Many of those who came to Christ for help had brought disease on themselves, yet He did not refuse to heal them. And when virtue from Him entered into these people, they were convicted of sin. Many were healed of their spiritual disease as well as of their physical maladies.
Among these was the paralytic at Capernaum. Like the leper, this man had lost all hope of recovery. His disease was the result of a sinful life, and his sufferings were embittered by remorse. He had appealed to the Pharisees and physicians for relief, but they pronounced him incurable. They denounced him as a sinner and declared that he would die under the wrath of God.
The palsied man had sunk into despair. Then he heard of Jesus. Others, as sinful and helpless as he, had been healed, and he was encouraged to believe that he, too, might be cured if he could be carried to the Savior. But hope fell as he remembered the cause of his malady. Yet he could not dismiss the possibility of healing.
His great desire was relief from the burden of sin. He longed to see Jesus and receive the assurance of forgiveness and peace with heaven. Then he would be content to live or die, according to God’s will.
There was no time to lose. Already his wasted flesh bore signs of death. He asked his friends to carry him on his bed to Jesus, and this they gladly set out to do. But so dense was the crowd that had assembled in and around the house where the Savior was that it was impossible for the sick man and his friends to reach Him. They were unable to get close enough even to hear His voice.
Jesus was teaching in the home of Peter. As usual, His disciples sat close to Him, and “there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.” Luke 5:17. Many of these had come as spies, looking for reasons to criticize Jesus. Beyond these thronged a mixed multitude—the eager, the reverent, the curious, and the unbelieving. Different nationalities and all levels of society were represented. “And the power of the Lord was present to heal.” Verse 17. The Spirit of life brooded over the assembly, but the Pharisees and lawyers did not discern His presence. They felt no sense of need, and the healing was not for them. “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” Luke 1:53.
Again and again the men bearing the paralytic tried to push their way through the crowd, but failed. The sick man looked about him in unutterable anguish. How could he relinquish hope when the longed-for help was so near? At his suggestion his friends carried him to the top of the house, then broke up the roof and let him down at the feet of Jesus.
The Savior looked upon the mournful countenance and saw the pleading eyes fixed upon Him. He well knew the longing of that burdened soul. It was He who had brought conviction to his conscience when he was yet at home. When he repented of his sins and believed in the power of Jesus to make him whole, the mercy of the Savior had blessed his heart. Jesus had watched the first glimmer of faith grow into a conviction that He was the sinner’s only helper, and had seen it grow stronger with every effort to come into His presence. It was Christ who had drawn the sufferer to Himself. Now, in words that fell like music on the listener’s ear, the Savior said, “‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.’” Matthew 9:2.
The burden of guilt rolls from the sick man’s soul. He cannot doubt. Christ’s words reveal His power to read the heart. Who can deny His power to forgive sins? Hope takes the place of despair, and joy replaces oppressive gloom. The man’s physical pain is gone, and his whole being is transformed. Making no further request, he lay in peaceful silence, too happy for words.
Many were watching with breathless interest every movement in this strange transaction. Many felt that Christ’s words were an invitation to them. Were they not soul-sick because of sin? Did they not want to be free from this burden?
But the Pharisees, fearful of losing their influence with the multitude, said in their hearts, “‘Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” Mark 2:7.
Jesus fixed His glance upon them, and as they cowered and drew back He said, “‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Arise and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,’” He said, turning to the paralytic, “‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’” Matthew 9:4-6.
Then the paralytic who had been carried on a litter to Jesus rose to his feet with the agility and strength of youth. And immediately he “took up the bed, and went out in the presence of all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’” Mark 2:12.
It required nothing less than creative power to restore health to that decaying body. The same voice that spoke life to man created from the dust of the earth had spoken life to the dying paralytic. And the same power that gave life to the body had renewed his heart. He who at creation “spoke, and it was,” who “commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9), had spoken life to the soul dead in trespasses and sins. The healing of the body was an evidence of the power that had renewed the heart. Christ commanded the paralytic to arise and walk, “‘that you may know,’” He said, “‘that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.’”
Healing for Soul and Body
The paralytic found in Christ healing for both soul and body. He needed health of soul before he could appreciate health of body. Before the physical malady could be healed, Christ must bring relief to the mind and cleanse the soul from sin. This lesson should not be overlooked. Thousands today who are suffering from physical disease are, like the paralytic, longing for the message, “Your sins are forgiven.” The burden of sin, with its unrest and unsatisfied desires, is the foundation of their maladies. They can find no relief until they come to the Healer of the soul. The peace that He alone can impart would restore vigor to the mind and health to the body.The effect produced upon the people by the healing of the paralytic was as if heaven had opened and revealed the glories of the better world. As the man who had been cured passed through the throng, blessing God at every step and bearing his burden as if it were a feather’s weight, the people stepped back to give him room. With awe-stricken faces they gazed upon him, whispering softly among themselves, “‘We have seen strange things today!’” Luke 5:26.
