Evening star., 1922-11-04
Sunday School Lesson

sympathy and kindness that keep the
world from becoming callous. There
is nothing that will brighten the dark
hours Of human trial like the sun
shine of a generous soul calling per-
| bvnally to express their personal
sympathy and Offering to help. The
| successful work on the part Of the four.
who allowed nothing to interfere
with their bringing the suffering
paralytic to Christ to be healed by
the Great Physician. ought to encour-
age US to bring our friends to Jesus
to be saved and healed.
Forgiveness of sin had to precede
healing, according to Jewish theologi-
cal teaching. Jesus read the thought
Of the worried man as he was being
let down to His presence. This may
have caused the change in method
in dealing with the man that was
palsied," which resulted IN the OPEN
ing of the conflict that was irresistl-
BILE between our Lord and His enc
, mics. His tender and sympathetic
words, according to Matthew. en-
couraged the sick man. whom Jesus
called son" urging him to "be OF
good cheer: thy sins are forgiven
thee" Christ went to the cause OF
the mans trouble when He forgave
him his sins. The Masters words
went straight to his troubled heart.
They had an instantaneous effect
upon him as the words came with
authority and power TO his distressed
soul, although they filled the Lord s
enemies with anger and scorn, as
they held that only God could forgive
sins.
! Tho cynical religious critics Of
Jesus got what they were looking
for, as they considered that Christs 8
assumption of the authority to for
give sins was nothing less than bias
phemy. Jesus read their hearts, and
when He revealed that fact they
ought to have recognized that he
was more than a prophet. Their
prejudice kept them from seeing that
He was anything more than a man.
He pressed the battle when He chal-
lenged them to an immediate demon
stration that would prove beyond
question that He was not bias
phemer or pretender, but that He
possessed the authority and power
to forgive sins and to heal There
could be only one reply to His Ques-
ton that It would be easier to say
Thy sins are forgiven thee" than IT
would be to say arise and walk" :"
He commanded the man who was the
waiting for their answer. to arise.
take up thy couch. and go into thy
house" Straightway the palsied man
responded to Christs commands. He
arose before them. rolled up his rug,
which was his couch. picked II up
and moved out through the amazed
crowd and went into his home, "glorl-
flying God" His actions caused the
multitude to glorify God, who had
given such power to man." They
were afraid and confessed that they
had seen strange things that day.
Jesus proved His deity beyond Ques-
ton by His cure Of the paralytic.
q h ri n nj
were correct in their theological prin-
ciples that only God could forgive sins.
but they were wrong when they allowed
their prejudices against the Master to
which prevented them from recognizing
that He was God manifest in the
flesh" and that the first step in our
redemption required His incarnation.
1t was only through His coming into
the human race that forgiveness Of our
lished the fact that He had authority
to forgive sin and heal all forms of
sickness by the miraculous cure of the
paralytic.
Modern science recognizes not only
that sin is the cause Of many Of the
Ills which curse the human race. but
also that religion has contributed to.
ward the healing of many who have
had some form OF insanity, epilepsy and
the paralysis Of some function Of the
!
have testified to the efficacy of prayer
in the healing Of the sick. The "Great
. Physician" is still continuing His minis
Try OF healing. He is using the medical
colleges. hospitals. sanitariurns and re-
search laboratories in curing the ills OF
men. The sovereign cure for worry is
faith. We ought to draw nearer to the
! Lord Jesus, whenever sickness. suffering
| or sorrow enters our life or that OF our
] friends. We ought to allow nothing 10
} int <arn x1-ifl,
all who are unsaved TO the Savior, for
moral weakness is far more deplorable
than physical suffering. He is ever ready
to hear our Cry and reward our faith.
He is Healer Of all iniGuities and dis
eases today. We ought not to forget
the services of our physicians. yet they
recognize the power of the Great Physi-
clan, who alone is able to cure all cases
brought to Him, since He Himself took
our infirmitieS. and bear our disea ses. f"