T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
207 into his will when Christ said to him “W ilt thou be made w hole?” He said no man will lift me into th e w aters. I have “ no m an” who will pick me up and p u t me in, when th e angel disturbs th e waters. There is not a more p ath etic tex t in all the Bible th a n th is one. There is no t a more pathetic sinner in all the world th a n th is one. Second— Let me present him again: H ere are scores of people asking for the benefits of these w aters, and h ere is a poor man, afflicted for th irty -eigh t years, and h ere is th e angel disturbing th e w aters, and people leaping in. When th e angel comes again and dis tu rb s th e w aters th is poor afflicted man sta rts, b u t only th e shuffling of th e feet, only th e h alting mind, he can make no headway, and by th a t tim e somebody else is in th e w aters and hope is blasted. Then the g reat Son of God comes to him and says, “ Sir, w ilt th o u ?” There is a remedy, th e re is a healer, th ere is a power, th e re is some th ing you may have. There is some body who will take th e place you need to have taken now. “Yes, I would be made whole, b u t no man lifts me in .” My friends, I w an t to stop and ta lk to you about th a t “No Man.” T hat is the most p ath etic sinner in all history. T h at poor afflicted man looking into the face of Jesus says to him, “No Man will lift me up.” . F irs t of all let us adm it, which we are perfectly w illing to do, th a t the afflicted ones are all around us, th e depraved ones are all around us, those in need are all around us, and those who need th e m inistering hand of the “No Man” are all around us. In every dep artm en t of life you will find suffer ing, sorrow, disease, bankruptcy, fail u re and th e downcast, the outcast, and the man who has lost his grip lying a t the pool w ithin reach of resto ration of life, of health, of power and initiative. But between th e pool and the poor diseased man th ere is “no m an” who
Dr. M A R K A . M A T T H EW S
would sit down wholly contented. He never seemed to th in k th ere was any th ing else he could reach except th a t pool. He did no t seem to have any faith in anything except th e w ater. Christ came to th e man and said to him, “Sir, w ilt th o u ?” You m ight ask me why Christ said th at. Because He had to bring the m an’s will into play. It was impossible to do anything for him un til th e man him self had his whole will stirred , un til th e will power began to move, display life and began to grip. He had been to th e pool for weeks and months and perhaps years, b u t nobody had p u t him into th e pool. He had not reached it himself, b u t his faith had no t been stirred . He had n o t been lifted, and Christ said to him, “ Sir, w ilt thou be made whole?” You m ight ask w hether or not th a t was a superfluous question. No. I t is impossible for one to be saved un til he is conscious of th e helplessness and hopelessness of his state. Christ pu t th e question to him for the purpose of lifting his will above th e pool, above his surroundings, above th e waters, above everything else. “W ilt thou be made w hole?” Yes. He did not say “ Yes” because he was th e re a t th e pool, bu t bfecause something had been injected into his will by th e question. There was a new life, and a new power put
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