In the home of the paralytic there was great rejoicing when he returned to his family, carrying with ease the couch upon which he had been borne slowly from their presence only a short time before. They gathered around with tears of joy, hardly daring to believe their eyes. He stood before them in the full vigor of manhood. Those arms that they had seen lifeless were quick to obey his will. The flesh that had been pallid and shrunken was now fresh and ruddy. He walked with a firm, free step. Joy and hope were written in every feature of his face, and an expression of purity and peace had taken the place of the marks of sin and suffering.
Glad thanksgiving went up from that home, and God was glorified through His Son, who had restored hope to the hopeless and strength to the stricken one. This man and his family were ready to lay down their lives for Jesus. No doubt dimmed their faith, no unbelief marred their allegiance to Him who had brought light into their darkened home.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases.”
Psalm 103:1-3.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.” John 5:2, 3.At certain seasons the water of this pool was agitated, and it was commonly believed that this was the result of supernatural power. It also was believed that after the water was agitated the first person who stepped into the pool would be healed of whatever disease he or she might have. Hundreds of sufferers visited the place, but so great was the crowd when the water was agitated that they rushed forward, trampling underfoot men, women, and children weaker than themselves. Many could not get near the pool. Others, who had succeeded in reaching it, died on its bank. Shelters had been erected about the place to protect the sick from the heat in the day and the cold at night. Some spent the night in these porches, creeping to the edge of the pool day after day, in the vain hope of relief.
Jesus was at Jerusalem. Walking alone, apparently in meditation and prayer, He came to the pool. He saw the wretched sufferers watching for that which they supposed to be their only chance of cure. He longed to exercise His healing power and make every sufferer whole. But it was the Sabbath day. Multitudes were going to the temple for worship, and He knew that such an act of healing would excite the prejudice of the Jews and cut short His work.
But the Savior saw one case of supreme wretchedness—a man who had been a helpless cripple for thirty-eight years. His disease, in a great degree the result of his own evil habits, was looked upon as a judgment from God. Alone and friendless, feeling shut out from God’s mercy, the sufferer had passed long years of misery. At the time when it was expected that the water would be agitated, those who pitied his helplessness would carry him to the porches. But at the favored moment he had no one to help him in. He had seen the rippling of the water but had never been able to get farther than the edge of the pool. Others stronger than he would plunge in before him. The poor, helpless sufferer was unable to contend successfully with the scrambling, selfish crowd. His persistent efforts toward the one goal, and his anxiety and continual disappointment, were fast wearing away the little strength he had left.
The sick man was lying on his mat and occasionally lifting his head to gaze at the pool, when a tender, compassionate face bent over him, and the words, “‘Do you want to be made well?’” arrested his attention. Hope came to his heart. He felt that in some way he was to receive help. But the glow of encouragement soon faded. He remembered how often he had tried in vain to reach the pool. Now he had little prospect of living till the water would be agitated again. He turned away wearily, saying, “‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’”
Jesus commands him, “‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’” Verses 6-8. With new hope the sick man looks at Jesus. The expression of His countenance, the tones of His voice, are like no other. Love and power seem to breathe from His very presence. The cripple’s faith takes hold upon Christ’s word. Without question he sets his will to obey, and as he does, his whole body responds.
Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life, and healthful action comes to his crippled limbs. Springing to his feet, he goes on his way with firm, free step, praising God and rejoicing in his newfound strength.
Jesus had given the palsied man no assurance of divine help. The man might have said, “Lord, if You will make me whole, I will obey Your word.” He might have stopped to doubt, and thus have lost his one chance for healing. But no, he believed Christ’s word, believed that he was made whole. Immediately he made the effort, and God gave him the power. He willed to walk, and he did walk. Acting on the word of Christ, he was made whole.
By sin we have been separated from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. Of ourselves we are no more capable of living a holy life than was the crippled man capable of walking. Many realize their helplessness. Longing for that spiritual life that will bring them into harmony with God, they are striving to obtain it. But in vain. In despair they cry, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Romans 7:24. Let these desponding, struggling ones look up. The Savior is bending over the purchase of His blood, saying with inexpressible tenderness and pity, “Do you want to be made well?” He bids you arise in health and peace.
Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe the Savior’s word. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength. Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion that through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart life to the soul that is “dead in trespasses.” Ephesians 2:1. He will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin.
The sense of sin has poisoned the springs of life. But Christ says, “I will take your sins; I will give you peace. I have bought you with My blood. You are Mine. My grace shall strengthen your weakened will; your remorse for sin I will remove.”
When temptations assail you, when care and perplexity surround you, when, depressed and discouraged, you are ready to yield to despair, look to Jesus, and the darkness that encompasses you will be dispelled by the bright shining of His presence. When sin struggles for the mastery in your soul and burdens the conscience, look to the Savior. His grace is sufficient to subdue sin. Let your grateful heart, trembling with uncertainty, turn to Him. Lay hold on the hope set before you. Christ waits to adopt you into His family. His strength will help your weakness. He will lead you step by step. Place your hand in His, and let Him guide you.
Never feel that Christ is far away. He is always near. His loving presence surrounds you. Seek Him as One who desires you to find Him. He desires you not only to touch His garments but to walk with Him in constant communion.
A Woman Caught in Adultery
The Feast of Tabernacles had just ended. The priests and rabbis at Jerusalem had been defeated in their plottings against Jesus, and, as evening fell, “everyone went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.” John 7:53; 8:1.From the excitement and confusion of the city, from the eager crowds and the treacherous rabbis, Jesus turned away to the quiet of the olive groves, where He could be alone with God. But in the early morning He returned to the temple, and as the people gathered about Him He sat down and taught them.
Soon He was interrupted. A group of Pharisees and scribes approached Him, dragging with them a terror-stricken woman. With hard, eager voices they accused her of violating the seventh commandment. Pushing her into the presence of Jesus, they said, with a hypocritical display of respect, “‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’” Verses 4, 5.
Their pretended reverence veiled a deep-laid plot to ruin Jesus. If He acquitted the woman, He might be charged with despising the law of Moses. If He declared her worthy of death, He could be accused to the Romans as one who assumed authority belonging only to them.
Jesus looked upon the scene—the trembling victim in her shame, the hard-faced dignitaries, devoid of pity. His spirit of stainless purity shrank from the spectacle. Giving no sign that He had heard the question, He stooped and, fixing His eyes upon the ground, began to write in the dust.
Impatient at His delay and apparent indifference, the accusers drew nearer, urging Him to give the matter His attention. But as their eyes, following those of Jesus, focused on the pavement at His feet, their voices were silenced. There, traced before them, were the guilty secrets of their own lives.
Rising, and fixing His eyes upon the plotting elders, Jesus said, “‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’” See verse 7. And, stooping down, He continued writing.
He had not set aside the Mosaic law nor infringed upon the authority of Rome. The accusers were defeated. Now, their robes of pretended holiness torn from them, they stood, guilty and condemned, in the presence of infinite purity. Trembling lest the hidden iniquity of their lives should be laid open to the multitude, with bowed heads and downcast eyes they stole away, leaving their victim with the pitying Savior.
Jesus arose and, looking at the woman, said, “‘Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’” Verses 10, 11.
The woman had stood before Jesus, cowering with fear. His words, “‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first,’” had come to her as a death sentence. She dared not lift her eyes to the Savior’s face, but silently awaited her doom. In astonishment she saw her accusers depart speechless and confounded; then those words of hope fell upon her ear, “‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’” Her heart was melted, and, bowing at the feet of Jesus, she sobbed out her grateful love, and with bitter tears confessed her sins.
This was to her the beginning of a new life, a life of purity and peace, devoted to God. In the uplifting of this fallen soul, Jesus performed a greater miracle than in healing the most grievous physical disease; He cured the spiritual malady that leads to eternal death. This penitent woman became one of His most steadfast followers. With self-sacrificing love and devotion she showed her gratitude for His forgiving mercy. The world had only contempt and scorn for this erring woman, but the Sinless One pitied her weakness and reached to her a helping hand. While the hypocritical Pharisees condemned, Jesus urged her, “‘Go and sin no more.’”
Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul. The greater the sinner’s guilt, the more he or she needs the Savior. His heart of divine love and sympathy is drawn out most of all for the one who is most hopelessly entangled in the snares of the enemy. With His own blood He has signed the emancipation papers of the race.
