The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1894-08-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

1neefnatiooal Lessoo for August -. 1894
-First Miracle Of Jssus-J0hn Sill.
Especially Arranged from Peloubet's Notes.l
GOLDEN TExr.-This beginning Of miracles
did Jesus. In Cana Of Galilee. and manifested
forth His glory-John ell
HISTORICAL SETTING.-The nrss year q Je-
sus public ministry. The Year Of Beginnin6s
and the Second Event.
TINE-The latter part Of February Tor early
In March). A. D q. Four days after the last
lesson.
PLACE-Csna Of Galilee, eight or nine miles
northeast Of Nazareth, perhaps the modern
kanet-el-Jelil Dods). about sixty miles In an
air line north Of BethabarA It was the homo
Of Nathaniel bartholomew.
JEsUs-At the very beginning Of His active
ministry. With fve or six followers
CRCUNSTANCES.-Ino our last lesson We lefs
Jesus on the way from Bethabara to Galilee
having added Philip and Nathaniel to the
three or four disciples He had already made
On arriving At Nazareth. two or three days
later. He seems to have found His mother gone
TO wedding in Cana, few miles further ON.
and He with His disciples went on TO Cana.
where they would naturally find entertainment
ct the house Of Nathaniel. whose homo was
there
LESSON NOTES.
Jesus q Wedding Guest.-V. 2. "And
both Jesus was called Gnvited), and
His disciples, to the marriage" This
was natural, especially if his mother
was q relative; Nathaniel also lived
there. It was according to custom
that a strange Jewish rabbi visiting
there should be invited. The disciples
were probably the five or six men
toned in chapter l, viz, Andrew,
Simon. Peter, Philip, Nathaniel, and
John himself, and probably James
Schaff.
An Unexpected Need-Vs 3. 4.
"When they wanted wine:r Better.
when the wine failed. Perhaps the arriv-
al of these six or seven guests caused the
want; certainly it would make it more
apparent Cambridge Bible. Probably
the family of Cana was in humble cir
cumstances, and hence their supply
was limited. None but those who
know how sacred in the east is the duty
of lavish hospitality, and how passion
ately the obligation to exercise it to
the utmost is felt, can realize the
gloom which this incident would have
thrown over the occasion, or the mis-
cry and modification which it would
have caused to the welded pair.
F. w. Farrar. 1.-THE mother of Jesus
saith unto Him, They have no wine:"
This was probably said secretly, SO that
the guests would not know the want,
Or the family feel disgraced. 'Thc
meaning simply is: They have no
wine; what is to be doner"-
Bible.
Why Mary Applied to Jesus.-(D The
family in which she was guest was
in serious difficulty. (2) Perhaps she
felt in a measure responsible, since her
Son and His disciples may have been in
Mary had learned during the thirty
years Jesus was with her in Nazareth
to have perfect confidence in Him that
in some way He would be able to re-
lieve the difficulty. (D She may have
believed even at this time that Jesus
was the Messiah, and could work
miracle if necessary.
4. "Jesus saith unto her: Woman,
what have I to do with thee?" The
English words convey an impression Of
disrespect and harshness which is alb
sent from the original. The use of the
Greek word for woman" is consistent
with the utmost respect. In Homer,
for example Qliad "a: 3OO), Priam thus
addresses Hecuba, his queen.-Schaff.
The Greek might more fairly be rem
dered ''lady."-Cam. Bible. Augustus
says to Cleopatra, queen Of Egypt:
Take courage, o woman
''Mine hour is not yet Gomez" The
hour for me to begin my public minis
try, accompanied as it is to be with the
working of miracles, the hour for my
manifestation.-Abbott- The express
sion implies that though He meant to
work miracle, He would not do SO
until the proper time, of which He was
the best judge. Cowley-Brown. Not
till the wine is wholly exhausted will
His time arrive; as yet it was only fail
ing; then will be the time to act. when,
by its complete failure. manifest to all,
the miracle will be above suspicion.
Jesus Works Miracle of Helpfulness.
VS.. $40. 5. Whatsoever He saith
unto you. do it," This implies that His
mother did not take Jesus answer as a
refusal, but as consent.
6. ''And there were set there six
water-pots of stone, after the manner
of the purifying of the Jews" The
water-pots were near at hand, in the
court, or at the entrance to the house.
not in the house itself: Containing
two or three frkins apiece ''Firkin"
is an almost exact equivalent of the
Greek metretes, which was about nine
gallons. The six pitchers Tor jars,
therefore, holding from eighteen to
twenty-seven gallons each, would to-
gether hold from one hundred and
eight to one hundred and sixty-twO
gallons.-Cam. Bible
2. "And they filed them up to the
brim:" This serves to bring out the
eagerness with which the work was
done. Why such an amount? ~ In
Palestine, wine-growing and wine