January 1932
33
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
and second, on the Lord’s. The man did not see Jesus, but “as Jesus passed by he saw” the man. The Lord Jesus is ever looking on human needs. The man had been born blind, but there was no blame attached to him for that, for he could not help himself. Moreover, his blindness was not the result o f any special sin, either in himself or his parents. Its cause was in the sin which attaches to the whole human race. Our Lord did not say that this man was not a sinner, nor did He teach that the parents were without sin. The blindness was there because sin was in the human family, and this particular case occurred so that the works o f God might be manifest in the blind man. The cause o f all deform ity, whether it be. mental, physical, or moral, is found in the common sin o f the human family, children of fallen Adam. The man in this lesson presents a picture o f every sinner, born as such, through no fault o f his own, helpless to help himself, beyond help from others, of the race, and therefore hopeless, unless God pleases to intervene. And God does intervene for all who will trust Him as this blind man trust ed Jesus. On the Lord’s side, the need for this mir acle is seen in the words, “ I must work the works o f him1that sent me.”‘f Here was a recognition o f responsibility, “ I must.” This word is frequently used in our Lord’s earthly ministry: He “must needs go through Samaria,” He “must be lifted up,” and so on. Always there was the inner urge to meet and fulfill the responsibility laid upon Him by reason o f His office. So the Christian today has responsibility be cause o f the very fact o f his being a Chris tian. Again, there was a recognition of authority. The Lord Jesus was continu ally under authority in both speech and deed. Over and over He uses the phrase, “ him that sent me.” Our Master owned a Master, even God the Father; He had orders to fill, and He filled them per fectly. In this, too, He leaves us an ex ample. Moreover, there was a recognition o f the opportunity to work, “ while it is to day.” At the end, He could say, “ I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.” Here again He is the perfect pattern for all Christians. 2. The method was twofold. On the Lord’s part, the method was sim ple, sudden, and sufficient. But it was not a method that He always employed. W e cannot force the Lord into any particular mold. Because He has dealt in a certain way with one person, that is not to say that He must deal in the same way again with that person or with any other. He may heal one today without means o f any kind; He may heal one tomorrow with means alone; and He may not heal one at all, with or without means. Our Lord is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever,” but His ways and methods are not the same. I f this man had been as some are today, as soon as he was restored, he would have started a Society o f Siloam Washers, declaring that only the members o f this group would be acknowledged as having any understanding of the truth. On the man’s part also, the method was extremely simple. He first heard the direc tions that the Lord gave, then he obeyed without question, and at once he received his sight. Could anything be simpler? And this is the simplicity o f the gospel for every sinner: To hear the W ord which says that the Saviour is the Gift o f God to
BLACKBOARD LESSON I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD m WÊÊÊÊIBÈm 1 $¡¿1 M ¡ p A L A M P UNTO THY •i ®| 1 F E all, to obey the W ord by accepting that Saviour for oneself, and immediately there is the passing from death into life and from the power of Satan unto God. 3. The results were twofold. On the part o f the people, there was as tonishment and wonder. They saw the change in the man, but they could not un derstand how that change had been wrought; and failing to understand, they declared it was not the same man. But the Lord does not attempt to reach the faith of the people through their understand ing. Rather, He reaches their understand ing through their faith. On the part of the man, the healing re sulted in an opportunity for testimony, o f which he quickly availed himself. While the neighbors discussed whether or not it was the same man, he said plainly, “ I am he.” When they inquired how he re ceived his sight, he told the simple story without embellishment. The simplicity of his statement makes it one o f the most profound of all Scripture: “A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.” Every saved sinner has such a testimony to.give. II. T he P ersecution of the M an B orn B lind (30-34). The Pharisees, before whom the man had been brought, would not believe that he had received his sight. In their hatred against Jesus, they were ready to cast out any who believed in Him. They called the parents o f the man and inquired whether or not this was their son ; but the parents, afraid of being cast out o f the temple, re ferred the Pharisees to the man himself. Then, when the restored man told them the truth, they declared that Jesus, who per formed the miracle, could not have been a good man, that He was not o f God, and that He was a sinner. A Sunday School Favorite I have a Bible class, and I depend so much on T he K ing ’ s B usiness for my study material. It is fine, and I enjoy it in every way. — B urbank , C alif . Being a Sunday-school superin tendent, I feel at a loss without T he K ing ’ s B usiness . —D enver , C olorado . I feel that I cannot afford to miss a copy o f T he K ing ’ s B usiness . It is such an aid to Sunday-school les son preparation. —F resno , C alif . I value T he K ing ’ s B usiness very highly for its help in teaching. —A rcadia , C alif . A LIG H T UNTO T H Y P A T H PS. nsuos n
The logic of the healed man is instantly seen (vs. 30-33).. “ Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.” Surely there must be something special about any one who could do such a deed. This was not the deed o f an enemy o f man, but o f a friend—and such a Friend as the world had never seen. How strange that these Pharisees, before whom the man stood, should be ignorant o f who this Man wasl Certainly “if this man were not o f God he could do nothing.” But in spite of this unanswerable logic, the pride o f unbelief blinded the minds o f the Pharisees. They posed as those in whom God was pleased; and how, then, could a man “altogether born in sins” teaeh them ? When God is working, there are always those who presume to be the depositories o f truth, and they therefore object to all that is done. The pride o f the human heart is perhaps nowhere so plainly manifested as in religious circles where people shut their eyes to the evident presence of God. These Pharisees, blinded by pride, finally cast the truth from them by casting out the man. When they re jected the man who had received sight, they also rejected the One who gave sight. III. T he R evelation of the M an B orn B lind (35-38). A fter the man was cast out by the Phari sees, the Lord sought and found him. The Lord will never allow one of His own to stand alone because o f any testimony given for Him. He searched out this man in or der to give him something more than phy sical sight. He would make the man see spiritual things and lead him into eternal blessing. The conversation with him re veals the fact that physical blessing may be given from God without any touch o f the Spirit that saves the soul. It is taught today that, before the Lord will heal any one, that one must be saved. But here is a case where there was no understanding on the part of the healed one as to who the Healer was. He knew only that He must be from God because God alone could per form such a miracle. The man believed in God, but he did not yet believe in Christ as God. When he was asked, “ Dost thou believe on the Son o f God?” he replied, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” Seeing his readiness to believe, the Lord gave him spiritual sight, which brought him into personal fellowship with the D i vine, by the declaration that He Himself —the One speaking—was the Son o f God. With the Pharisees, there was pride that hindered the teaching, and that resulted in the rejection of both the Lord and the Lord’s witness. But with the blind man, there was humbleness of spirit and readi ness to believe, which are always, then and now, answered by greater revelations from the Lord. The result was the confession of the man, “Lord, I believe,” which spoke o f the entrance o f life and light and love into his heart. The confession was followed by wqrship: “And he worshipped him.” There was no indication on the part o f the Lord that He should not be worshiped, as there was on the part of Paul at Lystra, or John on Patmos. Jesus received and accepted the worship that is His due. What a tes timony to His essential deity! W e shall never come to the fullness o f faith and satisfaction until we, too, with this poor
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