The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-10-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for October } 4, 1894
Tho Draueht of Fishes-Lukc o; Iii.


Especially arranged from Peloubet's notes.l
GOLDEN TExT--He taught them as one that
had authority, and not as the scribes.-Mark
1:22
PLACE IN THE HIsToRY.-The second year Of
Jesus public ministry, the year Of develop
ment, at No in the list OF events given In our
last lesson. 1t is preparation for the new
development Of His work in making tours
around Galilee with His disciples and training
them in and for their work--our next lesson.
T1ME.-April, A. d. %, soon after our last
lesson.
PLAcE.-On the shores Of the Sea of Galilee,
near Capernaum, where Jesus made His home
and the center Of His Gospel work.
THE SEA OF GALILEB As this sea was the
center of Christ's teachings for nearly half Of
His ministry, 1t may be well to give as vivid
picture OF 1t as possible. Stanley calls 1t the
most sacred sheet of water which the earth
contains. Josephus says that 1t might be
called the ambition Of nature. The rabbis said
that of the seven seas" Of Canaan 1t was the
only one which God had reserved for Himself.
Renan happily calls 1t "a fifth Gospel" torn,
but still legible, because its associations with
the life Of Christ give new meaning to His words
and deeds. Josephus, in q passage OF glowing
admiration, after describing the sweetness OF
its waters, and the delicate temperature Of its
air, its palms, and vines, and oranges, and figs,
and almonds, and pomegranates, and warm
springs, says that the seasons seemed to COM
pete for the honor of its possession. The lake
long, and about half as broad. 1t is formed by
the river Jordan, and is 653 feet below the level
OF the Mediterranean. 1t is one hundred and
sixty-five feet deep in some places In our
Lords time it was covered with gay and nu-
merous feet of four thousand vessels, from
ships of war down to fishing boats. The neigh
borhood of this lake was the most thickly peo-
pied and most prosperous part of Palestine
1t was surrounded by the summer mansions Of
the rich, like the Thames above London, or
many Of our seaside resorts.
LESSON NOTES.
The Eager Multitudes. - "And it
came to pass, that, as the people
pressed upon Him" The friends and
acquaintances of Jesus at Nazareth re-
jected Him and His teaching; but there
We're great multitudes who did wish
to listen to His marvellous words, and
almost as soon as He left Nazareth
crowds pressed to hear Him. "To hear
the word of God" Truths which had
Divine authority and were filled with
Divine love. He taught them with the
authority of one who had perfect
knowledge. God bore witness to His
| words by signs and miracles; and these
| miracles were examples and object les
sons of the love and power, health and
blessing, which the gospel brought to
men.
Jesus breaches to Them from Fish
ing Boat.-"He stood by the lake
| of Gennesaret." The sea of Galilee.
Probably Gennesaret is modification
of the old Hebrew name Kinneroth, or
| Kinnereth.
And saw two ships" Rather,
boats. Probably fishing boats without
| Iaolyc i,,cr 1>1,+ 1ol- I
to the shore or drawn up on the sand.
| but the fishermen peter, Andrew.
John and James, and those employed
by them; see Marls) were gone out of
them" Probably not far off, for Jesus
| speaks to Peter ". 81. ''And were
washing their nets" To cleanse them
| from mud or stones, or matter accumu-
lated from the bottom of the lake or
| along the shore. They were also mend
ing their nets Mark 1870. All this was
required by the previous nights fish
ing referred to in verse S.
"And He entered into one of the
ships (boats), which was Simon's." ST.
mon Peter. Simon is contraction of
Simeon C'hearing'), and Peter means
"a rock" The boat belonged to him
and his brother Andrew Mark. Jesus
entered this boat, perhaps because it
was nearest, and without doubt be-
cause Peter was one of His disciples,
and had been with Him before John
1:40-42), and He well knew that Peter
would be glad to have Him make such
use of his boat.
An Object Lesson from Draught of
Fishes.-'Now when He had left
speaking" He had finished all He
wished to say at that time to the peo-
pie. They must now mediate on and
inwardly digest the truths that had
been taught. Launch out into the
deep"-verb In the singular, addressed
to Peter as captain--"and let down
your nets"-plural, Of the crew.
And Simon d. said Mas
ter, we have toiled all the night" etc.
The night was the best time for GER
tain kinds Of fishing, either because, "a
Pliny suggests, the fishes cannot see
as well then, and thus are not fright
ened away by the boats and nets, or
most probably because that is the
feeding time of the fishes. At any
rate, the fact that they had failed to
catch anything in the best time for fsh-
ing was reason for not expecting any
special results from fishing in the day
time. Nevertheless at Thy word I
will let down the net" This was an
act, not of despondency, but of faith.
Peter knew something about Jesus.
He had believed that He was the Mes
siah John lad and had seen His mir
acle at Cana of Galilee John 2:1-1D, SO
that, although he may not have ex-
pected miracle, he had reason to
trust in the wisdom and knowledge of
| Jesus.
They inclosed lin their nett great
multitude OF fishes" That miracle
is intended is unquestionable. How
wrought, whether by a Divine act
drawing together at this time and place
a shoal of fishes, or by Divine linowl-
edge perceiving the shoal that was
there, the narrator does not indicate
"And their net brake" Was breaking,