glad of an opportunity to rest. The storm broke suddenly upon the little craft, though it was nothing unusual upon that lake lying so much below the level of the sea. The wind swept down fro mthe east, lashing the waves into a f u ry and they covered the deck ^ i of the vessel (Mk. IV:37). The dis- ciples were accustomed to the storms, but this one seemed of unusual severity, threatening the destruction of their . lives. Their hearts gave way to fear y- and they turned naturally to their Leader, " b u t He was a s l e e p" (Luke < VIII:23). How beautiful the picture! Contrast the pallid faces of the men i H and the peaceful face of the Lord. How could He sleep? The storm seemed to sing Him to sleep. In this time of dan- ger the fishermen turn to the Carpen- i . ter. They were seamen and He was a landsman, but they feared the fury of the storm and they turned to Him, as the Source of strength. Stirred from His sleep. " L o rd save * u s , " " Carest Thou not that we per- i s h ? " (Mk. IV.38). How their fear and their faith struggled the one against the other, as it did in the heart of Martha, at the feet of Jesus (John XI:21-22). They knew that the Lord was able, but they thought He had lost ^ sight of them and that they would all perish together. The storm without had ' The wind and waves battered the boat and fear fc and unbelief beat against their hearts. Picture the Master as He arose: how « like the pieture of Elisha when awak- ened by his servant, who staggered in k unbelief in the presence of a great host T ' of Syrians and who was quieted by the " f e a r n o t " of the prophet (2 K b VI: 15-16). Silencing the sea. First He rebuked V* the disciples, lovingly, tenderly, but faithfully, " W h y are ye f e a r f u l ?" The wreck of their boat is of less con- sequence than their want of faith. He puts them in the " l i t t le f a i t h " family, where they belonged. Their charge against Him was a severe one, equiva- lent to saying, " w h y are you asleep?" " W h y do you not keep awake, and look after u s ? " At a later day He had to charge them with being asleep when they should have been awake (Matt. XX"VT:40-41). His reply throws the blame over upon them. They should have believed in Him; have trusted, that as long as He was with them, they were safe. They should have said, " Wh a t time I am afraid, I will trust , fl ' caused the storm within.
is in the wounded hands of our High Priest. The more honorable we esteem the Lord Jesus to be, the more humble will we ourselves be. The greatest sign of worth is the sense of unworthiness. The condemnation of the faithless Jews was the commendation of the faithful Gentile. The ground of great faith is heart fellowship with the person and power of the Lord Jesus. Let the touch of your hand show the tenderness of your heart. Golden Text—Verse 27. OUTLINE. ii Demanding Obedience from Wind and Waves. 2. Delivering the Demoniac of Gadara. Matthew continues with the story of the mighty miracles in Capernaum and vicinity, as confirmatory of His mission as the Messiah. He does not follow the chronological order, the events oc- curring between the healing of the Centurion's servant and this lesson be- ing: (Luke VI I: 11-17) raising of the 18-35) the mission of the disciples of John and Jesus, (Luke VII:36-50) anointing of Jesus in the Pharisee's house, (Matt XII:22-451 healing the demoniac, (Matt. XII:46-50) the visit of the mother and brethren to Jesus, Mk. IV: 1-34) parables by the seaside. Demanding Obedience. " H e rebuked the winds and the s e a ." A part of the mission of the Messiah in the saving of souls was the destruc- tion of the works of the devil (1 .Tno. 111:8). Our lesson gives an illustration of the power by which He is finally is to accomplish it. He is called to Ga- dara and takes one of the fishing smacks at the port of Capernaum. The Master is weary with His work, and stretches Himself for rest, perhaps pil- lowing His head on an old sail. Sleeping in the storm! One of the most interesting pictures in the life of our Lord is this one, as He lies like a child, sound asleep. He was perfectly human. " T h e Word became flesh and dwelt among u s " (Jno. 1:12). Touched with a feeling of our infirmities (Heb. IV: 15). At the well of Jacob He was tired and hungry (Jno. IV). He was LESSON XI. March 13th. TWO MIGHTY WORKS. Matt. Yin:23-24.
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