no means truly ‘lesser’ because his story is untold, it may actually be the case that his contribution was greater, we will never know.
We know so little. There was a James, that was not John’s brother, amongst the 12, all Gospel accounts clearly agree on this. Plus, there were others Jesus could have chosen, for Jesus chose, inferring a larger party. This is confirmed when Judas has exited himself from the picture and the disciples chose a replacement for him. We know that James “the great”, brother to John, was a more compelling figure in the group, indeed that James is part of Jesus’ inner circle… but this James, apart from his name and possibly his fathers, we hear no word.
So why should we take a session of our precious time to study a man who is rather unknown?
Firstly there are 12 disciples, they all deserve our attention. Secondly, if you examine the people you have met in your journeys who have shown Christ to you, will probably find more obscure than famous characters. Thirdly, blank spaces fascinate people, especially children, it lets their imagine come to the foreground.
Do join me in the coming weeks building a session to look at the possibilities, examine the reasons for Jesus choosing 12, imagine the purpose of choosing this James – what did he bring to the table, you never know, perhaps that was his speciality and he was the groups chef?
Little James
Bartimaeus (Mark 10) | Craft 2
| 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. |
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Bartimaeus (Mark 10) | Worksheet
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.
Bartimaeus (Mark 10) | Games
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 about Bartimaeus (Mark 10) | Games
Bartimaeus (Mark 10) | Character Images
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.)
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