The Yale expositor., 1905-02-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON YIN, FIRST QUARTER, INTER.
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. 10.

reaulnS (anu CnrlStlanS SnOulu nave
no time for others) 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 life, that He 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, a 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 n whole household in
Capernaum believing on Him because
they had seen something of His mar
velous power. Now we find Him in
Jerusalem at feast of the Jews.
We know hat 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 lie 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 visitc.. 1t
was Just like Him to visit this BCthes-
da (house 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 n 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 1, 80,
that the building of the wall began
and ended at the sheep gate and that
the priests began the rebuilding, and it
suggests that there is no real Health
for body or soul apart from Him who
for us was brought as n lamb to the
slaughter and who by the sacrifice of
Himself provides redemption for all
who like sheep, have gone astray Qsa.
lii, q, 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 of
whatsoever disease lie had (verse ~.
How great the contrast between the
healing Of only one at time and such
statement as Luke iv, 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 themr' 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.
years impotent is truly pitiful and
more fully sets forth the utter help
lessness of every sinner. His sad "Sir,
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 14).
How necessary are the words, cease
We from man." ana again, They saw
no man save Jesus only with them
selves Elsa. ii, %; Mark ix, s.. 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
man who spoke to him at the pool
(verse 13).
How meek and lowly our Lord was,
ever doing good and desiring TO be I'M
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 slay their
Messiah because they could not or
would not believe that He was their
Messiah. There are idolaters every
ings, unless they repent, viii surely
be heavier than those of the heathen
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 14) and also to the woman
in chapter viii, II, doubtless had refer
ence to their special sins of which they
had been guilty, but l John ii. 1, Is
word. for every believer and includes
all sin, "These things write 1 unto
you that ye sin not" He who saves
His people from their sins Matt. 1, 2D
is able to do 1t moment by moment,
yet we ever need the Blood that cleans
eth, and He sees sin where we see
none, for ''the thought Of foolishness
is SIM prov. xiv, 81.
In verses 33, 36, 81, 80, OF our lesson
chapter we have four witnesses to
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