The Yale expositor., 1908-02-28
Jesus Feeds the
Five Thousand
Sunday School Lesson for March I, 1908
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper

verses, IL, l., Idfdllcl accounts, Mdll a.
1921; Mark 6:3l-44: Luke 9:l0-l7.
GOLDEN TEXT-"He shall feed His
flock like "A shepherd. Isaiah 4O1l.
TIAiE.-A year after the last lesson on
the healing at Bethesda Early i'm the
third year of Jesus ministry, soon after
the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The
Passover this year, \. ID. -, began April
l6 Al the time of this lesson the peo-
pie from Galilee and beyond were on
their way to Jerusalem.
PLACE-An uncultvated grazing re-
gion on the outskirts OF Bethsaida duke
$40, called the Plain of Butaiha. 1t
lay on the northeast shore of the Sea
of Gallee at the foot Of the mountains.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
V. 5. Jesus then lifted up his eyes.
and saw a great company come unit
him" 'And he had compassion o.
them because they were as sheep no
having a shepherd" mark 6.3D.
Their bodily hunger and disease were
but types of the deeper hunger and
the deadlier disease of sin.
He showed his compassion in two
ways. CD "He welcomed them and
spake to them of the kingdom of God"
(2) Them that had need of healing
he healed" duke Gid.
The whole world is a weary and
hungry multitude and Jesus has COM
passion on them Qsa. 43:1-3; 55:1, 2;
Nal. 3:17; Eph. pa, 5; John 3:16;
Psalm 1OS, etc).
The fields are white.
In every land there are many per-
sons unreached by the Gospel so far
as bringing their hearts and lives to
Christ.
In many lands there are millions
who never even heard of the Gospel
and yet who need the blessings which
Christianity has brought us.
What are these among so many?
And still we ask the same question
as we stand in the presence of the
evil to be overcome, the work TO be
done. the multitudes to be converted
to Christ, the power OF the enemy. IT,
indeed, these" were all, if there were
no Holy Spirit, no omnipotent Christ
working in and through them, then
our efforts would be but TO dam the
Nile with bulrushes," or irrigate Sa.
hara with garden hose.
What a little boy can do. A name
less, poor boy, but his record is i'm
mortal. Thank God there is lad
everywhere! No scene or incident is
complete 10 me without boy in the
foreground. II is the glory and charm
of life that he is always in evidence.
The real helpfulness of the average
boy is one of the sublimities of the
universe"
He distributed to the disciples, as a
matter of convenience, and as an OBJ
ject lesson both to them and to the
people. The divine gifts were con
veyed through human instrumentality
as in the case of spiritual food.
The organization was () that of the
people in companies; (2) the apostles
as distributors of the bread, and work
ers together with God.
There are organized societies in
each denomination for the extension
of the Gospel to those in need at home
and abroad. Every church and each
individual in them should sustain
these organizations to their utmost
! ability. The Sunday school should
also give to the great UNCONVENTIONAL
societies regularly, and usually in the
months in which the collections are
taken up in the church Note also 9th
er organized methods Of extending the
Gospel, as the Young Peoples Mis-
sionary Movement 156 Fifth avenue,
New York;; the Christian Endeavor
movement; both of which are marvel
Gus INSTRUMENTATION organizations
Of great power and usefulness.
1t is said that the Women's Boards
of Missions are the most effectually
organized societies in the world for
the spread of the Gospel, excepting
only the Jesuits.
Laymen's Missionary Movement
A movement has been started within
year to organize the laymen of each
church in each denomination for
awakening interest i'm missions, pro-
viding means of obtaining from
each layman an increasing amount
given to missions, and thus secure
groups of laymen TO promote cam
paigns of intelligent and generous in
terest in foreign missions. with spe-
cial reference to the men of the
church, the expense of these move
ments to be borne whenever possible
by such groups of men. so that the
funds of the boards shall not be
drawn upon"
The Young Peoples Missionary
Movement, organized by the home
and foreign missionary boards of the
Protestant churches of the United
States and Canada, less than five
years ago, represents the best de-
velopment of cooperative educational
work on the part of these boards. Last
year, there were more than 10000
young people Systematically studying
home and foreign missions. II is pro-
posed now to extend the work which
has been so successful among the
young peoples societies of the
churches to the Sunday schools.
Practical Points.
a. l.A