The National tribune., 1891-07-09
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught by a study Of the
international Sunday-sehOOl Lesson APP
pointed for July 10, 1891. 81. John, 2:1-

pointed for July 10, 1901. 80. John, =: Il
n.
Ioae reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures a.
indicated abOye.l
SUBJECT: CHRIsr's FIRST MIRkCLE-TaE
CONVERSION oE WATER INTO WINE
!. Preliminary.
Christ performed about 30 miracles during
his ministry. They are all recorded in the
Gospels. Perhaps we have not a record Of all
his miracles What IS q miracle? We cannot
answer better than in the wouis Of the eminent
biblical scholar. Rev. DR.. A. G. Keudrcs:
Its essential character l conceive TO be It's
overriding and suSpcnding n natural law by
a direct, Divine agency. II san immed late in
reference with and arrest Of the processes OF
nature by the being who established them.
That this can be done viii be questioned by no
one who believes in God-iu q Being Of SOW
ereign power, viii and intelligence preFiaing
over the universe. lie who has created the
universe can urcrcate 10. He who has ordained
its laws or mode of action can suspend or re-
peal them. That lie has the power to do this
lies in our fundamental conception Of his az
tributes"
II is too late TO question tie fact, q miracle,
~ TINS defined. Even Rousseau declared. " If
the miracles did not take place, then the exist
eUce of evidence so varied and unbrOkeu in
favor Of their having taken place, is more
astonishing. more miraculous than the alleged
miracles themselves
The famous Rev. VIM. Elery Charming in n
letter 70 Miss r. i. Peabody wrote, referring to
a sermon by Theodore Parker: " I grieyed that
hs did not give some clear. direct expression Of
his belief in the Christian miracles.
J DO not see how the rejection Of these can
he separated from the rejection OF Jesus Christ.
without them he becomes mere fable; for
nothing is palmer than that from the begin
ming miracles constituted his history. There
is not "a trace Of time when he existed in
mems minds without them. Ills resurrection
was always tho essential grand fact in mems
Impression OF him. at least IS distinctly Tecog-
uiz'l as his cruciixion."
The act OF Christ about which we now stud y
Is called a miracle. which is defined, every
sensible deviation from, and every c0ntratc-
ton TO, the laws Of nature, so far as they are
known to u5" A miracle is never a violation
Of the laws Of the universe. A miracle is be-
yond human power, and Christ. performing
SUCH manifested forth his glory" convincing
witnesses no was no ordinary mortal. Com
pare Acts, 2:22) The word miracle is from
the Latin verb mirror, which means 10 UOnder at.
The object, however, Of Jesus in working a
miracle was not To excite estOuishmeBt save as
through the wonderful he would divert from
the more ordinary or earthly TO the extraOrdi-
nary or spiritual. The graduation should be
wonder, love and praise"
2. Data
The only account IL that by st John
p: ILL He gives exclusive reports Of nine
Of the miracles. He joins with st. Matthew in
reporting one more. and with SITS. Matthew,
Mark and Luke in reporting another.
g. Time.
We date early part Of March, A. d. %. Jesus
was about 30 years and six months old. The
account says, "the third day" (V. IL Scholars
are not agreed in explanation. Some say the
third day after the promise in l: 81. Others
say the third after his arrival in GaliIee.
Others say the third day OF the weekly Jewish
reckoning. Monday; by Christian, Tuesday. II
We understand the third after leaving Nathan
lei 4 50, -. 81, there would be time for him
and his party 10 reach Cana from Bethabara.
| We remember Jewish marriage feasts often
| covered seven days. The third day Of the
/ wedding is therefore an understandable ex-
| preston. Jud., Il i, u, II, 49, TObit II 81
We notice in particular the expression,
Mine hour is not yet come" (E ~ Two
/ views ara held as to the meaning. q. Tho
/ hour 'Or better. the time or date, or period in
my life 70 begin the work Of eticcting miracles
/ IA general. His miracle time had not yet ar
| rived. lt IS said plainly in verse IL, "This
I BEG ming Of miracles" The moment when he
I performed his first miracle was TO be a grand
| era or tuning point in the life Of Christ. This
/ is the view Of tho commentators EWald Eu-
I thymius, LightfoOt. Dr. Hammond. Dr.Whedon.
b. Tho hour Tor e!iecting this particular miracle
( had not yet been reached. lie purp05Cd to wait
I till the supply Of wine On hand was wholly ex-
\ hsusted and real want was for little fully
realized. This would give emphasis 10 the
I miracle. This would teach the world Jesus
I comes to ns specially in emergencies, helps as
\ out OF difficulties, matches into the very nicka
\ Of need. The following hold % this second
Issfr. d 4 Il
! ford, haT Bloomfield. Hanna, Barnes, Clarke
| tDr. \ j DIR. James Strong.
| BeHEsl intinates the Mother Of Christ meant
/ that OF account Of the probable giving out OF
/ provisions tthe wine i'm particular he and his
/ party, perhaps including herself, had better
/ Withdraw; but Jesus declared it was not yet
/ time for them to retire from the feast He had
| in view The miracle which be purposed to work
/ as q start-p0int in his ministry. c. Nys5en
| wants to PIT the words interrogtively, thus
/ Is not my hour yet Gomez" Am yet to be
/ guided by you my mother? The implication
I is that Jesus felt the time had arrived for him
/ 20 act as the MCssiah-tO be- under orders from
/ His Father in Heaven rather than subject to
/ human parental authority. This view has
/ gained no popular siding. All who hold it are
/ Protestants.
f. Place
fine wedding occurred at Caua-in- Galiles
1
| the identity of that site. About four and one
| half miles northeast Of Nazareth is a place
named kefr (tncaning yillage) Kenna. Nine
miles north of Nazareth is a place called
Kana-el-Jelil Tor JaliD. The following say
Kefr Kenna-HengsteHberg Prof E. G. Mitch
ell, Thomson, Fish, Farrar, Barnes. Godet
] HcpWOrth Dixon, DIR. WhedOn. DIR. Harmon
| Dickinson COllege). The following prefer
| Kama el-Jelil, 10 wit, Marinus Sanutus, Robin
sou, Trench, Ritter, Meyer, Afford, LANCE
Renan, Bengel, DIR. Lyman Coleman, Kitt0
Geikie, Dr.. J. III. Vincent.
Let US consider Kama -Jelil. The name
means Cana. of Galilee as in verse l. This
Apostle Nathaniel was born there (21 2
| Christ's second miracle is connected with the
same place. l4:lG) 1t must once have been
| a place Of considerable importance. Now 10 is
quite obscure. Says DIR. Robinson. War
bloody, relentless war, has swept over the little
| Cana-Of-Galilee; fire and sword have laid waste
aud destroyed the peaceful village in which
Christ met the rejoicing wedding-party."
traveller writes thus OF the place:
gentle decivity, facing the setting sun;
peaceful village which still arrests one with it,
loneliness and makes him feel that something
still fingers there Of His presence Who makes
all things blessed and lovely"
About $40 inhabitants now reside there. II
is governed by the Turks. An officer Of thai
Government is on the ground.
). The Facts.
On the third day after our Savior left Betha
bara, a marriage feast was to begin at Cana
lie probably passed through Nazareth, his oi,
home, and there found invitation awaiting
L "a Tr =