The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-03-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON Fol.
MARCH lcs
Lesson Text THE Dram ght OF Fishe,.'
Luke ", i-if-0oiten Text. Luke
", f0.-Comthenssry on the

ON His tour through Galilee preaching tho
Gospel Of tho Kingdom, and healing al man
ner OF sickness and all manner Of disease
snS ssn,Spg ;., the people Matt ", ss, We now
1t Is in our lesson, the lake Of Gennesaret,
and probably at or near Capernaum, where
Peter lived. Most Of our Lords public life
was spent in the neighborhood OF this sea,
which was also called the sea Of Tberias. It
is about thirteen miles long and six broad,
and In His day there are said to have been no
less than nine cities on its shores. Jt is 600
reet below the Mediterranean, its waters are
clear and sweet, and are said to abound Ia
fish now rs in the days Of Jesus. The Jordan
flows into it through it, and out of it. See
Jesus standing on the shore, He created
this sea and everything living in il, the river
that flows through it and the hills that sur
round it, by Him and for Him were all
things made and He upholdeth all by the
word Of His power (Col. l., 10; Heb l., 81.
2. And saw two boats standing by the
lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them,
and were washing their nets" Two or three
of these fishermen had already been with
Jesus some time, had seen His miracles and
heard His words, yet had not wholly left
their calling to follow Him. How many
Christians there are now who are truly the
Lords have heard gladly His word. seen some
saans saass aSa fUl gss e.. was Os the nss SOd
they the ars ing nets thathave taken moth.
3. He sat down and taught the people out
of the boat" Having stepped into Simon's
from the land, and sitting down, He from
the boat teaches the peopleas they stand, an
eagerly attentive crowd, upon the shore.
4. He said unto Simon, Launch out into
tss deep and let down your nss for
use of his boat, Jesus will now reward him
for it and teach him at the same time many
things. Simon had for a little season chesr-
fully given himself and his boat to the Master
for His work, and now this gracious Lord
and Master is about to give special attention
to Sinlon's work. -
s. Master, we have toiled all the night
and have taken Jhothing." Soreplicd Simon,
confessing Sneir unavailing toll and their
after a night Of fruitless toll, In reply to the
~question Of Jesus: Children have We any
meatr They answered, No John xxi, D.. Il
is good thing to find out that all our efforts
the sea aud they were no mean fishermen
but ''toiled and taken nothing describes the
result Of their labor. ''Nevertheless, at Thy
word will let down the metz Jesus is now
the Captain, and they are simply obeying
9. And when they had this done, they in
closed great multitude of fishes, and the:s
nets brake" Whether it be great fish to
swallow Jonah, or a smaller fish to bring q
piece piece Of naas money! or multtades Of tsh to I'LL
created them, and who also created Adam
and said unto Him, Have dominion over
the fish of the sea-" The one before us Is
none other that the last Adam, who shall re-
Let us be as obedient to Him as the fishes
and birds and beasts. Let us yield all to
Him. for only in His service is there rest.
z. They came and filed both the ships, SO
that they began to sink" We are told in the
tenth verse that James and John were part
ners with Simon, and finding that he had
more fish tlan he could manage he called his
partners and they found fish enough to I'LL
both the boats to overaowing. Our Lord
Jesus loves to have empty vessels, and not a
with the pot of oil began to pour into tho
empty vessels the oil kept coming till every
vessel was filed. When Jesus fed the thou
sands they did all eat and were flied. Both
fnssrnssts ,,sa M;s End sAps Mhsn finished ysEs
and again the disciples were fllleds with the
Holy Spirit. In Him dwelisth all the fuliness
of the &odhead bodily; and His own words to
us are: BLESSED are they that hunger and
thirst after Righteousness, for they shall be
filed"
g. Depart from me for am a sinful man,
o Lord. This is the language OF simon Peter,
as seeing this great miracle he realizes some
what in whose presence he stands and falls
at Jesus's knees with these words. This Is
part Of tbs emptying process; a deep con-
viction Of sin as we see ourselves In Gods
sight.
o. For he was astonished, and all that
were with him" The Revised Version says
that he was amazed. So Saul of Tarsus
when convinced of his sin on the way to Da-
mascus, trembling and astonished, ~ said,
Lord, what wilt Thou have me to dor We
put forth our best efforts in most approved
fashion, and labor unwearyingly for the sal
walton of souls and for the quickening OF be-
levers, but how often we have to confess as
to the result, nothing" In some unlikely
way, and perhaps through some weak but
we all stand astonished. Our wisdom is con-
founded, our plans upset, and 1t becomes
gloriously manifest that this is tho hand Of
10. "And Jesus said unto si1non, Fear
not" When convicted Of sin we fall at
Jesus's feet in our helplessness and unworthi-
ness. Then it is that we hear His Fear
not, or when we, all unworthy, are willing
to be vessels for His service dan x, ~, 10;
Rev. l., Ia; Luke l., 13, 30. 1t is only the
willful and rebellious who have cause to
fear, OF the proud and hard of heart for
they shall be broken and brought down, and
made to know that t3e Most High doeth
according to His will both in heaven and on
earth. and those that walk in pride He is
Fear not" in the Bible Gen xv., ~ down
to the last in Revelation there is no place
where the penitent and broken in heart are
taught to fear. All is for them comfort,
and peace, and Joy, ana strength ana
prosperity in the Lord .E
From henceforth thou shalt catch men,"
or as in Matt iv., 19: "Follow me and will
make you fishers of men," Here we see the
spirit of prophecy most marked; listen to
Jeremiah xvi, 18j: Behold, win send for
many fishers saith the Lord, and thcy shall
fish them" And again, to Ezekiel (xlyii., 10y;
1.-THE fishers shall stand upon It, from Engedi
even unto EnaeglaiRn Each passage refers
ture If we would hasten that Kingdom, we
must follow Jesus, that He may make us
skillful and successful fishers OF men from
among all nations, that so His marriage day
may be hastened, and the time Of His return
for Israers restoration.
ii. ''And when Ihcy had brought Gheir
ships to land, they forsook all, and followed
Him" "lf any man will come after Me, Let
him deny himself, and take up his cross. and
Follow Me-" "Whosoever he be of you that
forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be
My disciple" (Matt. XVII "a: Luke xiv, 3S).
Jesus does not ask us to drop what we have
without showing us something better. When
Peter one day spoke of their giving upan for
Him, He told them of the throne of His
glory and the thrones that awaited them.
When Paul saw His glory, he was able to
count all earthly glory but dross. Stephen,
seeing Him, thought nothing Of being stoned
to death. Let us only get our eyes upon the
Glory of His Kingdom and the Thrones which
await the oyercomers, and we shall have no