The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-02-16
THE LESSON STORY.

Jesus and his Twelve on the Sab
bath passed one of the entrances to the
temple enclosure. The usual company of
mendicants sat by the gateway. Among
the unfortunates Jesus saw man who had
been born blind.
Jesus saw him A thousand other eyes
glanced at the same blind man; yet did
not penetrate to his touching pitiableness.
Seeing, they did not see. But Jesus saw
a man whose life had been one long ray
less night; who had never seen the earth,
or sky, or face of fellow man; spirit in
prison, to whom the words sun, moon,
stars had no clearly defined meaning; to
whom color was mystery; to whom day
was thing unknown by experience.
1. The Blind Man q Theoretical
Problem to the Apostles,-vs. IS.
The compassion expressed in Jesus gaze
we easily conjecture. At last the eyes of
the disciples were also directed to their
eyeless brother What did they see?
Surely not what the Master saw. They
could not endure to steadily gaze on the
vacant sockets; they could not continu-
ously think of the dreary life of their fellow
mortal. Their question signifies the heart
blindness that battles sympathy with the
DRY: Rab6i, qVJio did sin, Ills man or his
PARENTS, that he should be born 6HNd?
They assume the current theory, that all
earthly suffering is the fru:tage of sin; they
propose to discuss with the Teacher spe-
cifc application of the theory.
But Jesus has no disposition to dissipate
sympathy in metaphysics. Rebuke for
their want of heart is in his reply; Neither
did this man sin nor his barentS. OF
course he is not affirming the absolute sin
lessness of these people. What he af1irms
is that a mere urgent question than the
theoretical cause of evil, is that of its cure.
The paramount significance of the lifelong
blindness of the man to the Healer was:
7Hathhe aV0yks Of God should be manifest
in him.
The words which follow: NE must 7V0yk
the q0oy.kS Of lin that sent me zOkils ii rs
day: tie night e0metA 7Olten no man can
w0yk, may have double reference; first,
to his fastening end second, to the fatl
that it was the Sabbath, and such work
as he was moved to perform would be
breaking of the Pharisaic law.
There is consciousness Of Divine power
in the Wonder-worker With worldwide
and everlasting application, as he looks at
the blind man, he says: WItfn / am in
tie q0oyla, I am the light eff tie a0Oyla.
Jesus by Jacobs Well declared himself to
be the water of l.f,. After the Great Ban
quot, he declare himself to be the bread
Of life. Now, standing oy the man born
blind, he declares: / am tie light Of TIE
zVorld
2 The Blind Man to Jesus a
Subject of Compassion and Help,
VS.. 6, ?.
Scholars tell US that it had long been
belief that saliva and clay were medicinal
for diseased eyes. But it was unlawful,
according to the Pharisaic law, to use such
medication on the Sabbath. When Jesus
therefore spat upon the ground, and mixed
clay with the spittle, and anointed the
vacant eyes with the clay, he may have
designed to thereby renew his controversy
with those who had already indicted him
as a Sab5ath-breaker. As an agent of
cure such ointment was certainly made
quate. But it gave to the blind man test
of faith. His going to the pool of Sloan
and washing off the clay would arouse