The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-03-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON x, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH ~.

Text of the Lesson, Mark ii, 1-12.
Memory Verses. 9-12-GOIden Text,
Mark IL, IO--COmm entary Prepared
by the Rev. ID. M. stearns.
Copyright, 1900, by d. NJ Stearns.l
/. .And again He entered into Caper-
naum after some days" According to
some harf&onies Mark i, 49, describes His
first general circuit of Galiee, which
Math. iv. %, states more fully in these
words, "And Jesus went about all Cali
lee teaching in their synagogues and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom and
healing all manner Of sickness and all
manner Of disease among the people,"
Between verses 80 and 40 Of chapter
these harmonies tell us that there comes
in the sermon on the mount and the draft
of fishes of Luke v, Ill, then the heal
ing of the leper Of Mark i, 4O-45, after
which Mark tells us that because of the
healed leper's blazing the matter abroad
Jesus could not enter the city, but was
without in desert places. Luke says that
He withdrew Himself into the wilderness
and prayed luke v, 16). Our lesson be-
gins with His return to Capernaum and
its being noised that He was in the
house.
2 HE preached the word unto them"
a house full of people and crowds at the
door, and He preached the gospel of the
kingdom as He had done all through Gal
lice. He had but one great topic the
good news of the grace and the glory of
God, revealing the Fathers purposes and
telling of the Fathers great gift, even
Himself, in whom all the grace and glory
were made sure to each one receiving
Him, and they might have remembered
that it was written, "The Lord will give
grace and glory" Ps. lxxxiv, H. The
command still holds, preach the word"
| Oh Tim. iv, y
g. 4. -Four men come carrying on bed
fifth who was sick with palsy. We are
not told what distance they came, but
they came with determination that
Jesus should see their sick friend and
heal him They had no thought of car
rying him home again, for they fully ex
pected to see him walk home. What
their thoughts were when they saw that
the house was full and that they could
not even get near the door may perhaps
be imagined, but perhaps not, for they
were men of great determination. Many
would have been utterly discouraged, but
not so they. Soon they are on the roof
and have broken it up and have lowered
the sick man on his couch into the midst
before Jesus luke V, 19). In Luke iy,
II, it is written that Pharisees and doc
tors of the law were present from Ju-
daea and Galilee, and the power of the
Lord was present to heal them. They did
not know that they needed healing, they
did not come to be healed, but God had
planned that they should see something
of His power to heal.
5. Jesus saw their faith" The faith
of these four interested and pleased Him.
That the sick man had faith also we are
not told. In Math. viii, 10, it was the
faith of the centurion that brought health
to his servant. In Math. XIV, %, it was
the faith of the woman that brought
health to her daughter. 1t was the faith
of Rahab that saved her kindred. Con
slider what you may bring to others by
faith in God. Faith is just believing
what God says, taking Him at His word,
fully persuaded that He will do what He
says.
6, Z. "Who can forgive sins but God
only?' Thus these self righteous scribes
reasoned in their hearts, not knowing
that the God who forgives sins was really
in their midst, the same one concerning
whom the nation will one day say: "Lo,
this is our God We have waited for
Him, and He will save us" Elsa. XIV, 81.
The only one who could forgive their
sins and without whom their sins never
could be forgiven, yet they knew Him
not. 1t is not by reasoning that we OBJ
tain the redemption that is III Christ
Jesus, but by receiving Him, putting our
whole trust in His precious blood shed
for us, then we can appropriate Eph. i.
q, Z, and lisa. xiii, %
8. "Jesus perceived in His spirit that
they so reasoned within themselves He
knows all our thoughts and our words be-
fore they are spoken tEzek. Xi, .; rs.
cxxxix, ~ We can hide nothing from
Him, and the darkness and the light are
all alike to Him. 1t must have been
surprise to them to experience such eX-
traordinary mind reading. What Won
der that they did not perceive that God
was in their midst. Why did they not
say Here is one who reads our very
thoughts and who forgives sins This
must be our Messiah.
s. whether it is easier to say to the
sick of the palsy. Thy sins be forgiven
thee. or to say. Arise and take up thy bed
and walk? z" a physician might possibly
be used of God to give health to this
mans body. but no mortal man could blot
out his sins. The more difficult. the for
giveness of sins had been accomplished
in their presence and in their hearing
and He who did the more difficult could
easily do the other. He who forgives
sins will surely give a perfect body TO all
His forgiven ones in due time, for this
body of humiliation shall be fashioned
like unto His glorious body mt His APP
pearing phil. iii. 20, 2D. Ii He wills
that any of His redeemed ones should
continue longer or shorter time in
frail, weak, suffering body. il must be in
the light of the kingdom and the glory,
the very best that His infinite love and
wisdom could plan. AS for God Ills
way is perfect" FPS. xviii. 3O).
10, IL. THAT We may know that the
Son of Man hath power on earth to for
give sins" This was the main thing He
sought to emphasize before them. Their
bodies were in health. but their souls
were sick. and He longed to save them
but they would not let Him. The power
of the Lord was present to heal them
but they would not be healed. To speak
if possible. more powerfully to them, He
said to the sick man. Arise and take up
thy bed and 90 thy way into thine house.
We may imagine the palsied man so re
jocing in the forgiveness of his sins that
perhaps he almost forgot that he was
pased.
Il. I'VE never saw it on this fashion,
AS they saw the sick man arise in health,
take up his bed and go forth before them
all they, with amaZement. uttered these
words. Both Matthew and Luke. AS well
as Mark. say that the people glorlhed
God Matthew adds. who had given