Many of those who came to Christ for help had brought
disease upon themselves, yet He did not refuse to heal
them. And when virtue from Him entered into these souls,
they were convicted of sin, and many were healed of their
spiritual disease as well as of their physical maladies.
Among these was the paralytic at Capernaum. Like the
leper, this paralytic had lost all hope of recovery. His disease
was the result of a sinful life, and his sufferings were embittered
by remorse. In vain he had appealed to the Pharisees
and doctors for relief; they pronounced him incurable, they
denounced him as a sinner and declared that he would die
under the wrath of God.
The palsied man had sunk into despair. Then he heard
of the works of Jesus. Others, as sinful and helpless as he,
had been healed, and he was encouraged to believe that he,
too, might be cured if he could be carried to the Saviour.
But hope fell as he remembered the cause of his malady, yet
he could not cast away the possibility of healing.
His great desire was relief from the burden of sin. He
longed to see Jesus and receive the assurance of forgiveness
and peace with heaven. Then he would be content to live or
to die, according to God's will.
There was no time to lose; already his wasted flesh bore
signs of death. He besought his friends to carry him on his
bed to Jesus, and this they gladly undertook to do. But so dense
was the crowd that had assembled in and about the house
where the Saviour was, that it was impossible for the sick man
and his friends to reach Him, or even to come within hearing
of His voice. Jesus was teaching in the home of Peter. According
to their custom, His disciples sat close about Him, and
"there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who
were come out of every village of Galilee and Judea and
Jerusalem." Luke 5:17, A.R.V. Many of these had come as spies,
seeking an accusation against Jesus. Beyond these thronged
the promiscuous multitude, the eager, the reverent, the curious,
and the unbelieving. Different nationalities and all grades
of society were represented. "And the power of the Lord was
present to heal." Verse 17. The Spirit of life brooded over the
assembly, but Pharisees and doctors did not discern His
presence. They felt no sense of need, and the healing was not for
them. "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the
rich He hath sent empty away." Luke 1:53.
Again and again the bearers of the paralytic tried to push
their way through the crowd, but in vain. The sick man
looked about him in unutterable anguish. How could he
relinquish hope when the longed-for help was so near? At his
suggestion his friends bore him to the top of the house and,
breaking up the roof, let him down at the feet of Jesus.
The discourse was interrupted. The Saviour looked upon
the mournful countenance and saw the pleading eyes fixed
upon Him. Well He knew the longing of that burdened soul.
It was Christ who had brought conviction to his conscience
when he was yet at home. When he repented of his sins and
believed in the power of Jesus to make him whole, the mercy
of the Saviour had blessed his heart. Jesus had watched the
first glimmer of faith grow into a conviction that He was the
sinner's only helper, and had seen it grow stronger with every
effort to come into His presence. It was Christ who had drawn
the sufferer to Himself. Now, in words that fell like music
on the listener's ear, the Saviour said, "Son, be of good cheer;
thy sins be forgiven thee." Matthew 9:2.
The burden of guilt rolls from the sick man's soul. He cannot
doubt. Christ's words reveal His power to read the heart.
Who can deny His power to forgive sins? Hope takes the
place of despair, and joy of oppressive gloom. The man's
physical pain is gone, and his whole being is transformed.
Making no further request, he lay in peaceful silence, too
happy for words.
Many were watching with breathless interest every movement
in this strange transaction. Many felt that Christ's words
were an invitation to them. Were they not soul-sick because
of sin? Were they not anxious to be freed from this burden?
But the Pharisees, fearful of losing their influence with the
multitude, said in their hearts, "He blasphemeth: who can
forgive sins but One, even God?" Mark 2:7, R.V.
Fixing His glance upon them, beneath which they cowered
and drew back, Jesus said, "Wherefore think ye evil in your
hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven
thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that
the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins," He said,
turning to the paralytic, "Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto
thine house." Matthew 9:4-6.
Then he who had been borne on a litter to Jesus rose to
his feet with the elasticity and strength of youth. And
immediately he "took up the bed, and went forth before them all;
insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God,
saying, We never saw it on this fashion." Mark 2:12.
