The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-02-16
The
Sunday@Scho
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR MARCH 6.
Subject: Jesus, the Healer, Matt. s.:
2-17-Commit to Memory
Verses 2, 3.

2-17-Commit to Memory
Verses 2, 3.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"Himself took
our infrmities and bare our sick
nesses." Matt. SIT.
TIME.-April and Midsummer A.
D. %.
PLACE.-Capernaum.
EXPOSITION.-I. Jesus Cleans
ing a Leper. 1t required much faith
to come to Jesus, for no lerer. had
ever been cleansed by man, and as
far as the record goes, Jesus had
cleansed no lepers before this. He
was dead in earnest, kneeling down
and falling on his face (Mk. 1:40;
Lu. SID. The leper's prayer wa.
brief and right to the point. 1t dis
played great faith in the Lord Jesus,
faith that He was able to do what He
would. 1t was, however, imperfect
faith. He had perfect confidence in
Jesus ability, but doubted His will
ingness to help. Many to-day put the
'1f" just where the leper did, on the
willingness Of Jesus to help. II there
Is any "if' in regard to a blessing
sought Of Jesus Christ, it belongs.
not on His willingness nor power, but
on our faith (Mk. 9:22, 23). Imper-
feet as the leper's faith was, Jesus
responded to it.. He is just the same
to-day (Heb. 1888. IT was Christ's
compassion, not the leper's unworthi-
ness, that led Jesus to answer the
leper's prayer (Mk. 1:41: CT. Matt.
1910. Jesus exerted His healing
power by a. touch. That touch was
an act Of great compassion. for it
would make Jesus Himself ceremoni-
ally unclean. He took the leper's I'm
c~leanness upon Himself that He
might make the leper clean (cf. 2
Cor. SGD. There is many a moral
leper to-day needing the touch Of a
clean hand. This IT will" of Jesus
taken in its context proves His divin-
ity (cf. Gen. 1:3; Ps. 1919; Nix. 4:
39). The leprosy left Immediately;
the cleansing vas complete. Jesus,
unlike modern healers, avoided pub
licity.
III. Jesus Healing the Centurion's
OSi SoIty c-I"s III ~ WIZ
pied a much higher. social position
than Jesus, but he recognized the in
finite superiority Of Jesus to himself
(cf. Lu. 7:6, y. If Matthew's Gospel
contained the only account, we would
get the impression that the centurion
came at once himself. but he certainly
did not until after he had sent the
Jewish elders and his friends (Lu.
7:3, g. It was a deep sense Of per-
sonal unworthiness that kept him
back from the personal approach to
Jesus, though the earnestness Of his
desire for his slave and the thought
that he was not worthy for Jesus to
come under his roof sent him out at
last to meet Him and save Him the
trouble Of coming further. His ten
der care for the slave is only second
in beauty to the simplicity and
strength of his faith (cf. Lu. 7:2;
contrast 1 Sam. 30:13). The case
was desperate. The lad was at the
point Of death (Lu. 7:2). There was
no one else who could help him but
Jesus: but there is nothing too hard
for Him, and we a always turn to
Him when there is no other place to
go. The centurion built his faith
upon what he had "heard concerning
Jesus" (cf. Rom. 10:1O. He who
witnesses for Jesus knows what
may come Of his testimony. The CELL
turion's prayer was short and definite.
How gracious the Lords answer. "I
will come and heal him." Jesus said
ri will come" because He was invited.
He is always ready to accept an invi-
tation to any home or heart (Rev.
3:20). "He is worthy" had been the
testimony concerning him by the Jew
ish elders (Lu. 20. IT am not
worthy" was his testimony concern
ing himself. The man who thinks
himself most unworthy is the one
who is most likely to be thought
worthy by others, and he is always
the surest to get a blessing from God
Cps. 1917; Lu. 1S:10-14). The
Roman soldier had got a glimpse of
the deity of Christ. He considered
sickness to be as absolutely subject
to the word Of Jesus as were his sub
jects to his own word. Thank God
the centurion was right about that
(cf. Lu. ABS, SO, 80; Nix. 4:39; Jno.
11:43, 44)- Jesus marvelled at the
! centurion's faith. He had met so lit.
tie faith on earth that to find so great
faith in such a quarter was astonish-
ing. He not only wondered at the
centurion's faith, He commended ii
! (cf. Matt. 1929. Faith is a very
pleasing thing to Christ (Heb. lis,
! 6; Jno. 6:29). In the two instances
where Jesus commended faith it was
a Gentle who was the believer. In
this heathen's faith Jesus got a
glimpse Of the great coming day when
the Gentiles would be gathered to
Him ". III.
III. Jesus Healing Peters Wife's
Mother, 14-17. The family invited
Jesus to dinner, and we'll were they
repaid. 1t always does pay to invite
Jesus to our homes (cf. Matt. 1881,
40, 34). Jesus could heal at a dis.
lance, but He loved to get right to
the afflicted one. He touched her
hand. Mark. who got his information
from Peter himself, tells us that He
took her by the hand and raised hel
up (Mk. 1:31). This, too, has a les.
SOL for us. 1t is the hand grasp of a
! strong, we'll hand that the sick need,