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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
INTERNAT IONAL LESSON Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Childrens Division Object Lesson Golden Text Illustration By B. B. S utcliffe By G retchen S ibley B y M ildred M . C ook By E lmer L . W ilder By A lan S, P earce Points and Problems By H omer A . K ent , Professor at Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind.
FEBRUARY 6, 1944 JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDES M ark 6:30-52; 8:1-10
II. F eeding F our T housand , (8:1-9)
The circumstances in this miracle were very similar to those connected with the feeding of the five thousand. Therè was the great multitude with nothing to eat, and there was the com passion of Jesus (vs. 1-3). The people had been with Him for three days and were now weakened by fasting. He would not send them away to their homes lest they “faint by the way.” Though there was always the insist ence of Jesus upon the spiritual wel fare o f, the people, nevertheless He ever was moved with compassion by their physical' distress. He is just the same today. . This time also, the disciples object ed that they had nothing sufficient with which to feed the crowd. Again the Lord Jesus inquired what they had, and this time seven loaves and a few small fishes were to be found (vs. 4-9). But when what they had was placed in His hands, and He blessed it and gave it back to them, it was multi plied until every need was met. A ll the miracles of Christ have two aspects: an element of grace and an element of power, whether thè miracle is performed by what are called the natural processes of nature or by the direct and immediate act of Deity. The Lord Jesus Christ can as easily make thè bread at once by a direct act, as to make it. through the work of men in plowing, seeding, watering, reaping, grinding, and baking. Either way, no mah eats unless the Lord is pleased to work in His grace and by His power. Sometimes, in relation to the daily miracles that we observe, we are tempted to express our gratitude for the laws of nature, rather than to voice our praise to Christ,' the creator and controller of those laws. He is still the miracle-worker. He waits for us to become the channels for His power by yielding into His hands whatever we may possess. Without His strength we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5) ; He has ordained that without our surrender, He can do nothing (cf. Rom. 12:1); but with His strength, plus our weakness, nothing is impossible (cf. Phil. 4:13). Points and Problems 1. "He answered and said unto them. Give ye them t eat” (Mk. 6:37). The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is found in each-of the
Mark 6:35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go in to the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred penny worth of bread, and give them to eat? . 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves haVe ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hun dreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heav en, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave -them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion on the multitude, be cause they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of’them came from far. 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here In the wilderness? 5 And he asked them, How’ many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them al so before them. 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away. LESSON TEXT: Mk. 6:35-44; 8:1-9. GOLDEN TEXT: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that be- lleveth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). DEVOTIONAL READING: John 6:27-35. Outline and Exposition I. F eeding F ive T housand (6:35-44) T HIS IS the only miracle re However, all that the people really desired was the temporary supply of their physical needs, not the spiritual life which Christ had come to bestow.
This miraclé also tested His dis ciples in their obedience to Him, and revealed the sure results that would flow from their submission. Thinking they had nothing with which to feed as large a crowd as this, the disciples proposed to send the multitude away (vs. '35-37). But Jésus said, “ Give ye them to eat.” From a purely human viewpoint, this was an unreasonable command, because it was, wholly im possible for the disciples to obey. Christ here would teach two funda mental truths: First, “without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5) ; and second, “with God all things are pos sible” (Matt. 19:26). They thought they could do something, and He says “ nothing” ; but linked with God noth ing would be impossible for them. The disciples were the channels through which the miracle was wrought (vs. 38-44). By their yielding of all that they had into His hands, the impossible was made possible, and the unreasonable, reasonable. Thus w ill it be With whatever we yield to the hands of the Lord Jesus, no matter how small, or insignificant, or weak our offering may be. Like Moses, we may have only a stick of wood, but when that is given into the Lord’s hands, it w ill become the rod of God to vindicate His name. Like David, we may have only a sling and five smooth stones, but yielded to the Lord, they w ill effect the defeat of the en emy. Let God use all that you have. B L A C K B O A R D LE SSO N
[Lesson material is based on outlines of International Sunday School Lessons copyrighted by the International Coun cil of Religious Education and is used by its permission. Scripture portions quoted are from the King James Ver sion unless otherwise stated .1
corded in all four Gospels, and the account in John leads up to the people’s desire to make Jesus king.
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