It required nothing less than creative power to restore
health to that decaying body. The same voice that spoke life
to man created from the dust of the earth, had spoken life to
the dying paralytic. And the same power that gave life to the
body had renewed the heart. He who at creation "spake, and
it was," who "commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:9),
had spoken life to the soul dead in trespasses and sins. The
healing of the body was an evidence of the power that had
renewed the heart. Christ bade the paralytic arise and walk,
"that ye may know," He said, "that the Son of man hath
power on earth to forgive sins."
The paralytic found in Christ healing for both the soul and
the body. He needed health of soul before he could appreciate
health of body. Before the physical malady could be healed,
Christ must bring relief to the mind, and cleanse the soul from
sin. This lesson should not be overlooked. There are today
thousands suffering from physical disease who, like the
paralytic, are longing for the message, "Thy sins are forgiven."
The burden of sin, with its unrest and unsatisfied desires, is
the foundation of their maladies. They can find no relief until
they come to the Healer of the soul. The peace which He
alone can impart would restore vigor to the mind and health
to the body.
The effect produced upon the people by the healing of the
paralytic was as if heaven had opened and revealed the glories
of the better world. As the man who had been cured passed
through the throng, blessing God at every step and bearing
his burden as if it were a feather's weight, the people fell back
to give him room and with awe-stricken faces gazed upon
him, whispering softly among themselves, "We have seen
strange things today." Luke 5:26.
In the home of the paralytic there was great rejoicing when
he returned to his family, carrying with ease the couch upon
which he had been slowly borne from their presence but a short
time before. They gathered round with tears of joy, hardly
daring to believe their eyes. He stood before them in the full
vigor of manhood. Those arms that they had seen lifeless
were quick to obey his will. The flesh that had been shrunken
and leaden-hued was now fresh and ruddy. He walked with
a firm, free step. Joy and hope were written in every lineament
of his countenance, and an expression of purity and peace
had taken the place of the marks of sin and suffering. Glad
thanksgiving went up from that home, and God was glorified
through His Son, who had restored hope to the hopeless and
strength to the stricken one. This man and his family were
ready to lay down their lives for Jesus. No doubt dimmed their
faith, no unbelief marred their fealty to Him who had brought
light into their darkened home.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul:
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
Who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;...
So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord executeth righteousness
And judgment for all that are oppressed....
He hath not dealt with us after our sins;
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities....
Like as a father pitieth his children,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.
For He knoweth our frame;
He remembereth that we are dust."
Psalm 103:1-14.
"Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?"
"Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool,
which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five
porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of
blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water."
John 5:2, 3.
At certain seasons the waters of this pool were agitated,
and it was commonly believed that this was the result of
supernatural power, and that whoever first after the troubling
of the pool stepped into the waters, would be healed of whatever
disease he might have. Hundreds of sufferers visited the
place; but so great was the crowd when the water was troubled
that they rushed forward, trampling, underfoot men, women,
and children, weaker than themselves. Many could not get
near the pool. Many who had succeeded in reaching it died
upon its bank. Shelters had been erected about the place, that
the sick might be protected from the heat by the day and the
chilliness of the night. There were some who spent the night
in these porches, creeping to the edge of the pool day after
day, in the vain hope of relief.
Jesus was at Jerusalem. Walking alone in apparent
meditation and prayer, He came to the pool. He saw the wretched
sufferers watching for that which they supposed to be their
only chance of cure. He longed to exercise His healing power
and make every sufferer whole. But it was the Sabbath day.
Multitudes were going to the temple for worship, and He
knew that such an act of healing would so excite the prejudice
of the Jews as to cut short His work.
But the Saviour saw one case of supreme wretchedness.
It was that of a man who had been a helpless cripple for thirty-eight
years. His disease was in a great degree the result of
his own evil habits and was looked upon as a judgment from
God. Alone and friendless, feeling that he was shut out from
God's mercy, the sufferer had passed long years of misery.
