The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-18
Exposition Of the
Sabbath School Lesson
FOR JANUARY 26, 1902
BY John R. Whitney. Copyright, 1902.


FOR JANUARY 2e, 1902
BY John R. Whitney Copyright. 1902.
The Lame Man Healed.
Acts lii, 1-18.
Golden Textile Lord is my strength and
song, and is become my salvation. Exodus
xv., 2.
Last week we saw great multitude"
standing before Peter and John. But this
week only one man appears before them. and
cripple. And not only a cripple. but, in the
eyes Of men, only a burdensome beggar. Yet
in the eyes of God he was as important as
any of ..the multitude and he looked up to
Peter with as intense an earnestness as any
Of them, expecting to receive something.
From his earliest childhood, like the cripple
| 81 or been able to do anything for himself
or for any one else. Some members of his
family-or some kindly disposed neighbors-
the gate of the temple which is called Beau
| tiful.' Verse % And this had been going
on for .'abqve forty years" w., I'D
probably, to this daily routine that it did
not seriously disturb him. For his lameness
was not necessarily painful al He had no no
was glad; il he received little, he was hopeful
that the morrow would bring him more. Hay
ing never walked, he had no experience Of a
|
such life So he was contented with the
contentment which belongs to ignorance, habit
and indifference. Spiritually. there have al
The place where he, was laid was lat the
full" This Gate was "the pride of the
Temple area-covered with carving, richly
gilt, having apartments over it, ''Of the
| Gates of the outer court Of Herod's Temple,
nine were covered with gold and silver, as
well as the posts and lintels, but, the outer
one-The Beautiful Gate-was made entirely
Of Corinthian brass, and was considered to
surpass the others far in costliness. This
gate was so heavy as to require twenty, men
to close it, (smith's Dictionary.
/ 1t was the great ornament OF the eastern
side of the Temple, and the only door Of
entrance from that direction: ANY one who
stood in it-or who was laid at its side, as
was this poor cripple-could readily see all
that was going on among the crowd Of wor-
one direction; and all that was done by the
priests in the Temple by looking in the other.
And it was not only place Of observation,
where so much could be seen, but it was a
p: place of information, where much could be
heard directly, or learned from the CONVEX
sation, Of those who passed in and out.
most frequented place in all the Temple area.
| Every morning at 'the third hour'-our 9
o'clock-a throng of worshipers passed
AFTERNOON, at our 3 o'clock, ''being the ninth
hour-the hour of prayer''-another throng
was there for the evening sacrifice. This was
gether into the Temple" ". - .
This gate was particularly well-chosen
place ''to ask aims, and, although it was sc
long occupied by this lame man from purely
sordd motives, yet in the end he found it to
be the place of richest spiritual blessing. His
experience has been repeated in many cases
house of God even If the motives have not
been of the highest order, has often, through
the Astounding grace of God, proved to be the
place of healing to the soul:
| Laid daily at this gate OF the temple
during all these forty years, the opportunities
and experiences Of this man are worthy OF
a little child was presented in the temple,
and the aged Simeon took him up in his
arms'-and Anna, the prophecies, '.spake of
in Jerusalem duke H., 22-3S)-he was prob
ably lying there as a poor little crippled boy,
about years old. If So he must have seen
and he must have heard of what was said and
done. But it evidently meant nothing to
him. -
So, also, when Joseph a and and Mary returned ed
behind in Jerusalem this cripple was lying
there still; but he was then about 20 years
old. From his position he may have seen
Jesus sitting in the midst of, the doctors,
and, if he did not hear the discussion, he
undoubtedly heard OF it.. But, If he did, it
probably was of no interest to him.
Still later, he had undoubtedly seen Jesus
and his disciples every year at the passover
feasts. But then the opportunity to reap a
} rich harvest of silver and gold was so great
that there was no thought OF anything else:
! One October, however, Jesus went up to
Jerusalem-"not openly, but, as 1t were, IN
|secret'-to attend 'The Feast of Tabernacles'
oha wiz ls At this visit the was nc
the feast" he went up into the Temple and
taught Probably it was in "solomon's
Porch" Every one THAT listened heard ard hi him
sent me. If any man will do His will, he
shall know Of the doctrine, whether it be Of
; God or whether I speak of myself, II any
man thirst let him come unto me and drink
Probably among these listeners was this lame
man, and If he did not hear all that was
; said distinctly, he heard enough, or was tolt
, est. But he probably did not understand, OF
give much attention to what he heard.
action when 1T was winter, Jesus walked
John, x., % $50 At once a crowd gatheret
:. failed to attract the attention of this poo
:, cripple and perhaps he heard the words
y my sheep hear my voice and know them
} eternal life; and they shall never perish
neither shall any man pluck them out Of M!
' hand My Father, which gave them me, i
them out a Of my IA Fathers hand ana an M
: Father are One.'
;, But what did he know or care about .'eter
nal life?" Besides, he must have heard tina
there was dvisl ion among the Jews con
| corning this man Jesus" MANY of then
-. said He hath devil and is mad; why he e
: heed to anything that he said?
Still the seed had been planted in his MIND
; It was watered by many a report which mus
:, have come to him from time to time of tn
wonderful things which Jesus was doing an
s saying, FOR the common people heard hill
glqdlym Matt na xiii g? and he was one
Again. not quite two months before this da
when "Peter and John went up together int
the temple this man must have seen anothe
3, wonderful commotion there. For man ri6
II ing upon 1.-The colt Of an ass had come owe
the mountain and entered the city. gree
multitude followed him to the temple crying
!. that cometh in the name of the Lord; HI
y sauna in the hghest!'' "All the city We
l. moved Every one was asking his ,neigl
come from the multitude that thronged hin
This is Jesus, the prophetoof Nazareth
Galilee.'
'e It was the same as the one of whom tn
poor cripple had heard men speak SO ofte1
gate,' he saw this IMAM in 1.-The court
"a the Gentles." just below him, "cast out a
them that sold and bought IN the temple, ar
> overthrow the tables of the money change
=. and the seats of them that sold doves" F
H. saw also that many of "the blind and Ian
s. came to him in the temple; and he heale
them Matt. xxi. -9-1g:
G, Surely the seed will now terminate al
:, bring forth fruit. All these years he hf
seen Jesus come and go, time and again,
| and out of the "gate" where he lay. But
! had never cried to him for mercy, or in ar
: way looked to him for anything more than
l. few pennies. And Jesus never healed al
one that did not want to be healed t
never does yet.
l. So this lame man is an important witne
le to the wonderful grace of God. On eYe1
: childhood have heard and known about Jes,
y as fully as he Like him they have seen tt