Volume 2

Jesus and the Paralytic
301
Prophecies quoted by Him in reference to the Messiah.
That evening Jesus went with the Levites and the
children to take a walk outside the city. The little girls
followed last, in the charge of the larger ones. Jesus, letting
the boys go on ahead, stood still fronl time to time
until these little ones came up, and then instructed them
in examples drawn from nature, from all the objects
around them, the trees, fruits, flowers, bees, birds, sun,
earth, water, flocks, and field labors. In indescribably
beautiful words, He next taught the boys about Jacob
and the well that he had dug in that locality. He told
them that now the living water was about to be poured
upon them, and how perfidious a thing it was to fill up,
choke up the well, as the enemies of Abraham and Jacob
had done. He applied it to those that wanted to suppress
the doctrine and miracles of the Prophets, namely, the
Pharisees.
When on the following morning Jesus went to the synagogue,
He found there all the Pharisees and Sadducees
of the place, as also a great concourse of people. He
opened the Scriptures and expounded the Prophets. Some
of the Pharisees and Sadducees obstinately disputed with
Him, but He put them all to shame. A man whose arms
and hands were paralyzed had meantime been slowly
making his way to the door of the synagogue. He had
been so long trying, and had at last succeeded in getting
a position by which Jesus must pass on going out. One of
the Pharisees eyed the poor creature with displeasure,
and ordered him away. As he refused to obey, they tried
to push him out. But he supported himself as well as he
could against the door and looked piteously at Jesus, who
was on a high seat at a considerable distance from the
entrance and separated from him by an immense crowd.
Jesus turned toward him and said: "What do you desire
of Me?" The man answered: "Master, I implore Thee to
cure me. Thou canst do it, if Thou wilt!" Jesus replied: