The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-02-20
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
FEBRUARY "a.
Lesson Text: "Christ and the Man
Born Blind" John tx, ILL
Golden Text: John tx,
documentary.


@Commentary.
I. sand as Jesus passed by He saw man
which was blind from his birth" In the Or
der Of events this Lesson probably preceded
that Of last week. tits the only one given
to us from that whole section OF Johns gos-
pei from chapter viii, 2, to X, 81, in which
We find Jesus Mt Jerusalem teaching in tho
temple and hated by the chief priests and
Pharisees. In chapter viii, IL, 28, He pre-
claims Himself as the light Of the world and
the light of life, speaking only what the
Father told Him and doing always those
things that please Him, not seeking His own
glory Oversees 20, 50).
Q. 'And His disciples asked Him, saying,
Master, who did sin, this man Or his parents,
that he was born blind?" 1t Is common
thing to suppose that special suffering 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 (chapter will, 49,
but let us carefully observe the teaching OF
Jesus in this lesson. and we shall see that
while sin lies originally back OF all 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 that 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
1t is written that ''all have snned' (Rom
ILL.,, 23), Jesus did not 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 man born
blind? Here is the answer, That the works
of God might be seen in him. We are re-
minded Of the question in Ex. iv., IL, "Who
maketh the dumb or deaf. or the seeing or
the blind? Have not I, the Lord2"
4. II must work the works Of Him that sent
Me while it is day. The night cometh, when
no man can work." Jesus delighted to honor
the Father and to call Himself Hsent Of God. t"
More than thirty times in this gospel He Is so
called, and when Ho finished His ministry He
. said gladly to His Father, 81 have glorified
Thee on the earth" (John xviii, a. As to all
the works wrought by Him, He confessed
that it was the Father in Him who did the
works (John xiv. 10). For our comfort He
tells us that, as the Father sent Him, SO He
sends US (John xviii, 18; Xxx, 2D that He Is
with us all the days having all power in
heaven and on earth that He will hold our
hand, be with our mouth and work In us both
xviii, 90 Isa. Kill, 1S; Ex. iV., 12i Phil.
H., 19).
S. GAS long as am in the world am the
light Of the world" Compare chapters viii,
~, and xiii, IS, 36. See proof Of His diyin-
1ty, for what mere man would dare to use
such words, being in his right mind2 Then
hear Him as He says to His disciples, "Ye are
the light of the world" (Nlath. ", 14), and
consider we'll the fact that, whether blind or
seeing, deaf or hearing dumb or speaking,
sick or we'll. rich or poor, unto each one 1s
given tbe offer of having God work His
works in us, and OF having Jesus live His
life in us. The wonder is that He takes SIN
nefs to do this. He came to save sinners,
to take lost ones and to redeem them, filthy
ones and make then whittier than snow; that
in these redeemed and blood washed souls
He might reproduce His life and speak the
words and work the works OF God III Cor.
iv., 10, 1D. E.
6. ''When He had thus spoken, He spat on
the ground and made clay Of the spittle, and
He anointed the eyes Of the blind man with
the clay" Sometimes with word, some
times with touch and sometimes without
being present at all He wrought His works
and glorifed God. but whether we may see
1t or not there must have been always rea-
son for the way He wrought. On other oc-
casions we read Of His using spittle, as in
Mark vii, SO; viii, %, and by means OF this
spittle from His tongue both sight and hear
ing are restored either instantly or gradu-
ally, as it pleaseth Him.
Z. "And said unto him, Go, wash in the
pool Of Sloan (Which Is, by Interpretation,
washed and came seeing" All Is suggestive.
Jesus Is the ::Sent of God" (Gal. w., ~. He
also is tho fountain OF living water Ger. H.,
13). He was God manifest in the desh q
Tim. ILL.,. 16). SO that both spittle and earth
and Sloan arc suggestive of Him by whom
the blind eyes were made to see. On tho
part Of the blind man there was simply sub
mission and obedience, and thus the victory.
8. "The neighbors, therefore, and they
which before had seen him that he was
blind said, Is not this he that sat and
begged2" The poor blind man had been ut
terly helpless, he could give nothing and he
his sight. Such Is truly the real condition
Of all the unsaved. but because they fancy
they are not blind (verse 4D and not help
less they insist on saying, "We see," and
ssWe can do very we'll, and thus they con-
tinue blind. When, however, any become
willing to be healed by Jesus and are truly
healed, their old acquaintances can hardly
tell whether it is they or not, the change II
30 great.
y. some SalQ, his lS nei OCnoIs Salu, ho
is like him. but he said, am he. II any
man be In Christ, he Is new creature. Old
things are passed away, and all things are be-
come new. Only one who was always blind
and had his eyes finally opened could sympa-
thize with this man In his newly found joys
and experiences. He was In new world,
world Of which he had heard and something
Of which he had felt, but which he now saw
for himself.
TO- "Thereforc said they unto him, How
were thine eyes opened?" Since the world be-
gan no one had ever heard that man opened
the eyes of one born blind (verse 32), and this
was such an unheard of thing that some now
questioned rs to whether the man ever had
been blind (verse 18). To doubt the miracu-
lous Is still common sin. The difficulty
now is that the professed followers of Jesus
are. many OF them, filled with these doubts
and 80 zealously proclaim them that many are
affected thereby but not for good. .
II. ''Ie answered and said, A man that Is
called Jesus made clay and anointed mine
eyes and said unto me, Go to the pool OF 81
loan and wash. and went and washed, and
received sight" These are tho plain, sim
pie, unvarnished facts given by O. competent
witness who could say. "One thing know.
, that whereas was blind, now [ gee" (Yerse
25).--Lesson Helper.