The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-08-06
The FIVE THOUSAND FED.
Hsssrnational Sunday school Lesson for
August 16, 1891.

Especially Arranged from 8 s. Quarterly.t
LEssoN TExT.-John 8:1-l.
GOLDEN TEXT am that bread OF lifo.-Jonn
CENTRAL TRUTH.-Jesus Christ has power :"
-z1selp US in every time of need.
uELPs OVER HARD PLACEs.--l After these
"Ehings:" Spoken Of in our last lesson The In
"ferval was about year. "Over the sea OF Gall
c1eo," from the western side. probably near
Capernaum. He had Just heard that Hercd, IN
whose dominions he was, had beheaded John
she Baptist. (Matt. 14:13.) 8 into mountafn:"
The mountainous region that bordered the
-DlAin Of Bethsaida on tho southeast The
Passover" this year April 16 "Saw
great company" Five Thousand men ". 10Y,
besides women and children Matt 4:sD.
They came by land from oil parts. Two
hundred pennyworth:" About thirty dollars.
"A penny. denarius is fifteen cents, the price OF
OF the poorest. "Fishes:" Sailed and eaten
- relish, like sardines ia. "Gather up the
ffagments" CD The design is to bring out
the preciousness Of the food. which Jesus had
given. (2) He likewise exhorts His disciples
% frugality, for the increase Of the bounty OF
God ought not to be on excitement to luxury.
God loveth bountiful not wasteful, hand
60 Il completes the proof Of the miracle, for
moro remained thar there was to begin with.
~ THAT Prophet" The Messiah, or His fore.
sumner, whom the Jews were expecting TO
=, come and deliver them
LESSON COMMENTS.
If last weeks lesson was read, this
weeks is easy. The miracle Of the
feeding of the five thousand made
deeper impression on the people than
almost any other that the Master
wrought. There were many OF them,
and they were faint and in need Of
food. But where to get food for them
IN that place was difficult question.
To the eyes of the disciples this was an
impossible task. Two hundred penny
worth of bread was not enough to give
each one little. Now, two hundred
,pelny yworth Of bread was equivalent
70, two hundred days wages, and that
was large sum for men like the apos-
ties. Itreally seemed to the disciples
that the question Of feeding those
masses of people was one that could not
he solved, Now look at the supply.
There was lad there who had with
him five loaves Of bread and two small
fishes. One hungry man could easily
have made way with that provision,
and yet here were Eve thousand men
waiting for food. The relation between
those loaves and that crowd was almost
enough to provoke laughter. But the
boy seemed willing to give all that he
had and let the Master make such use
of 1t as he thought best, so the bread
Is brought to Jesus and the crowd are
made to sit down in orderly array on
Ehe grass. Now they are all seated,
and their curious and anxious eyes are
turned toward Him Who is the center Of
the assembly.
Now see that Master take the bread
and look up to Heaven and give thanks.
Then He begins to break it and give to
His disciples. But, wonder of wonders,
and the supply holds out till the last
Is filed. Fish, too, IN like abundance
follows, so that they had not only that
which was necessary, but something Of
luxury besides.
Now all are through. Then the Mas
ter commands that the fragments be
gathered up, that nothing be lost, and
when they have carried out this COM
-mand, 10! they have more than they had
when they began.
The result of all this was that the
people began to believe that Jesus was
.'that Prophet" More than this: they
were so filled with enthusiasm that
they tried to force Him to proclaim him
self King. This He refused to do, for
this was not what He had come to
this world for.
We have hunger for food, and God has
supplied the means of satisfying that
want. But the mind as well as the body
can hunger. What do all the countless
- Al;
not show that the mind is hungering for
something. Now, to offer an inquisitive
child, that is, child with mental hun
ger, bread, is to offer it that which will
mot satisfy mental hunger. The body
hungers for food appropriate to it, and
the mind hungers for that which will
satiafy it, and that Is knowledge. But
God has provided for the wants Of the
mind, and all our public and private
schools, and all our colleges, are merely
intellectual restaurants, where the mind
Of the scholars may feed and be salts
6ed But not all kinds of food are
wholesome for the body, and in the same
sway not all facts are wholesome for the
mind We are careful not to eat that
0hich shall harm us. and why should
sve not be equally careful not to read
That which shall do damage to our
mindsP Yet many are poisoning their
minds with evil literature.
We have one more department of our
n.4ures, however, which also has its ap-
petites. The spiritual. That Graves
many things. Yet there are people
whose bodies are well cared for, and
whose minds are well stored. but whose
spiritual natures are half starved This
Il . sad fact which every teacher and
preacher knows only too well. But the
spiritual is higher than the intellectual,
Just as the mental is higher than the
physical. And is there food provided
Ry God for the two former and not for
the latter? Nay, there is provision for
6al The Master Himself said that He
Was the living bread which came down
from Heaven, and by that He meant that
In Him there was provision for the
spiritual nature Of man. He satisfies