The National tribune., 1891-08-06
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

n. -
international sunday-sehooI Lesson APP
pointed for Aug. 16, 1891. 1t. John, o q
II.
lone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
indicated RbOye.l
SUBJECT: THE ACCOUNT or CHRIST FEEDING
FIVE THOUSAND MES, BESIDES WOMEN
AND CHILDREN.
We now study the 10th miracle Of our sa-
viOr's performance. One should read also St.
Mt. Ii: l5-2l st. Mark. 8: 35-i4; ST. Luke,
3: l2-l7 The notes below presume each one
has read with care these other several accounts
l. Place.
This was a little south OF Betbsaida in Perea
lt was desert, (V. i5,l meaning in tie New
Testament sense an uninhabited, uucutivated
locality. st. John (G:IO) declares there was
much grass there.
Christ aud company went into the desert to
recuperate. st. Mark, s. 81, 81 The Dis
ciples had just returned FROM an extended
circuit OF preaching and labor and needed rest
We notice the spot selected was suitable for
pasturags. 1t was in the Spring of the year,
and the grass was plentiful 1t was suburban.
lt was desert place belonging TO the city
called Bethsaida or Bethsaida Julias 1t was
in Gauionitis. Isl. Luke, o: l0.) There was
another BethSaida on tho east side Of the
Sea OF Galilee little south Of Capernaum.
The Bethsaida OF this miracle was about three
miles from the mouth of tho Jordan "a il en-
tiers the Sea of Gslilee. The desert spot was
between Dethsaida and the JOrdan's entrance to
the sea. Half q mile from the stream is q
range Of hills answering the description Of St.
John. 6:3. The plain is known as Batiheh or
Butaiha. As to the locality traditions have
been handed down and the place is pointed out
10 travellers by residents and guides. DR.
Clarke says: "As we rode from the village Of
Haiti toward the sea Of Tiberias tho guides
pointed TO a sloping spot from the hight on cur
right, whence We had descended, as the place
where the miracle was performed of our
Savior feeding the multitude. 10 is therefore
called The Multiplication OF Bread" Rea
Wilson, in his Travels in the Holy Land Vol.
y, writes: This mount was called by my
guide The Multiplication Of Bread, or IA had
heard others denOminate it, The Table Of the
Lord 1t is remarkable that at this day there
IS much grass in tho place. Near it / was
Joined by miserable ragged soldier, who had
been stationed at the foot of the hill by his
pacha TO protect the grass from the depreda-
tion of travellers"
g Time.
The feast was given on Thursday, March 25,
A. ID. %, in the 32d year of Christs life and the
second Of his ministry. 1883 years ago, In the
evening. tSt. Matt, II: 15.) The feast re-
ferred to was the Passover. GA Christ did
not go up to Jerusalem at that Passover. &c
was one year before his erucifxion. 1t was
near the month Of April. and hence at a season
when the grass was abundant. st. Matthew
says, When it was evening"; st. Mark,
" When the day was now far SPENT; st. Luke,
when the day began to wear away" John
tells us the Jews had two evenings: q. The first
began at 3 aud ended at 6 o'clock. This was
while the sun vas ending its daily descent.
b. The second began at 6 p. m. or at shutdown.
The miracle Of this lesson took place during
the first evening. Even" i'm St. Mark. 8: AZ,
was the second evening Of the same day. The
word time" in st. Mt, II -, and st. Mark,
Is 30, seems 10 refer 10 the time for refresh
ment. II was past the hour for their regular
daily meal; time the audience be dismissed /;
time something be done at once az to food for
their bodies. Various views as to said time I"
have been held. a. Time for the meal.
b. Time for instruction. c. Time TO dismiss
the company. (St. Mark, g. 36) d. Time Of
day.
3. Host
We may put the lesson in the form Of o sup
per given TO certain guests. Let Us so consider
il.
The giver Of tie entertainment was Christ
In st. Johns account (Y. III be is styled the
Prophet. The accounts Of Sts. Matt. and Luke
do not mention any title for the Host, using
Jesus. No other titles than Jesus and Prophet
occur in all the four accounts. As to Prophet,
see Dou., IS: 10; So. John. O: II. On the bear
ing Of tho miracle as 10 Christ'5 deity, SEQ St.
John, 3:2.
4. Guests.
The persons were 5000 men and a goodIy
number Of women and children. They were
attracted by Christ's manner and teachings.
They fingered, disinelined TO lose a word. We
may safely estimate company Of COCO guests.
lt is clear they were hungry.
). The Market
The only place from which provisions could
be purchased was q basket on the arm of a
young huckster or bakers servant. Know
ing a crowd was out in tho desert, the boy went
forth, following out bright business idea. OF
course the five lOaves and two fishes were
wholly inadequate for the demand. For the
rest, the market was Gods creative resources.
6. The Bill of Fare.
Fortunately, we have a copy Of the menu.
There were not many courses. They had bread
and fishes. The word victuals in verse IA is a
general word for all kinds Of eatables exclusive,
however, Of liquids The word comes from the
Latin Uictits and that from the verb rivO,
live. Victuals are the provisions on which we
live. The bread was Of barley thin, broad,
brittle shaped like q plate. Hence it was
Then there were two fishes The Sea Of Galilee
abOunded in fishes, and much Of the food Of
the people theTeabOut was of this kind. The
Greek word used in st. Johns account VS. 8,
IL for fishes shows the fishes were cooked In
fact the boy had brought the bread and fishes
out on purpose to serve for lunch. Nothing
is said of drink. The multitude probably par
took of water. The food provided by miracle
was bread already baked and fishes cooked
Z. The Table
The FIVE lOayes and two fishes were taken by
the Savior from the Apostles. who had secured
them, probably by purchase, from the lad. Pos
sibly there was no need of a table. If there
were occasion TO spread out the food, it
would have been laid upon the grass with pos
sbly an intervening cloth Of some sort at hand
As the food was passed out it was taken into
the hands Of each. IL could have been eaten
directly from the hands or deposited into each
ones lap until eaten.
g. Seats
The company all sat down upon the grass.
(St. Matt, IA: 10; st. John, 8 1o.)
9. Walters.
The walters were the IL Apostles.
10. The Method of Seating.
The account states the multitude sat down by
companies. (St. Mark, 6 49, The next verse
to that which says they sat by companies de-
clares, They sat down by ranks, by hundreds
and fifties." Why? For the same reason that
in church and Sunday -sehool We have pews or
seats-for convenience. They could be served
10 greater advantage if arranged orderly. No