At the time when it was expected that the water would be
troubled, those who pitied his helplessness would bear him to
the porches. But at the favored moment he had no one to
help him in. He had seen the rippling of the water, but had
never been able to get farther than the edge of the pool.
Others stronger than he would plunge in before him. The
poor, helpless sufferer was unable to contend successfully with
the scrambling, selfish crowd. His persistent efforts toward the
one object, and his anxiety and continual disappointment,
were fast wearing away the remnant of his strength.
The sick man was lying on his mat and occasionally lifting
his head to gaze at the pool, when a tender, compassionate
face bent over him, and the words, "Wilt thou be made
whole?" arrested his attention. Hope came to his heart. He
felt that in some way he was to have help. But the glow of
encouragement soon faded. He remembered how often he
had tried to reach the pool, and now he had little prospect
of living till it should again be troubled. He turned away
wearily, saying, "Sir, I have no man, when the water is
troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming,
another steppeth down before me."
Jesus bids him, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." Verses
6-8. With a new hope the sick man looks upon Jesus. The
expression of His countenance, the tones of His voice, are like
no other. Love and power seem to breathe from His very
presence. The cripple's faith takes hold upon Christ's word.
Without question he sets his will to obey, and, as he does
this, his whole body responds.
Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life, and healthful
action comes to his crippled limbs. Springing to his feet, he
goes on his way with firm, free step, praising God and rejoicing
in his new-found strength.
Jesus had given the palsied man no assurance of divine
help. The man might have said, "Lord, if Thou wilt make
me whole, I will obey Thy word." He might have stopped
to doubt, and thus have lost his one chance of healing. But
no, he believed Christ's word, believed that he was made
whole; immediately he made the effort, and God gave him
the power; he willed to walk, and he did walk. Acting on the
word of Christ, he was made whole.
By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our
souls are palsied. Of ourselves we are no more capable of
living a holy life than was the impotent man capable of walking.
Many realize their helplessness; they are longing for that
spiritual life which will bring them into harmony with God,
and are striving to obtain it. But in vain. In despair they cry,
"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this
body of death?" Romans 7:24, margin. Let these desponding,
struggling ones look up. The Saviour is bending over the
purchase of His blood, saying with inexpressible tenderness
and pity, "Wilt thou be made whole?" He bids you arise in
health and peace. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole.
Believe the Saviour's word. Put your will on the side of Christ.
Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will
receive strength. Whatever may be the evil practice, the master
passion which through long indulgence binds both soul
and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart
life to the soul that is "dead in trespasses." Ephesians 2:1. He
will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune
and the chains of sin.
The sense of sin has poisoned the springs of life. But Christ
says, "I will take your sins; I will give you peace. I have
bought you with My blood. You are Mine. My grace shall
strengthen your weakened will; your remorse for sin I will
remove." When temptations assail you, when care and perplexity
surround you, when, depressed and discouraged, you
are ready to yield to despair, look to Jesus, and the darkness
that encompasses you will be dispelled by the bright shining
of His presence. When sin struggles for the mastery in your
soul, and burdens the conscience, look to the Saviour. His
grace is sufficient to subdue sin. Let your grateful heart,
trembling with uncertainty, turn to Him. Lay hold on the hope
set before you. Christ waits to adopt you into His family.
His strength will help your weakness; He will lead you step
by step. Place your hand in His, and let Him guide you.
Never feel that Christ is far away. He is always near.
His loving presence surrounds you. Seek Him as One who
desires to be found of you. He desires you not only to touch
His garments, but to walk with Him in constant communion.
"Go, and Sin No More."
The Feast of Tabernacles had just ended. The priests and
rabbis at Jerusalem had been defeated in their plottings against
Jesus, and, as evening fell, "every man went unto his own
house. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives." John 7:53; 8:1.
From the excitement and confusion of the city, from the
eager crowds and the treacherous rabbis, Jesus turned away
to the quiet of the olive groves, where He could be alone with
God. But in the early morning He returned to the temple;
and as the people gathered about Him, He sat down and
taught them.
