The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-05-08
FEEDING THE MULTITUDE.
international Sunday school Lesson "a
May II. 1890.

LESSON TExT-Luke 0:1017
GOLDEN TKxr--Jesus said unto them: am
the bread Of life.-John 6:S6
Z CHNrRA1. TRuTH-Jesus Christ is the bread OF
life.
TME-Early in April, A. d. 20 Several
months after our last lesson.
PLACE--A desert place on the northeastern
shore Of the Sea Of Galilee, belonging to Beth.
saida which was town at the mouth Of the
Jordan built on both sides Of the river. The
place was six or eight miles by land from
Capernaum, and three or four miles southeast
from tho city Of Bethsaida.
PARALLEL AccoUNTs-Matt. i4:i321; Mark
6:32-44; John 6:i.f4.
INTERVENING HIsroRY-Two blind mon and
o dumb possessed were cured directly after
Jairus' daughter was raised. Second rejection
at Nazareth. Third missionary tour Of 0alileo.
John the Baptist beheadcd ct Mocherus. Re-
turn Of Jesus 70 Capcrnaum. The events in
their order are given in Mark o:i-l4.
HELPS OVER HARD PLACEs-10. Hhsn thsy cers
returned. to Capernaum from their missionary
tour. And He took them and WeM dstde: from
Capernaum, which was within the dominion
Of Herod, to the other side Of Jordan, which was
beyond his dominions. He went by boot (Mntt.).
His reasons appeared to be (D to avoid possi-
BILE danger for His disciples as they knew not
how far Herod might carry his prosecutions
(2) Rest and retirement MARK 6:3D. (p Per.
maps W bNOku my oxClteucub buOuk thO PcO
pie on account Of Herod's murder Of John, which
might lead to rebellion. A dessrt pIacs: unin.
habited, wild, uncultivated not q sandy desert.
Befhsdidd: SEQ Place. 2. And the people
Jollo,ced: by land Mark. 1t was only six or
eight miles from Capernaum. Mark says that
the people, some Of them, reached there
first After time Jesus went up
among the hills with His disciples (John
6:3). 49, Then cdn,s the t,v.ire: by combining oil
the accounts, the conversation would be about
ns follows: Jesus (speaking to Philip. whose
home was at Bethsaida, and who therefore was
acquainted with the region and the people,
"Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eatT Philip-"rwo hundred pennyworth (e34
WORTHY Of bread is not sufficient for them, that
every one Of them may take little" John
Go, q. The Apostles-"sscnd the multitude
away, that they may 90 into the towns and
country round about, and lodge and get vict-
uals" Luke. Jcsus-"Give ye them to eat"
Luke. The Apostles-"Shall we go and buy
two hundred pcnnyworth Of bread, and give
them to oatr MARK Jesus-"How many
loaves have yer Go and see" The Apostles
(having found out through Andrew, who found
. boy who had them for sale [JohnD-"We
have no more but FIVE barley loaves and two
small fishes. But what are they among SO
many, except we should go and buy meat for oil
this peopler Q.uke and john. 13. THO yfshs:
small ones, and salted, to be eaten with bread
as relish. IA. Fips thousand men: besides
women and children. They could easily be
counted, arranged as they were. sc down: on
the grass, which was abundant in the spring,
the time Of this event. By MI .: and by hum
dreds. One way they counted fifty; the other,
o hundred; Mark compares them to parterres
OF flowers, as they sat on the green grass In
their bright Oriental robes Of red and blue and
yellow. IL. 7tpelDs 6askets: each Of the twelve
gathered into his own wallet and filled 1t full.
re- q, %
out the preciousness Of the food which Jesus
had given. 1t teaches wise economy in the
smallest affairs Of life. God loveth q bountiful
not q wasteful, hand. C2) 1t showed to the dis
ciples the spiritual truth that the more they
gave Of the Gospel blessings to others, the more
they would have themselves. "The twelve
baskets were an apt symbol Of that love which
exhausts not itself by loving, but after all It's
outgoings upon others, abides itself far richer
than 1t would have done but for these, Of the
multiplying which there ever is in O true dis
pensing." (9 1t completes the proof Of the
miracle, for more remained than there was to
begin with.
The NEEDY MULTITUDE.-The were
needy in two senses. In spiritual
sense they we're needy, having no guides
but the Pharisees and scribes, who
themselves needed guidance. eff the
blind lead the blind, shall they not both
fall into the ditch?" Arrogance and
hypocrisy were the leading characteris-
tics Of their spiritual rulers Under
such circumstances, what hope was
there for the sheep Of the flock? When
the shepherds themselves were wolves,
the case was pitiful indeed. The great
multitude was also in temporal need.
All day they had continued without food.
Before passing from this point, notice
the application of this truth. The null
titudes in this world are still ''as sheep
having no shepherd" Not to allude to
heather lands, the majority in our cit
les are spiritually leaderless. They
have gone astray like sheep, each one
having gone in his own way. The spir-
ltual destitution and starvation which
exists in this most favored land is SIM
ply appalling. Moreover, among tAese
masses are many whose bodily w.nts
are very great. Unless help is rendered
from outside they will perish. Not their
souls alone, but their bodies as we'll, de-
mand our care. In view of these facts,
does not that throng near the lake Of
Galilee stand as representative gath
ering Of mankind?
HE was moved with compassion
towards them" This pity led Him to
minister first to their spiritual necessi-
ties, for HE began to teach them"
Pity, with Him, was not o luxurious
emotion which spent itself on itself. It
moved Him to do something. All the
wants Of that throng were ministered to
by the Master. First the inward, then
the outward. Paul says: my God shall
supply all you need" (Phil. 4:19). So
the Son Of God supplied all the needs Of
that multitude. (There 10 q difference
between our 'needs" and our "wants." I"
God never supplies all our wants." for
these often include things injurious to
US. But all our "needs" are fully met
by Him. The failure to make this dis
tinction brings many people into difa-
culties about prayer and its answer.
We are indeed to ''make known all our
wants" TO Him. But He In mercy will
supply only all our "needs.') When at