T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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that included every class. When He for gave sins there was no outward evidence of absolution. When He’ healed disease every one could see the result. He showed His supremacy in the spiritual realm by miracles in the physical. Neither then nor now is physical heal ing to be sought as an end in itself apart from spiritual well-being. It reveals an unbalanced Gospel, with a loss of the sense of true proportion to so magnify physical well-being as to slight the para mount needs of the spiritual. The ideal condition is to prosper and be in health even as the soul prospereth, but if one must choose between two extremes, it is better to be physically sick and spir itually well than spiritually sick and physically well. The source of any heal ing may justly be suspected as not Divine that does not deepen the spirit uality and bring the soul into closer fellowship with God. In these days when the healing of the body is held out as an inducement to join some of the anti-Christian cults and systems of error, it is well to remember that Jesus is just the same today, able to save the soul and to heal the body. In any case the true believer would prefer to remain sick as an alternative to accepting heal ing from any method or system that dis honors the atoning blood of the Saviour of mankind and denies His essential Deity. v. 17. There were Pharisees and doctors of the law. They were seated as critics to judge the teaching and ac tions of Jesus. Their want of sympa thy with H im COMMENTS FROM and their preju- MANY SOURCES d i c e s s o o n Keith L, Brooks brought them in to collision with Him. We can only truly learn of Christ and understand Him by abandoning the attitude of critics and taking up that of humble, childlike faith.—Miller. v. 18. Men brought a man. Some folks have a big, wholesale way of talk ing about their belief in Jesus. It’s
all hot air. I am tired of these blaz ing speeches about humanity. We must come down to practical personal things like these men who went' after this paralytic and lugged him to Jesus. Quit that singing and shouting and try your belief over the head of that unsaved friend of yours. That’s how the Lord works.— McNeill. Sought means to bring him to Jesus. Less earnest men would have waited for a more favorable opportunity, but they had no guaran tee that they would ever have another opportunity and they wanted to take no chances. They knew Jesus could be reached now if they were earnest enough to overcome the difficulties, and it might be now or never.— Torrey. v. 19. Went upon the housetop. A very easy thing to do because there was in most houses an outside stair case to the roof (Matt. 24:17). East ern houses are often only one story high and when they are built on ris ing ground the roof is often nearly on a level with the street above.— Camb. Bible. These fellows had inventive heads. Faith and love always carry with them an inventive head. If they had been like some church workers, they would have resigned when they came up against that blockade. They did not turn to the poor man and say, as some would today, “ I’m sorry but I’ve done all I can.” No, sir, they lugged' him there and they didn’t figure’ on any return trip. They expected him to go home on his own legs. If we loved souls more, our brains would work better.— McNeill. v. 20. When He saw their faith. The faith of those who brought the man is especially emphasized. It is a fact full of mystery and also of consolation that not a few of the gifts of healing and restoration were obtained through the faith and prayers, not so much of the sick and afflicted themselves as their relations and friends. (Matt'. 8:13; 15:28; Mk. 5:23; Jn. 4:50.y^—Luckock. Thy sins are forgiven.— In this instance our Lord’s power of reading the heart must have shown Him that there was a connection between past sin and pres ent ■affliction. The Jews held it as a universal rule that suffering was the immediate consequence of sin. Our Lord, while He always left the individ ual conscience to read the connection between its own sins and its sorrows, (Jn. 5:14) distinctly repudiated the universal inference (Lk. 13:5; Jn. 9 :3). — Farrar.
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