The Sabbath-School by W. N. Glenn

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 10, 1890

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 16, No. 10.

The Sabbath-School.

By W. N. Glenn

Notes on the International Lesson.

CHRIST FORGIVING SIN.

BETWEEN the last lesson and the present one is the record of Christ healing “a man full of leprosy”—evidently a very aggravated case. It is worthy of note inasmuch as it shows that Christ fully indorsed the “ordinances of divine service” (Heb. 9:1) under the Mosaic dispensation. After that occurrence he withdrew himself into the wilderness to pray. If such an one as he could so much realize the need of private personal devotion and communion with the Source of all wisdom and power, how much more his weaker followers!

“AND it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem.” We do not learn from the lesson where this occurred, but from Mark 2:1 we learn that it was at Capernaum. Matt. 9:1 says it was at “his own city.” Some might infer that his own city was Nazareth; so it was at one time, but after his rejection by the people of Nazareth, Jesus had made Capernaum his principal place of abode. And the fact that there were Jews at this meeting from so many different quarters is evidence that Capernaum was a most fitting place from which to disseminate his message to all parts.

THESE “doctors of the law” are called scribes in verse 21, as also in Matt. 9:3 and Mark 2:6. They were not at the meeting for the purpose of learning, but to criticise the words and deeds of this wonderful teacher, of whose fame they were becoming very jealous. “And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” The Revised Version omits the final word “them,” which better expresses the idea.

“AND, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy; and they sought means to bring him in.” Mark 2:3 says the sick man was “borne of four,” that is, carried by four persons. Of this disease McClintock & Strong's Cyclopedia says: “The term palsy, or paralysis, is used by the ancient physicians in a much wider sense than by our modern men of science. It includes not only what we call paralysis, which is rarely very painful, but also catalepsy and tetanus; i. e., cramps and lock-jaw. Catalepsy is caused by a contraction of the muscles in the whole or part of the body, and is very dangerous. The effects upon the parts seized are very violent and deadly. For instance, when a person is struck with it, if his hand happens to be extended, he is unable to draw it back. The cramps, in Oriental countries, is a fearful malady, and by no means infrequent. It is caused by the chills of the night. The limbs when seized by it remain immovable, sometimes turned in, and sometimes out, in the same position as when they were first seized. The person afflicted resembles a man undergoing the torture, and experiences nearly the same exquisite sufferings.”

TRUE faith will not take No for an answer. This poor paralytic and his faithful attendants could not gain an entrance to where Jesus was by the ordinary means because of the great multitude of people. So they got up on the house-top, removed some of the tile roofing, and let the sufferer down through the opening in presence of the Lord as he spoke to the assembled audience. The faith that will not acknowledge defeat is the kind of faith that prevails with God. Jacob wrestled all night and would not let the angel go until he received the desired blessing. See Gen. 32:24-29. And Jesus spake the parable of the importunate widow to illustrate prevailing prayer. See Luke 18:1-8.

“MAN, thy sins are forgiven thee.” It appears that Jesus responded to this demonstration of faith before any verbal petition was uttered. It was “when he saw their faith” that he vouchsafed the greatest of all blessings, namely, the forgiveness of sins. This was of far more importance than that which the man had come to crave,—the healing of his disease.

NOW the scribes and Pharisees thought they had gained their point; surely it was blasphemy for any man to claim the power to forgive sins. This no one could truthfully deny. But Jesus was ready to show that he was not a mere man, and had the power to forgive sins. They had acknowledged that none “can forgive sins but God alone.” He demonstrated his supernatural power in a double sense; first, by reading their thoughts,—“Why reason ye in your hearts?” second, by working a wonderful miracle in attestation of the power to forgive sins. He made a test of this miracle telling them it was “that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins.”

WAS the test successful? Did “the power of the Lord which was present to heal” respond when summoned as a witness to his power to forgive sins?—It did. “And immediately he [the sick man] rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.” The command to “rise up and walk” was an additional test of the emaciated paralytic's faith. Was it sufficient for the test?—He went away sound in body, and at peace with God. It all came by the grace of God, through faith, as Paul says in Eph. 2:5.

THESE things were “written for our learning” (Rom. 15:4), as all other scriptures, “that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Unless this result be experienced, the lesson will have been studied by us in vain. No amount of Scripture study will avail for our benefit unless this unwavering, persistent faith shall be thereby inculcated in the heart.

W. N. GLENN.