Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-04-01
&eadiua fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
"WILT THOU BE MADE WHOLE

REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[ohgnaL]
"WILT THOU BE MADE WHOLE 2"
The words which stand at the head of this
passages in the Bible. The time they were
uttered was during the progress "of feast
of the Jews" but what particular feast we
can only conjecture. The circumstance
which led to their utterance is thus briefly
stated: At that time, we are told John 81
there was at Jerusalem, by the sheep mar
kct, or rather, by the sheep gate, pool
called Bethesda. In some way, there was
connected with this pool five porches, in
which lay great multitude of persons af-
flicted with various diseases, or rather the
subjects of various misfortunes. There were
gathered around this pool great multitude
of blind, lame and palsied persons. These,
we are told, were "waiting for the moving
of the water" In explanation of what is
meant by ''moving of the water" it is add
ed: "An angel went down at certain sea-
son into the pool, and troubled the water {;
whosoever then first after the troubling OF
the water stepped in was made whole of
whatsoever disease he had" This is per-
haps the most remarkable passage in the
Bible. In no other place in the Scriptures
is any mention made ofthis pool, and neith-
er Josephus nor Philo say anything about it..
The clause of the third verse beginning
with the words, "waiting for" and the
whole of the fourth verse is left out by many
editors of the Greek Testament. They are
left out by Westcott and Hart in the Greek
texts prepared by them entirely, they say,
from original manuscripts. They are left
out by what is called the Revised version
of the New Testament. Notwithstanding
all this, the reasons for rejecting the words
are not unattended with difficulties.
Whether the words declaring that an angel
went down into the pool at certain season
and troubled the water, are spurious or not,
we are certainly informed that there was in
one of the porches connected with this pool
man who had been the subject of some all
ment for thirty-eight years. How long he
had been at the pool we are not told, neither
are we informed as to what was certainly
the matter with the man. The name of the
man is not given and he is spoken of in the
most general and indefinite manner. "a
certain man." He may have been a Jew,
or he may have been Gentle. He may
have been of good family, or he may have
belonged to that class of the human family,
which is known only by its obscurity. The
only thing that is definitely stated is that he
had been sufferer for thirty-eight years.
For anything that we know to the contrary,
he may have been born "in that case,"
whatever it was, and consequently he was
sufferer all his life. Notwithstanding the
vagueness in the brief history which we are
given of this "certain man." the Indefinite
ness is actually definite, and in reality we
are told a great deal about him, not directly
but indirectly, and in his case we are taught
moral lesson of vital Importance.
The first thing noteworthy in his case is,
Jesus saw him and knowing that he had
been the subject of affiiction for long time,
said to him, "Wilt thou be made whole?'
or, in modern English, "Doyou desire to be
restored to health?" There is no evidence
that Jesus had ever seen or heard Of him
before. The man may have been we'll
known about Jerusalem, but by far the larg-
er portion of our Saviour's life was spent at
Nazareth, little town in Galilee, sixty
miles north of Jerusalem. The probability
is that our Saviour had never seen the man,
nor heard any one speak of him before.
Still he knew that he had been poor affiict-
ed creature for thirty-eight years. All this
Jesus knew because he is omniscient and
knows all things. This suggests delight
full train of thought. Scattered all over this
sin-cursed world of ours, there are great
multitude of "blind and haltand withered."
They have spent their lives in great obscu.
rity and misery. They have been "in that
case" a long time-so long that those nearest
to them by human ties, are growing weary
of them. In winter they shiver with cold
and are parched with the heat of summer.
They are neglected. All of these Jesus
knows.
The reply of the impotent man is worthy
of notice. ~ have no man when the water
is troubled to put me into the pool" He
did not say, "Yes, am anxious to be made
WHOLE" and yet he did say so indirectly,
but very emphatically. No matter wheth-
er or not he was blind, as some suppose,
or could not walk as others think, we are
indirectly told by the man himself, that OF
himself he could not get into the pool, and
no one would lend him helping hand.
He was an "impotent man"-a man dis
abled by disease. He was lying-probably
he could neither sit, nor stand, nor walk.
He was solely at the mercies Of his fellow
men, and they neglected him. His case
was sad one. How long he had been ly-
ing near the pool, and how often he had
been disappointed no one can tell, but he
had met with disappointments. Poor, help
less creature, in the tones of one who was
nearing the line which divides hope and
despair, he said to the Saviour, II have no
man to put me into the pool"
It is evident from the reply of the impo-
tent man to our SAVIOUR that he earnestly
desired to be healed-to be made we'll.
This the Saviour knew as we'll as he knew
that he had been "in that case" for long
time. Why did the Saviour ask the man if
he desired to be made whole? The man
had been there, how long we know not, but
whether the time was long or short, he was
at the pool for the purpose of being healed.
Why did the Saviour say, "Wilt thou be
made whole ?" 1t was simply to give the
man an opportunity of declaring, or making
public the desires of his heart.
Here again we are taught an important
lesson. Morally, the whole world lieth in
wickedness. Sin has made us all "impotent
folk" Morally, all of Adams race are
blind and halt and Withered. In the Cos