The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-10-02
INTERNATIONAL
:SUMGlSOOOL
LESSON
By E. o. SELLERS, Director Of EveninS
Department, Thu Moody Bible Institute.
Chicago.) -
LESSON FOR OCTOBER s.

LESSON FOR OCTOBER 6.
JESUS WALKING ON TIE SEA.
LESSON TEXT-Mark 6.45-6S.
GOLDEN TEXT-"But straightway
| Jesus spake, unto them, saying, Be OF
good cheer: It Is I; be not afraid"
thew 14f1. o."
The miracle of the feeding OF the
five thousand marks q crisis in the
life of Jesus. John 6:16). The human
ity of Jesus Is shown in that as oon
as he had performed that miracle ne
first sends away his disciples, then
sends away the multitude, while ne
departs Unto a mountain TO pray" To
pray the prayer. Of thanksgiving, TO
pray for strength to Withstand q
new temptation, (John 6:14, I'D; 70
pray for those whom he had fed;
and surely to pray for his chosen ones
that they might understand him and
his mission.
Jesus had taken his disciples into
the mountain for their own good.
mark 6:31) and now he sends them
away lest they yield to the advice,
the opportunities, of the crowd and
consort with them in their desire to
make Jesus a temporal rather than 9
spiritual king. Such a course would
have precipitated matters. But In his
solitude as he prayed, Jesus Was
watchful of his own.
He had sent them into the storm
to avoid a greater danger, would ne
not watch over them? So with many
q testing in u lives. They seem
severe, but how little we know OF the
greater danger we have missed, He
saw ". 4s) their distress. long before
they saw their relief (y.4s). Jesus
knew the need Of prayer. Jesus knew
the need OF solitary prayer as he must
pass this crisis, 80 It was that while
he fingered in prayer they were dis
tressed till "the fourth watch'-nearf
daybreak. Once before MARK 1881
they had been with him in q great
storm while he slept Now they are
| alone, but Jesus is not asleep. Though
seemingly alone yet he was helping
them through prayer Heb 7::25J and
when the proper time arrived he went
when the rescue Il Cor. 1878. The
helplessness Of the disciples and the
stress Of the storm is heightened when
we consider the fact that these were
fishermen Injured by exposure TO such
storms. To further test their latin
he made as though "he would have
passed by them" ". 49,. So It 49,
that testings and sometimes such ca
tastrophes as that Of the Titanic
would teach man his real weakness
before God. But though verse AZ re-
vealed a dark situation the dawn OK
help was at hand.
III Considered Test.
Il is not strange that they did not
recognize Jesus. He often comes to
us in ways we do not at first recog-
nize, In ways that at first terrify US,
but he does not leave us long In q 9
pense. We read, he 'straightway
rescued them. TT is I; be not afraid
Notice he assures them first who fits
that is near, 1T is l." They recognize
the tones Of his familiar voice o
then they were ready for his words
OF confidence, "be not afraid" so Coo
speaks to us in the hour Of q
darkest trial, saying 10, am with
you always;"-"be not afraid"
From the parallel account by Mat.
thew Matthew IA: 1886 We read OF
Peters attempt to walk upon the wa
ter. His rash and Ill considered test
Of the reality Of Jesus presence. Then
we see him as he too compares HIM
self with the angry storm n taking
his eyes off Of Jesus begins TO- sink
Peters sharp, piercing cry; his clear.
| definite, appeal is at once answered
and Jesus leads him safely back into
the boat.
How different is the picture once
Jesus was in tn boat, and how DON
they reached the goal toward which
they had been struggling, (John' Sis,
21). If any one is at sea, II any one
is fruitlessly toiling against wind and
wave, only let them take Jesus on
board and soon they will reach a
safe landing place.
The disciples were amazed and
their hearts were hardened wv. 81,
.52), and this even after the creative
miracle Of feeding the five thousand
why so? It is evident that even
those nearest to him did not appre-'
bend the true meaning of this miracle,
on the contrary their hearts were har-
dened, @. g., blind. This Is given as
a reason for their amazement, In b
face of this miracle, at his victory
over the storm. This would not have
occurred had they as yet fully under
stood the feeding of the multitude. We
are told that the next day Jesus up
braided the multitude because of this
very same lack. John 6:22, etc. OF.
course the disciples did not follow him
for the loaves, still they had not en-
tered into that deep spiritual concep-
ton of Jesus that would have saved
them from amazement at any Of his.
acts.
Spiritual Application.
The real Interpretation Of Christ's
miracles Is not that we are to be
amazed at the material manifestation
but that we are to see the spiritual