Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1905-02-10

I the sick, the troubled. 1t is true re-
| ligion to '"visit the fatherless and
widows in their afiiiction," provided
those who do it keep themselves un.
spotted from the world" from selfish
motives and personal sin. 1t is the
] business of every Christian, and of
every church to bear such witness to
Christ.
Waiting. Not a few are waiting
for some singular stir Of the emo!
tons, some outward excitement. to
carry them into the kingdom, instead
| of going directly to Jesus. They wait
long, and keep on seeking for the
moving of the waters, even while
Jesus is close by offering life and
salvation.
Jesus cures the morally sick as he
did this man at Bethesda, not so
much by what he does for them as
by what he does in them. He awak-
ems the will-power, saying, take up
thy bed and walk" Do the duty you
would do if you were Christian.
The real test of man Is his an.
swer, Are you willing to be made
whole? Are you willing to be fitted
for the highest and purest life? Do
you really desire to be saved from
your sins, and to do the perfect will
of God?
. The Troubled Waters. Healing still
comes from the troubled pool of life.
I'm your vicinity is pool of water.
You are thirsty, you come to 1t and
| find it foul with green scum on its
surface. you do not drink. In still
pool devils swarm Is a Russian
proyerb. Another pool is near. You
come to it and look and find it clear
as crystal, and find in it health, for
it is flowing water that gives as we'll
as receives. &C. H. Daniels, D. D.
Opposition to Christ on Account
CT His Conc, Deed.-Vs. 1916. 10. 1T
is the sabbath ~. /. not lawful for
thee to carry thy bed" The general
law is laid down in Elk. 23:12; Jer.
1921, %. The principle was that the
ordinary business of carrying burdens
should not be carried on during the
Sabbath, but the Pharisees put on it
an Interpretation of details Which no
one could possibly obey, and left out
the whole spirit of the Sabbath.
II, Is. The man defended himself
by saying that SO great and good
man as the one who healed him had
told him to do it. But the man
"wist," knew, mot who it was"
IA. Jesus findeth him in the tenn
ple," where one so cured would want
to go. "Sin no more" implying that
his suffering was the result, at least
in part, of his sin. Jesus would make
the mans cure the means to higher
spiritual life. For there is something
worse than even thirty-eight years of
suffering.
The fact that Jesus wrought his
miracle and others (six in alb on the
Sabbath aroused intense opposition
on the part of the Pharisees, so that
they sought even to kill him. This
act was like red flag to wild bull.
1t was like a spark to the powder
magazine of their antagonism and OPP
position. They feared that the sky
would fall when Jesus brushed away
the clouds that hid the stars. They
thought the ceiling would fall when
he brushed away the cobwebs. They
had built. their hopes like insects
! nests on the scaffolding of the temple
OF Truth, and when Jesus tore down
! the scaffolding of tradition, their
! pride, their earthly positions, their
: power of place, were certain to go
with it, and therefore they perse.
cuted Jesus and opposed his work.
! 1t is thus that every one who is
: very earnest in reform is sure to
! meet opposition.
How Jesus Met This Opposition.
| The rest Of the chapter is taken up
! with the way Jesus met the opposi'
, ton, and is full of instruction for all
! who are trying to do good in the
| midst Of opposition. His method is
!: that "of ignoring himself and his own
reputation" and making the criticism
a text for popular instruction, in
| great spiritual truths.
| AS to the Sabbath, he showed that
he did on the Sabbath the same kind
of works that God was doing, works
Of mercy, of religion, Of helpfulness.
He and his Father were one. There
is no record of his doing secular work
on the Sabbath. Tvs. 1929
In healing the sick man, and in ali
his labors, he was bringing life to
men, just as his Father. was the life
giver. He was his Fathers agent and
almoner. His Fathers interests and
his were Identical.
The greatest gift that can be con.
ferred on any person is life; the next
greatest is more life, larger, fuller,
higher, more exquisite.
The life of Jesus reveals to us the
character and actions our Heavenly
Father loves; and by doing things on
earth as they are done in heaven we
are learning, like apprentices, ito DO
practiced in heavens ways when we
finally reach the heavenly life" Tvs.
24-30)
| But naturally the Jews would say:
"These are extraordinary and appar-
emily extravagant claims. They are in
credible" Jesus replies that he had
three credible witnesses to his po'
sition.
The testimony of John, and his mis-.
sion. t
The testimony Of the works whlca
the Father did publ ely through Jesus
| The Fathers testimony through the
scriptures which we're. being fulfilled
In Jesus. a @.-