Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1918-03-01
LESSON FOR MARCH 8
JESUS BRINGING PEACE.

|
-Ps. 1858
DEVOTIONAL READINa-Ps. 1Ha-s.
4-1s.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR
TEACHERS-Matt. S:2s-34 Luke s:23-s9;
Matt. 14:22-33 Luke 9:s7-43A.
PRIMARY LESSON MATERIAIS-Mark
1854.
MEMORY vERsE-Even the wind and
the sea obey him.-Mark 4.41.
INTERMEDIATE ToPIC-Telling the
good news about the Prince of Peace.
MEMORY vERSE-Mark 5:19.
This lesson is a most dramatic one.
Surprise and revelation, rebuke and
encouragement are rapidly inter-
changed. Leaving the multitude to
whom he had been preaching Jesus
asks the disciples to pass over with
him to the other side of the lake ".
35). LET us pass over" Jesus never
asks his disciples to so where he will
not 60. How vivid Is the touch In v.
80: 'They took him as he was" He
was tired and weary he whose invita-
tion is to "all who are weary and
heavy laden" He who "had not where
to lay his head" is carried by loving
hands into the boat, and Is soon lost
In restful Aumber. Both Master and
friends are soon to meet q great sin
ner but first they must encountered a
great storm.
I. The Great Storm. The Master of
forces sleeps calmly on. Why mott
Who else could afford to be so appar-
emily Indifferent Not so these dis
ciples. They have vet to know him
perfectly, and hence It is natural that
in their alarm they should awaken
him as they view the rapidly filling
boat, and exclaim, Master, carest thou
not that we perish?" Weary and I'M
concerned as he appears to have been.
he arose and rebuked the wind and
the waves. Wind and waves are mate
rial things and therefore not suscep-
tible to rebuke. Jesus fronted the In
tangible cause; he rebuked the devil
who was responsible for this turbul-
ence; and the calm was commensurate
with the storm. The Psalmist says
"Great peace have they that love thy
law" Individuals and nations are
now in the midst of "great storm"
a day Of crime. stress. distress and
tragedy; struggle, temptation. grief
and loss. and the cry Lord save us!"
Is growing louder and more insistent.
Some Of us look for the early return
of the king, but all should listen for
his words "Peace be still" for 1t Is
the peace which he alone can give
that has power to calm the growing
turbulence of this age.
n. The Great Sinner. Reaching the
other side, they entered the land of
Gadara and there met demoniac who
Is. we believe, type Of the great sim
ner, for he was. (a) without restraint;
mo man could bind him" ". 81; (b)
he was injuring himself, "cutting."
etc. ". 81; (c) he was separated
from his friends, "dwelt among the
tombs' ". 81; (d) he was ''unclean"
". p. There was also evidence Of
the futility Of human resolutions and
the vainness Of attempt at control or
reformation ". AZ. mo man had the
strength to tame him." Note the tor
ment Of his life ". y. AS he healed
this man. the people saw their illegal
gain interfered with, and hence the
selfish request that Jesus should "de-
part out of their coasts ". 17), and
this even In the face Of what had been
done for the stricken one. Selhshness
knows no law. The Jews could not
eat pork but they were raising 1t to
sell to the Gentiles Of the land, which
amounted to an insult to their God.
and an evasion of their law. Jesus
permitted" the demons to enter the
swine thereby rebuking the avarice Of
the people and conclusively showing
| that they had left the demoniac. Luke
tells us (S:37) that the Gadarenes
were ''taken with great fear" Fear
Of what? Surely no fear Of the Cali
lean teacher. but rather Of the effect
of the restored mans testimony on
their material prosperity. Big busi-
ness will have many sins to account
| for In the face of greed for gain while
ignoring the cry of the afflicted amid
unsuitable and unsanitnry living con-
ditions. Church members have no
| right to condemn the liquor traffic,
while they rent stores to carry on this
destructive business.
A suggested outline for this lesson
would be as Follows:
IA Great storm--Ch. 1854.
The command Of Jesus--v. 35.
The WEAKNESS Of jesus. SO.
The alarm Of the disciples-v. 81
The indifference of Jesus--v. So
| The great calm-v. 80.
| %. a Glorious Cure-Ch. 5:1-2O.
The Gadarene a type Of the sin
ner--vv. 10.
| (Unclean, separated, no re-
| straint, self injury.
The Gadarene cleansed-vv. 6-15.