mu Heart of the Lesson—K.L.B. Devotional—Selected Writers Little Folk—Mabel L. Merrill
March 1927
T h e , K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
161
International Lesson Commentary
8
•said that our Lord ever “treated” any one. No one healed by Him ever said: “I have improved some.” When Jesus heals, it is instantaneous, complete, permanent.. Half way cures should never be.attributed to Him. Jesus relieved with especial promptness the distresses of those who were near to Him—of His host when the wine failed, of His followers, threatened by hunger, of His disciples alone upon the waters, of those He loved in Bethany. He is espe cially the Saviour of them that believe. Our Lord performed miracles of heal ing that we might know that He had power to fdrgive sins (2:10), It is legit imate that our thought should pass from fevers of body to fevers of soul. He sometimes heals, physical ailments now, but these outer miracles are but types of inner and greater wonders. Our spirits become fevered. We lose the coolness of self-control. All our fac ulties are upset. When we feel the cool ing hand of the Master, these fevers die out pf our souls, and we arise to serve our fellowmen effectively in His Name. (According to tradition, Peter’s wife was named Concordia, was a faithful Christian, accompanied Peter in many ■journeys, died a martyr for the faith dur ing the persecution of Nero.) The striking fact of the lesson is that from the very first, Christ made provision for the perpetuity of His kingdom. There must be men to propagate His teachings. They must be trained. Let us remember that the Saviour chose a few simple fishermen to begin the work of evangelizing the world. He puts no premium upon ignorance, but to Him, character is of far more account than cul ture. He 'wants teachable spirits tp train for world work. He must have a special love for common folks, for He has called and mightily used many of them in carry ing out His commission. —o ^ P ith and P oint Gospel fishermen are called to catch men, -not simply to cultivate men.- He who forsakes all for Christ gains all, both for time and eternity. Winning' one person at a time to Christ is the best way to win many in time. If we do not catch men, we are in dan ger of losing even the desire to catch them. There are lots of nets that will not catch any fish unless they are- first washed and mended. A man who truly follows Christ has more power in his silence than another has by his most eloquent words. If Christ has called you, don’t spend time looking over your shoulder to see who is coming after you. Nothing that we give up to follow Christ, can be compared with what we gain.
A pril 3, 1927 Peter Becomes a .Disciple of Jesus L esson T ext — Mark 1:14-18, 29-31.
'T'HE full account of Peter’s call is not given either in- Matthew or Mark. Luke’s account (5:2-9) informs us that before the call of Peter and Andrew, our
order is to mistake root for fruit. Give Him the heart first. The dedication of hands, feet, tongue and brain will natur ally follow. “I will make you fishers of men.” (y, 17). A .fisherman must know something. He must know the characteristics of fish, their haunts and habits. Jesus alone can teach us to know men.- We must get our equipment from Him-Gthe bait, the net, the tackle. Fishing for men is to be the main busir ness of every Christian. Py this is not meant that all Christians are expert per sonal workers. There are many kinds of bait for catching men. There are various methods of fishing. We learn the tricks from Jesus, -Some .fish with hook and line; some are capable of using.large nets. .However, we can all do something to ward .winning men to the Saviour. The more our eyes are upon Him, the more we will do. Straightway Peter and Andrew changed their nets for a new kind (v, 18), and went into the training school of Christ to learn the new kind of fishing. Perhaps you, too, are called to lay dowfi the im plements - which some unsaved person could handle in your place, and give your whole time to preparation for Christ’s service. Christ calls Upon us to make sacri fices. If some, one would say it was not much that these' men left, remember it was their all. No tempting bait was dangled before their eyes. It was an out- and-out call to hard work. Peter and Andrew accepted. What they replied in words we know not. Their action was full of eloquence. Ready obedience is the easiest. The time to follow:is now. It will be harder later. It was a sudden decision, yet it was a lasting one. They may not have known the full import of their choice, but we do not find them looking back with regret to the things they had given up. If one truly accepts Christ, he will find every satisfaction of life intensified a thousand fold, no matter how rough the road may be. Our lesson shows us the Saviour enter ing the home of Peter (v. 29). Jesus had both a public and a private ministry. He regarded individual cases as well as mul titudes, Modern ministers would see greater results if they studied the pattern preacher. There was sickness in this home (v. 30). Peter had taken his wife’s mother into the home to care for her. Jesus could have healed her at a distance, but He much preferred standing at the •side of the sick one to giving “absent treatment.” The touch of His hand brought imme diate and perfect health. It cannot be
Lord won their con fidence by a miracu lous • d r a u g h t of fishes. The first chap ter of John adds fur ther details. John the Baptist had previous ly pointed Andrew to Christ as the Lamb of
God (John 1:29, ,40-42),, after which An drew had pointed his brother Peter to Christ. Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God (v. 14), which ac cording to Matt. 24:14 and 28:19, 20 is the Gospel to be preached in all the world until the end of the age. At the time it was preached by our Lord and His dis ciples, it was a- Gospel which in its main details, was not completed. “The time is fulfilled” (v. 15) declared our Lord as He entered upon His public ministry. God keeps time and punctually fulfils it. The first Steps. for the estab lishment of God’s new spiritual kingdom were now to be taken. Few things are more striking, as a revelation of God’s method, than the measured tread with which Christ went forward to this grand enterprise. Before this, Jesus had been the car penter of Nazareth in meekness perform ing the common duties of life. Now He goes forth as the Christ of God, the Rev elation of the Father, the Light of men. Before this, there had been no miracles. His private life ended in Jordan. He now announces God’s ;kingdom “at hand” (v. 15). He gave its foundation teachings. His death and resurrection became. its • corner stone. At Pentecost the super structure began to be raised. The Jews were undoubtedly desiring a liberator who should gird his sword upon his thigh and exert his power to restore them to their former prestige. The Sav iour, however, seems to appear as a man of peace, and His kingdom seems not to be of this world. His rallying cry bids them turn their weapons, not against the Roman government, but against their own pet lusts. He calls them to repent and to believe in Him as the Lamb of God, who should take away sins (Jn. 1:29). By the sea of Galilee He finds Peter and Andrew laboring hard at the nets (v. 16). Jesus is never found bothering with lazy men. We always find Him hon oring diligence in lowly places. “Come ye after Me” (v. 17). It was, first of all, a call to discipleship. Later came apostleship. There must be personal fellowship with Christ before there can be Christian usefulness. To reverse this
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