Let Me See

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Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal).

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). In pairs or groups of three, have participants answer, “What does it mean to have mercy for someone?”

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read Mark 10:46-52.

• Who is “the Son of David”? Who is crying out for this “Son of David” to have mercy on him? [ The “Son of David” refers to Jesus; the person crying out is Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar outside of Jericho (Mark 10:46-47).]
• What does Jesus say heals the sight of Bartimaeus? [Bartimaeus’s faith makes him well (Mark 10:52).]
• All different translations of the text end with Bartimaeus “regaining his sight and following him [Jesus] on the way” (Mark 10:52). What do you think is the significance of Mark including this healed man following Jesus as opposed to other miracles where Jesus and the healed person go their separate ways?
• The Preaching Note for October 27 says, “Confess and commit to recognizing the areas of need and the people crying out for mercy who have been ignored for too long. When we gather for worship, Jesus pays attention and asks us, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’”
  • Why do you think it is significant Jesus calls for the crowds to be quiet? How do we sometimes block others from being transformed by Jesus?
• “Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again’” (Mark 10:51.)
  • What do you want Jesus to help you see? How do you think Jesus is calling you to see his presence in your life as well as the needs of those around you? Discuss some ways you and your church can think of people who are crying out for help and how God might be calling you to be in ministry in new ways.

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer:

Faithful God, day by day, we see glimpses of Your glory. Quieten our hearts and open our eyes to see Your goodness in front of us. Give us the gift of faith to see new possibilities or dreams for ministry. We pray this to you, the great Physician who makes us whole. Amen.

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Rev. Dr. Hunter Pugh, an elder in the Alabama-West Florida Conference, serves a charge in Brantley, Alabama. He has served the local church for ten years. Rev. Pugh is also an adjunct professor of religion at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. He loves the outdoors and traveling, as he sees God’s creation and the beauty of the diversity in people the Lord has made.