Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-01-13
WALKING ON TIE SEA.
THIRD LESSON OF THE lNTeRNA
TloNAL S. S. SERIES, JAN. is, 1888.


D.-Text of the Lesson, Matthew xiv,
22-3G-Goiden Text. Matthew xiv, 81.
Memorize Verses 1881.
tFrom Lesson Helper Quarterly by permission
of II. S. Hoffman. Philadelphia, pubisher1
Notes. Constrained, urged with great
force, or induced by most weghty reasons
Ship, l. g., a fishing boat. Other side, t. e.,
of the sea, or lake. Evening the second
evening or night Fourth watch, or about
o'clock, the darkest portion of the night
a spirit, the Revised Version says IAN APP
partition The meaning is clear; they
thought it was disembodied spirit, and so
were afraid. Saw the wind, or the effects of
the wind in the boisterous state of the sea-
Doubt, or thit. l would let thee perish?
Gennesaret, a small, crescent shaped plain
on the northwest of the sea. 1t is mentioned
only twice in the New Testament, Matt
xiv, "a and Mark vi So.
V. 81 The effect of this feeding the 5000
was so great that the people determined to
take him by force and make him their king.
Could not he, who could do such mighty
works, break off the Roman yoke and restore
the power and splendor of David's throne?
And the disciples probably shared the peoples
enthusiasm and entered into their design. 1t
would be great thing for them-for would
they not be high in office when he was kingl
Jesus perceived all this, and at once his action
was determined on. Not from their hands
would he accept his kingdom. Not under
present surroundings would he reign. His
"kingdom was not of this world.n "He con-
strained them to depart as he said-i e., to
go to the other side of the lake "before him.
sailing along the coast, or in order to take
him up, after he had sent the multitude
away. This done, he went up into noun
tain alone to pray.
Jesus alone on the mountain top in prayer
What a sight to awe the spirit, and to
touch the heart. And wherefore was he
therel Were there not two reasonsl Did he
not yearn, amid the noise and tumult of the
worldly minded multitude, for the calmness
and quiet of communion with the fathers
Was not his humanity like our own in all
things, "yet without sin" Did he not move
in the presence of what might be danger,
calm, and steady, and true, because he met it
in perfect accord with the fathers will
And only in that is there safety always, be-
cause only in that is there perfect truth He
would have us do as he did-fee from the
danger, and strengthen ourselves by com.
munion with God.
v. SO-Sf. w HdU u COnuTdSU 10 tneSe
| verses present Jesus alone on the mountain
| in prayer; the disciples in midnight darkness
| and storm. Manifestly, the storm had burst
| upon them suddenly, and driven them out OF
their course, for they were now "in the midst
of the sea"-instead of sailing quietly along
the coast. And yet they were exactly in the
position which He intended them to occupy
He saw it all before they sailed. This sudden
/ bs,r OF ~ 6ap orb
but for his knowledge and intention about
it-this darkness, this bowling wind, these
boisterous waves, and his own bodily absence
from them, all entered into his plan, and even
meant to point the lesson he intended them
| to learn
V. 25. This verse tells us Jesus had not for.
gotten his disciples The midnight darkness
had not shut them from his sight. "He saw
them toiling in rowing" and his heart
| yearned toward them in their utter helpless
ness. And just when their danger seemed
greatest, and the darkness deepest, ''in the
fourth watch of the night he moved il
| their behalf. But he is on the mountain anC
| they Sin the midst of the sea-" How shall h,
| reach theml There is no difficulty here. L
it not written, that 'all things serve theef
| And SO the sea bows down its waves before
him and spreads them for path for him t.
| walk on. And so he came to them walking
on the. sea"-teaching them and us that nc
creature of his hand can come il between
him and his peoples need. 1t is in vain fol
us to speculate on how this was done. We dc
not know the how of any process by which
God works in nature.
V. 1921 How intensely human the pool
disciples were. How exactly like ourselves
For with all our boosted attachments il
science and philosophy, we should have beer
as frightened as they We may call it supersti
ton or whatever else we choose. No on,
thinks of accounting for something that is by
referring 1t to an agency which he believes il
not. At once Jesus soothes their fears. HI
bids them be of good cheer, and speaks the
good words which have rung through tn,
ages in every storm and brought the sweet
ness of peace wherever faith has heard them
| 1T is |. Be not afraid"
| V. 81. No attestation could have beer
more fitting than this: Thou art the Son o
God" None so perfectly justified by all the
facts of the case The feeding of tn,
5000, the walking on the sea, the ceasint
of the wind as he entered into the ship, anC
immediate arrival Of the vessel at land
John vi, 2l What else could these thing
mean to those who saw them'
| V. 33-3b. This land OF Gennesaret was OIL
the western side of the lake. And the Incl
dent here related is one of great simplicit,
and beauty, and brings, very distinctly, tire
lines Of thought. e.:
l. The men of the place came to learn wh'
Jesus was.
?. Learning this they went out and brough
to him all the sick in the country rounc
about; and
3. All who touched him were made per
fectly whole. What volumes of truth ar
condensed in these lines!
GENERAL LESSONS
l. The meaning and the power of faith. |
we ask what is faith! the answer will be,
is belief And while this is certainly true,
is not all the truth. Does not the presen
lesson show thisi Does not the elevent
chapter of Hebrew show it, Faith connect
the soul with God, and so becomes a factor i
the kingdom of God, as all these cases show
As we stand before Jesus on the cross, fait
becomes the medium through which hi
saving power flows into our souls. 1t is a
'of grace through faith" And in all th
acts of the Christian life, through which TIL
. same power manifests itself, faith is tn
medium through which it acts. 1t holds u
every sinking Peter, and makes us victors