The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-02-04
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared Especially For The Repub.
LEANS Readers by Rev. U. S.
Wright, DID.


JESUS HEALS AND SAVES A
BLIND MAN. john Gill.
am the light of the world: He that
followeth me shall not walk in the
darkness, but shall have the light
of life. John 1912.
THE BYSTANDER
John had been preaching on the
Light Of the World, now there is the
selected illustration of the transfor-
nation in a darkened world by it's
coming into the life of an individual.
Just now the power tcpardon vested
in our Governors is under fire because
of its sometimes indiscriminate use
by a Blease or Ferguson. Jesus
seems to have been vigorously select
i've in the making Of cures. The
porches were packed at Bethesda but
only one walked away in full vigor.
There were many sick but the cured
can be recorded Blindness is the
most common of Affections in the
East, you can count on your fingers
those whose eyes were opened by
Jesus. The cripple at the Beautiful
Gate was comrade to this blind beg
gar but Jesus passed him by. Gle saw
man'-character seems to have
been the secret of our Lords select
ing. Others saw beggar and the
disciples discerned problem but be-
yond both Jesus aensed manhood. No
disguise of rags could dim His clear
seeing Of what lay beneath and it is
significant that in enough of the
healed there is witness to the quality
of life to give an inkling Of the pur-
pose OF our Lord. He was a man
maker first and built bodies only to
minister to that inner person. God
could abolish sickness now but have
we reached the place where we can
administer universal health? Certain
ly the witness Of 100000 crosses
raised above the heads Of the physi-
cally fit is proof Of it. Certainly the
10000 sound folk crushed by the ears
each year can not be adduced nor the
125,000 injured in our industries-all
from the lists of the strong. In re-
Spouse to the question Of the disciples
Jesus pronounced this man an inno-
cent bystander. 1t was not any sin
in q past existence, nor bad strain
in his heredity that had caused his
trouble. He did not say that sin was
not at the root Of it but it was that
Of others who were no more intimate
ly linked with the man himself
than is the typhoid victim
from water supply tainted
because an inefficient inspec-
tor had been appointed thru politi-
cal deal. Nor did He charge it up to
God. Change the punctuation-John
did not use any-and see the result.
Neither did this man sin nor his
parents. But that the works of God
should be made manifest in him, we
must work the works Of him that
sent Me, ETC."
THE MAN
The man that Jesus had seen be-
meath the trappings Of rags. and beg
gary emerged into the light. And he
was good to see tho he was a surprise
to the beholders. They could not be-
heve their eyes for they were blind
see-ers as Jesus later labeled them.
And it was the man they did not
recognize. If he had come back still
a mendicant they would have welcom-
ed him with open arms and have piled
his cup with coins. Probably he
would have been offered job among
the keepers of cows in the Temple
courts. They knew how to deal with
beggars.- There was no discrediting
the cure, there were witnesses enough
to make that sure. But it had been
done on the Sabbath and they could
not see the cure for the crime. My,
but there were hurrying messengers
and hasty consultations! What did
Jesus mean any way by coming where
He had no business and raising all
this confusion? So unable to invali-
date the cure they ordered the man to
repudidate the Cur-er. There was
the hiss of whip lash as they did
it for they threatened to excommuni-
cate him, to cast him out of the Syna-
cog. 1t was no child's toy either for
it meant social ostracism that would
make him man without country, a
social leper who must be Stunned and
with whom no dealings were to be
held. 1t Kissed and it could sting
they knew what the beggar would do;
, but Jesus had seen a man. And it
was the man who stood straight and
strong and seeing, and flung their
words back with a bit of biting sar-
casm mingled with them. He had
never seen Jesus but he had felt His
touch that loosed his bonds to dark
ness in every form, material, politi-
cal or churchly; and he would stand
by his Helper. The whole Sanhedrir
could not suppress him. The whip
might bite but his voice would not be
stilled. Like Henly his head might be