The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1890-03-21
CHRIST FORGIVING SIN.

VII ttACt IOttNA AiNN OAANs
LESSON XII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 20.
Text Of the Lesson. Luke Y. i7-s6-Com
matt Verses 24-20-Goldsn Text, Luke '
aI-Comm.ntsry BY the Rev d. n
stearns.
compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission OF II. 8. Hoffman, publisher. Philadel
phia,l
II. "And it came to pass on a certain day
as He was teaching" Our last lesson, con
corning the miraculous draught of fishes, Il
recorded only in Luke; then follows the heal
ing of the leper, recorded by Matthew, MARI
and Luke, as result of which there came
great multitudes to hear and be healed, inso
much that Jesus could no more openly enter
into the city, but was without In desert
places. Then Luke says that He withdrew
Himself into the wilderness and prayed
: (xerse 49,. Notice the seven other occasions
recorded by Luke on which Jesus prays wi,
10, ID; tx, 1s, 30; XII l, 3; xxi, 80, Al, ~, and
let us all sincerely ask ourselves how much
we know of the power of prayer.
"There were Pharisees and doctors Of the
law sitting by, which were come out Of every
town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem. "
So that here was gathered convention Of
all the leading and influential religious peo.
pie of the land, and they were being address
ed by this humble carpenter of Nazareth up.
on topics with which they ought to be very
familiar, and of which the wonder in their
eyes was that He should know anything
lS "And, behold, men brought in bed a
man which was taken with a palsy" Mark
says that four men carried him. His trouble
was paralysis; he was utterly helpless, all un-
done, not a thing could he do for himself.
Other cases of this disease are recorded in
Matt. iv, "a; viii, 8; Acts viii 7;ix, 80, the last
case being that of man who had kept his bed
for eight years. This mans physical condition
was an illustration of the condition of all men
spiritually, Rom. v, 6, 8, 10, to describe it as
without strength, ungodly, sinners, enemies, ="
and that was just the condition of those Phar-
isees and doctors of the law who were sit
ting by, but they knew it not
10. "They wentsupon the housetop, and let
him down through the tiling with his couch,
into the midst before Jesus. The discourage.
ments were many and great. 1t seemed sim.
ply impossible to get their friend to Jesus
20. "And when He saw their faith, He said
unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. {"
The great people present may have felt like
objecting very decidedly to this rude inter
ruption; or some hateful ones may have
laughed in their hearts at the meeting being
thus disturbed; but the quiet calmness and
dignity of Jesus would overawe them, and as
all was still again, the helpless man lying on
his couch in their midst, these most unex-
pected words fell from the preachers lips:
MAN, thy sins are forgiven theel" As the
skillful physician seeks carefully the source of
the more manifest symptoms, the seat of the
disease, and attends to that, knowing that II
the cause is removed all will be WE'LL so Jesus
goes at once to the cause of all sickness and
suffering and DEATH and in the case of this
man grants him first his greatest need, the
forgiveness of his sins. At the same time He
indicates to the Pharisees their need III.
81. "Who is this which speaketh blaspt
miese Who can forgive sins but God alonea'
~hus these sin sick Scribes and Pharisees be-
u. 4 to reason in their hearts, not knowing
Hist God Himself stood in their midst and
-Stered these words.
~ Jesus perceived their thoughtslR. ",
said unto them, What reason ye
in your heartsp' They must have been
startled at having the thoughts Of their
W.W- Il told out before all, and one would
: "A Ctiat this would convince them that
Jesus was more than man. II they were
well versed in their own Scriptures, as they
should have been, such words as these would
have come to mind, II know the things that
come into your mind, every one of them;"
1.-THE Lord searcheth all hearts, and under
standeth all the imaginations of the thoughts"
"Thou understandest my thoughts afar off.
%. ''Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins
be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and
walks" Each was equally easy to God mani
fest in the flesh, but from their standpoint
simply to heal the man of h's. sickness would
not imply the same pow II cd as to grant
forgiveness Of ains, an ,enot have led
them to accusa IN of l. a.emy.
"a. 1.-THE Son .. IN hath power upon earth
to forgive sins" And He will have them to
know it. But who is this Son of Man? This
is the first time we find the title in this Gospel
but we shall find it about twenty-five times
as we go,9peaIt is,aatt least thirty times in
Matth' .ema C'0w.,,s 'n,or TX and ten
time and Solicitor in Chancey, our hords
fave W., r.. found outside
of thea !. .,at ,rcts Vii, S.; Heb. ii, 6;
Rev. i, il; 4iy, il: " the eighty times He
uses it in the four Gospels, He uses it in refer.
ence to His resurrection and future glory
about thirty times, and that reminds us Of
Ps. viii, 4; Xxx, II; Dan. vii, ID, where the
Son of Man is the one to whom dominion on
earth is given. He has power to remove sin
and sickness, and does it even now in the case
Of individuals. He removes sin as to its con-
and power from every one who
truly seeks Him. He removes sickness and |
suffering whenever it is for our good and His |
glory, but not until the resurrection will He
give His people bodies forever free from all
nfirmity. The time will come when He shall |
have removed from the earth forever all
traces of sin and the curse; and He shall doe
As Son of Man, David's Son, Abrahams Son, .
in association with redeemed Israel and the
gloriti,. church.
IS. land Immediately he rose up before
Them, and telssa !, p that whereon he lay, and
departed tn Tuest IN house, ockrifying God"
The Word % q Son of M9l'cates :; manifest
IN the flesh; dio it. He TO, Chez sins, He
healed his body. We wor 'ule, have
healthier bodies If we haf or souls,
ourer hearts, hearts in yer, Word Of
God dwelt richly. If our .geswere tenn
oles filled with the Holy Spirit, who can tell
what He. the Ouickener Teacher, Comforter,