The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-02-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR FEBRUARY io.
Subjects Jesus at the Pool of Bethesdn,
John W, f-15-Golden Text, John VII,
2--Memory Verses, g, o-Commentary
on the Davsa Iessop.

s--Memory Verses, 8, o-Commentsry
on the Days Lesson.
l. Jesus at the feast Tvs. LAY. l. "Af
ter this" After these things X. V.
Some think that when John is telling some
event which follows Immediately after the
last thing narrated, he uses the expression
after this thing" (chap. 2;l2) but that
ne uses the expression after these things."
"A feast" There has been much differ.
ence OF opinion as to what feast this was,
but IL Is the opinion now of the best writ
ers that it was the Passover ?, by the
sheep gate" (R. W We know from Neh
5:l, 32; l2:39 that there was sheep gate; ;
SO called probably from sheep for sacrifice
being sold there. 1t was near the temple
'The Hebrew tongue" Hebrew here
means Aramaic, the language spoken at
the time, not the Old Hebrew OF the Scrip.
! lures. Bethesda" This name does not
occur elsewhere. It means "house Of mer.
cy' The site is not Identified with Ger.
tainty, The traditional spot is near Castle
Antona. But DIR. Robinson thinks "the
fountain of the Virgin" an intermittent
spring in the southeast Of the city, near
the pool Of Si,aom, was Bethesda Five
porches." These porches were probably
covered arcades, colonades or verandag.
open at one side to the air, but protected
against the sun or rain overhead. In a hot
very necessary. 3. Multitude" The sick
eongregated here in great numbers.
H. Jesus heals an mpotent man Tvs.
so 5. An inhrmity." The original i'm.
plies rather a loss of power than positive
disease; probably it was a nervous disease
OF paralytic type. Thirty and eight
years" The duration OF the illness is
mentioned, either to show how inve,erate
and difficult it was to heal, or rather, ac.
cording to verse 6. to explain the deep
compassion with which Jesus was affected
on beholding the unhappy man. From
/. verse IL we may infer that his disease was
the result of the sins OF his youth,
6. knew The word knew" in the
original indicates one of those instantan.
cous perceptions by which the truth be.
came known to Jesus according as the task
of the moment demanded. Verse IA will
show that the whole life of the sufferer is
present to the eye of Jesus. as that of the
Samaritan woman was in chapter 4. Saith
unto him" Usually Christ waited until
He was asked before He relieved the suf.
fering. but in this and few other cases
He healed without being asked He read
the mans past HE and present condition
OF mind, and saw that he was in a state
to receive spiritual good from the healing.
wilt thou" Why does He ask a ques.
ton to which the answer was so obvious?
Probably in order to rouse the sick man
out of his lethargy and dependency
Z. mo man He was friend,ess as well
as sick. as troubled" This spring, prob.
ably the fountain of the Virgin. is inter.
mittent to this day. and various travellers
have seen it suddenly rise from five inches
to foot in five minutes. Whedon thinks
that the moving of the waters arose from
an underground connection OF the pool
with the city water works. The occasional
and intermittent disturbance of the water
is not to be understood as a regular occur
renee, but as something sudden and quick
ly passing away. Hence the mans waiting
and complaint. Put me into the pool"
Literally, "in order to throw" me into the
pool; perhaps implying that the gush Of
water did not last long, and there was no
time to be lost in quiet carrying. while
! am,coming." Thus picturiug the extreme
haste and rapdity with which the favor
able opportunity was seized There was a
rush and scramble for the one chance.
s. Rise. etc. Commands like these
would test the mans faith and obedience.
As in the case of the paraytic Mark 2:9l,
Christ made no enquiry as to the mans
faith. Christ knew that he had faith, and
the mans attempting to rise and carry his
bed after thirty-eight years OF impotency
was an open confession of faith Bed"
Probably only a mat or rug. still common
in the East. .. ''And walked With the
command was given the power of obe'
dience So the sinner who is bidden to
commit himself to Christ need not wait
for any compulsion AS he makes the eff
fort he will lind divine power within him.
self. Sabbath" The seventh day Of the
week, the Jewish sabbath
III. Persecution of the Jews Tvs. 1913.
10. "Not lawful" Jeremiah had com
manded, Take heed to yourselves and
bear no burden on the Sabbath day (l6:
2l). and the jews interpreted this as for
bidding the carrying OF the lightest weight.
But Jeremiahs meaning is made clear by
Neh. l3:l5 Threading wine presses on the
Sabbath, and bringing in sheavts, and lad
ing asses" etc. TO forbid this man from
carrying his bed was like forbidding mod.
ern man to move a camp stool or a chair"
H. "He-said." Unquestonably the
words seem to say that one who could do
such wonder as healing me must certain.
II have tine right to tell me what to do
He had been authorized by one endorsed
took. II. "Who is the man (R W
They ignor. she miracle. and attack the
command. They ask not, "Who cured
thee, and therefore must have divine au
thority?" but, ''NNho told thee to break
the Sabbath, and therefore could not have
it?" -. "Knew not" (R w Jesus had
who was healed had probably never seen
Him. Conveyed himself away" Better
withdrew. Literally. Slipped aside" be
came suddenly lost to sight. "A multi.
tude," etc. This may be understood as
explaining either why he withdrew-tc
avoid the crowd. or the manner in which
he withdrew-by disappearing in the
crowd. Either explanation makes good
sense.
w. Jesus gives advice and warning "
l4). Is. "Afterward." Probably soon af
terward; in q day or so. "Findeth him"
Jesus had His eye on the man; His work
with him was not yet finished: this meet.
ing was not accidental. "In the temple"
A good place for the man TO be. "Sin nc
more" God asks this Of every sinner
And yet there are those who insist that il
is impossible to live without sin in this
life, hut If such is the case then Jesus
asked this man to do the impossible "a
worse thing paralysis from which nc
liver; the most terrible catastrophe of the
souls eternal history.
The man bears testimony w. l5).
inquiry they had made Of him short time
before, partly in obedience to the authori
ties and partly to complete his apology foi
himself. He expected, probably, in the
simplicity OF his heart, that the name Of
Him whom 80 many counted as a prophet,
il not as the Messiah Himself, would have
been sufficient to stop the mouths of gain.
sayers.
Hal The Frigid Fist!
In n recent effort of a certain ladv