The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-02-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VIII. FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. 10.
Text of the Lesson, John v, 1-15.
Memory Verses. -, 0-Golden Text,
John vi, documentary Prepared
by Rev. -. NJ. Stearns.

While reading any book that is worth
reading (and Christians should have
no time for othersl we do well TO note
that which we learn as we proceed. In
this gospel we have seen that Jesus is
the Creator of all things, that in Him
alone is Lie. that lie is the Lamb of
God who taketh away the sin of the
world, that He is the Son of God, the
King of Israel and that all who receive
Him become children of God. Chapter
ii suggests a risen Christ, temple
cleansed, and points onward to the
marriage of the Lamb. Chapters iii
and iv show us Il religious ruler and
a sinful woman and many others re-
ceiving Him as the Christ, the Saviour
Of the world and q VIII Die household in
CapernauHl believing on Him because
they had seen something of His mar
velous power. Now we find Him in
Jerusalem mt IA feast of the Jews.
We know that Jesus when in Jeru-
salem often went TO the temple. His
mother found Him there when He was
only twelve years old, and in His pub
lie ministry He often taught there. We
find Him there in this lesson also
(verse Ia. but we are not told of many
other places that He ever visited. 1t
was Just like Him to visit this Bethes-
da Nouse Of mercy. where so many
sick people were, that He might heal
some of them. The places we choose
to visit when away from home or
while on a journey indicate where our
heart is, whether we are living unto
self or unto Him.
This pool was by the sheep gate
(margin), and this takes us back to
Neh. iii, where we find in verses i, 81,
that the building of the wall began
and ended at the sheep gate and that
the priests began the rebuilding and 1T
suggests that there is no real health
for body or soul apart from Him who
for us was brought as q lamb TO the
slaughter and who by the sacrifice Of
Himself provides redemption for all
who, like sheep, have gone astray Qsa.
ill, 6, y.
The facts mentioned in connection
with this pool are that at certain
season an angel communicated to the
water healing properties and whoever
stepped In first was made whole or
whatsoever disease he had Verse ~.
How great the contrast between the
healing of only one at time and such
q statement as Luke ", 40, "All they
that had any sick with divers diseases
brought them unto Him, and He laid
His hands on every one Of them and
healed them Then notice that the
man healed after the water was trou-
bled could not be very impotent, for
he must get in first in order to be
healed, and as sinners we are utterly
impotent.
The case of the man thirty-eight
years impotcnt is truly pitiful and
more fully sets for;h the utter help
lessness of every sinner. His sad "Sir,
l have no man TO put me into the pool
would touch any heart but how deep
ly it touched the heart Of Him who
seeth not as man seeth and who saw
some special sin back of this impo-
tence Verse IA.
How necessary are the words. Cease
We from man." ana again, "They saw
no man save Jesus only with them
selves" Qsa. ii. %; Mark tx, g. Low
ing and plying the man, who did not
know Him who spoke TO him and
therefore could not have faith to be
healed, Jesus said to him, Rise, take
up thy bed and walk Verse 81. and
Immediately he was whole and obeyed
his Healer 1t being the Sabbath day,
he is soon found fault with by the re-
ligious critics. who would rather see
him continue helpless than dare to
walk and carry his bed on the Sab
bath: but he cannot tell them who
healed him, for he did not know the
(verse 49,.
How meek and lowly our Lord was,
ever doing good and desiring 10 be un-
known. When the man afterward
learned in the temple who healed him
and told the Jews that it was Jesus,
then these religious idolaters who
made the Sabbath and all their feasts
to be their gods sought to Stay their
Messiah because they could not or
WOulu not DellcNe lldl lie WIS lDelT
Messiah There are idolaters every
where in Christendom whose suffer
ings. unless they repent, will surely
be heavier than those of the heather
idolaters who never heard of Christ
Note Johns last words, Little chill
dren, keep yourselves from idols q
John V, 2D.
Our Lords "Sin no more" to this
man verse IA and also TO the woman
I'm chapter viii, II, doubtless had refer
ence TO their special sins Of which they
had been guilty. but | John H. /, is
word for every believer and includes
all sin. These things write l unto
you that We sin not" He who saves
His people from their sins Matt. /, 21
Ms able to do lt moment by moment,
Vet we ever need the blood that cleans
9Th. and lie sees sin where we see
none. for "the thought of foolishness
IS sin" prov. xiv, o.
=. In verses 80. SO. 81. 80, of our lesson
chapter we have four witnesses to
M! -John the Baptist, the works of
NJ God the Father and the Scrip
Is. In verses %, 20, we have the