The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-06-08
The
Sunday=SchOO
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR MAY 80.
Subject: The Multitudes Fed, Matt.
14:13-21; 15:20-39-Commit
Verses 10, 20.

GOLDEN TEXT.-"Jesus said I'M
to them, I am the bread of life." John
6:35.
TIME.-Summer A. D. 20.
PLACE.-Near the Sea of Galilee.
EXPOSITION.-I. Jesus Healing
the Lame, Blind, Dumb, Manned and
Many Others, 1881. Jesus had with
drawn into the parts of Tyre and
Sidon that He might have more seclu-
sion, but even there they sought Him
out Tvs. 21-2S), so He returned to
the Sea of Galilee and went up into
the mountain. But ven there the
multitudes followed Him. They came
to Him because there was no one else
to whom they could go. They
brought their hopeless, helpless cases
to Him and cast them down at His
feet. They seemed to be in despair,
but there Is nothing too hard for
Him; lame, blind, dumb, manned,
though they were, "He healed them"
We have an equal warrant for bring
ing all our helpless cases to Him
(Heb. 1873; Jas. 5:14). "The null
titude wondered" but we are not told
that they were converted. They &C
tually saw the dumb speaking, the
manned healed, the lame walking and
the blind seeing. They gave the glory
to Whom it belonged. 1t Is signif-
cant that God is here spoken of as
1.-THE God of Israel" it was Jehovah.
God of Israel, who had promised to-
heal His people eek. 1926, A. R. W
II. Jesus Feeding the Hungry, 81.
80. The multitude that surrounded
Jesus had no real appreciation OF
Him. They were not after the truth.
but after the loaves and fishes (cf.
Jno. 6:26, 27). But they were deep
ly interested, they continued with
Him three days, though their small
supply of food was now exhausted,
Unworthy as. they were, Jesus was
moved with compassion, and He has
compassion on the hungry multitudes
to-day. The disciples were filled with
dismay at the suggestion contained In
His words that the multitude must be
fed (cf. Mum. 1~1:21-23; 2 K. 4:42;
S:2). To set them to thinking and
to prepare them to appreciate what
He was to do, Jesus asked them how
many loaves they had. With only
seven loaves and a few small fish,
Jesus commanded the multitude to sit
down. They did as they were told.
It was we'll that they did, for they
were fed and filled. 1t always pays
to do just as Jesus bids US, no matter
how unreasonable the command may
seem. The seven loaves and the
fishes were utterly inadequate for
such a crowd, but Jesus took what
there was and multiplied it. Jesus
always uses what we have, no matter
how inadequate it is in itself, to the
task in hand. The disciples did not
have much, but they put all they a
in His hands. When we do put all in
His hands, He will bless and multiply
it and use it, and He will not use 1t
until all is committed to Him. AS
little as there was, Jesus gave thanks
for it. We, too, ought to return
thanks every time we eat (Rom.
14:6; 1 Cor. 1920, 81; Col. S:17;
/ Tim. 4:3-5; Acts 27:35). There
was something deeply significant In
the manner in which our Lord re-
turned thanks at meals, so significant
that the disciples recognized Him at.
ter His resurrection by the way In
which He returned thanks at the
breaking of bread (Lu. 24:30, 81, 35;
see also Jno. GIL, 23). He gave
thanks not only for the seven loaves,
but later also for the few small fishes
(cf. Nix. Sc, y. The few small
fishes did not seem of much account,
but Jesus took them, returned thanks
for them and multiplied them. Our
possessions oftentimas seem so small
that it does not appear as If 1t was
worth while to put them in Jesus
hands, but there is nothing so small
that If we put it in Jesus hands, He
will despise it not anil use 1t. AS rev
and small as\the fish were, He COM
manded to set these also before them
(Mk. SD. AS large as the multitude
and as small the quantity OF food
that was supplied, there proved
enough for all, "they did all eat and
were filled" No one goes away
empty from Christ's table FPS. 23:1;
Phil. 4:19). But Jesus would not
have pountifulness teach. us wasteful-
ness; they took up thu broken pieces
that remained (Mk. 8:S). When they
we're filled, He sent them away, and
not till then (Mk. S:9). This is a
separate miracle from that of the
feeding Of the five thousand in the
18th chapter. There is a tendency
among modern critics, when one Cos
pel records a miracle or a parable and
another records another miracle or
parable much like to it, to take the
ground. that they are two different
accounts Of the same miracle or par
able, but in this case Matthew and
Mark record both miracles and thus
show the un%tenableness Of this mod
orp thooru