He was soon interrupted. A group of Pharisees and scribes
approached Him, dragging with them a terror-stricken
woman, whom with hard, eager voices they accused of having
violated the seventh commandment. Pushing her into the
presence of Jesus, they said, with a hypocritical display of
respect, "Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the
very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned: but what sayest Thou? Verses 4, 5.
Their pretended reverence veiled a deep-laid plot for His
ruin. Should Jesus acquit the woman, He might be charged
with despising the law of Moses. Should He declare her
worthy of death, He could be accused to the Romans as one
who assumed authority belonging only to them.
Jesus looked upon the scene--the trembling victim in her
shame, the hard-faced dignitaries, devoid of even human pity.
His spirit of stainless purity shrank from the spectacle. Giving
no sign that He had heard the question, He stooped and, fixing
His eyes upon the ground, began to write in the dust.
Impatient at His delay and apparent indifference the
accusers drew nearer, urging the matter upon His attention.
But as their eyes, following those of Jesus, fell upon the
pavement at His feet, their voices were silenced. There, traced
before them, were the guilty secrets of their own lives.
Rising, and fixing His eyes upon the plotting elders, Jesus
said, "He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a
stone at her." Verse 7. And, stooping down, He continued
writing.
He had not set aside the Mosaic law nor infringed upon
the authority of Rome. The accusers were defeated. Now,
their robes of pretended holiness torn from them, they stood,
guilty and condemned, in the presence of infinite purity.
Trembling lest the hidden iniquity of their lives should be
laid open to the multitude, with bowed heads and downcast
eyes they stole away, leaving their victim with the pitying
Saviour.
Jesus arose and, looking upon the woman, said, "Where
are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She
said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I
condemn thee: go, and sin no more." Verses 10, 11.
The woman had stood before Jesus, cowering with fear.
His words, "He that is without sin among you, let him first
cast a stone," had come to her as a death sentence. She dared
not lift her eyes to the Saviour's face, but silently awaited her
doom. In astonishment she saw her accusers depart speechless
and confounded; then those words of hope fell upon her
ear, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." Her
heart was melted, and, casting herself at the feet of Jesus, she
sobbed out her grateful love and with bitter tears confessed
her sins.
This was to her the beginning of a new life, a life of purity
and peace, devoted to God. In the uplifting of this fallen soul,
Jesus performed a greater miracle than in healing the most
grievous physical disease; He cured the spiritual malady which
is unto death everlasting. This penitent woman became one
of His most steadfast followers. With self-sacrificing love and
devotion she showed her gratitude for His forgiving mercy.
For this erring woman the world had only contempt and
scorn, but the Sinless One pitied her weakness and reached
to her a helping hand. While the hypocritical Pharisees denounced,
Jesus bade her, "Go, and sin no more."
Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul. The greater
the sinner's guilt, the more he needs the Saviour. His heart
of divine love and sympathy is drawn out most of all for the
one who is the most hopelessly entangled in the snares of the
enemy. With His own blood He has signed the emancipation
papers of the race.
Jesus does not desire those who have been purchased at
such a cost to become the sport of the enemy's temptations.
He does not desire us to be overcome and perish. He who
curbed the lions in their den, and walked with His faithful
witnesses amid the fiery flames, is just as ready to work in our
behalf to subdue every evil in our nature. Today He is standing
at the altar of mercy, presenting before God the prayers
of those who desire His help. He turns no weeping, contrite
one away. Freely will He pardon all who come to Him for
forgiveness and restoration. He does not tell to any all that
He might reveal, but He bids every trembling soul take
courage. Whosoever will, may take hold of God's strength,
and make peace with Him, and He will make peace.
The souls that turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts above the
accusing and the strife of tongues. No man or evil angel can
impeach these souls. Christ unites them to His own divine-human
nature. They stand besides the great Sin Bearer in the
light proceeding from the throne of God.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses "from all sin." 1 John
1:7.
"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It
is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
Romans 8:33, 34.
Over the winds and the waves, and over men possessed
of demons, Christ showed that He had absolute control. He
who stilled the tempest and calmed the troubled sea spoke
peace to minds distracted and overborne by Satan.
