Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1918-03-22
LESSON FOR MARCH "a
JESUS MlNlsTERlNG TO THE MuL.
TiTuDES.
LESSON TEXT-Mark s.se-56.

LESSON TEXT-Mark $3.50.
! GOLDEN TEXT-The son OF man came
| not to be mlnstered unto. but to minis
ter, and TO give his lie a ransom for
many,-Matt ?O;2s,
/ DEVOTIONAL READlNG-Iohn $3.50,
/ ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR
/ TEACHERS Exodus l6,l+-lS, Matt, 25'3l.
&c; Luke ti6-2l, James l,21; Rev, Il.
! PRIMARY ToPlC-Jesus a helper at all
( times
1 MEMORY vERsE-Be Of good cheer
t II Is L. he not afraid Mark $50
! INTERMEDIATES ToPlC-Helpng the
needy
SENIOR AND ADULT ToPic-t0
This parable marks the high level or
the year Of popularity In the life OK
our Lord. II Is such an important mir
/ ncle as to be the only one recorded ny
NIL four gospel writer's. The returning
disciples w. 3I are urged by the Mas
/ ter TO come with him into n desert
! place and rest and also that he might
comfort their hearts over the death or
John the Baptist. "They had no
/ leisure" Jesus knew the need anu
also the proper use Of leisure, but the
multitude Would not grant him this but
ilocked to his retreat In the desert.
They followed that they might listen to
/ his gracious words. or behold some new
wonder, hut Jesus also saw and min
issered, ". PAY. 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 compassion that took the form
Of teaching ". 34). II Is better to
teach man how to help himself than
/ 10 help the man without the teaching.
We also Infer that the soul Of II man
Is Of more value than his body, 1t Is
not enough, however, to say God bless
YOU be warmed and fed" when man
Is hungry. Sympathy must Issue In ac-
ton.
A Great Task.
John tells us Of the conversation
with Phillip. Phillip lived In Bethsalda
nearby, but to feed this multitude was
too great n task. even with his knowl.
edge and resources (John 6:5, y. Yet
we need not be surprised at Phillips
s'owness Of faith. Moses In similar
case was once nonplussed rs to how to
feed the thousands in the wilderness
(see Numbers IL :2l-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 n lunch consisting
of five barley biscuits aud two small
dried herrings John 6:W. This is a
great commentary on the tide Of inter-
est ut this tlme-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" ". 37) teaches
us that we are TO give what we have,
not to look TO others, nor to do our
charity by proxy Pro. 1924, 25).
Again the Savior asks his disciples to
seek ". 3S) as though he would teach
them the boundess resources of his
kingdom. Give what you have and he
will bless and Increase II 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
: II.
Living Bread.
This conservation process was a
singing rebuke to the orientals, and is
being emphasized In these days Of food
conservation In connection with war
needs. Too long we have been prodlgal
of Gods marvellous bounties. God gives
us that we may use /; and we lose II UNI
less II Is shared. Jesus, the living
/ bread, John 6:4S) will satisfy hunger
and give life. As bread generates In
the human body heat, energy. vitality
and power, SO he will feed the hungry
souls Of men. We have at hand the
Word. II is for lack Of II that men die
In the deepest and truest sense OF that
4 Word. The poverty and perplexity OF
the disciples In the presence of similar
great need, is being repeated over and
over again, and yet how falthless II Is
i We have not enough to feed the multi.
tude. Our few loaves of comfort
amusement, counsel, ETC.. will not sus.
tain them in the present worlds crisis
but when we break unto them the liv,
Ing bread, II meets the deep hunger OF
the human, heart; and they will have
enough and to spare II they will only
eat 1t. In these days when the empha
sis is being laid on material bread fol
the sustenance of the nation, there Il
great danger lest we forget the neces
sity of breaking the living bread to the
starving multitudes of the world. W.
must maintain the supremacy Of the
spiritual, or lack the dynamic to pro
vide the material.
How true the words of the late DR.
Mnltbie 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 disciples
could not meet, Jesus discerned ant
solved. As they co-operated with hin
and gave of that which he had frs
blessed. each had basketball to taxi
away and thus was well repaid 70
sharing with the multitude.
Christ the Light Of the World. /,
Let us put away, then. let us pu
away oblivion of the TRUTH namely
Ignorance: and removing the darkness