The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-01-12
WALKING on TIE SEA.
THIRD LESSON OF THE INTERIM
TlcNAL S. S. SERIES, JAN. is, 1888.

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THIRD LESSON OF THE lNTERNa
TloNAL S. S. SERIES, IAN. is, 1888.
Comments by Rev. William Newton, ID.
D.-Text of the Lesson, Matthew xiv.
ee-s6-Golden Text, Matthew xiv, a-7.
Memorize Verses 27-s1.
from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by permission
of H. S. Holman. Philadelphia, publisherl
Notes. Constrained, urged with great
force, or induced by most weighty reasons.
Ship. l. e., a fishing boat. Other side. j. q.
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 .san ap-
partition The meaning is clear: thew
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 thi.k I would let thee perisha
Gennesaret, small, crescent shaped plain
on the northwest of the s0a. It is mentioned
only twice in the New Testament, Matt.
xiv, "a and Mark vi, 81.
v. %. The effect of this feeding the 1000
was so great that the people determined to
take him by force and makehim their king.
Could not he, who could do such mighty
works, break off the Roman yoke and restore
the power and splendot of Davids thronea
And the disciples prob4il shared the peoples
enthusiasm and entered into their design. It
would be great thing for them-for would
they not be high in office when he was kings
Jesus perceived all this, and at once his action
nfo a1 Not f1,o;r lc
would he accept his kingdom. Not under
present surroundings would he reign. His
.sking gdom was not of this world" ''He con-
strained them" to depart as he said. g., to
go to the other side of the lake "beforc himr
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
therea Were there not two reasonsa Did he
not yearn, amid the noise and tumult of the
worldly minded multitude, for the calmness
and quiet of communion with the fathera
Was not his humanity like our own, in all
things, "yet without sing' 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 wills
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. 1924. What a striking contrast do these
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 sin the midst
of the sean-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
outburst of supposed danger-real enough
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 toi1ing in rowing" and his heart
yearned toward them in their utter helpless
ness. And just when their danger seemed
greatest, and the darkness deepest, Sin the
fourth watch Of the night" he moved in
their behalf But he is on the mountain and
| they "in the midst of the sea-" How shall he
reach thems There is no difficulty here Is
it not written, that ..all things serve theeg
And so the sea bows down its waves before
him and spreads thems1or path for him to
walk on. And SO he ca4ne to them walking
on the sean-teaching tfhem and us that no
creature of his band caAa come in between
h;,,, a,,sI HI -saf7.a5o'. ,,acA in fo,
| US to speculate on how ibis was done We do
not know the how OF any process by which
! God works in nature.
V. 26-27. How intensely human the poor
disciples were. How exactly like ourselves.
For with all our boasted attainments in
science and philosophy, we should have been
as frightened as they. Wenlay call it supersti-
ton or whatever elss we choose. Nc one
thinks of accounting for something that is by
referring it to an agency which he believes is
/ not. At once Jesus soothes their fears. He
bids them be of good cheer, and speaks the
| good words which have rung through the
ages in every storm and brought the sweet
ness of peace, wherever faith has heard them:
at is !. Be not afraid"
| Y. 80 No attestation could have been
more fitting than this: -.Flhou art the Son of
God.n, None SO perfectly justified by all the
! facts of the case, The feeding of the
5000, the walking on the sea, the ceasing
of the wind as he entered into the ship, and
immediate arrival of the vessel at land,
John vi, 81. What else could these things
mean to those who saw thems
" 1885, This land of Gennesaret was on
the western side of the lake. And the incl
dent here related is one Of great simplicity
and beauty, and brings, very distinctly, three
lines of thought. e.:
!, The men of the place came to learn who
Jesus was.
q Learning this they went out and brought
to him all the sick in the country round
about; and
g. Ali who touched him were made per-
fectly whole. What volumes of truth are
condensed in these linesl
| GENERAL LESSONS.
l. The meaning and the power of faith. If
we ask what is faiths the answer will be, it
is belief And while this is certainly true, it
is not all the truth. Does not the present
lesson show thiss Does not the eleventh
chapter of Hebrew show it? Faith connects
the soul with God and SO becomes factor in
the kingdom of God, as all these cases show.
As we stand before Jesus on the cross, faith
becomes the medium through which his
saving power flows into our souls. 1t is all
"of grace through faith" And in all the
acts of the Christian life, through which this
same power manifests itself, faith is the
medium through which it acts. 1t holds up
every sinking Peter, and makes us victors in
the ''good fight,n and winners in the heavenly
race.
2. Our most subtle temptations may often
times be found in seeming zeal for the cause
of Christ, just as th0n people seemed to be
jealous for Jesus when they sought to make
him King. He saw it was snare, and fled
from it. Is there a certain test and guide
for uss Yes Under all circumstances the
revealed will of God will guide us in the only
way we can safely tread
g. Jesus, in bodily presence walking on the
sea to go to his disciples in distress is simply
an object lesson Of 'sthis same Jesusn present
by his spirit wherever they are in need
Present everywhere, in all the tenderness o.
, his love, in all the might of his power
Therefore lie could well say to them: at il
, sxpedient for you that go away For hi
spirit makes his presence universal.
: n 3ssS "a Z