In the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus was speaking of
His mission to set free the slaves of sin. He was interrupted
by a shriek of terror. A madman rushed forward from among
the people, crying out, "Let us alone; what have we to do
with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy
us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God."
Mark 1:24.
Jesus rebuked the demon, saying, "Hold thy peace, and
come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in
the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not." Luke 4:35.
The cause of this man's affliction also was in his own life.
He had been fascinated with the pleasures of sin and had
thought to make life a grand carnival. Intemperance and
frivolity perverted the noble attributes of his nature, and Satan
took entire control of him. Remorse came too late. When he
would have sacrificed wealth and pleasure to regain his lost
manhood he had become helpless in the grasp of the evil one.
In the Saviour's presence he was roused to long for freedom,
but the demon resisted the power of Christ. When the
man tried to appeal to Jesus for help, the evil spirit put words
into his mouth, and he cried out in an agony of fear. The
demoniac partially comprehended that he was in the presence
of One who could set him free; but when he tried to come
within reach of that mighty hand, another's will held him,
another's words found utterance through him.
The conflict between the power of Satan and his own desire
for freedom was terrible. It seemed that the tortured man
must lose his life in the struggle with the foe that had been
the ruin of his manhood. But the Saviour spoke with authority
and set the captive free. The man who had been possessed
stood before the wondering people in the freedom of self-possession.
With glad voice he praised God for deliverance. The eye
that had so lately glared with the fire of insanity now beamed
with intelligence and overflowed with grateful tears. The
people were dumb with amazement. As soon as they recovered
speech they exclaimed one to another, "What is this? a new
teaching! with authority He commandeth even the unclean
spirits, and they obey Him." Mark 1:27, R.V.
There are multitudes today as truly under the power of
evil spirits as was the demoniac of Capernaum. All who
willfully depart from God's commandments are placing themselves
under the control of Satan. Many a man tampers with
evil, thinking that he can break away at pleasure; but he is
lured on and on, until he finds himself controlled by a will
stronger than his own. He cannot escape its mysterious power.
Secret sin or master passion may hold him a captive as helpless
as was the demoniac of Capernaum.
Yet his condition is not hopeless. God does not control our
minds without our consent; but every man is free to choose
what power he will have to rule over him. None have fallen
so low, none are so vile, but that they may find deliverance
in Christ. The demoniac, in place of prayer, could utter only
the words of Satan; yet the heart's unspoken appeal was heard.
No cry from a soul in need, though it fail of utterance in
words, will be unheeded. Those who consent to enter into
covenant with God are not left to the power of Satan or to
the infirmity of their own nature.
"Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful
captive delivered? . . . Thus saith the Lord, Even the captives
of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible
shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth
with thee, and I will save thy children." Isaiah 49:24, 25.
Marvelous will be the transformation wrought in him who
by faith opens the door of the heart to the Saviour.
"I Give Unto You Power."
Like the twelve apostles, the seventy disciples whom Christ
sent forth later received supernatural endowments as a seal
of their mission. When their work was completed, they returned
with joy, saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject
unto us through Thy name." Jesus answered, "I beheld Satan
as lightning fall from heaven." Luke 10:17, 18.
Henceforth Christ's followers are to look upon Satan as a
conquered foe. Upon the cross, Jesus was to gain the victory
for them; that victory He desired them to accept as their own.
"Behold," He said, "I give unto you power to tread on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and
nothing shall by any means hurt you." Verse 19.
The omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit is the defense
of every contrite soul. No one who in penitence and faith has
claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the
enemy's power. It is true that Satan is a powerful being; but,
thank God, we have a mighty Saviour, who cast out the evil
one from heaven. Satan is pleased when we magnify his
power. Why not talk of Jesus? Why not magnify His power
and His love?
The rainbow of promise encircling the throne on high is
an everlasting testimony that "God so loved the world, that
He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
It testifies to the universe that God will never forsake His
children in the struggle with evil. It is an assurance to us
of strength and protection as long as the throne itself shall
endure.