Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-03-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
MARCH 10.
Lesson Text: THE Draught Of Fishes"
Luke ", 11I-Golden Text: Luke
", 10.-Commentary ON the
Lesson.

Lesson.
1. 1.-THE people pressed upon Him to hear
the Word of God Our last lesson left Him
on His tour through Galilee preaching the
Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all man
ner of sickness and all manner Of disease
among the people Matt. w., 49,. We now
find Him again by the sea of Galilee, or, as
it 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 seq.
which was also called the sea OF Tiberias. 1t
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. 1t is 500
feet below the Mediterranean; its waters are
clear and sweet, and are said to abound In
fish now as 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 it, 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., y.
Q. "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
thing of His power, and yet while the multi
tudes are hungering for the word of God,
they are washing nets that have taken moth
ing.
8. He sat down and taught the people out
of the boat" Having stepped into Simon's
boat He meekiy asks him to push out little
from the land and sitting down, He from
Al kl,rarr and
eagerly attentive crowd, upon the shore
l. He said unto Simon, Launch out into
the deep and let down your nets for
draught" Simon having kindly given the
use of his boat, Jesus will now reward him
for it and teach him at the same time many
things Simon had for little season cheer
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 Simon's work.
g. Master, we have toiled all the night
and have taken nothing Sorephed Simon,
confessing their unavailing toll and their
present need. So also after the resurrection,
after night of fruitless toll, in reply to the
question of Jesus: Children, have We any
meit% They answered, No John xxi, s.. 1t
is a good thing to find out that all our efforts
are unavailing. There were plenty of fish in
the sea and they were no can fishermen,
but 'toiled and taken nothing describes the
result of their labor Nevertheless, at Thy
word will let down the net" Jesus is now
the Captain, and they are simply obeying
orders; He is responsible for results.
g. "And when they had this done, they in
closed great multitude of fishes, and their
nets brake" Whether it be great fish to
swallow Jonah or smaller fish to bring
piece of money, or multitudes of fish to I'LL
these nets, all are obedient to Him who
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-
move the curse and restore the dominion
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. 'sThey came and filed both the ships, so
that they began to sink We are told III the
tenth verse that James and John were part
ners with Simon, and finding that he had
more fish tuan he could manage, he called his
partners and they found fish enough to I'LL
both the boats TO overlooking. Our Lord
Jesus loves to have empty vessels, ana moi
few, that He may fill them When the woman
with the pot of oil began to pour into the
empty vessels the oil kept coming till every
vessel was filled When Jesus fed the thou
sands they did all eat and were filled. Both
tabernacle and temple when finished were
filed with His glory AtPenteeost and again
and again the disciples were filled with the
HOLY Spirit In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily; and His own words TO
us are Blessed are they that hunger and
thirst after righteousness, for they shall be
filled"
8. Depart from me for / am 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 the emptying process, deep CON
viction of sin as we see ourselves In Gods
sight.
3. sFor 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-
maseus, trembling and astonlshed, said,
Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do| We
put forth our best efforts in most approved
fashion, and labor unwearyingiy 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
empty vessel, the Spirit of God works, and
we all stand astonished Our wisdom Is con-
founded, our plans upset, and it becomes
gloriously manifest that this is the hand OF
God.
10. And Jesus said unto Simon, 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
mott or when we, all unworthy, are willing
to be vessels for His service dan. X, IL, 10;
Rev. l., II, Luke l., ID, go. 1t is only the
willful and rebelious who have cause to
fear, or the proud and hard of heart, for
they shall be broken and brought down, ana
made to know that the Most High doeth
according to His will both iii heaven and on
earth, and those that walk in pride He is
able to abase Dan. iv). But from the first
Fear not in the Bible Gen XIV, u down
A.. L. ~ fbarG iS T1lapa
where the penitent and broken in heart are
taught to fear All is for them comfort,
and peace, and Joy, and strength, and
prosperity in the Lord
From henceforth thou shalt catch men,
or, as in Matt. iv. 10: Follow me and VIII
make you fishers of men" Here we see the
spirit of prophecy most marked; listen to
Jeremiah xvi. 16l Behold, will send for
many fishers. saith the Lord, and they shall
fish them" And again, to Ezekiel xvii, 10;
"The fishers shall stand upon it, from Engedl
even unto En-eglaim." Each passage refers
to the Kingdom of Israel in its glorious fu-
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
NAV be FASTENED, and the time of His return
for Israeli restoration.
il. sAnd when they had brought their
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-" s'Whosoever he be of you that
forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be
My disciple" Matt xvi, "a; Luke xiv, 3ol.
Jesus does not ask us to drop what we have
without showing us something better. When
Peter one day spoke of their giving up all 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
.ount 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 overcomers, and we shall have no
heart for aught else but to follow Him, and
for His sake be made all things to all men,
that we may by all means save some Matt.
xix. 81; John XII, &c; xxi, 1922; ! Cor. IL,