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December 1929
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Jordan” refers to Perea. Jesus had left Judea to come to Galilee but very many from Judea followed Him. —o— L esson Q uestions V. 17. What is meant by the expres sion “from that time”? What did Jesus preach? Who else had given a similar message? What is the “k i n g d o m of. heaven"? In what sense was it “at hand”? V. 18. Whom did Jesus see? Was this His first meeting with them (cf. John 1:40-42)? V. 19. What command was given these fishermen? What promise accompanied the command? What is a “fisher of men”? Do the words “I will make you” imply that they needed training for their new business ? V. 20. How soon did the disciples obey ? How much did their obedience cost them? V. 21. What other disciples did Jesus find? What were they doing? Does the Lord ever call the idle and the lazy? V. 22. How much did they leave? Did following Jesus involve more of sacrifice at this period than when they first fol lowed Him (cf. John 1 :35-39) ? V. 23. Where was Jesus ministering? Why had He left Judea? What was His threefold ministry? Where did He teach? V. 24. How far did His fame go? How many kinds of sufferers were helped by Him? V. 25. Why did multitudes follow Him? From what parts did they come? —o— Golden Text: “Repent: for the king dom of heaven is at hand” (Matt, 4:17). G olden T ext I llustration Repentance Practical: Conviction is not repentance. It is one thing to be awakened at five o’clock in the morning and it is another thing to get up.—■ Chris tian Endeavor World. —o— Jesus Chooses Some Helpers Matt. 4:17-25. Memory Verse: “Teach me to do thy will.” Psa. 143:10. Prayer. Approach. —How many boys' and girls have ever gone fishing? I’m sure the boys have, and they know the fun of catching a fish. There are people, you
were with Him in that earlier period is uncertain. They were at this stage back in their homes and at their former occu pations. Vs. 19, 20. Follow me. This phrase now meant more than it did the first time they heard it from the lips of Jesus. It involved separation from home and from their ordinary daily tasks and an en trance upon definite training for their future work. Their assistance was neces sary because 'o f the increasing pressure upon Jesus and the enlargement of the sphere of His ministry. I will make you fishers of men. He had Himself been oc cupied with a great crowd (Luke 5:1). Theirs also was to be the privilege of drawing souls from the sea of the world. Their old employment was the emblem of their new and spiritual calling. V. 20. Straightway left the nets. Their obedience was immediate and complete. Peter long afterward remembered this incident and reminded Jesus that he had “left all" (Matt. 19:27). Vs. 21, 22. Going on. By comparison with Luke (5 :7) we find they had not gone far, for Peter beckoned to James and John to come with help when his boat was overloaded. Other two brethren. James and John were also fishermen, busy at a fishermen’s task; they, too, heeded the call of Jesus and immediately followed Him. Their father. Mark tells us (1 :20) they left their father Zebedee “in the boat with the hired servants." This indicates that the family were not in poverty. The call of the sons from their business did not bring the family into distress. II. Ministry in Galilee (23-25). V. 23. Went about in all Galilee. The verb signifies continuous action. Jesus kept going incessantly. The expression “all Galilee" is also emphatic. Josephus states that Galilee had two hundred and four cities and villages. The implication is that our Lord very diligently and thor oughly canvassed the whole territory. Teaching . . . preaching . . . healing. As a teacher, Jesus gave men light in their mental and spiritual darkness, and instructed them in the principles of the kingdom of God. As a preacher, He pro claimed glad tidings. As a healer, He relieved every form of distress of mind and body. V. 24. The report of him. The news of His wonderful ministry went through out all Syria. At the time of Christ, Syria was a Roman province, reaching from the Mediterranean toward the Eu phrates and southward, including Pheni- cia and Damascus. Mark says (1:28) “into all the region about Galilee" (cf. Luke 4:14). All that were sick. Two words are used to describe their condi tion— “diseases" and “torments." The one stresses the idea of the enfeebling effect of disease; the other, the violent pain that accompanies some forms of sickness. Three other classes of sufferers are men tioned : demoniacs, epileptics, and paraly tics. Demon possession should be dis tinguished from insanity. He healed them. Every kind of human suffering and in firmity was relieved by His power. V. 25. Great multitudes. Not merely numerous people, but a great mob, with more or less confusion. They came from far and wide. Decapolis signifies a dis trict with ten cities lying mainly south east of the Lake of Galilee. Judea was to the south. The expression “ beyond•
- (Speak of the importance of knowing God’s Word so as to be able to meet Satan and have victory over him. Also speak of Jesus being “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin") Prayer. - 0~—~ January 19, 1930. Jesus Begins His M inistry Lesson : Matthew 4:12-23. {Lesson T e x t : Matt. 4:17-25). L esson in O utline Introduction: Historical Setting—See the Early Judean Ministry of six months’ duration (Jno. 2:13-3:36) and the short Samaritan Ministry (Jno. 4:1-42), which preceded today’s lesson. I. The Content of Jesus’ Message. V. 17. II. The Second Call of the Early Dis ciples (see first call, Jno. 1:29-51). Vs. 18-22. III. The Preaching and Healing Min istry of Jesus. Vs. 23-25. 1. His Labors in behalf of the Gali leans. V. 23. 2. His Labors in behalf of the Sur rounding Countries. V. 24. 3. Popular Enthusiasm. V. 25. —o— J ESUS was now ready for His public ministry. The temptation in the wil V. 17. From that time. Looking back to verse 12 , we note that it was after the imprisonment of John the Baptist. That event caused Jesusto withdraw into Gali lee,outside ofHerod’s dominions. He made Capernaum His center for nearly two years. Began to preach. Literally, to proclaim or publish. Jesus made a proclamation, as a herald. Repent. John the Baptist was silenced, but Jesus car ried on his work and sounded forth the same message. Mark tells us (1 :15) that together with this call to repentance He asked the people to “believe in the gos pel." Repentance and faith are first prin ciples of Christianity (Heb. 6:1). Re pentance signifies a change of thought and purpose; it leads to a change of the outward life, or reform. The word does not necessarily contain the idea of grief, but sorrow for sin will inevitably ac company the new attitude. The kingdom of heaven. This expression is used by Matthew more than thirty times and is peculiar to his Gospel. The other evan gelists, in parallel passages, use the sy nonymous term, “the kingdom of God." This kingdom was at hand because the King was in their midst. V. 18. Two brethren. Simon, and probably John also, had become disciples of Jesus soon after the temptation in the wilderness (John 1 :35). How much they derness w a s t h e last step in the preparation. It set tled forever th e fact that He would not listen to any appeal from within or without to turn a s i d e f r o m the c o u r s e p l a n n e d for Him. I. Call of Disciples (17-22).
k n ow, wh o earn their living by fish ing. They go out in fishing b o a t s with large nets to catch fish. A good fisherman h a s to know just where to fish, the right kind of b a i t for each kind of fish, a n d the b e s t methods for catching th e various kinds. The
fisherman, too, must be patient and not easily discouraged. (Discuss the fishing industry; various methods, etc.) Lesson Story. —Now t h a t we have talked for a while about fishing and fish-
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