The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-07-16
cHRIsT's FIRST MIRACLE.

internat1onM Sunday-School Lesson for
July 10, 1891.
Especially Arranged from 8. 8. Quarteriy.l
LESSON TExT.-John 2:1-1l.
GOLDEN TExT--This beginning Of miracles
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested
forth His glory.-John 2:1l.
CENTRAL TEUTs.--JesI5 sanctifes and bless
es our daily life.
TIME. The latter part Of February, or early
March, A. d. %. Four days after our last les
son.
PLACE.-Cana Of Galilee, eight or nine miles
northeast OF Nazareth.
CIRCUMSTANCES our last lesson we left
Jesus Just starting from Bethany (Bethabara),
on His way to Ills home in Galilee. He had Ave
or six disciples, and on the third day reached
Cana the home OF Nathaniel Bartholomew.
where doubtless He stopped till He was In
vited to tho wedding, where we ind Him TO-
day.
HELPS OVER HARD PhAcEs.-1. 'The third
day:" after leaving Bothabara q: 49,. "The
mother of Jesus was thare:" from her familiar
actions IT is supposed she was q relative. Q.
Jesus was called" (orinvitedD; since His moth
er was there and II Himself would be promi
nent guest in Village. Jesus went to the we'd
ding feast, and thus sanctiiled the home the
wedding and innocent social joys. And His dis
ciples:" Androw, PJtcr John, Philip Nathan
when they wanted vyine:" when tho wine
failed, perhaps on account OF this increase in
the number of guests. 4. WON an" Greek,
lady, term Of respect. What have to do
with theeT |. e.. am no longer subject to your
control as heretofore but to My Heavenly Fs-
ther, who henccforth tells Me what to do.
"Mine hour Is not yet Gomez" the hour to show
His Divine nature, or the hour Of His public
manifestation as the Messiah. 5. "His mother
SAITH" implying that she had confidence that
he would come to their help In some way. He
did not refuse her request, but put 1t on the
right basis Of Divine and not human c,mpa nd
ment @ "Six wa.erpots:" stone Jars, In the
court or outer room. 'Purifying:" as the Jews
then ate not with spoons and kniv es and forks
but with their fingers these frequent wash
ings were very necessary. "Firkius:" the He
brew bath-about nine gallons. & Governor
Of the feast:" the friend who had general
charge. 10. when men have we'll drunk" or
drunk freely, and their taste Is dullcd. Il does
not imply that any Of this company wore intox-
icated, but is o proverbial statement. GOOD
wine:" Of the best favor; of peculiarly delicious
aroma and taste. II. beginning Of rairacles:"
the first that Jesus ever did "aIiYacles:" here,
signs, wonders done as o sign Of Christ's No
ture and truth. His glory:" His true nature as
the Son Of God; His loving helpful character;
His goodness and power His disciples be-
lieved:" their faith. begun few days before,
was now confirmed and settled
LESSON COMMENTS.
The last verso of the lesson contains
the truth upon which stress should be
laid: "This beginning of miracles did
Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and mani
tested forth His glory; and His disciples
believed on Him" The question now
arises, how did Jesus by this miracle
manifest forth His glory? To this we
reply:
He manifested His glory by the exer-
else of creative powers. No miracle
had been wrought by the hand of man,
that we know of, for over four centuries.
John worked no miracle. If Jesus werc
greater than John the Baptist, it was
but natural to expect greater works
from His hand. A Messiah without
miracle would have been an anomaly.
The Messiah was to be a prophet like
unto Moses. But Moses was q great
miracle-worker. and u prophet devoid
of this power would be very unlike his
great predecessor. Any other miracle
would have shown forth the powers of
Christ as fully as this one did. Tho
glory lay not in making wine out of
water, but in the proof that with Him
was the miracle-working power.
There was another way, however, in
which this particular wedding miracle
manifested forth the glory Of Christ.
We must never forget that John the
Baptist was q strict ascetic. His gar
ments were of rough canels hair, his
food the plainest of the plain, even To-
Gusts and wild honey. The type Of
picty he displayed was, like that of
Elijah, stern, uncompromising, and,
withal, unsociaL It breathed of the
Old Testament, and not of the New.
1t was well enough in its way, but
there was more excellent way than
that To withdraw from human So
ciety for the sake of religion may be
good, but to mingle with society for the
sake of religion is better. Had the
type of religion exemplified by John
the Baptist prevailed and become the
final form Of Christianity, great evil
would have resulted. Not by an un-
spotted seclusion from the world, but
by an unspotted ningling with the
world is the largest usefulness to be
gained. From the time of Simon
Stylites down almost unmiXed evil has
resulted from mistaken espousal Of
the John-the-Baptist type of religion.
This type the Saviour discountenanced
through His whole ministry, and the
keynote of His action was struck at
the same time that He wrought His
very first miracle. Herein lies great
principle. Hermits condemn every
body and everything in society. II
they are right in the principle that the
highest attainment of piety is possible
only in seclusion, then human society
Is wicked thing, since it renders such
development of piety impossible. Christ
condemned not human society, but only
the wrong that has found It's way into
it. Asceticism says: ''Out Of the
world" Christ said by His presence
at the feast: 'In the world, but not Of
the world" Asceticism condemns So