Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON APRIL a.
Jesus Requires Conf eSsiOn and Loyalty
Lesson Text, NJ lark 8:1-9:1
american Revision.)

loayes and a few fish Jesus feeds a
multitude of four thousand persons.
This is not a mere modified account
of the feeding of the five thousand,
recorded in an earlier chapter of this
Gospel. 1t is another disclosure of
what Jesus means and is. The sixth
chapter of Johns Gospel shows us
that Jesus was not merely offering
men bread but HIMSELF. "the Bread
of Life" of whom if a man eat he
shall never hunger more John $3.50.
But the four thousand did not see it.
They were blind.
Next follow two paragraphs oversees
11-13 and 1920 in which the blind
ness of the Pharisees, Jesus mortal
antagonists, and the blindness of his
own disciples, is revealed. The Phari-
sees come forth from their lair asking
him for "a sign from heaven" intend
ing craftily to turn his certain refusal
against him before the people. His
| disciples, when warned against the
dealy Heaven" as Jesus called 1t, or
, spirit of these men, begin at once to
think of physical bread, and to i'm
agine that after he has twice miracu-
| lously fed them and thousands of 9TH
ers he is now concerned because they
| have left bread behind!
| Next, in verses twenty two to twen-
ty-siX. the healing of a blind man is
| pictured, as though to show how easy
| it would have been for Jesus to take
| this terrific blindness of people for
ever away If only they had been ready
and willing to be enlightened.
But the lesson proper centers in the
! last two paragraphs extending from
verse twenty seven of the eighth
chapter to verse one of the ninth. Its
message is CONFESSION AND 10y
! Atty. Notice that the locality is
| Caesarea Philippi, that the chief
| spokesman among the disciples is ST.
| mon Peter, and that here two great
mountain-p peaks of revelation rise
above the mists of human blindness
and darkness. the DIVINITY, or
| DEITY OF CHRIST, on the one hand,
and his SACRIFICIAL AND ATOM
HING DEATH FOR THE WORLD on
the other.
Regarding the first mountain peak
we must never forget two things,
| First. Jesus did not hand over fin
| ished doctrine or conception of him
self to Peter: he drew conception of
| himself from Peter. ''Who do men say
! that 1 am?" The answers show that to
the men of his time Jesus was in the
prophetic category merely, and not the
| Christ, the Messiah. but who say ye
| Q4qsBl9 TpIUs4a' IpIqsl9 IpIqs d&MJmo
that / ann" THOU ART THE
| CHRISTI"
Luke reports Peters confession
more fully; Thou are the Christ of
Cod" Matthew, still more fully:
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
Living Cod" Both bring out into
the light the great meaning. They bring
out into the light the backgrounds
which Peter had come to discern as
he lived with Jesus, worked with him,
saw his perfect peace and holiness,
wondered before his deeds of power.
, Matthew reports also Jesus counter
confession, Blessed art thou, Simon
| Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath
not revealed it unto thee, but my
| Father who is in heaven" and Jesus
/ declaration that on this "rock' Of a
man confessing his deity should be
| built his indestructible and all-con-
quering church,
But after the light comes the dark
ness again. Immediately after this
first great truth had been perceived
and confessed, Jesus proceeds to re-
veal the second, the necessity of his
sacrificial and atoning death Verse
81 to SD. He fortells his coming
sufferings with fearful particularly.
| Peter, the confessor. now becomes
Peter the tempter He rebukes Jesus
as predicting a fate unworthy Of the
Messiah. Peter stands now where
Jesus stood at the Temptation in the
Wilderness. He renews our Lords
temptation. becomes a Satan. and is
himself rebuked.
Then Jesus draws the multitude to
himself, and announces the universal
law, common to king and subject
Master and disciple, civilian and SOL
der, that we live only as we die, we
gain our lives only as we lay them
down. This is the truth for the men
of Camp Hancock. for the men in the
trenches, for the Christian and patriot
everywhere today: WHAT SHALL IT
PROFIT A MAN TO GAIN THE
| WHOLE WORLD AND LOSE HIS
OWN HONOR AND LOYALTY AND
FAITH? May we not falter when the
shadow of the cross falls athwart our
lives, but in these days go the full
length of needed sacrifice, assured of
a resurrection beyond.
Sentry Con artillery side) HALT"