The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-04

The imbotent man answered him, Sir. |
have no man, when the water is troubled,
10 put M into the pool; but, while ! am
comine mother steppeth down before me-
John ':
We have here a case of utter helpiessness.
The language of the text is the language of
the man who has neither home nor friends.
lie is alone in the crowd. unnoticed neg
lccted. There was healing in the bubbling
water ana there was but step between
him and health; but there was as little hope
Of success. in his case as if he had been
hundred niles away. Had he plenty of
money hewOuld have had plenty of friends;
but being penniless, there was no one to
assist him into the pool. Everything seemed
to be against him.
This is not an isolated case. He is but
single representative of a class of unfortu-
mates thai is far too numerous even in this
advanced. age. He is but type of many
kinds OF helplessness. There are men to-
day who are positive that they could bless
the world with their inventive genius were
they il more fortunate circumstances; but
they are utterly helpless because they are
too poor to put their ideas into substantial
forms. They have the will but not the way.
Their inventive genius is a chained Prone
tbeus.
MuItitWies of both sexes are doomed
To ignoItlnce, poverty and misery not
because they lack ambition, but because
they are hemmed in by unavoidable cir
cumstanqes and agencies on every hand.
There II abundance or food in the world,
but they are doomed 10 starvc. There are
healthy climates; yet many who long for
beneficial effects must go down to an I'M
timely giaVe Bound hand and foot by adj
verse circumstances, or trampied into the
Gust by the teice, heartless competition of
these modern times, the poor and needy
must die in their helpiessness.
There IS much seifishness in the world
as well as helplessness. The absorbing
topic of each sufferer at the pool was his
own ailnent. Each thought himself the
most miserable of all. Each had a case of
lis own in which he was particularly inter-
ested.
Nor could any one find much fault with
that. Self-interest is not rcprehensible I'M
less 1t degenerates into exclusive regard for
self. Tie point where selhshness came in
was, not in each sufferer seeking his own
health, hut in the failure of each cured per-
son to aid the recovery of those who could
not help themselves. Each FASTENED away
from the scene as speedily as he could, re-
ioicing in his own restoration, utterly for
Netful Of his companions suffering.
WHEN JOY is SELFISH.
Even joy is often selfish, because it is
forgetful of others People who ordinar-
lily are considered kind and generous are ex-
tremely selfish at times No passion can be
more rude than refinement. Kindness can
give the most unkindly thrust of all. The.
most indulgent father or mother may be
the most heartless master or mistress. We
cannot bring ourselves too often face to
t5ce with the noble sentiment embodied in
the words Put yourself in his place" Had
even one of those cured in the pool obeyed
this Injunction the impotent man would
have had no occasion to say, Il have no
man, when the water is troubled. to put me
Into the pool"
The seIiishness of which he complained
nanifests itself in various ways to-day. a
great many people who acquire wealth on
regain health forget those who are still in
mean when he condemned the policy of the
rich food? To what purpose did He give
expression to the parab of the rich man
and LaZarusN Why did He say that it is
no easy matter for rich man to enter the
Kingdom Of heaven?
He meant that wealth carries with IL the
duty of helping the helpless. and that he
VINO ignores the demands of benehcence is
cursed by his own greed or self-indulgence.
There are people upon whom help of any
kind would be thrown away; but there are
others whose utter helplessness would de-
part the moment they felt the pressure of a
sympathetic hand, the stimulus of a con-
1ident word and the practical wherewithal
for fresh start. All they need is encour-
egement and a little money in order to rise
out of poverty or into healthy activity. But
the needed help is denied them
The learned. also are so bent on crafty
they utterly ignore the multitude of igno-
rant people whom they could help to edu-
cate. And when it comes to the still more
important question of moral and spiritual
Improvement there is commonly even
greater indifference. Do We not, in too
many instances. act though the only
thing worth looking after in this world is
our own individual interest? How many
that might be inspired TO lives OF noble use
funess are permitted to continue in power
~. in ignorance and in moral Impotence.
In view of so much selfishness on the
one hand and helplessness on the other.
the only hope of needy men to-day, as it
was then, is in Christ. The throng of Suf-
fCrers awaiting the troubling of the water
had no attraction for the multitude. DC
CaSiOnally some one, perhaps, conducted
number of visiting friends to the pool as he
would to the menagerie; but the ailing
throng derived no benefit from such visits.
There was One, however, who was induced
10 seek this pool of Bethesda by something
very different from idle curiosity. 1t was
His mission in the world to seek and to save
that which was lost. He did not send
delegation to inform the sick people of His
coming and to put things in order, Divine
goodness needs no heraldS; it's mission is
not announced by the blare of trumpets.
Christ dropped in among the sufferers like
an angel from heaven, without more ado
than marks the rising of the sun, or the
falling of the dew, or the coming of spring
or summer.
EXPECTING TOO MUCH.
The impotent man was not aware that
anyone was especially interested in him I'M
til the Savior spoke But with the question,
wilt thou be made whole?" such a glow
OF hope lighted up the poor sufferers coun-
tenance as had not been seen there for
years Yet help was not given him in just
the way he expected. He had thought so
much about the healing virtue of the pool
that he could think of none other He fully
expected that the Savior would help him
into the water.
But when people have the sun they do not
need the moon. When they have the foun-
tain they do not need the stream. When
they are brought in contact with the giVer
of life and health. they need no secondary
agencies There was more potency in the
words, Rise. take up thy bed and walk,
Than had ever been i'm the troubled waters.
Jesus needed the aid of no jugglery nor
lnummcry. He was divine simplicity itself,
revealing to a dying world the character
and p5wer of God. The impotent man was
Hfted out of his helplessneSs, and found the
JOY of salvation where he had so long felt
only the agony of despair. In the midst of
s-iushnesS and neglect he heard the sweet
voice of compassionate divinity and perfect
humanity
Christ chose the most hopeless OF all the
sufferers. Nor was this the only instance in
winch lie displayed His power in this way
Mary MaSdalene was possessed of seven
devils. Peter was one of the hardest cases
q nong the Galilean fishermen and Lazarus
htd been dead four days yet Christ infused
lis divine life into each. Each represented
4 different type of helpleSsness; yet TO the
DISCERNING eye Of Jesus each possessed pos
IL. -. 81 Il