Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-03-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
A Scholarly Exposition Of the Lesson
Thoughts Worthy of Calm ReHec-
tion-Half an Hour's Study Of the
scriptures-Time Well Spent.

Is Mark 2: LIP. The next morning afteI
the Sabbath, ON which Jesus healed many
In CGpernaum, he rose early for private
| prayer. MARX /: 3d. But the crowds
followed him and intruded upon his Sc
clusion, obliging him to take up the work
again. "A preaching tour through Galilet
| followed, during which Jesus taught in
| the synagogues, preaching ''the gospe
of the kingdom" and healing many. In
one of the cities visited leper was heal
ed, who, contrary to Jesus command
| spread the news abroad, so that unpleas
ant popularity resulted. For a while
Jesus remained in retirement in desert
Places" being still visited by the people
who sought him out. After this preach
ing tour he returned to Capernaum,
where the paralytic was healed.
Explanatory.
The parallel passages are Matt. .: 20
and Luke 8: 1926.
The house in which this miracle was
performed, like most Palestine houses,
seems to have been a series of rooms sur
rounding court, part Of which was roof
ed over to make a sort of inner porch or
veranda; with an outside stone stairway
leading to the roof, used in warm wealth
er for sleeping upon. This construction
explains the incidents of the story. The
crowd first gathered about Jesus in this
covered porch, then spread into the court,
and finally massed itself about the outer
door, where little perhaps could be seen,
but Jesus words could be heard. When
the four men bearing the paralytic found
that they could not get near Jesus be-
cause of the dense crowd, they adopted a
very natural method of accomplishing
their purpose. They simply carried their
burden upstairs, climbed upon the roof
over the porch where Jesus was and dug
through the earthen roof a hole large
enough to let the sick man through. The
roof, consisting of sun-baked earth laid
upon a basis of tree branches or other
support, was well suited to this expedi-
ent.
The palsy, or paralysis, general name
for various diseases affecting the motor
nerves and so rendering the muscles use
less. a cure is seldom possible in seri-
Gus eases, even with the resources of
modern medical science. In the time Of
Jesus the ailment was regarded as in
durable. The faith of the men who
brought this paralytic was therefore
greater than that of many who came to
Jesus whose diseases were painful and
serious, but not incurable.
The bed on which the man was let
down was merely mattress, or rather,
padded quilt or blanket, used for sleeping
OH in the East
Seeing their faith saith unto the sick
of the palsy" had the sick man faith, as
well as his bearers? We must ask, what
is faith? In such narrative as this are
we to understand the word as a theo-
logical term, implying a fairly definite
idea of Christ's nature and work? Or
course, when we stop to think, we see
the absurdity of so interpreting the word
used, which is nothing more nor less than
trust" confidence" belief" The men
believed in Jesus as kind man, a healer.
friend of the suffering. 1t is impossi-
BILE to say whether the sick man knew or
believed any more. Yet Jesus said to
him that his sins were forgiven. He had
come expecting one blessing, and in the
end he received two. Men who come to
Jesus sincerely awaiting his help always
receive more than they expect. No theo-
logical question as TO the sort or degree
of faith necessary for forgiveness enters
Of how Jesus helped man that needed
help. He forgave first and healed after
ward. We may draw our own conclu-
sions.
The keen insight Of Jesus into the
hearts of men gives him always an adj
vantage over his enemies, for he fire.
quently got the first word. While they
were still cogitating and formulating OBJ
jections, he answered their thoughts.
This the successful preacher, in the meas
ure of his powers, must likewise do.
The question, whether it is easier to
forgive sin or to heal paraytc, was
certainly a puzzling one. even for ex
perienced casuists accustomed TO solving
riddles. Jesus apparently did not wait
for an answer. The only true answer
would have been that only God could do
either one of the acts named, and that
they would be equally easy for him.
equally impossible for human powers.
THAT ye may know that the Son of
man hath power on earth TO forgive
SINS" this is worth studying, because it
shows case of a miracle distinctly de-
clared to have purpose as proving the
of Jesus. Some OF his miracles
had this motive most prominent; many
seem TO have been purely to relieve suf- |
fering. 1t used to be customary TO re-
gard the gospel miracles as chiefly OF
wholly evidential in their value, and the
ologians made them prominent in proving |
the divinity of Christ. At present we
have perhaps gone too far in the other |
MISUNDERSTANDING to admit what the
Bible plainly teaches, that the iVracles |
were intended partly for evidence.
"Insomuch that they were all amazed" |
the argument convinccd the proof |
proved the doubling believed. The evil |
dence of the senses could not be dis |
puted they had seen the impossible; the |
world was not what they had thought |
it; the incurable could be cured. "A con
dition of amazement is not always the |
best preliminary to faith, but with many |
minds 1t prepares the way for something |
better.
Really the forgiveness of sins Is q |
greater miracle than the healing of |
paralytic. That is the lesson for us.
The people who stand in open mouthed |
wonder and curiosity, who allow their
reason to be humbugged and their com
mon sense to be defed by the so-called |
cures of various modern pretendcrs to
the divine secret of healing, do not real
lie that greater wonders are wrought |
whenever q sinful man is turned from his
love of sin to love of righteousness, from
vice to virtue, from death to life. Only |
the discerning eye of the spiritually
minded can appreciate the wonder Of this
greatest and perpetually recurring mir
ncle.