countless / instances òf stubborn un* - belief on the part of the Jews. There are none so blind as those who will not see. The present instance shows clearly the folly of thinking that mere . evidence alone will evèr make men believe. “It is the want of will to be lieve, and not the want of reasons for believing, that makes men infidels” . (Ryle). If there is not present with the individual the predisposition to believe, no amount of miracles, in cluding the raising of men from the dead, will produce faith. But to those who will to do His will, the promise is that they shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, (John 7:17) and they shall come to a satisfying faith. 2. "He is of age; ask him" (v. 21). For the parentis to have given a ‘ true testimony as to what had happened in the case of their son would have meant that they would have been cast out of the synagogue. And it was much better that the son himself who had been healed should tell how he had -been healed. This is the great responsibility that tests upon every "healed” soul. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Psa. 107:2). Every Christian is a debtor to tlm unsaved of the world to tell them aboùt the Great Physician who-can heal. 3. "Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner" (v. 24). So great is the hatred of some men for Christ that they are willing to adopt any expediency rather than admit that He is deserving of any glory. This was so in the case before us. In effect, thè Jews said to the young man, “Christ had nothing to do with your healing. Give God the praise for that. Christ could not have wrought the cure, for He was a sinner, a Sabbath-breaker, a blasphemer. Such a one could not have healed you.” . Thus they sought to rob Christ of His deity and to make of Him a sinner. Men of the same spirit seem -to be increasing today. But Christ remains the, same, God incarnate and the Saviour of sinners. 4. "Ye know not from whence he is" (v. 30). Scripture is not without its humorous t o u c h e s . These leaders among the Jews had been boasting about their superior knowledge. Then the healed man breaks in by saying, “Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye [emphatic] know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.” These Jews really did not know much about the Scriptures, for Christ is the key to their true under standing. And they did not know Him. They.knew the letter of the Old Testa ment but did not understand its spirit. . 5. "And he worshipped him" (v. 38). First the man believed. Then he wor shiped. The first obligation man has after he believes is to worship. No amount of service will take its place. God wants our worship first.
parents were afraid to admit that Jesus had healed their son. But the blind man wasn’t afraid-to stand up for Jesus, and because he did, he was cast out of the synagogue, a place something like a church, where the Jews worshiped, and bad things were said about him.. When the Lord heard what had happened, He found the man and said, “Dost thou belieye on the Son of God?” The man asked, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” Jesus answered, “Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.” The man answered, “Lord, I be lieve.” Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you stand up for Him, no matter what it costs?
BLACKBOARD LESSON
Golden Text Illustration J ohn 9:25
. Of the many acts of ‘ vandalism which have been perpetrated ' in the realm of art, none stands out so gross ly as that which Da Vinci’s .“Last Sup per” suffered. Painted on the end wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan, the holy monks were able to gaze upon It as they sat 'at table. But so blind were they to ,its spiritual value, that, finding the passage into their dining-hall too dis tant from the kitchen, they actually made a way through the wall upon which the picture was painted, cutting out the feet of the Saviour! Surely that blindness of soul which makes men dead to spiritual realities was never more astoundingly illus trated. Oh, that more men might be able to say, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”— Adapted from Twenty-five Hundred Best Modern Illustrations, by Hallock. Not Afraid J ohn 9 MEMORY VERSE: “My mouth shall speak truth” (Prov. 8:7). APPROACH: Let’s all close our eyes for a moment and pretend that we cannot see. How dark it is! The sun
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Object Lesson T he H eavenly H ealer
OBJECT: A capital “H.” (Make the “H” by using a piece of white paper 8% x li inches. Make the crossbar and uprights 1 inch wide. Make the cross bar 7% inches from the bottom and 2% inches from the top. Color the front light blue and the back red. Fold each side toward the center 2% inches from the edge, making a red cross. Unfold before beginning the lesson.) LESSON: We will lef this light blue “H’' remind us of the heavenly Heeler, the Lord Jesus Christ. The healing power of Christ showed Him to be the Son of God with unlimited power. He healed all kinds of sickness and disease. • It is well for us to remember that Christ has healed many more by His death than by His life. Only a small number of people met Christ when He lived on earth, but now all those who have faith in Him can have their hearts healed by Him. I will fold this “H” to show how Christ now heals the hearts of all those who have faith in Him. We now see a red cross, reminding us that Christ shed His blood on the cross to redeem us from 6ur sins. When we by faith receive Him as our Saviour, our sinful hearts are healed. There is an interesting story In John 9, regarding a young man, born blind, whom Jesus healed. After the healing, he gladly told what had hap pened. He said, “ One thing I know,
shine and-all the lovely flowers are .gone. Aren’t you glad we are just pretending? Today we are going to learn about a man who really couldn’t see b e c a u s e he was born blind.
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LESSON STORY: One Sabbath day, when the Lord Jesus was walking in Jerusalem, He saw this blind man and said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Then he took some clay, and after putting it on the man’s eyes, He said, “ Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” The man went and washed and came back seeing. How happy he must have been! Did every one love the Lord Jesus after that? No. There were many wicked people who hated Hirfi, and many others who were just afraid to confess Him. Even the blind man’s
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