Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good… Here is the life of our Lord comprehended in a single sentence. Note — I. THE BUSINESS WHICH OUR LORD FOLLOWED. As all ordinary men have their callings, so our Lord had His. It was none of those occupations by which the gains of this world are acquired; it was the holy business of "doing good." One part of this was the "doing good" — 1. To men's bodies. And what a list might be enumerated of His benefactions! How many blind eyes were opened, etc. None applied to Him in vain. None were sent from Him unrelieved. 2. To men's souls. (1) By His holy ministrations. What a preacher of righteousness was He, and in what a variety of ways did He address the hearts of men! (2) By His death. Our case was such as all the preaching in the world could not have rectified. We were dying sinners. We wanted a salvation to be wrought for us; and the only way of doing us effectual good was to provide us one. So Christ crowned all His other acts of goodness by the goodness of His Cross. II. THE WAY IN WHICH HE CARRIED ON HIS BUSINESS. "He went about." Just as the trader goes about with his wares, and is unwearied in pursuit of gain, so Jesus "went about" upon the business of blessing man. The great enemy "goeth about seeking whom he may devour," and the Great Friend went about seeking whom He might do good to; and literally, for whithersoever the blessed Jesus travelled, He was a traveller on foot. I know not a more striking illustration of our text than is contained in Matthew 9, which contains the story of a day spent by Him. III. WHAT IMPROVEMENT CAN WE MAKE OF THE TEXT? Let me ask you — 1. Do you want to have good done to you? If so, behold your Benefactor! He that "went about doing good" when upon earth, is now as ready to do good to you from heaven. 2. Are you copying His character? Jesus is set forth not as the Saviour only of His people but their Pattern. We may do good — (1) By our examples. (2) By our exertions; watching for opportunities of usefulness, and endeavouring to be a help and a comfort, both in spirituals and temporals, to all about us and around us. (A. Roberts, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. |
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