Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/513

 Immediately the  man  arose,  took  up  his  bed  and  went  forth  in the  sight  of  all. And all  the  people  wondered  and  glorified  God , saying: “We  never  saw  the  like!”

Proofs of  our  Lord's  Divinity. i.  He  saw  the  contrition,  faith  and hope which  were  in  the  soul  of  the  paralysed  man,  in  the  same  manner as He  read  the  secret  thoughts  of  the  Pharisees:  therefore  He  was Omniscient. God alone  is  Omniscient: therefore  Jesus  is  God. 2. Jesus is Omnipotent; for  by  His  will  and  word  He  instantaneously  cured  the lame man. Even as  at  the  creation  He  said:  “Let  things  be,”  so  now He said  to  the  palsied  man:  “Arise!”  3. Jesus, by  His  own  power, absolved the  lame  man  of  his  sins. This, as  the  Pharisees  very  rightly judged, is  the  prerogative  of  God,  who  is  offended  by  sins,  and who knows  the  heart  of  the  sinner:  therefore  Jesus  is  God. Had He not  been  God,  He  would  have  been  assuming  to  Himself  a divine  right and power,  and  would  have  been  a deceiver  and  a blasphemer.

Blasphemy. It  was  the  Pharisees  who  were  blasphemers,  because, in spite  of  His  miracles  and  holiness,  they  despised  Jesus  and  accused Him of  blasphemy. Their reason  must  have  told  them  that  God  would not be  with  a blasphemer,  and  that  therefore  no  blasphemer  could  work such mighty  miracles. But their  evil  wills  and  evil  hearts  obscured their reason,  and  made  them  obstinate  and  defiant. Their unbelief  was without excuse.

The dignity  of  the  soul.  Jesus  first  healed  the  palsied  man’s  soul, and then  his  body. He desired  to  teach  us  by  this  that  He  came  to cure  and  save  souls,  that  the  soul  is  worth  more  than  the  body,  and that the  health  of  the  body  can  only  avail  those  whose  soul  is  healthy. Our love  of  ourselves  ought  therefore  to  be  bestowed  first  of  all  on our  souls.

The necessity  of  contrition.  The  sick  man  possessed  real  contrition. His sins  oppressed  and  tormented  him  more  than  his  bodily  infirmity;