The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-03-06
Sunday School Column
Side Lights on Next Sundays Les
son for Teachers and Pupils
By CHAS. K. MEYERS.

Christ In our last lesson we
learned as to the call of four of the
disciples, and of Jesus teaching in
the Jewish synagogue. Immediately
on coming from the scene of this
preaching, Jesus went to the home Of
Simon and Andrew and here Simon's
wifes mother was sick with fever.
The blessed Jesus took her by the
hand, lifted her up, and the fever was
broken and the woman restored. This
cure was noised about and it was not
long before sick people without num-
Der were brought to Jesus for healing
and he helped them all.
1t is plain from the fact that Jesus
was up early the next morning, and
away from the village, devoting him
self to prayer, that He did not feel
that the chief end of His life on earth
was to cure physical ailments. We
hear many in this day claiming that
when true likeness to Jesus is OBJ
tanned a follower can cure diseases.
There is little in the bible to warrant
this claim. Paul, the great apostle,
would have been a great miracle work
er if this power was meant to be
passed onward by Jesus after His
death. Paul did do some wonderful
healing, but his first thought on reach
ing new field was to tell the people
of their moral and spiritual sins and
sickness and to warn them of a judg-
ment to come. Bodily healing is but
temporal, but spiritual healing lasts
for all eternity. This is one OF the
strong points of the lesson this week.
1t would appear that Jesus went
through all Galilee preaching in the
|synagogues and healing diseases. he
was not anxious for these healings to
be noised about and we often read OF
His telling the healed one TO keep the
matter a secret. Jesus performed these
miracles to impress the people that
He was divine. When John sent ask
ing whether He was indeed the Christ
Jesus called attention to the visible
Ievidences of His divinity in that the
sick were raised, the lame made to
walk, and the poor had the gospel
prca ched to them. Once Jesus said
Believe on me for my very works
sake" Having but three short years
to spend in the ministry here on
earth, it was necessary to concentrate
] on Himself the gaze of the public, II
:. such way that people would heal
! and believe. 2
The latter verses of the lesson tel
of the healing of one afflicted with the
dread disease of leprosy. This pool
one came kneeling, begging for help
! and it came. One of the great chapters
in the book Ben Hur is the one Civ
ing an account of what might well be
the occurrences connected with the
| healing of woman and her child from
; this loathsome disease. Those Whs
have read this will have the better
idea OF what it meant in the blble
} days to have this trouble, and the JOY
which must we'll fill the heart OF one
who has been helped Moral degre
! dation, sin, being outcast from God is
we'll likened to the disease of leprosy
e These cannot be cured simply by max
ing physical determination to &c
better. There must be divine acl
and trust in Jesus as a savior.
The presence in DenisOn in the past
. week of man who has given his life
as medical missionary, calls strong
~ to mind what medical missionaries
can do to help spread the gospel, anc
in gaining the confidence of the heath
en- people Heathendom has no kind
ministering physicians who work fol
love of struggling humanity. In heath
, en- lands the sick ones are little cared
! for, and left in agony to die. The
:, gospel Of Jesus makes its believers
e full of pity and anxious to relieve
suffering. ready to sacrifice even un
til death, to make the pains of others
less severe. Blessed gospel of Jesus
which accomplished this and so much
more. Wherever goes the bible, there
: will be found hospitals, devoted teach
T ers and those ready to minister both
:, to the bodily and spiritual wants Of
all corners. There is call for young
men and women to educate themselves
as medical missionaries, and we hope
, the call will not be in vain in this 10
!. cality. In Miss Glassburner, Albert
: Seagrave, John Carvell, Crawford
e county has brought lustre to itself
!. but the call is urgent for more, and
: those the best equipped are the most
useful.
+ The most pitiable sight in the world
2 is a man in a big department store
L,,,, &c