The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-08-14

LII~nN
CoLDES TEXT an that bread Of lifc--Jocs
;;iR
cExrnAL rErTnL-Jesus Christ hes power -
help a. n every tine o. need.
HELPs OvER HARD PLAcEs--f "Afser these
things:" spoken Of IN our last lesson The IN
servai Vas about year. over NJ 80 o'osI-
lee from the western side. probably near
Capernaum. He had just heard that Herod u
whose dominons he was. had beheaced John
the Baptist Matt i4:i3l 3 Into mountain
The mountainous region that bordcrcd inc
plain Of Bethsaida on the southeast The
Passover" this year April 10 -sav
great company" Five thousand men ". ~.
besides women and children Matt n2D-
They came BY land from all parts :. Two
hundred penny worth" About thirty dollars
A penny. denarius. Is fifteen cents the price O
DAYS work. Barley ioaves:" The FOOD
OF the poorest Fishes" Sailed and eaten
as relish. like sardinss. -. "0sther up the
fragnents:~ ID The design i 70 bring ous
the preciousness Of the food which Jesus had
given co He likewise exhorts His disciples
20 frugality. for the increase OF the bounty %
God ought not 20 Be IN excitement 20 luxury.
God ioveth bountifuL not wastefui. hand
60 II completes the proof Of the miracle. ior
more remained thar there was 70 begin With
"a That Prophet" The Messiah. or His fore
runner, whom the Jews were expecting 20
some and deliver them
LESSON COMMENTS.
II 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 70 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 70 gi7e
each one little. Now. two hundred
pcnnyworth Of bread was equivalent
to two hundred days wages, and that
was a large sum for men like the apos-
ties. 1t really seemed TO the disciples
that the question Of feeding those
masses Of people was one that could not
be 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 five 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 Il as He thought best. so the bread
Is brought to Jesus and the crowd are
made to sit down in orderly array On
the grass. Now they are all seated.
and their curious and anxious eyes are
| turned toward Him Who is the center Of
| the assembly.
| Now l see that Master take the bread
| and look up 10 Heaven and give thanks
| Then He begins to break it and give to
| His disciples But, wonder OF wonders,
as He gives the bread grows no less.
| and the supply holds out till the last
| person has had all that he wants and
| 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 b
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 filed with enthusiasm that
they tried to force Him TO proclaim him
self King. This He refused 70 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
questions OF children mean, II they do
not show that the mind Is hungering for
something. Now. to offer an inquisitive
child. that IL. child with mental hun
rer. bread, Is ~ offer il that which will
not satisfy mental hunger. The body
hungers for food appropriate to II. ant
the mind hungers for that which vii
satisfy Il. and that Is knowledge. But
God has provided for the wants OF thu
mind. and all our public and privat<
schools. and all our colleges, are merely
intellectual restaurants. where the mint
Of the scholars may feed and be salts
fed. But not all kinds Of food an
wholesome for the body. and in the same
way not all facts are wholesome for thu
mind We are careful not 70 eat tina
which shall harm us, and why shouls
We not be equally careful not TO read
that which shall do damage 70 oul
minds? Yet many are poisoning theil
minds with evil literature
We have one more department OF oul
natures, however, which also has its ap
petites. The spiritual That crave
many things Yet there are people
whose bodies are well cared for, ans
whose minds are well stored. but who's
spiritual natures are half starved Thi
Is sad fact which every teacher ans
preacher knows only too well But tn
spiritual is higher than the intellectual
Just as the mental Is higher than thu
physical And Is there food provides
bv God for the two former and not fo
the latter? Nay. there Is provision 10
all. The Master Himself said that III
was the living bread which came dowl
from Heaven. and by that He meant tina
in Him there was provision for thu
spiritual nature Of man lie satisfies
the craving for pardon. and the longinf
for better life. that all feel at times III
Il Is Who has revealed 10 us the truths
OF the life that is to come and Who has
opened the way to that which Is Of etcr
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