Small Group and Family Guide

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Mark 10:46-52 (NIV) · Pastor Otis J. Petteway, III · October 25, 2026

Sermon notes

For Small Groups

Open

What is a song from your childhood that you still know every word to?

Read

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark 10:49-52 (NIV)

The Big Idea

We are so worried about what other people will think that we will go without. There should come a point where we forget all that other stuff and do whatever it takes to get what we need from God.

The Message

  1. The Cry (Mark 10:46-48). Jesus comes to town and a blind man causes a disturbance, trusting whoever told him Jesus was passing by. He sought compassion from a man he had never seen, and when the crowd rebuked him he shouted all the more. You don't upset the crowd until you're willing to cry out loud.
  2. The Cloak (Mark 10:49-50). Three words changed his life: "Jesus stopped." The cloak was his coat by day and cover by night (Deuteronomy 24:12-13), and like the Professor on Gilligan's Island, some things make you comfortable in places you were not designed to be. Bartimaeus threw the cloak down before Jesus ever touched his eyes.
  3. The Clarity (Mark 10:51-52). You have to be willing to ask for what you want, and "What do you want me to do for you?" is a blank check that reveals what we really desire. James and John used the same check to ask for position (Mark 10:36-37); Bartimaeus asked to see. Once he saw Jesus' face, he followed Him along the road.

Talk About It

  1. Bartimaeus only knew Jesus was passing by because somebody told him. Has your witness been enough to make anybody cry out to Jesus?
  2. The crowd told him to be quiet, and he shouted all the more. What voices try to quiet your cry to God?
  3. The cloak kept Bartimaeus warm and caught his coins, but it also marked him as a beggar. What has made you comfortable in a place you were not designed to stay?
  4. Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" If Jesus asked you that today, what would you honestly say?
  5. Once he could see, Bartimaeus followed Jesus along the road. How does what God has done for you show up in how you follow Him?

Live It Out

Identify one place where pride has kept you from asking for help, whether from God, a counselor, a coworker or a family member. Ask for it this week, plainly and without apologizing for needing it.

For Families

A blind man named Bartimaeus sat by the road and heard that Jesus was coming. He shouted for Jesus even when people told him to hush, and Jesus stopped and asked what he wanted. Bartimaeus said, "I want to see," and Jesus healed him, and he followed Jesus down the road.

Ask Your Kids

  1. Why did Bartimaeus keep shouting even when people told him to be quiet?
  2. What did Jesus ask Bartimaeus, and what did he say?
  3. What is something you can ask God for help with today?

Do It Together

Play a gentle blindfold game: one person wears a blindfold while another calls their name and guides them across the room with words. Talk about how Bartimaeus listened for Jesus and came when He called.

Memory Verse

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

Mark 10:51 (NIV)

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