The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1908-02-21
Jesus at the Pool
of Bethesda
Sunday School Lesson Tor FEB. 23.l90S
Specially Prepared for This Paper

innrmlues. ana bare our sicknesses."-
Matt. SIT.
PLAcE.-The Pool Of Bethesda at Jeru
salem.
TIME.-In the spring Of A. D. o.. Two
or three months after the last lesson
John the Baptist was put IN prison about
this time.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
v. 3. Lay a great multitude of
impotent folk" Literally, people with
out strength, especially. as here, de
bility caused by sickness. The elias.
Of diseases brought 10 these waters /.
described as blind, halt Tor lame, as
from rheumatism) "withered.' mem
bers Of whose body were deprived OF
their natural Juices. wasted. shrunk
Waiting for the moving OF the water
That there was a moving Of the water
is evident from the statement of the
sick man in v. 7. But this part Of v. 3
and the whole Of v. 4, explaining the
cause Of the movement, is omitted
from both the r. " and the Am. v.
because they are not found in the best
manuscripts. But the explanation may
be true.
" "The angel is not necossari'
~ a person. Angel means 'messen.
GER" an agent sent by God 10 do a
certain work. Thus 70 is said (Psa.
1914, r. W that God maketh winds
his messengers his angels.
Jesus Going About Doing Good
The meeting OF Jesus with the invalid
at Bethesda Is one instance OF his
method Of reaching men. lie went
about doing good One Sabbath at
even. when the sun did set they
brought unto him AN that We're DIS
eased and them that We're possessed
with devils.
And he healed many that were sick
of divers diseases, and cast ont many
devils. That It might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Isaiah the prophet
saying. himself took our indrmitles,
and bare our sicknesses. lMatthew
and Mark
Imitation OF Jesus IN Doing Good
'All The experience Of modern mission
aries I'm the east goes 10 show the
wisdom of the method employed by
Jesus Christ and his apostles ia giving
attention 20 diseased bodies as "a
means af.access TO diseased souls. '-
Isabella Bird Bishop
Christ tells us that those who be-
lieye in him shall do greater works
than be. and it is true that Christ IN
his Christianity is doing on far lar
ger scale the works of Christ than IL
was DO. ibie for him TO do in Pales
tine The kindly feeling, the desire 20
help the increased skill. which spring
mp under Christianity as flowers and
fruits grow I'm the sunshine have made
Christs works through Dis people
greater than those De wrought on
earth. They are not miracles. but are
better than the power of miracles. as
The prolonged sunshine is better than
% fash of lightning. Blind asylums
have opened many eyes. and caused |
people 90 read and work even without .
sight Hospitals have cured and cared I.
for multiudes OF sick and insane.
II is the privilege of each Individual /
Christian TO know something OF
Christs healing power The cheer. the
hope. the inspiration. the uplift OF
faith I'm him. is a healing power over
disease. Prayer Is said by experts
TO be a real power I'm curing the in
sane Jesus himself can sfill heal our
diseases In his own way And yet
more. be can cause them TO bring
spiritual health and peace.
1t is the privilege of every Christian
to go about doing good in tie name Of
Jesus.
Jesus cures the morally sick as he
did this man at Bethesda. not so much
by what be does for them as what De
does in them. With the command
came the inspiration. the power 10
obey Therein lies the difference De-.
tween the advice which men give and
the commands and invitations which
God gives. Advice TO be good is no
doubt often Of value But what men
need and what God gives Is life. new
hearts. strength to follow the advice
All other religions give advice. Christ
is the way. not merely an ideal. but
the way 10 reach the ideal. not a pic
iure of what we ought 10 be-. bat the
way, the power, the life by which men
can realize the picture
" .. Took up his bed" Showing
hts faith and obedience. "And walked"
Showing the completeness of the cure.
The Cure OF the Soul Went with the
Cure of the Body-A little later Do
he day Jesus finds the man In the
emple His religious nature was G
Weakened by his cure. He had doubt .
ess been for a long time wanting TO
Worship God, but was unable 10 20
remember wei iu nay boyho1d's days
hat my first deep and earnest seeking
or the religious life was during the
alter stages OF recovery from sickness
rhc disease and danger werc gone, but
Doe heart turned toward God ln the
emIIe Jesus made MINIS u known
ud bale him sim no more.
The healing of the body is OF small
ccont unless there is also healing o.
& the soul p
And this is symbolic of Dis work
ven where he did not heal Why did
e not at a word heal all .he sick in
'alestinc?
I. One Of the great discipiiles and n
overs for the transformation of char -
cter les in the triumph of The soul L
yer evil as by Pauls thorn IN the h.
esh the apostle experienced new
egrees Of Gods grace. G
q In our present state perfect re- n,
nl from. oil 49, nLI...rL- ..-L L...- -