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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Friday, October 22. Luke 4:40-44.
one ever puts himself or whatever he has at Jesus’ disposal, but that he is abun dantly rewarded. It would be well if more ministers today pursued the Master’s plan of preaching in the open air where thè crowds are. Every one of the great ser mons recorded in the Bible were preached in the open air. Sunday, October 24. Luke 5 :4-6. The sermon finished, Jesus proceeds to pay for the use of the boat. “Put out into the deep,” He says, “and let down your nets for a catch.” . He is saying the same to all of us today. In every city, and in the country too, there are great deeps of sin and misery, "where the fish are.’’ The average fisherman never launches out into these, but hugs the shore. But the deeps are full of fish. Any one who lets down his net will catch great multitudes. Too many of us are fishing in ponds that are fished out. The Master’s command was a test to Peter’s faith and seemed likely to prove too strong a test. Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, and had had quite enough of fishing long and catching nothing. The first part of his answer seem ed like a protest against the Master’s com mand. But instantly he remembers who it is that speaks, and he finishes with the simple but grand utterance of obedience, “at Thy word I will let down the net.” Happy is the man who is able to say to Jesus, in spite of all the objections of his own common sense and reasonings. “At thy word I'will.” In these five words is the secret of all blessedness and all power in action and in prayer, all achievement and all victory (Acts 5:32; 1 John 3:22; John 15: 7 ; cf. John 2 :5). Peter’s obedient faith was soon rewarded. Some of us would enclose a great multitude of fishes also, if we would only listen to Jesus saying, “Put out into the deep, and let down yòur nets for a draught.” The writer once heard Him saying it and launched way out as far as any boat would carry him and let down the net and caught thousands of fish of all
The Sabbath day, with its prescribed rest had come to a close with sundown, and # as sooii as their understanding of the re quirements of the Mosaic law would per mit, they came bringing all their sick to the One who had so clearly demonstrated His power to heal. From every quarter they came, bringing every sick one they had to Jesus. Would that towns and cities every where would do that today. It would put the doctors out of practice. “He laid His hands upon every one of them, and healed.” Not one here and another there as our Christian Scientists and Divine Healers nowadays boast of, but “every one of them.” Not merely nervous disorders, and imag inary disease but all kinds of diseases yield ed to His word and touch. The demons also fled before Him, crying out for fear. But He would not accept their testimony to Himself, true though it was. When that blessed ministry was completed He sought seclusion, seemingly for communion with God (cf. Mark 1:29-39). But the multi tudes broke in upon His solitude and prayer. Saturday, October 23. Luke 5 :l-3. There is nothing that will draw the mul titude like the Word of God. It meets man’s deepest need, the universal need. When all other topics cease to draw, the Word of God commands a large hearing (cf. Mark 2:1, 2). It broughtsgreat joy to the heart of Jesus to see these great multitudes gath ered together to hea.r the message from the Father. He looked about for a pulpit and found it in Simon’s fishing smack. He ask ed Simon to. pull out a little way from shore and there He sat and taught the mul titude that lined the beach and crowded down toward it from the hillside. Simon was diligently washing his nets after a fruitless night of toil when Jesus asked the loan of his boat, but he cheerfully left his work and acceded to his request. It was well for Him that he did; he was abundantly repaid for his sacrifice. No
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