September 23

1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, he of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee

3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?

6 But that ye may known that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

7 And he arose, and departed to his house.

8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men

18 ¶ While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and warshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead; but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and to did his disciples.

20 ¶ And, behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years,

came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole, and the woman was made whole from that hour.

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise.

24 He said unto them, Give place; for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

27 ¶ And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened, and Jesus strikly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

The power, glory and rewards of faith form the theme of this chapter.

In the story of the poor paralytic, his friends not only believed abstractly in Christ's power; they brought their sick neighbor where He was. It was not an experiment with them, but the faith of confident expectation.

The act of the woman with the "bloody issue" was an expression of her faith. Of all those pressing on Jesus, hers was the touch of faith. "There may be much earthly rubbish in the soul that comes to Christ; but if there be in it one gleaming grain of the gold of faith, Christ will receive that soul with all its rubbish; for He knows well that in due time all that is worthless will drop away, that the eye of faith will sweep over a vaster horizon of truth from day to day, until we shall be light in the Lord, and shall not walk in darkness."—E. Mellor, D. D.

In the case of the healing of Jairus' daughter, in Mark's gospel we read that Jesus said to the father, "Be not afraid, only believe." If Jesus speak the assuring word, fears may well be dismissed; but no other word of promise can suffice.

In the case of the two blind men, the promise was, "According to your faith be it unto you." "Faith is the bucket by means of which a man may draw water out of the wells of salvation, and drink to his heart's content."

Closet Promise.—For a little space—Ezra ix. 8.

Behold the house Is dark, but there is brightness where the sons Of God are singing, and behold, the heart Is troubled, yet the nations walk in white; They have forgotten how to weep; and thou Shalt also come, and I will foster thee

And satisfy thy soul; and thou shalt warm Thy trembling life beneath the sade of God. A little while—it is a little while— A little while, and I will comfort thee —Jean Ingelow.