The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-09
The
INTERNATIONAL LESSON CON-
MENTs FOR MARCH 20.
Subject: A Paralytic Forgiven and
Healed, Matt. 9:1-1S-Com-
init Verse g.

GOLDEN TEXT. - 'The Son OF
Man hath power or earth to forgive
sins" Matt. 9:6.
TME.-May or June, A. D. 20.
PLACE.-Capernaum.
EXPOSITION.-I. The Healing OF
O Paralytic, 10. The full account OF
this miracle Is found in Mark 2:1-12,
and Luke 5:17-26. They brought
this man to Jesus because there was
no one else who could help. and they
were confident that He could and
would. 1t was because of their faith
that Jesus did what they sought.
Their faith was a faith that could be
seer ". -. True faith a he seen,
1t materializes in works Gas. S:1SD.
Jesus is ready to say to-day to every
paralytic and to every soul In distress,
"Son, be of good cheer" If the n in
distress will only trust Him. Jesus
forgave before healing. AS always,
SO in this case, the professional fault
finder was present, and as often, he
was a high ecclesiastic, a scribe (the-
illogical professor). The Scribes
were there for the purpose Of finding
something to criticise duke 5:17;i
John $3.50. They found it. They
brought a very common charge and
very serious charge against Jesus,
'this man blasphemes" John 10:33;'
Mark 1860. Their reasoning was
right up to a certain point, no one
but God can forgive sins, and If Jesus
was not God, He was a blasphemer.
Granted the Unitarian conception Of
Jesus and the Scribes were right, and
His execution j%ustifable, but il Jesus
is God, then it Is the Scribes and the
Unitarians who are the. blasphemers.
Jesus demonstrated to His startled
that He was divine, and had
I the power to forgive sins by reading
their secret thought ". 4; CT. 2
Chron. $50; Jer. 1879, 10; Ps. 1881
/, p. Then He gave another proof,
He healed the palsied man. Jesus
| wishes men to know that the Son Of
Man hath power on earth to forgive
SINS" so He performs an act that we
can see, and which demands divine
power for its accomplishment that we
may know that He has the power for
that which we cannot see and which
also demands divine power for its ac-
complishment. So it is proven that
Jesus has power on earth to forgive
sins. We not only hope that 1t Is so,
but we know" it is so. The palsied
man knew that his sins were forgiv-
en-, because Jesus said so. We may
know that ours also are forgiven on
the same ground (Acts 1896, 39).
II. Jesus Eating With Publfcans
and Sinners, 1918. AS Jesus passed
along His eye fell on a Jew gathering
taxes for Rome, lining his pockets at
the sacrifice of his patriotism. He be-
longed to the class despised by the
| Jews, but he was to write the dis
tinctively Jewish Gospel. His busi-
ness fitted him admirably to write
the Gospel, as a tax gatherer, he had
been trained to accuracy, to Judge
men and to be proof against impos-
ture. 1t was very humiliating and Of
fensive to the self-righteous religion
lists of the day that Jesus should
choose one of His most intimate disci-
pies from the class they most de-
spised. He acted In the most direct
opposition to the accepted notions OF
the ecclesiastical leaders when He
made this choice. Matthew was at
tending faithfully to his business
when Jesus called him, while the null
titudes had forsaken their usual aVo-
cations and ~"resorted". to Jesus
(Mark 2:13). This may have been
from sturdy fidelity to business or 1t
may have been Indifference to relig-
ious enthusiasms. The call was very
sudden, very brief and very much to
the point, Follow Me-" There was
a world Of meaning in it. 1t involved
the remuneration of self and taking
up of the cross and saying farewell to
earthly ambitions, possessions and
prospects Matt. 1924; Luke 9:57,.
IS; 1929, but it would bring re.
ward and honor and blessing immeas-
urable John SIP; 1926; Matt. 10:
2S). Nothing else costs so much as
to follow Christ; nothing else pays So
we'll. If Matthew had said mo" to
that call of Jesus, he doubtless would
have gained by it financially, but BY
saying "yes," he became n Of the
very few men of that day whose
names have survived the storms OF
centuries, and also became an heir OF
God and a joint heir with Jesus
Christ. There was no hesitation Cd
Matthew's part; he arose at once, for
sock all and followed Christ duke
5:28, R. w. 1t was the voice Of
Jesus that transformed this keen
money-getting publican into a devoted
disciple. Matthew made a great feast
at his house (Luke 500. Jesus at
tended this gay party. Matthew's
purpose was evidently not to display
his wealth, or merely ven to honor
his %new-found Master; he sought to
get hold of his old business associates
and friends, and succeeded ". 100.
The publicans and sinners were well
come to the companionship of Jesus
here on earth. There will be a great
multitude who were once publicans
and sinners who will sit down with
Him in glory. Jesus associated with
publicans and sinners in order to save
them. We can never save them IN
less we initiate the Masters example.
In a%ssociating with them, we must be
careful to do it for the same purpose
He did. or they will drag us down
rather than we lift them up. The
Pharisees were around as usual to
find fault. Where, then. is the
church's true place? Jesus came to
call sinners. He has no invitation Of
grace for the righteous man. Before
a man can get anything from Jesus
hand he must first take his proper
- 4I-l - ;-,,n 0r 4ct,ct foot