Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-03-22
LESSON FOR MARCH "a
JESUS MINIsTERING TO THE MUL
TITUDES.
LESSON TEXT-Mark 1926.

LESSON TEXT-Mark 1926.
GOLDEN TEXT-The son of man came
not to be ministered unto, but to minis
ter, and to give his life a ransom for
many.-Matt. 20:2S.
DEVOTIONAL READING-John 6:35-4O.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR
Neutrality-suspicious. ~16:14-1S; Matt. 25:31-
As: Luke 4:16-21; James 1:27; Rev. II.
PRIMARY TOPIC-Jesus a helper at all
times.
MEMORY VERSE-Be of good cheer:
1t is L; be not afraid.-Mark $50
INTERMEDIATE TOPIC-Helping. the
needy.
SENIOR AND ADULT TOPIC-(0
This parable marks the high level of
the year of popularity in the life of
our Lord. 1t is such an important mir
acle as to be the only one recorded by
all fOur gospel writer's. The returning
disciples ". 80 are urged by the Mas
ter to come with him into a desert
place and rest and also that he might
comfort their hearts Over the death of
John the Baptist. 'They had no
leisure" Jesus knew the need and
also the proper use of leisure, but the
multitude would not grant him this but
f1Ocked to his retreat in the desert.
They followed that they might listen to
his gracious words, or behold some new
wonder, but Jesus also saw and min
istered, ". 24). Carlyle said he saw
in England forty million people most
ly FOOLS" Not so with Jesus; he saw
and was moved, not with sarcasm, but
with a compassion that took the form
of teaching ". 34). 1t is better to
teach a man how to help himself than
to help the man without the teaching.
We also infer that the soul of a man
is of more value than his body. 1t is
not enough, however, to say "God bless
you; be warmed and fed when a man
is hungry. Sympathy must issue in ac-
ton.
A Great Task.
John tells us of the conversation
with Phillip. Phillip lived in Bethsaida
nearby, but to feed this multitude was
too great a task, even with his knowl-
edge and John 6:5, y. Yet
we need not be surprised at Phillips
slowness of faith. Moses in a similar
case was once nonplussed as to how to
feed the thousands in the wilderness
(see Numbers II :21-33). The central
fact concerns neither the need nor our
poverty, but the absolute surrender of
our all-however little-to God.
Another disciple, Andrew, who had
brought his brother, Simon Peter, to
the Savior, in his desperation found a
boy whose mother had thoughtfully
provided him with a lunch consisting
of five barley biscuits and two small
dried behring's John Coy. This is a
great commentary on the tide of inter-
est at this time-that even this hungry
boy should have forgotten his lunch
the circumstances emphasized the help
lessness of the disciples in order that
Jesus might show his power. His COM
mand "Give We Them" ". 80 teaches
US that we are to give what we have,
not to look to others, nor to do our
charity by proxy (Pro. II "a, go,
Again the Savior asks his disciples to
seek ". 39) as though he would teach
them the boundless of his
kingdom. Give what you have and he
will bless and increase it to meet the
needs of the multitude. The secret OF
success points to the moment when he
took the loaves and looking up Ito God
who also saw their needS), he blessed
it.
Living Bread.
This conservation process was q
singing rebuke to the Orientals, and is
being emphasized in these days of food
conservation in connection with wal
needs. Too long we have been prodiga
of Gods marvellous bounties. God give!
US that we may use and we lose it I'm
less it is shared. Jesus, the Twins
bread, John 6:48) will satisfy hunger
and give life. AS bread generates il
the human body heat, energy, %vitalit,
and power, so he will feed the hungry
souls of men. We have at hand the
Word. 1t is for lack of it that men di'
in the deepest and truest sense of tina
Word. The poverty and perplexity O
the disciples in the presence of SimilaI
great need, is being repeated over an
I'VE again, and yet how faithless it is
We have not enough to feed the multi
tude. Our few loaves of comfort
amusement, counsel, etc, will not sus
tam IAAC1h Ia lC pICSCIL "OIIu > CIlSIS
but when we break unto them the ly
ing bread, it meets the deep hunger O
the human heart; and they will hav
enough and to spare if they will onl
eat it. In these days when the empha
sis is. being laid on material bread TO
the Sustenance of the nation, there i
? great danger lest we forget the nec@
sity of breaking the living bread to tn
starving m%ultitudes of the world. w
must maintain the supremacy of tn
! spiritual, or lack the dynamic to prc
: vide the material.
+ How true the words of the late d.
Maltbie Davenport Babcock:
Back of the loaf is the snowy flour;
Back of the flour the mill:
And back of the mill is the wheat.
And the showers, and the sun,
And the Fathers will.
The problem which the disciple
could not meet, Jesus discerned an
solved. AS they co-operated with hil
and gave of that which he had frs
blessed, each had a basketball to tax
away and thus was we'll repaid fo
sharing with the multitude.
Christ the Lidht Of the WorId