Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-02-23
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON vln. FIRST QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES. FEB. "a.

MAI tCNAL SERiGo, FEB. "a.
Text of the Lesson. JOHN tx. III Nenl-
DRY Verses, Is = Golden Text John
tx. Commentary by the Rev. u. II.
stearns.
/. And as Jesus passed by He saw
man which was blind from his birth. y
In the order Of events this lesson probably
preceded that Of last week 1t Is the only
one given 10 us from that whole section
Of Johns gospel from chapter vii, >, to X,
2l, in which we find Jesus az Jerusalem
teaching in the temple and hated by tho
chief priests and Pharisecs. In chapter
viii, u, IS. Hc proclaims Himself as the
light of the world and the light of life
speaking only what the Father told linn
and doing always those things that please
Him, not seeking His own glory oversees
20, 5ol,
/ .. And His disciples asked Him, say
ing, Master, who did sin, this man or his
parents, that he was born blinds 1t is
common thing to suppose that special sui
fering is caused by special sin and that
sickness is the result Of individual sin.
This is sometimes the case as with the
men whom Jesus healed at the pool Of
Bethesda (ehapter viii, 40 but lot us
carefully observe the teaching of Jesus in
this lesson, and we shall see that while
sin lies originally back Of ali sickness and
suffering, for had there been no sin, suf
fering would not have been, yet we must
not suppose in the case Of any individual
that there has been any special sin or TINT
there is any lack of faith in God back of
the suffering.
8. Jesus answered, Neither hath this
man sinned nor his parents, but that the
works of God should be made manifest in
him" There can be no contradictions
in Scripture, and as it is written that
''all have sinned" from. iii. Esq Jesus
did net say that neither this man nor his
parents had never sinned, but in answer
to the disciples question He said that this
blindness was not the result of any spe-
cial sin. Why, then, was this mas- born
blind? Here is the answer, That tho works
of God might be seen in him, We are re
minded of the question in Elk. iv, IL,
''Who maketh the dumb or deaf, or the
seeing or the blind? Have not l. the LoTl;'
4. Il must work the works Of Him that
sent me while it is day. The night cometh,
when no man can work Jesus delight
ed to honor the Father and to call Him
self "Sent of God. More than 80 times
in this gospel He is so called, and when
He finished His ministry He said gladly TO
His Father, Il have gloriled Thee on the
earth John xvii, ~, AS to all the works
wrought by Him, He confessed that it was
the Father in Him who did the works
(John xiv, 100. For our comfort He
tells us that, as the Father sent Him,
SO He sends us (John xvii, Is; Xxx, 2l);
that He is with US all the days having
all power in heaven and on earth; that
Hewill hold our hand, be with our mouth
and work in us both TO will and to do
of His good pleasure (Math. xviii,
20; lisa. xii, 10; Elk. iv, II; Phil. Ii, 49,
5. As long as l am in the world l aln
the light of the world. " Compare chapters
viii. u, and xii 80. Sc, See a proof of His
divinity, for what mere man would dare
to use such words, being in his right mindY
Then hear Him as He says 10 His disciples,
Ye are the light of the world (Math. V,
IA, and consider well the fact that, whcth-
er blind or seeing, deaf on hearing, dumb
or speaking, sick or well, rich or poor,
unto each one is given the offer Of having
God work His works in US, and of having
Jesus live His life in US. The wonder is
that He takes sinners to do this. He came
to save sinners, to take lost ones and re-
deem them, filthy ones and make them
whittier than snow; that in these redeemed
and blood washed souls He might repro
duee His life and speak the words and
work the works OF God III Cor. iv, 10, ID.
g. when He had thus spoken, He Spat
on the ground and made clay Of the spit
tie, and He anointed the eyes of the
blind man with the clay" Sometimes
with word, sometimes with touch and
sometimes without being present at all
He wrought His works and glorified God,
but whether we may see it or not there
must have been always reason fo1 the
way He wrought. On other occasions we
read of His using spittle, as in Mark vii,
30; viii, %, and by means of this spittle
from His tongue both sight and hearing
are restored either instantly or gradually,
as it pleaseth Him.
7"And said unto him, Go, wash in
the pool of Sloan (Which is, by interpre
tation Sent). He went his way, there
fore, and washed and came seeing" All
is suggestive. Jesus is the Sent of God
teal. iv, a. He also is the fountain OF
living water (Jer. ii, 49, He was God
manifest in the flesh q Tim iii, 16), SO
that both spittle and earth and Sloan
are suggestive of Him by whom the blind
eyes were made 10 see. On the part of the
blind man there wis simply submission
and obedience, and thus the victory
s. The neighbors, therefore, and they
which before had seen him that he was
blind, said, Is not this he that sat and
bcggedf" The poor blind man had been
utterly helpless he could give nothing
and he could do nothing by which to merit
or obtain his sight. Such is truly the real
condition of all the unsaved, but because
they fancy they are not blind (vcrse Az
and not helpless they insist on saying
1--WE sec, " and I'VE can do very well, 80
and thus they continue blind. When,
however, any become willing TO be healed
by Jesus and are truly healed, their old
acquaintance can hardly tell whether it
Is they or not, the change is so great.
0. some said, This is he; others said,
he is like him, but he said, / am he. - II !
any man be in Christ, he is new crea-
tuFe. Old things are passed away, and all
things are become new. Only one who
was always blind and had his eyes finally
opened could sympathize with this man in
his newly found joys and experiences. He
was in a new world, a world of which he
had heard and something Of which he had
felt, but which he now saw for himself
10. Therefore said they unto him, How
were thine eyes opened?' Since the world
began no one had ever heard that a man
opened the eyes OF one born blind (yerst
32), and this was such an unheard of thing
that some now questioned as to whether
the man ever had been blind (versc 49,
To doubt the miraculous is still a common
sin. Tho difficulty now is that the pro
fessed followers Of Jesus are many Of
them, filed with these doubts and so zeal
ously proclaim them that many are affect
ed thereby, but not for good
IL. He answered and said, A man that
is called jesus made clay and anointed
mine eyes and said unto inc, Go to the
pool Of Sloan and wash, and went ami
gRsbcd, and | received sight. These are
The plain, simple, unvarnishcd facts given
oy competent witness who could say,
One thing / know, that whereas | wa
blind, now see" fverse 2jj