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THE KING’S BUSINESS
time to ask a man about his soul than his health; but it will require more love and prayer and jioly tact and soul wakefulness to do it with profit, and these the fisher o f men must have.— Brengle. Give me souls, or take my soul.— Whitefield. It is blessed to get down by the sinner’s side and help him up to God.— Simpson. v. 20. L eft father — servants—went after Him. James and John apparently had more to leave than Simon and Andrew, for hired servants indicate that Zebedee was well-to- do, yet in each case, ALL was left. To fol low Christ is a call superior even to paren tal claims.— Plummer. He chose four simple fishermen to begin the work o f converting the world. This does not mean He preferred ignorance to education, but that character is o f far more account than culture. There was much in the,patient endurance necessary for a fish erman’s calling, that was a good training for the work o f an apostle.— Camb. Bible. A little girl who was asked what it meant to be a Christian, replied, “Jesus knocks at my door and I say “ Come in,” and He comes. Soon there is another knock—it’s Satan. I say, “Jesus, will you please go to the door.” He goes, and Satan says, “ Oh, excuse me, but I’ve stopped at the wrong house.” Christ began His work immediately after Picture vividly this beautiful evening temptation. Mark omits the first year, called the year o f obscurity or early Judean ministry, (John chs. 1-5) and begins at once with His second, the year o f popu larity or Galilean ministry. Call to Service. “ Christ alone can save men, but Christ does not save men alone.” Who were the first helpers Christ called? These young men were not strangers, but intimate friends, for about a year earlier probably all four had accepted Christ. This call was to whole-time service.
is the object of faith in the Gospel. John 1:12; 3:36.— Evans. Reforming our lives will not save without trusting in the right eousness and grace o f Christ. He has joined repentance' and believing together, and let no man think to put them asunder. — Henry. v. 16. They were fishers. He ’ always calls busy, never lazy men. He simply ennobles their calling. Instead o f catching fish, they were thereafter to catch men.— Evans. Christ puts honor upon those who, though mean in the world, are diligent in their business and loving to one another. They were employed and employed to gether.— Selected. v. 17. Fishers o f men. Any organization in the church that does not make for the catching o f men for Christ, is a fungous growth.— Morgan. Many are busy with “church work,” but how many are fishers of men ?—Etta Shaw. Our Lord did not call disciples to cultivate fish hut to catch them.LfB. L. Thompson. It takes no more It was no easy thing for Christ to leave His heavenly home o f glory .(John 17:5) and come to earth to be despised and rejected; It does not surprise us that God opened heaven and spoke words o f love and commendation just as Christ set out upon His God-given task o f redeeming men (v. 1 1 ). Satan, ever at work, immediately tried to dissuade Him. The more nearly we are doing the will o f God the harder he tries to turn us aside. He so often comes to us as he did to Christ when weary, tired, hungry, and alone. Everyone is tempted, but no temptation comes to us that Christ has not Himself experienced, so He knows and understands (Heb. 4:15; 2:18). But better, Christ never yielded to Satan and Christ in us will be victor fo r us over every temptation with which Satan would deceive us if we but claim Him as our victor (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 2:14).
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