The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson. K.-Second Quarter,
For May 20, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the Lesson, Matt. xiv, 13-21J
XIV 2s-3e-Memory Verses, 10, 20.
Golden Text, John vi, s. Com
mentary by Rev. D. M. stearns.
In this lesson we are asked to con-
slider two great miracles, which our
Lord speaks of as ''the five loaves of
the 5000 and the seven loaves of the
4,OO0' (Matt. xvi, Q, 1W on one occa-
sion when He rebuked the disciples
for their lack Of faith. The former is
recorded by each of the four evangel-
lists and is the only miracle recorded
by the four, while the latter is record
ed only by Matthew and Mark. In
each case Jesus had compassion upon
the multitudes because of their hum
ger, and He abundantly supplied their
need by miraculously increasing a
very small quantity of food. When
we consider who it was who did this
and how He had fed millions for
many years with bread from heav-
en- and had brought water from
rock for them, how He had cared for
! Elijah by the ravens and multiplied
the widows meal and oil and made
twenty loaves suffice for 100 men,
there is nothing remarkable in His do
ing this great thing, for His very
name is Wonderful" If we consider
the first miracle, the 5000 fed, we
shall, think, cover the other also. The
apostles had gathered to Jesus and
had told Him all that they had done
and taught, and He had taken them
aside to rest awhile, for there were SO
many coming and going that they had
no leisure even to eat. q am consid-
ering the lesson with a harmony Of
the gospels before me. The student
Of the lesson should do the same.)
1t Is said by John that the multitudes
followed Him because they saw His
miracles which He did on them that
were diseased. Whatever their mo-
tive was, He took advantage Of their
gathering to speak to them Of the
kingdom Of God and to heal them
that had need of healing John vi, 2;
Luke, TX, III.
He was ever speaking Of the king
dom and setting forth by word and
deed the nature Of 1t. II we were
more like Him in this respect it would
be better. When the day was far
spent His disciples urged Him to
send the multitudes away that they
might go into the villages roundabout
and buy themselves bread, but He
said what must have sounded very
strange, "They need not depart; give
We them to eat" l believe that is still
His message to all who have the bread
Of life. There is in church work to-
day an Andrew and Philip brother
hood, and if they are doing as Andrew
and Philip did in John /, bringing men
to Jesus, it is well, but in John vi, in
connection with our lesson, we need
to take warning and not example
from Philip and Andrew, for the first
figured as to how he thought the thou
sands might be fed, and Andrew seems
almost to ask pardon for mentioning
such a trifle as the presence of lad
with five loaves and two small fishes.
They both seemed utterly to forget
the mountain, or the day of small
things, of Zach. iv, z, 10, forgetting
verse 6 and its teaching, that in the
work Of the Lord all must be accom-
plished not by might nor power of
man, but by the Spirit Of the Lord.
When Jesus heard of the lads loaves
and fishes He said, Bring them hither
to Me-" Now, that is the one only
thing to do always-put ourselves and
just what we are or have wholly and
unreservedly into His hands, remem-
bering that He always knows what
He will do, and when His time comes
to act we may hear Him say, "Now
shalt thou see what / will do John
vi 6; Elk. vi, y. 1t is never a question
of who we are or what we have or
can do, but only who is He, and what
can He do. To say or think Can
God do this?" is to speak against Him.
Jesus took the loaves and fishes
and gave thanks, looking up to heav-
en-, and, having blessed the food, He
brake 1t and gave 1t to the disciples,
and by them to the multitude, and all
did eat as much as they would and
were filed, and there remained over
and above all that was needed twelve
baskets full Of the fragments, one for
each Of the twelve apostles, and the
5000 men, besides women and chill
dren, had been filed, multitude sat-
isfed and the laborers twelve baskets
richer than when they started Which
was better-to send them away or
give them to eat? The disciples had
nothing to start with, but see the
abundance they had at the close.
Some one has said that this particular
miracle was the result OF one little
boys giving all he had to Jesus.
What story that lad would have to
tell his mother when he returned home
of the wonders wrought by Jesus with
her loaves and fishes, and how strange
| ly joyful he must have felt to see
such multitude so fed and filed with
what he had given up! Surely he
must have become a devoted follower
of Jesus. How we would like to know
/ the rest of his story! | believe / am
| greatly indebted to him for the way
the Lord has graciously used me in
Bible class and missions for over
twenty years. Although l had then
! and have now q vary small nhfroh