Old Testament: Job 42:1-6, 10-17. The writer’s literary ploys make this text difficult to follow. The free translation of The Good News Bible presents its gist in the most understandable language.
Job learned that he did not know, and would never know, everything. Some questions, like why God lets terrible things happen to good people, are unanswerable. Children tend to assume (and adults often reinforce that assumption) that there are answers to every question and that adults know them all. Children also assume that if they work hard enough, they eventually will know all the answers too. Job’s story is an opportunity to introduce unanswerable questions and the possibility of living comfortably with them because we can trust God, who does know the answers.
As Halloween approaches, children focus on mysterious, scary stories and phenomena. Older children test their abilities to face fears in dealing with the unexplainable. This week before Halloween, Job insists that though there are things we cannot explain, we do not need to be afraid. God understands them all and is in full control.
Psalm 34:1-8, 19-22. This psalm makes most sense when read in context. It is a prayer David offered after his escape from Abimelech, and one that Job might have prayed as his trials ended. The language of the New Revised Standard Version reflects these contexts most clearly and is easiest for children.
As they listen, children catch individual phrases about God’s dependable care. Hearing the verses literally, alert children who have broken their own bones wonder whether verse 20 is a mistake, or perhaps an indication that they are not among the righteous.
Epistle: Hebrews 7:23-28. Last week’s Epistle reading highlighted the ways Jesus is like a high priest. This week, the focus is on the ways Jesus is better than any human high priest.
Children place more value on Jesus’ permanence than on his perfection. Dependability is important to them. Especially those who must regularly find new "best friends forever" when they move, and those who move from household to household within their extended families, crave a relationship with God and Jesus that lasts "forever and ever, no matter what."
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52. Without help, children hear this simply as another healing story that demonstrates Jesus’ power. They can be helped to find more meaning in it by specifically comparing James and John with Bartimaeus. James and John were insiders, friends who had been with Jesus for some time, and so should have understood what Jesus had been teaching and doing. Bartimaeus was an outsider, a blind beggar along the road. No one expected him to understand anything. Mark’s surprise is that it is Bartimaeus who knows what to ask for, and he who responds by becoming a follower of Jesus. With such explanations, older children enjoy Mark’s subtle point that James and John were really the "blind" ones who could not "see" what Jesus had been telling and showing them, while Bartimaeus was the one who could "see" clearly.
Watch Words
Mystery is a good word for things we do not understand. Begin with Halloween mysteries (maybe a local ghost story or spooky legend) and mystery stories (many adults and children know the Hardy Boys and the Nancy Drew series), then go on to describe the mysteries of real life.
Be careful about priestly vocabulary. To many children, a priest is a Roman Catholic minister, and a sacrifice is giving up something you want. The sacrifice out in baseball is closer to the Old Testament sacrifice.
Before using blind metaphorically, compare what James and John failed to see with what the physically blind Bartimaeus could see.
Be sure to use this material in your review before devoting with your child this week.