The Montgomery tribune., 1908-02-21
Jesus at the Pool
of Bethesda
Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 23.I9o8
Specially Prepared for This Paper


LESSON TExT.-John 5:1-1S. Memty
GOLDEN TExT.-"Himself took our
infirmities. and bare our slcknesses.3 Z Z
Matt. 8:17 q.
PLAcE.-The Pool of Bethesda at Jeru- /
salem.
TIME.-In the spring OF A. d. 2s. Two
or three months after the last lessdn.
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
ont strength, especially. as here, de-
bility caused by sickness. The class
Of diseases brought TO these waters is
described as %blind, halt" (or: lame, as
from rheumatism) "withered," men,
bers OF whose body were deprived of
their natural juices, wasted, shrunk.
waiting for the moving of the water"
That there was moving of the water
is evident from the statement OF the
sick man in v. 7. But this part of v. 2
and the whole Of v. 4, explaining the
cause Of the movement, Is omitted
from both the r. V. and the Am. ",
because they are not found in the best
manuscripts. But the explanation may
be true.
Y. 4. "The angel" is not necessari-
ly a person. Angel means "messen-
ger" an agent sent by God to do a
certain work. Thus it is said (Psa.
1O4:4. R-Y4- that God maketh winds
his messengers" his angels.
Jesus Going About Doing Good
The'fneetfhg 6f9esds WITH fhe invalid
1AE TBefHhdas She afnstafcea5f his
hSethod OF reaching men. D He Vent
'Sbout 'dofMg good nH 0fe sabbath at
even, when the sun Edfd set,S they
brt55,fght T INTO 'hfm4 alf that We're dis
,@ased, and them that were posseysed
with devils. -. hSf, a;eip ~ '.fiS
4hd hecheaied many that were Sick
wof divers fdisaases, and cast 3ont many
devils: fifat' it might be fulfilled Which
was asp0keiV bP.l Isaiah the AprbIhel,
1saSffig,s ahfmself!t took Dur fiiffrmfties,
q s bare osiekhesses & IS syAfahew N
~ =, fhitatiDn OF JESUS IL Doing G6oh.-
HsAfi the experience Of modem mission.
aries I'm the east goes to- show '''the
= wisdom OF tie method empfoyed' by
Jesus Christ and. his apostles I'D gfting
!. Attention a,tt.I ,tQ diseased bodies as a
means Of access to dfseased soidfg."-
Isabella Bird Bishop.
Chtistiteiis vus sthaS those who be-
'ffieve IN him shah do greater works
dthan 'hesr and ft Is true that Christ in
Z his Ohi4stianityf fs dping,ou,a farJlar-
ger scale theawofAs ef.Christ than it
b was possibles for him to :do in Pales-
tine 't The e'kindly;feeaing,! the desire to
-helpsthe increased Skill, which spring
|'4up under1 Christianity as flowers and
FRUITS grow ii the sunshine, have made
Chrfst's works through shiS PEOPLE
gfeateri thar those he wrought, on
f eafth!a they are moi miracles, but are
) better than the fpower of: miracles as
I the prclonged'su1st,.ne istsetter than
"a lash opslfehtafAg."aB 80 Bhatf asyInms
have opened many eyes, and caused
/ people to- read and work; even without
I sight" sHospithlsshAvec CURED and cared
P'fotA nhtitddes Of SICK and ihsane:;
1t is the privilege ofieach Individual
Christian to know something of
Christ'srhealsng pewer.zEhe cheer. the
p hupe,s .the inspiration. ithe :uptft Of
faithsin him., is "a, healing power over
disaase.l prayer ,is: said: by experts
to be adseall power in curing the in
|2sane. Jesus him salfccan still heal our
diseases. in. his. own way; And yet
h ron rs III IN .hrfyr q
spiritual Health and peace.e:
tItis the privilege Of EVERY Christian
to go abcut doihsSgoot In the name Of
fJestfss i. ;TiiD hS~ .eis...f i'
Jesus cures the morally sick as he
t'did TITS iitfaYf az Beshesda, not SO much
by what heHdoes for them as what he
does in them. With the command
I canieHthe Inspiration, .tthe cpower to
f'6bey. c'Thefeih' 'liessfhe differences be-
tween the advice which men give and
the comfnandsgand Invitations which
God gives Advice" "to-be good is no
doubt often OF. value; But what men
need and what, Sod gives is life, new
hearts. strength to follow the advice.
E7All other seliGiops give advice; Christ
Is the way, not merely an ideal, but
the way to reach the ideal; not pic
tuSe ofhYhat wei ought.to be, but the
way, the power, the life by which men
can realize: the, picture, u
VS.. ''Took' up his bed" Showing
his faith and obedience. Sand walked"
- hAeempleteness of the cure.
The Cure Of the Soul Went with the
Cure of the Body.-A little later in
the day Jesus finds the man in the
temple. His religious nature was
awakened by his cure. He had doubt
less been for long time. wanting to
worship God. but was unable to go.
/ remember well In my boyhood's days
that my first deep and earnest seeking
for the religious life was during the
later stages of recovery from sickness.
The disease and danger were gone. but
the heart turned toward God. In the
tamDla Jesus made himself known