Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-04-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Lesson 2.-Second Quarter, April
Ia, 1918.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text of the Lesson, Mark 5:27-SS--
Memory Verse. Mark s:s6--Goiden
Text, Mark s:a4-commentary Pre-
pared by Rev. D. M. stearns.

The first nine verses of our lesson
chapter tell of Jesus feeding the four
thousand and is recorded also in Matt
Is :3O-3S. The multitude came bring
and cast them down at his feet. and
he healed them, and the multitude
wondered when they saw all these
healed, and they glorified the God of
Israel. Many of this great multitude
came long distances, and had been
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 it for we have seven loaves
and few fishes, and the other day
thou didst feed more people than there
are here with five loaves. Their I'M
believing reply was: Whence should
we have bread enough for this multi
fude? 1t sounds like the questions of
Moses, "Whence should l have flesh to
give unto all this peopleT Must we
fetch you water out of this rock?'
tNumb. II :13; 20:10). 1t should
never be question of can |, or can
we; but believing heart should say.
o Lord, thine hand is never waxed
short. l know that thou canst do
everything, and there is nothing too
hard for thee (Numb. II % Job. AZ 2;
Jer. 81 ~. Not needing their unbe-
lief. though 1t must have grieved him.
he took the loaves, and gave thanks.
and through the disciples filed 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
ciples, 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 il
but the sign of the prophet Jonah
Matt. 1874; 12:39, 40). So he left
them, and entering into the ship again
departed to the other side (vss. 10
49,. While they We're 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 1t that We do not under
stand that l spake not TO you concern
ing bread?" Then they understood
that he was warning them against the
false teaching of the Pharisees and
others (vss. 1927; Matt. 10 Alp.
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 % SO 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 TO see partially and
then clearly, very suggestive of his
disciples who had not yet clear vision
because of their unbelief 1t is true
of us all that we know only in part
now. but we shall know more fully Q
Cor. 1912.
As they journeyed from place to
place Jesus asked them by the way,
Whom do men say that / ann" Luke
says that 1t was as he was alone with
his disciples and praying duke 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. 100 a, if
You omit the italics you will see that
he is all prayer, and we are taught to
pray without ceasing q Thes. SID.
When the disciples had given various
answers then came the personal ques-
ton, sWhom say We that / amT' Tvs.
29). There is no question so impor-
tant for each of us as ''What think ye
of Christi" or what shall do with
Jesus Christi" Matt. % AZ; q :22).
Unless we can answer from the heart
Thou art the Christ. the Son of the
Living God Tvs. %; Matt. 1919, we
are not answering correctly. Only the
Father by his Spirit can enable us to
say this. Now see what it may mean
TO us thus TO receive and confess him.
Sweet water and bitter should not
come from the same place but 1t is
too often so tJas. 3 :S-12). The con-
Guiding verses of our lesson (34-3S)
set before us the cost of discipleship.
hut the reward for 1t 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. tJohn / :12
s:1e; 4:10; 9 :2T: 10 IS; Rom 1924