The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-02-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
sOfsvllI, FIRST QUARTER, iNTERNA-
TioNAL SERIES, FEB. 25.

memory verse S--sS0A0em Text MARK
q, To- Commentary Prepared BY
Rev. d. nj. stearns.
copyright, 1906, Wy American Press Assocation.l
The two lessons following this one
and the first lesson of the next quar-
ter will all be in what Is known as
the sermon on the mount, and, accord
ing to the harrnonics, the draft Of
fishes which was our lesson two weeks
ago; the healing Of the leper and the
lesson Of today follow, in the order OF
events, that sermon.
The cry Of the leper, IF thou wilt.
thou canst, !" drew forth the compass
1 sion Of Jesus, brought the touch OF that
healing hand, and with the words, II
will be thou clean, 2 there came perfect
health TO that poor leprous body, for
Luke as physician says he was full
Of it Although the man was asked to
say nothing about his healing, he 50
blazed It abroad that Jesus could no
more openly enter into the city, but
withdrew Himself into the wilderness.
and prayed luke ", 16). Access to-
God is as open to us as it was to Him,
for He is now there for us, but how
little we seem to know of the power
and privilege Of prayer! After some
days He again re-entered Capernaum,
and soon the house where He was
could not. hold the, people who came.
Luke tells us there were Pharisees and
doctors OF the law out OF every town
of Galilee and Jiidaea and Jerusalem,
and the power Of the Lord was pres
ent to heal them luke u, 10. Our les.s
son says that He preached the word
unto them. His teaching on the resur
rection day as recorded in Luke xiv,
81, Al, when He expounded ia all the
Scripture the things concerning Him
self both from the law, the prophets
and the Psalms His teaching as set
forth In the sermon on the mount and
the Olivet discourse Of Matt. xxiv, XIV.
and paralleled chapters in Mark and
Luke give us some idea Of His teach
ing at other times, but we must ever
remember that He always said only
what the Father told Him to say (John
xii, 40; xiv, 1O). The highest attain
ment of teacher or preacher is to have
Matt. x, 20, fulfilled in them, 1t is not
/ We that speak, but the Spirit Of your
Father which speaketh in you, Z or
Jer. /, 8, Behold, have put my words
in thy mouth, z or II Sam. xxiii, 9 :, The.
Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and
His word was in my tongue.'' sEf5z
While these blind, self righteous
Pharisees and doctors, who might be
healed If they only knew their need Of
healing, are listening to His wonderful
words al case of manifest and realized
need is suddenly in their midst with.
a zeal and a determination sure to ac-
c0mplish its end IL it be at all possible
OF accomplishment. These four get
their palsied friend into the presence
OF the Lord Jesus in anything but
good form. Let the manner of this
mans coming or the story Of the poor
woman who pressed through the crowd
and tremblingly touched the hem Of
His garment forever set aside all
thought of the manner Of our coming.
The one thing to do is to come. .
Jesus is not disturbed by the break
ing up Of the roof nor by the apparent
breaking up of the meeting, or at least
this unseelnly intrusion; but, looking
upon the sick man, he says, Son, be OF
good cheer: thy sins be forgiven thee
(NIatt. tx, .. This He said when He
saw their faith. for nothing pieases
Him like confidence In Him, and
without faith 1t is impossible to
please Him, Hab XII, %. If we We're
always OF good cheer, how many we
might cheer as we journey on day by
day! But the foundation Of all real
good comfort is the forgiveness Of
sins, for apart from this there IS no
peace nor. comfort. The gospel that
does not proclaim the forgiveness Of
sins is not the gospel OF God nor the
gospel OF the grace OF God, but another
gospel (Gal. i, 6-9). The health OF the
soul is OF more Importance than the
health Of the body. for IL our sins are
forgiven by the precious blood Of
Christ we shall in due time, by virtue Of
that same precious blood, have a re-
deemed, glorified body which shall
never know sickness or weakness any
more Phil. iii 20, 21). Whether this
mans sickness was the result Of spe-:
cial sin on his part or not we do not
know, but our Lord attended to his
greatest need first.
AS the blinded, self righteous scribes
and Pharisees who were present heard
Him, as they thought, pretend to for
give sins they said in their hearts.
"This man Is blasphemer, for only
God can forgive sins. Had they been
teachable they might have said, 1This
must be our Messiah, for He forgives
SINS But they were rebels against
God This Is indeed mind reading ex-
traordinary,' but all things are naked
and open to the eyes OF Him with
whom we have to do Heb. ", 13). See
Ps. cxxxix, 2, 4; Ezek xi, 5. Flow sur
prised they must have been to have
of,s ~ >x,.ylt{c fS1d Art l,nfs.c a III fl,a