Jesus is not willing for those who have been purchased at such a cost to be buffeted about by the enemy. He does not want us to be overcome by temptation and perish. He who curbed the lions in their den and walked with His faithful witnesses amid the fiery flames is just as ready to work in our behalf to subdue every evil in our nature. Today He is standing at the altar of mercy, presenting before God the prayers of those who desire His help. He turns no weeping, contrite soul away. Freely He will pardon all who come to Him for forgiveness and restoration. He bids every trembling soul take courage. Whoever will, may take hold of God’s strength and make peace with Him, and He will make peace.
All who turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts above the accusing and the strife of tongues. No human being or evil angel can impeach these souls. Christ unites them to His own divine-human nature. They stand beside the great Sin Bearer in the light proceeding from the throne of God.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses “from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.
“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Romans 8:33, 34.
Christ showed that He had absolute control over the winds and waves, and over men possessed of demons. He who stilled the tempest and calmed the troubled sea spoke peace to minds distracted and dominated by Satan.
A Demon Rebuked
In the synagogue at Capernaum, while Jesus was speaking of His mission to set free the slaves of sin, He was interrupted by a shriek of terror. A madman rushed forward from among the people, crying out, “‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’” Mark 1:24.Jesus rebuked the demon, saying, “‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’ And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.” Luke 4:35.
The cause of this man’s affliction was in his own life. He had been fascinated with the pleasures of sin and had thought to make life a grand carnival. Intemperance and frivolity perverted the noble attributes of his nature, and Satan took entire control of him. Remorse came too late. When he would have sacrificed wealth and pleasure to regain control of his life, he had become helpless in the grasp of the evil one.
In the Savior’s presence he was roused to long for freedom, but the demon resisted the power of Christ. When the man tried to appeal to Jesus for help, the evil spirit put words into his mouth, and he cried out in an agony of fear. The demoniac partially comprehended that he was in the presence of One who could set him free, but when he tried to come within reach of that mighty hand, another’s will held him, another’s words were spoken through him.
The conflict between the power of Satan and his own desire for freedom was terrible. It seemed that the tortured man must die in the struggle with the foe that had been the ruin of his life. But the Savior spoke with authority and set the captive free. The man who had been demon possessed stood before the wondering people in the freedom of self-possession.
With glad voice he praised God for deliverance. The eye that had so lately glared with the fire of insanity now beamed with intelligence and overflowed with grateful tears. The people were dumb with amazement. As soon as they recovered speech they exclaimed one to another, “‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’” Mark 1:27
Multitudes today are as truly under the power of evil spirits as was the demoniac of Capernaum. All who willfully depart from God’s commandments are placing themselves under the control of Satan. Many tamper with evil, thinking that they can break away whenever they please, but they are lured on and on until they find themselves controlled by a will stronger than their own. They cannot escape its mysterious power. Secret sin or master passion may hold them captive as helpless as was the demoniac of Capernaum.
Yet their condition is not hopeless. God does not control our minds without our consent, but all are free to choose what power they want to rule over them. None have fallen so low, none are so vile, but that they may find deliverance in Christ. The demoniac, in place of prayer, could utter only the words of Satan, yet the heart’s unspoken appeal was heard. No cry from a soul in need, though it fail of utterance in words, will be unheeded. Those who consent to enter into covenant with God are not left to the power of Satan or to the infirmity of their own nature.
“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the righteous be delivered? ... Thus says the Lord: ‘Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.’” Isaiah 49:24, 25.
Marvelous will be the transformation made in anyone who by faith opens the door of the heart to the Savior.
Christ Gives Power
Like the twelve apostles, the seventy disciples whom Christ later sent forth received supernatural endowments as a seal of their mission. When their work was completed, they returned with joy, saying, “‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’” Jesus answered, “‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’” Luke 10:17, 18.Henceforth Christ’s followers are to consider Satan as a conquered foe. Upon the cross, Jesus was to gain the victory for them. That victory He desired them to accept as their own. “‘Behold,’” He said, “‘I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.’” Verse 19.
The omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit is the defense of every soul who surrenders to Jesus. Christ will not permit to pass under the enemy’s power anyone who in penitence and faith has claimed His protection. It is true that Satan is a powerful being, but, thank God, we have a mighty Savior who expelled the evil one from heaven. Satan is pleased when we magnify his power. Why not talk of Jesus? Why not magnify His power and His love?
The rainbow of promise encircling the throne in heaven is an everlasting testimony that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. It testifies to the universe that God will never forsake His children in the struggle with evil. It is an assurance to us of strength and protection as long as the throne itself endures.