Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-01-13
The Beginning Of the
! Calilean Ministry

Specially Arranged for This Paper

TIME.-John The Baptist was I'm
prisoned the latter part of March, A. D..
2S. The four disciples were called In
April or May. The Galllean ministry
continued about a year and nine months
from April, A. ID. %, to near the close
NJ A. u. %.
PLACE.-Jesus now made his home In
Cnpernaum, on the Sea Of Galiice. The
scene OF his ministry was the Province of
-Galilee.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Introduction to the LessOn.--Vs. 70,
IL. Why does Matthew omit more than
a year of Jesus ministry? Because he
would have his record that OF an eye.
witness, from personal observation.
by whom were the events Of the
Judean ministry recorded? BY the
Apostle John, the relative and most In.
Innate friend of Jesus.
Why did Jesus go to Galilee for his
longest work in establishing the new
form Of the kingdom Of God? Because
u was better soil for the good seed.
less numbered with the stony ground
OF official and superficial ceremonies
and with the thorns of selfish inter.
ests, Of wOrldliness labeled as piety,
less trodden into beaten paths of rit.
ual, forms, customs, habits, pleasures,
and cares connected with the machin.
cry of religion.
Why did Jesus leave Nazareth? Be.
cause, as we learn from Luke 4: 1881,
his tOwnsmen rejected and tried to
kill him. This wrong Providence caus.
ed to work out good, for Nazareth was
no the best situation for carrying out
his mission.
!. The Prophetic Vision. The Dawn
Of the New Kingdom.-Vs. 14-16: lisa.
3: l, 2. Spoken by Esaias. Greek for
Isaiah, Gods message through the
prophet. lisa. 9: /, 81 The territory
spoken Of, the tribes of "Zebulun,"
and "Naphtali," were the northern.
most tribes, (15) "by the way of the
sea-" or toward the Sea Of Galilee,
where the great eastern roads entered
the country beyond Jordan, Galilee
OF the Gentiles," the portions of Gall
lee adjoining the heather nations.
II. Preaching the Gospel. A Char.
acteristic Of Jesus Work Throughout
His Ministry.-V. II. Jesus began to
let this new light shine, and to prove
that he was the n foretold by the
prophet.
Began to preach" proclaim rs the
herald of the king, who had sent him.
He preached in every possible method
by which he could reach the hearts
OF men.
III. Selecting and Training Work
ers. The Calling of the Four.-Vs. 49,
%. Jesus 10Y made another advance
in his plan Of selecting and training
men to enlarge his present work, and
to prepare for its continuance and the
extension of his gospel after his
death. It was "a school of instruc-
ton in his ideal OF Righteousness
Simon, who Is "called Peter" the
Rock. so named by Jesus on his first
acquaintance (JOhn /: 42) as a proph-
ecy and ideal, a call upward to fulfil
the possibilities within him. "And
Andrew his BROTHER" who had shown
his possibilities as n fisher of men, by
bringing his brother to Jesus. Cast
ing a net into the sea-" Matthew gives
q condensed account of the story told
in full by Luke. Jesus used one Of
their boats as a pulpit to preach to the
people or he shore. He showed the
fishermen that the boat was of value,
although they had fished from II all
night in vain. Then at his command
they let down their nets and enclosed
a great number of fishes. 1t was with
great wisdom that at this point when
Jesus Cl9) saith unto them. Follow
me, and ] will make you fishers of
men," Their partners, James and
John, who had been summoned to aid
Peter, were not far away.
81. Going on from thence, he saw
these 'other two brethren" In their
boat with Zebedee their father, mend.
ing their nets" which had been torn by
the great catch of fish. And he called
them" All -four left their nets, and
followed Jesus. and became fishers
Of men.
~. Going About Doing Good to the
Bodies and Souls of Men.-Vs. 1926.
These verses are a summary Of which
chapters SO give a detailed account
showing his varied, extensive, and
far.famed work" 20. "And Jesus went
about all Galilee." This was his first
tour of the country. Jesus scattered
the good seed everywhere, knowing
that some Of 1t would fall into the
good soil Of honest hearts and spring
up and bear fruit.
"a. "And his fame" the report" Of