The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-04-04
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Lesson 2.-Second Quarter, April
II, 1918.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text OF the Lesson, Mark s:a7.ss-
Memory Verse, Mark s;3e-ooIden
Text, Mark s:34-commentsry Pre-
pared by Rev. o. M. stearns

chapter tell Of Jesus feeding the four
thousand and is recorded also in Matt.
1o;SO-3S. The multitude came bring
ing the lame. blind, dumb and MANNED
and cast them down at his feet. and
he healed them, and the multitude
wondered when they saw all these
healed. and they glorifed the God OF
Israel. Many OF this great multitude
came long distances. and had been
with him three days with nothing TO
eat. He said to his disciples that he
felt sorry for these multitudes, and
would not send them away fasting.
We might think that with his recent
feeding Of the 5000 the disciples would
have said: Well, Master, thou canst
easily do II for we have seven loaves
and a few fishes, and the other day
thou didst feed more people than there
are here with Ave loaves. Their I'M
believing reply was: Whence should
we have bread enough for this multi
tude1 IL sounds like the questions of
Moses, whence should have flesh TO
give unto all this people3" "Must we
fetch you water out Of this rock?"
(Numb. 1:13; 20:10). IL should
never be a question OF can I, or can
we. but believing heart should say,
q Lord, thine hand Is never waxed
short. l know that thou canst do
everything. and there Is nothing too
hard for thee (Numb. IL %: Job. AZ p;
Jer. 81 III. Not needing their unbe-
lief, though II must have grieved him,
he took the loaves, and gave thanks,
and through the disciples filled all
these hungry people. and seven bas-
kets full Of fragments were gathered.
Then he sent them away and
crossed the sea In a boat with his dis
clples. and the Pharisees and Sad
ducees came TO him tempting him and
asking OF him sign from heaven.
This caused him TO sigh deeply and
he said. "a wicked and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and
there shall no sign be given unto II
but the sign Of the prophet Jonah
(Matt. 1874: II 80. 40). So he left
them. and entering into the ship again
departed to the other side (vss. 10
13). While they were crossing. or
after they had reached the other side.
he warned them against the leaven Of
the Pharisees, and OF the Sadducees,
and OF Herod. and they thought he
was referring to the fact that they
had forgotten TO bring some bread
with them. Can we wonder that he
said. 'How is II that ye do not under
stand that spake not 10 you concern
ing breadf" Then they understood
that he was warning them against the
false teaching OF the Pharisees and
others (vss. 1921: Matt. 16:4-12).
There is no place In Scripture where
have. as yet, found leaven signify
ing anything good. and we saw In a
recent lesson that he foresaw and
foretold the time when the church
would sadly corrupt her food.
In verses 90 80 we have the story
OF the blind man. referred TO In a re-
cent lesson. whom he took by the
hand, led him out of the town. and
caused him first 20 see partially and
then clearly. very suggestive Of his
disciples who had not yet clear vision
because OF their unbellef. II Is true
OF US all that we know only In part
now, but we shall know more fully Il
Cor. 10 :12).
As they journeyed from place to
place Jesus asked them by the way.
"whom do men say that ann" Luke
says that II was as he was alone with
his disciples and praying Uuke 9:s).
There Is no contradiction, for he was
ever praying by night and by day. by
the way and everywhere; always In
communion with his Father, and al
ways pleasing him. In Ps. 1904, II
you omit the italics you will see that
he Is all prayer. and we are taught TO
pray without ceasing Il Thes. 5:1D.
When the disciples had given various
answers then came the personal Ques-
ton. "Whom say ye that l ann" Tvs.
29). There Is no question so impor-
tant for each of us as "What think ye
OF Christi" or "What shall l do with
Jesus Christi" (Matt. % AZ; "a :22).
Unless we can answer from the heart
'Thou art the Christ. the Son OF the
Living God Tvs. %; Matt. 10 :16). we
are not answering correctly. Only the
Father by his Spirit can enable us to
say this. New see what IL may mean
10 US thus TO receive and confess him.
Sweet water and bitter should not
come from the same place but II is
too often so Gas. 3:S-12). The con-
Guiding verses of our lesson (34-3S)
set before us the cost OF disclpleship.
but the reward for IL all will be very
great when we shall come with him In
his glory Tvs. 3s). Salvation. eternal
life, the forgiveness OF all our sins,
these are the free gift OF God In
Christ Jesus because Of his finished
work, and we have only TO receive
him and all are ours. (John 1;12;
9:10; 4:10; 8:27; 1928; Rom. 1924;
6:23; Eph. 2:S. %. To be true dis
cipline is costly to the believer, for II
means that because he has redeemed
us. and so loved US, we must gladly
count all things but loss for the ex-
cellency Of the knowledge OF himself,
and glory only In the cross whereby
the world Is crucified TO us and we TO
the world. (Phil. 8;s; Gal. CAD.