The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-02-23
The rIiracIe OF The Loaves And Fishe S

Crucial times had come. John Bap-
fist was martyred. Prudence sugges-
ted retirement. WEAKNESS demand
ed it. The retreat would also affof
the apostles an opportunity to re-
port more infinitely to the Master the
experiences of their trial-trip, two and
two, through Galiee, from which
they had just returned So the boat
which had been chartered for Jesus
and"waited upon Him''was employed
to put the weary toilers beyond the
reach of the multitudes that pressed
upon them even at meaItimes.
Headwinss probably drove the lit
tie bark near shore and retarded its
progress. Clandestine as the depart
ure had been it failed of its purpose.
An eyer-augmenting throuS h urried
around the head of tae lake, and
probably apprised some pilgrimeara
vans to the Passover of the coming of
the great Nazarene. So when Jesus
boat ran its keel upon the pebbly
shore, there stood five thousand men,
not TO mention the women and chill
dren.
So far from being irritated by the
failing of His plans, Jesus heart was
touched TO pity at sight of the shep-
herdless flock, and He began at once
to instruct them in many phases of
the doctrine of grace. Ia the absorb
ing interest of the theme neither
Teacher nor taught observed how
the sun was dipping to the western
horizon.
But the cOmmissary of the apostolic
college suddenly awOke to the situa-
ton. Five regiments, and no stores
on hand or any country to forage
upon! After some questions on Jesus
part, calculated to test His disciples
faith, but to which they RESPONDED
with phenomenal obtuseness, He pro-
poses to work what, in some respects,
was His most remarkable and signiti-
cant miracle.
was paltrY in the extreme,
But one poor fishers rude and scanty store
Is all lie asks (and more than needs,
Who men ana angels daily feeds.
There is a vivid, descriptive touch
in the Greek which does not appear
in our version. Under Jesus direc-
tion the confused throng was resoly-
ed into the order of a French parteyre.
He had them sit platwise, SO that
they looked, in their high colored gar
ments, like yeritable flower beds with
green turf intervening.
q After the cheerful grace, which Je-
sus never omits, He puts a morsel of
bread and fish in the hand of each
apostle, and sends him forth to serve
What each breaks off is larger far
than what remains. But that which
remains is undiminished. And all
are fed and filled AS a lesson in fru-
gality, the unused fragments are Or
dered to be gathered up. Each hest
tating apostle holds in his hands the
tangible evidence of the reality and
magnitude of the miracle wrought.
Even a casual reader of the Bible
will hardly fail to note that st. John
has a philosophy of his own, in accor-
dance with which be arranges the
facts, miracles, and discourses of Je-
sus. He does.not do violence to chro-
nolOgY, but he is not hampered by it,
His purpose is 10 show the evolution
of Jesus character and work in the
most effective way possible. The
material is vast and bewildering. In
fine hyperbOle John eXclaims that if
all the things that Jesus said and did
were recorded the world would not
contain the books that would be
written. Selection is necessary. To
this end he makes choice of scenic in
cidents and the sermons which they
evoked. So follow in order the first
and second miracles at Cana, the con
yersatlons of Jesus with the woman
and NicOdemus, the miracle Of heal
ing at Bethesda, and of feeding be-
side the sea. Nothing could be more
spirited There is a philosophic con
tinuity which is far more effective
than a bald chronological one could
possibly be
The Teachers Lantern.
Lovely evidence is here OF the i'm
plicit confidence which maintained
between Jesus and His apostles.
They came to Him. They told Him
what they had done, what they had
taught. They were sure of His SYM
pathy. If they needed correction,
they knew it would be done in love.
The eldest disciples have no monop
oily, however, Of Jesus sympathy He
is touched with feeling for us, too
We can come to Him also, to tell Je-
sus'' is still the disciples blissful re-
course.
The same cOnsiderateness which
Jesus showed for the health and COM