The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-01-05
THE MULTITUDE FED.
SECOND LESSON OF THE iNTERNA-
iloNAL s. S. sERIEs. JAN. s,f8ss.

stcoND LESSON OF THE iNTEHNA-
! iIoNAL s. s. sERIEs. JAN. s,fsss.
Comments by Rev. William Newton, ID. D.
Text of the L.sson, Matt. xiv, 1921.
Golden Text. John vi, 35-Memorixe
| Verses 1920.
From Lesson Helper Quarterly. by permission
of II. S. Hoffman Philadelphia. publisher,l
Notes Jesus heard, i g., what Johns dis
ciples told him Desert, or uniuhabited
place Luke TX, 10, says It wass to : place
called Bethsaida or house Of fishing. Com
passion, or pity for their desolate condition.
Evening, /. e., the first evening, extnndinf,
from 10 o'clock to 8; while the second
evening, verse %. began at 6 Time Il
now passed, or the day Is closing-;n; or the
time for buying food Is passing away.
Loaves, or bread cakes In the form al 4 plata.
To sit down, /. g., to recline after the Jewish
manner. Fragments, or broken piecee. not
crumbs Baskets, round and plated. fo
holding bread and fishes.
V. Is. Viewed from one point, it seams
strange thing that Jesus should have heeded
this communication. For could Herod have
touched him before the tinei No But be
would avoid tho edsnger to which he was not
called. The child Jesus must flee from the
power Of this sS.ss father, while the angel
that direefeA IN. .usslIs.s cnnld have screozcd
him from the tyralts widest rage. Yet he
quietly departed into Egypt, and SO was
placed beyond his reach. So in this case It
might have been as the disciples of John sup
posed, 1 g, that danger threatened Jesus
from the same hand that slew their master.
They told him of it, and he at once quietly
| withdrew. Yet when "his hour was come ~
with what perfect calmness he did go forth to
meet the soldiers commissioned to take him.
Is the desire to avoid needless danger part
of the same spirit that holds us firm and
calm and true in the presence Of that which
must be meta
" Il How long Jesus had been In this
desert place before he went forth we are not
told But when he went forth, she saw
great multitude" out of the surrounding
cities and villages. The most intense desire
to see him and to hear him seems to have
possessed the people. And among low and
unworthy motives, there were, beyond doubt,
many that were high ard noble and true.
They followed him on foot. They ran, cir
cling the lako, in order to reach the point
where be was. They brought their sick.
They thirsted to hear his words Is it any
wonder he was moved with compassion!
V. Is. Thus the day wore away, it was
now evening. Yves there any provision for
the night Could they pass it theres How
were these thousands to be fedf And so the
disciples prudent souls, the
worlds wisdom would call thenn-came and
asked Jesus to send the multitude away, that
they might go into the neighboring villages
and make some provision for their wants. 1t
was in their minds a real difficulty. These
5000 souls must be fed and the women and
children cared for. And how could this be
done, if they remained in that desert places
Y. 16 No doubt they were, beyond meas
ure, surprised when he calmly replied:
''They need not depart Give ye them to
eat" And Philip, doubtless, spoke the feel
ings of all the disciples when he spoke of the
impossihility Of their doing it, For this
900 pennyworth Of breaan-about $50 in
our currency-wheace were they to obtain its
V. H. And their reply came frose the same
side, l. e., from their belief in that which
they could see and handle They had five
loaves and two fishes. And were they to
undertake the task of feeding these thousands
with such q miserable supply?
V. 10. What picture this verse sets be-
5000 men, with the lads sqanty supply
in his hands, looking up to heaven in thanks
giving ere he commenced the work of distri-
button to the hungry thrcDg. He had di-
rected the order Of tleir sitting down, l. e.,
by fifties, or in ranks or bands of that num-
Der, probably extending in circles around
him, for the sake Of more convenient access.
Sse. He breaks end g'ses = s-s reliss.tiss,
and they distribute to gre multitude But
the supply in his hands il not diminished.
Still he breaks and gives so the disciples, and
they bear it to the waiting thousands before
them. There is no noise; no attempt to en-
phasize the wondrous work. 1t still goes on,
and tie bread; is multiplied in his hands as
quietly as the dew is formed upon the grass.
And how long does this continued
V. 20. This verse Us us, j. e., till all were
satisfied '!They did all eat, and were filed: u
Nor was this all, Fol- they had more at the
ending than at the beginning of their desert
meal. They took up of the fragments that re-
mained twelve baskets full"-or as John
puts it, (which remained over and above, to
them that had eaten" Now, in view of this
narrative, it may be well to remark: 1st.
These evangelists manifestly relate a simple
matter of fact. There is no room for theoriz-
ing or explaining it away. What they do as
| oC4 10 oueNo o,OVO nloLl, bcSiuOo "oinch
and children, were fed in desert place from
five loaves and two fishes, that all had abund-
ance, and that twelve baskets full of frag-
ments were taken up when the meal was con-
cluded. This is what they do assert in the
most simple and matter of fact way. The
bread means bread, and nothing else. The
5000 hungry men, the feeding of them, the
satisfying of their hunger, and the twelve
baskets of fragments that remained--al
mean exactly those very things. 1t is simply
unmanly triiing with the gravest truths te
affisn anything else.
GENERAL LESSONS.
l. Miracle as signs.-The works which
commonly we cali miracles are in the Biblt
, known as mighty works, wonders, and in tht
, New Testament-always in Johns gospel
! as signs. And the distinction may be wei
, pondered; mighty works impress us with the
, power involved in them, wonders with q
sense of the marvellous; while signs concern
, the purpose for which they were wrought, ol
, the end they are meant to serve. Even witt
US, as individuals or, with human govern
ments, if the end in view be of sufficient i'm
portance, any expenditure can be justified
,, And in that case the neglect to make the ex
penditure would be criminal Now the purpos
l | lying back of these miracles or signs OF ou
Lord was TO prove the reality of his claim t.
be the Son of God. Therefore he wrough
l such works as none but God could work T.
them he always appealed. And in view o
them, it was criminal not to hear him.
2 How sweetly the example of Jesu
:. points the lesson of giving thanks at meals
= : The act that in this regard became him
surely the right and fitting thing in u.s.
> g. How the example of our Lord reprove
. all waste He could multiply bread TO an
extent, but he could not cOuntenance th
j., waste of a single fragment. And that
: waste that turns aside any creature G
y God from its natural and legitimate enc
The example of Jesus forbids it,
Il spirit of thanllfulness forbids it because n
. one can waste that which he is thankful
u receive And therefore the entire lesson an
! spirit of the Bible forbids it. 1t has no plac
. there, and therefore must have 10 toleranc
! at our hands.
8 i SAEs o. !.