The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-01-02

~ 80 NECLJ llllIIictli IlCdI u bOOlllS
deny it, or seek to suppress it, but
1t has way of revealing itself,
especially when trouble or sorrow
comes. How often one hears even
persons who are spiritually indiffer-
ent and careless say that some
catastrophe is a punishment for sin.
The assumption is that the one who
suffers much is a great sinner, but
our study of Job taught us that such
is not necessarily the case. In our
lesson for today we learn from
Jesus Himself regarding human af-
Fiction. His attitude toward it
should guide us in our attitude.
First of all He makes clear that we
are all
L. PeriShing Sinners wv. 1-5).
Someone, apparently a Judean,
told Jesus, possibly with a sense of
real pious satisfaction, that certain
Galileans (whom the Judeans did
not lilze) had been slain while they
were at worship. Evidently the i'm
plication was, "What terrible sin
ners they must have been!" How
like that are the expressions of peo-
pie today!
Jesus met the question by giving
another similar incident right in
Judea, thus rebuking false racial
pride; then went on to point out that
what they (and WEI need to renem-
Der is that all men are sinners and
will perish eternally unless they re-
pent. "A man can perish though
Plate never Stay him. He can per-
ish though no tower crush him.
He may die in his bed, with his
friends all about him; and even
have music when he dies, but he
will be damned unless he repent"
&c. Campbell Morgan).
The important thing is not the
relative sinfulness of men, but the
fact that God commands all men
everywhere to repent" (Acts 1880.
We are all sinners, either saved by
grace or eternaily lost. Sinner,
turn to the,
II. Powerful Saviour wv. 1913.
Here was a woman, spiritually
alert, but physically afflicted. She
was in the synagogue wv. 10, ~,
and she was d daughter OF Abas-
ham, indicating that she was wom-
an of faith. But for some reason,
which is not revealed, an evil spirit
of Satan ". 49, had brought about
in her body an illness which bent
her double. We cannot explain
this. There may be many other
such cases in the world. There are
things we have not fathomed yet
concerning the mystery of suffering
and the power of evil (Morgan).
We see the facts, but, thank God,
we see more, for we find her meet
ing the all-powerful Saviour, who
is able ard willing to deliver. Jesus
saw herr He called her to Him.
He spoke to her, He touched her,
and He healed her. What a blessed
experience. Have you been to Jesus
with your need? If not, why not
come right now?
Observe that He had power and
authority to set the woman free
from Satan who had held her bound
for IL long years.
One would suppose that all would
have rejoiced at this glorious deliv-
erance, but we find that the ruler
of the synagogue was angry. He
viewed what he regarded as the
breaking of the Sabbath day with
alarm and
III. Perverted Solicitude wv. A.
~.
1t is a splendid thing to be con-
cerned about good order, proper
procedure and decorum, especially
in the house of God. But when
there IS a human need and the Son
of Gou meets that need by the work.
ing OF His power, it is both folly
and hypocrisy to obstruct or become
angry because ones own interpreta-
ton c. the proper order of things
has been set aside.
THIS man, who as religious
leader should have realized that the
need of humanity came above his
consideration for the beast of the
field wv. Is, 16), and who should
have rejoiced that the Son of God
had done this miracle in the syna-
gogue, rightly deserved the swift
and singing rebuke of Jesus. His
objection was not really to the VIC
lation Of the Sabbath, but to The
working of God. Such men need
rebuke.
One marvels that the church can
read this passage again and again
and never learn the lesson. One of
the blights on the church today is
the unwillingness of many of its
leaders to permit the power of God
to work. They don't want it. 1t
upsets their plans and programs. If
such a man Cor woman) reads these
lines, it is suggested that he read
the eighth and ninth words of verse
Is, then verse 5.
May God help us to fairly meet
such an important issue honestly,
and for the benefit of our eternal
souls.
H.