PRIMITIVE MONITOR--February 1909

JOHN V, 1-9

He had been helpless thirty-eight years. Per­haps we may regard him as representing a man who has been made alive to know that he cannot keep the law, and to feel that he is justly condemned and help­less. He is lame, and can no longer walk, as the law requires. Once he esteemed himself able to keep the law perfectly, and had no question of his right­eousness. He was one of those who are at ease in Zion, who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch them­selves upon their couches, proud of their fancied ho­liness (Amos vi). But now the bed is not an easy one, not satisfying, nor manifesting a proud and haughty spirit; but a bed of pain, a bed of self-abhorrence, a couch of one despised.

The word Bethesda reads, “House of kindness.” This impotent man has been in that helpless state a longtime, and, probably, most of that time lying at one of the five porches of this pool. “At a certain season an angel went down and troubled the water, and whosoever first stepped in after the water was troubled was made whole of whatsoever disease he bad.” Now this seems to afford a poor chance for one who is helpless, or even for any one. It was likely a long time between the visits of the angel, and only the one who stepped in first could be healed on each occasion, and that one would be the strong­est and the least needy. I know there is a hymn be­ginning, “Beside the gospel pool,” but I do not see anything of a gospel character in the circumstances concerning this pool. I am inclined to think that this is referred to as a tradition. For surely no one who comes to the gospel door has to wait a moment, and certainly not the weaker for the stronger, but all are healed at once-all “the poor impotent folk of blind, halt, withered,” though there should be a company that no man can number.

This pool, called in the Hebrew tongue, Be­thesda, House of kindness, may signify that no earthly power suggested by human kindness, can heal a sinner. Those who are strongest among the multitude of impotent folk will be almost sure to get in first. The selfishness of human nature will most surely be manifest in such a case as this.

During all these many years, this poor helpless man had been waiting with his mind and his eve cen­tered upon this pool. He had no thought of looking to any other source for benefit. He was depending, not only on the pool when the water was troubled, but upon some one to help him in. It must be some one kind enough, quick enough, and strong enough to get him in before any other should step in. While we may conclude that others who were present there, or most of them, were in companies, or had each some helper, this poor man was alone. “I have no man,” he said, “to put me in.” So every truly sin-sick and helpless soul is alone when Jesus finds him; alone, and without earthly help. It seems that every one at this pool had some hurt or disease of his own to look after, and therefore could not be expected to look out for any one else until he himself was cured.

When the Lord calls his people and brings them to himself, it is always by a way that they knew not. They are blind to the true and only way of salvation and righteousness, and are still looking to some work that they ma be able to do, or that some one may do for them. So with the poor man upon his bed of pain and weakness. He is looking, after all these long and weary years, toward this pool, his hope and life almost gone, when, one Sabbath morn­ing, he heard a voice asking him, “Wilt thou be made whole?” How strangely this must have thrilled him! But still he had no thought of cure but from the troubled waters of the pool, and this strange question, asked him by a stranger, brings from him an expression of his sad condition, and of the long years of tedious watching, waiting, and disappoint­ment: “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool, but while I am coming another getteth down before me.” Still the old fading hope, now revived by the thought that there may be one who will stay with him, and wait till the angel again troubles the water and then give him the needed help. How patiently, persistently, steadily the sick will watch and hope for healing to come to them through the remedies and attention of physicians and nurses! They are looking to the remedies administered, as this poor sick man was looking to the pool.

But now the wonder of wonders is made known; the new and living way appears. Salvation comes not through any work of the sinner, or of any one for him, but alone by the revelation of Jesus, the power of God. Jesus did not offer help to the impotent man, but manifested his own power in a most sur­prising way. “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk." And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed and walked.” What a wonder it must have been to the man to feel the thrill of the healing power and virtue through all his feeble frame, making it well and strong! Truly the salvation came in a way that he knew not!

“And on the same day was the Sabbath.” How often when the dear Savior did works of healing we are told that it was the Sabbath! In a spiritual sense it is always the Sabbath when Jesus heals the sick, and shows the salvation of God to his af­flicted and poor people. The Jews said to the man who had been healed that it was not lawful for him to carry his bed on the Sabbath, and they always murmured when Jesus healed on that day. They did not know that this was the real Sabbath of rest to the man who was healed. That bed on which he lay showed how weak and helpless he then was. Now it was a most restful work to carry it. The law is no longer holding him to the obedience of its commands, but its righteousness is in his heart, and it is his delight and rest to walk in the sweet gospel Commands.

Jesus had conveyed himself away, so that the man who had felt his healing power did not know who had cured him, and could not tell the Jews. “After­ward Jesus found him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee.” He now represents those who are under the law to Christ, and to them it is said: “If ye live after the flesh ye shall die,” and again, “If we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful look­ing for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversary;” Heb. x, 26, 27. All whom Jesus heals shall reign with him in glory, but the sufferings of those who, like Esau, sell their birthright, are greater, in a sense, than their sufferings were before they received a hope. A son may sell his birthright, but he cannot sell his birth. He can­not cease to he a son.

How strange that the Jews should have been an­gry to see the man carrying his bed! Strange that they should not have been glad for him that he was now able to carry it! But the carnal mind is enmity against God. The Pharisees could not see Jesus or hear his name without anger. To hear the assertion that all the laws and ordinances of Moses were ful­filled in Christ, excited their bitter wrath. But to the poor helpless sinner it is a most blessed thing to experience a deliverance from the dominion of the law, and to know that all of its ordinances are taken out of the way, and nailed to the cross. How inex­pressibly sweet it is to feel the healing power of Jesus’ name, and to know that henceforth our right­eousness before God is in him, and not in anything that we can do! And how wonderful it is that the more powerfully our faith apprehends this blessed truth that Jesus is our life and our righteousness, the more earnestly do we desire and strive to walk softly before the Lord, in holiness and purity all our days upon the earth!

SILAS H. DURAND.
SOUTHAMPTON, PA., Dec. 7, 1908.