Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1904-01-29
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
International Lesson Comments For
January 81.
Subject: Jesus Calls Four Disciples, Luke v,
llI-Golden Text, John viii, 3l-Msm'
DRY Verses, 4'6-Commentary
on the Days Lesson.

l.
/. "The peoDle pressed" Leaving Naza.
reth our Lord went to Capernaum and per.
haps abode in the house of Peter. The
power of His preaching drew crowds,
which pressed upon Him as He was walk.
ing along the white beach which forms the
margin of Lake Gennesaret. "To hear"
There was a good prospect for glorious
revival of religion. There were times in
the life of our Lord when thousands were
anxious to hear Him, for the common peo-
pie heard Him gladly. AXE of Gennesa-
ret" The most sacred sheet of water
which this earth contains Called also the
Sea of Gailee, the Sea Of Tiberlas. and in
the Old Testament the Sea of Chnneroth
(Josh. 1879. 1t is clear. sweet lake
about twelve miles long and five broad,
with the Jordan River flowing through it..
Its fish were valuable In Christ's time it
was covered with a fleet of 1000 vessels,
from fishing boats to ships of war. This
was the region of the early labors Of our
Lord. Here He performed some of His
most wonderful miracles; here He selected
His disciples But ut the present time all
is desoatc around Galilee, and the desola
ton will increase until the aggressive pow
or of Christ's gospel carries Christianity to
that now benighted land.
.. 1.-TWO ships" Fishing boats. They
must have been small This is clear from
The accounts given Of them. A few men
Gould handle one, and a single large draught
VI fishes endangered them. standing by"
Anchored, or drawn up upon the beach.
Washing their nets" They had spent the
,ght in fruitless effort and now they were
,leaning the filth of the sea from the
threads of the nets and mending any de-
'ective or broken parts. It is interesting
% notice how often Christ appeared to
men while they were busy with their tern
ooral affairs, and how their worldly condi-
ions were made the means Of giving them
, better understanding of Him. g. "One
# the ships" The ship of James and
John anpeared to he at some distance
yav. "Prayed Him" Asked Him. Jesus
IN familiar manner takes possession. OF
Peters boat and makes it His pulpit while
Re sneaks to the peoDle. "Sat down" The
common posture Of Jewish teachers. Com
,art Matt. 81. Taught" 1t is probable
hat this was small bay on the cove, and
that when He was in the boat the people
IN the shore stood round Him in the form
IF an amphtheatre. No doubt the lake
vas still so that His voice was undisturbed.
In such a. situation He could be easily
heard and no spectacle could be more
beautiful than the Son of God speaking to
he poor, ignorant and attentive multi
:udes assembled on the shore.
II. "The draught of fishes Tvs. 40. q.
Launch out" Christ forgot His own
WEAKNESS and only seemed to remember
the disappointment of His followers i'll
toling all night in vain. This verse has
,ften been used to illustrate. the fact that
Christ would have us leave the shore OF
selfshness. worldliness and sin and launch
out into the depth Of His nets for the tax
ing of fish. S. Master" This is the
tram n
Master is used in the New Testament. and
it is used only by Luke The other evan
~elists call Him Rabbi or Lord. Note how
Familiarity Peter addresses Jesus. "Toiled
all night" Peter saws this to show how
unlikely it was that they would catch any
thing. and it is no doubt reported by Luke
10 cause The miracle to appear all the more
striking. There were certain kinds OF fish
ing always carried on at night At lhy
word" No doubt Peter was weary and
somewhat discouraged, but he had faith
enough in Christ to lead him to go at the
direction of his divine Master.
6. "Their net brake" Their nets were
breaking."-R. V. There was such a mul-
titude of fishes that snap in some weak
part of the net warned them that they
must have assistance or lose the entire
catch" The miracle was an acted para.
DE. of which the significance is explained
n Matthew l347 This breaking net is
explained by st. Augustine as the symbol
If the church which now is. He compares
the unrent net to the church of the future
which shall know no schisms." 7. "Beck-
oned" Made signals. The distance evil
IDENTIFY being too great for the voice to
reach. They came" James and John
with their ship. Began to sink" The
boats would hardly hold as much as the
nets Trench refers to shoal of mackerel,
at Brighton, in 1908, so great that the net
could not be brought in, and fishes and
net remained i'll the sea together. By this
vast draught of fishes Christ intended, !;
10 show His dominion in the seas as well
Is on the dry land (Psa. 8:S). 2. To
confirm the doctrine He had Just preached.
3. To give those who were to be His ann
5assadors to the world specimen of the
success they might expect.
III. The disciples astonished Tvs 8, 81.
;. Saw" 1t seems that it was not till
Peter saw the boats beginning to sink that
he realized the greatness of the miracle.
Fell down" The common posture Of a
supp,icant. In amazement he fell at the
feet of Jesus trembling and afraid. He no
doubt had knowledge of many of the
miracles which Christ had performed, but
none had so directly touched himself as
this one. Depart from Me-" Peter saw
that the same knowledge and power that
could pervade the depths of the sea could
pervade the depths of his human heart
and know its secret sins. ga sinful man"
Peter saw himself very sinful creature.
When we get near Christ we will see that
in our unregenerate state we are without
moral beauty or holiness. 9. WAS aston
ished." Was amazed. Humanity stands
amazed before the power of God.
". Forsaken all for Christ Tvs. 10, ~:
10. "Sons Of Zebedee" The children and
wife of Zebedee are often referred to, but
in this transaction only do we meet with
Zebedee himself Matt. 4:2D. Fear not" y
He Gained their fears and stilled all their
troubled feelings. From henceforth."
Hereafter. Catch men," Literally, thou
shalt be catching alive. This seems to i'm
Div the contrast between the fish that lay
glittering there in dead heaps and men
Who should be captured not for death, but
for life.
IL. "Ships to land" They drew them
up on the beach for final abandonment.
''Forsook ALL" Although it was not much
which they had to leave, yet it was all they
had, even all their living. Followed
Him" They returned again to their occu'
patton as fishermen after the cruclfixlon.
and were again called to abandon 1T and
devote themselves by a second miraculous
draught of fishes and by the direct precept
of Jesus. After Pentecost they never re-
sumed their former secular calling.
pocketbook STRANGELY Recovered.