Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-15
JESUS HEALING AND HELPING.
Matthew, viii.--ix.34.
Golden text-"HimSelf took our
inf1rmities, and bare our dis
eases. Matthew, Wilt.

Matthew grouped a series of the
miracles of Christ in the two chapters
of his Gospel, that we are to consider
this week, without regard to the time
that Jesus performed these miracles
Evidently he desired to impress upon
the Jewish readers the fact that the
Master in His ministry of healing and
helping was fulfilling the prophecy OF
! Isaiah, as stated in our golden text,
Himself took our infirmities, and bare
our diseases" Jesus cited His miracles
as evidence that ought to convince
John the Baptist that he was correct
when he introduced the Lord to the
nation as the long-expected Messiah
The people who witnessed His miracles
recognized that they demonstrated In
strong way, not only that He was sent
from God, but that He could not have
presented any stronger evidence of his
Messiahship than He had done by His
miracles of healing and helping.
Christianity. as a religion, rests upon
historical facts that were atteSted by
the Masters enemies. They recognized
W
explain the Lords power by claiming
that He was aided by an evil power.
These miracles were not performed by
the Lord for the purpose of causing the
people to marvel at His power. They
attracted attention and increased the
numbers seeking to hear His messages.
He did not perform His miracles for
this purpose, because He warned the
leper, whom He cured of the loath-
nia nj OF
sidered to be an incurable disease, not
to publish it, but to show himself to
the priest, who as a public health Off
GER could certify to his cure and restore
him to society. His sympathy for
humanity and desire to remove the
burdens caused by sin, sickness and
sorrow filled his heart with compassion.
The more We study the work Of the
Great Physician the larger place faith
appears to hold in His work of Healing
and helping" Nazareth'S lack of faith
prevented His doing any great miracles
there that He did throughout His whole
ministry.
The Divine Healer.
Our lesson tells up of a number and
variety of cures He performed. In His
work He considered each persons
peculiar need. When He healed the
leper, Jesus touched him. The man
had been an outcast for years and the
Masters touch thrilled him by its
revelation of the sympathy of the
Divine Physician and His power. When
He healed the servant of the Roman
centurion, Jesus commended the faith
of the man, who, although not Jew.
had shown an insight into spiritual
realities greater than He had found in
Israel. This servant was healed by
absent treatment. When He entered
the home of Peter, where He was a
guest, Jesus saw that the mother-in-
law was sick with a fever. He touched
her and she proved the genuineness
of her cure by rising up from her sick
bed and ministering unto the Great
Physician.
Worn out by His efforts, He ordered
His disciples to cross the lake and i'm
medately fell asleep. While resting,
one of those unheralded storms broke
out with such severity that these men,
who were accustomed to the changeable
weather of the Lake of Galilee, were
filled with fear, so they aroused Him
and He demonstrated His power over
the wind and waves after he had criti-
ciZed them for their lack of faith. When
the disciples saw how the wind and
waves obeyed His authority and re-