December 1927
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XT’s. 7, 8. “And Jesus with His disciples ” withdrew to the sea; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and
ed with patients, yet He' never gave any-sgi one a “treatment." In villages and cities, they laid the beds of the sick in the streets to be in His pathway and begged leave for them to “touch if it were but the border of His garment." What a complete and universal Healer He was! The sad part of the story is that so few were as anxious to be taught by Him as they were to be healed. If God had chosen to give His devoted ministers in this age, the power to heal the bodies of people as Jesus did, what crowds would attend our churches! He well knows how much more concerned most men are about their bodies than they are their souls. —o— P ith and P oint Opposition to Christ sometimes makes strange bedfellows (3 :6). Consideration of the great things Christ has done for others should engage us to come to Him (v. 8). Wise preachers, so far as possible, de cline a crowd (v. 9). ’Tis sad that irresponsible men should own the divine Sonship of Christ while some prominent ministers deny it (v. 11). “When we do that which is praise worthy,” says Matthew Henry, “and yet covet not to be praised of men, then the same mind is in us which was in Christ Jesus.” As soon as we learn that “without Him we can do nothing" He will be with us again (6:50). Every storm of life will be glorified when we recognize the presence of Jesus in it (6:51). S uggestive Q uestions What two great purposes brought Jesus into the world? (Mk. 10:45.) What five words sum up the whole story of His earthly ministry? (Acts 10: 38.) ' Does any man have the love of God in him who does not give himself to doing good to those who are in need? (1 Jn. 3:17.) To whom have we in reality ministered when we seek to relieve even the humblest person? (Mt. 25:40.) What is the only way for us to fulfill the law of Christ? (Gal. 6:2.) Of what are we assured, even though those to whom we have ministered, seem unappreciative? (Mt. 10:42.) What is the supreme test of our love to Christ? (1 Jn, 3:18.) —o— G olden T ext I llustration The common people heard Him gladly (Mk. 12:37). When Bishop Simpson preached years ago in Memorial Hall, London, he preach ed quietly and with very little gesticula tion, but with such power that the whole assembly, as if moved by an irresistible impulse, arose at the climax of his mes sage, then after a second or two, sank into the seats. A professor of elocution was there. A friend who knew that he had come to criticize, asked him, after the service, how he liked the bishop’s elocu tion. “Elocution 1” said he. “That man doesn’t need elocution. He’s got the Holy Ghost.” That was the secret back of the attracting power of Jesus Christ, and it tells the story of every great preacher whom God has used in the drawing of souls to Himself.
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istry among us today, we would find no flashing advertisements in the news papers. Nor would He employ the radio to broadcast the news of His healing power. Back of this we may see not only His desire to have working space, but a wise safeguard against the feeding of the pride of those who had been highly fav ored in being cured. Here is a man touched by Jesus, who in the sight of a great crowd, throws away his crutches. Inexperienced in the Christian life, he rushes before great crowds with his story. How easy for the story to grow 1 He begins to take great credit to him- self. How many times the demon of unbe lief has been driven out of a man ; he has rejoiced in healing of body in answer to prayer—and then—the demon of spiritual pride has come in. He begins to dispar age the faith of all, however godly, who languish on beds of sickness. He begins to pass judgment upon them and to say that their sickness is due to sin. He has placed himself upon a pedestal and “pride goeth before a fall.” More than one who has taken this course has been carted off to the hospital to die of the very affliction from which he was apparently healed— and those who lack spiritual discernment are unable to reconcile it with the teach ings concerning Christ as the Great Phy sician. The lesson committee carry us now to. the sixth chapter, verses 53-56, to notice again the eagerness of the people to get to Jesus with their afflicted ones. He had sent His disciples across the lake to Beth- saida, that He might be for a time alone in the mountain for prayer (6:45-46). _ What perfect balance we find in His life ! We must balance our Christian ac tivities with spiritual contemplation and prayer. But for this, we would read of no healing ministry of Jesus. Let us be energetic and practical, but let us not fail to remember that no amount of loving ministry to others can be a substitute for devotion to Him. The disciples found themselves in a frail bark toiling against contrary winds. There in the midst of the lake, there was a connection between them and their Master on the distant mountain, “He saw them" (v. 48) and He went unto them “walking upon the sea.” , The dis ciples could not believe their own eyes. His voice they could not mistake. “It is I : be not afraid" (v. 50). How sure and sweet is the revelation of Jesus to the believer in the time of storm ! Though we sail into the un known darkness of the very sea of death, we have no reason to be afraid, for we may say “Thou art with me.” Even then shall we hear Him say: “Be not afraid; it is I." It was after this experience on the ■waters that Jesus and His disciples again found themselves surrounded with crowds on the shores of Gennesaret. “Straightway they knew Him (v. 54). They had prob ably heard also that He was not accus tomed to remain long in a place. No wonder “they ran through the whole re gion round about" and began to bring in the sick. Are we as concerned to improve our opportunity of getting to Him while it is still “the day of salvation"? Seek the Lord while He may be found; call ye upon Him while He is near.” Go where He would, Jesus was crowd
beyond the Jordan; and about Tyre and Sidon, a great multi tude, hearing what great things He did, came unto Him." Dur ing the personal min istry of Christ, He traveled as an itiner ant preacher, giving the Gospel to all alike,
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which was a very important item in His public earthly career; but another feature in His ministry which was equally if not more important, was that He was train ing men to carry on the work after His departure. The correctness of this con clusion is seen in the fact that the public ministry of Jesus covered at most ap proximately three and one-half years, whereas the ministry of some of the Apostles covered a period of a half cen tury. The primary object of Christ’s coming to earth was to suffer and to give His life a ransom for the world; but, in order to have this message carried forth to the whole world, He needed to remain with them during a short period of time, giv ing special training to the Twelve, who, after His ascension, went forward to testify to the things which they had seen and heard. The Apostles were thorough ly equipped for the work to which they were called because of their having- as their instructor The Great Teacher. During the eighteen months of the Gali lean ministry, much of the time was spent near the seashore, the reason probably be ing that He had Capernaum, a city situ ated beside the sea, as His headquarters. The message which Jesus, brought, and His' manner of delivering the same, to gether with the unparalleled miracles which He wrought, caused His fame to be spread throughout the eastern Mediter ranean world; hence great multitudes fol lowed Him from different sections of the country. “Galilee” means “wheel” or “circle,” which is a term applied to a circle of Gentile cities located in the northern part of the Holy Land. “Judaea” is the name of the territory in the southern part of Palestine, the capital of which was Jerusalem. “Jerusalem” means “city of peace.”||: (Jerusalem has had a checkered history and thus far cannot be called “the city of peace,” but it eventually in the good providence of God will be the capital of the world from which the be nign reign of peace of the Messiah shall be extended throughout the world.) “Idu maea” is the district south and southeast of Judaea and is the territory which be longed to the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. The region “beyond the Jordan,” or Trans-Jordania, was occupied by two and one-half tribes of the Israelites, Am monites and Moabites, the latter two of which were the descendants of Lot. “Tyre and Sidon” were cities in Philistia, Tyre having been up to the time of Nebuchad nezzar the maritime nation of the world and the commercial center. After the long siege of this city both by the As- ' Syrians and the Babylonians, which sieges it survived, it finally was conquered by Alexander the Great. It, however, main tained a very feeble existence even in the days of Christ. A study of the geography
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