The Topeka state journal., 1919-10-24
= - - = -. =
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.
4 Travellers Tale of Galilee.

For October 26 Is. "a Lesson In
/ Trust. Matt. 14:2233.
a Travellers Tale of GaliIee.
Storm-stayed on the Lake of CAL
| lice, have had an unusual oppoT-
| tunity to understand the setting of
| this present Lesson. 1t was only a
| few months ago, in the summer of
this present year, that learned from
experience how this little body of
water, thirteen miles long by a mile
wide. could BATTLE the efforts of sturdy
, boatmen. Naturally, for me the long
| hours on the lake, despite the con-
trary weather, were a joy and spirit
uaI experience, rather than an ordeal:
for was not entering into Fellowship
with the Man of Galilee and his fish
! ermen friends?
The afternoon was drawing to a
close when two of us, just in by
| launch and rail from Jerusalem, set
/ out from Tiberias for the ruins of old
| Capernaum. The Poatmen assured us
| that we. could easily make the trip
TO save dinner for us. Big and cum
borsome. and equipped with sail and
two oars that were really heavy
sweeps, one man to each, our boat
was not greatly different from that
which the sons of Zebudee abandoned
to follow Jesus. Our three husky
boatmen were Arabs, speaking no
| English. yet quick toG comprehend
signs. They were in high spirits, for
foreign passengers meant a big wage.
7 Wind was light as we set sail from
the rickety wharf of Tiberias, the
we drew toward the center of the lake.
the wind grew stronger. and the waves
higher. But the wind came from the
northeast, and baffled our progress,
tack as we might. The boatmen used
all their skill, but SO contrary was the
wind that they early suggested re-
turn to Tiberias. They dared not give
up entirely. except on my request, for
to do so would imperil the fee they
expected And truth to tell, 1 enjoyed
the struggle more than a straight,
swift passage.
A Night Ride on GaliIce.
Meanwhile, the glory of a Galilee
sunset enwrapped the lake. over the
plain of Magdala and the hills of
Hattin, where the Sermon on the
Mount was delivered, the sun sank
luxuriantly to rest in the Mediter-
ranean, His departing smile was re-
flected upon the empurpled hills of
Gadara, and glinted gloriously upon
the surface of the water. All the land.
scape was softened until it seemed to
have been breathed upon by the peace
of God. The sky itself became silk
watered silk, in striped pattern. and of
softest S>~.ors. Thru these rich cur
tains an evening star shone- out in
brilliance.
And the sea had grown calm. The
struggle with contrary winds was over.
After waiting for a time for favoring
breezes, and a. sign from us that we
would hasten back to our belated din
ner, the boatmen bent their backs to
the oars, and the long pull toward
Capernaum began. NReconciled to their
task, the men sang as they rowed, to
the music of the subsiding waves
against the boats sides. Darkness set
tied down upon the lake. except for
the stars. and the grass fires on the
hills. It was a time for memories and
meditation.
We reached Capernaum, as told last
week, and the wind still failing our
Arabs undertook the long row back
to Tiberias. The night proved cold.
and for shelter we lay in the bottom
of the boat, its protruding ri4s afford
ing a poor mattress. There the long
days travel had it's way, and we slept,
awakening only when Tiberias was
reached. shortly before midnight.
Old Memories Anew OH the Lake.
That night we. had travelled in our
d
Galilee; but We had also Travelled
across the centuries, and thru the ex-
periences of the Master and His fish
ernien friends. who have made this
the hest loved body of water in the
world
over and over it comes to me,
The thought of Christ on the stormy
sea-"
Here Jesus revealed himself, on the
waves and by tbe shore. Near this
lake most of his life was lived And
the Christian thought of the ages has
gone homing to this lake. crying, as in
the poets words.
Break thou the Bread of Life,
Dear Lord, to me, -
As thou didst break the loayes,
By Galilee."'
The spirit of GaliIee, and of this
Lesson, has been we'll caught by
Joseph Addison Richards in the poem,
The Master of My Boat:
"I owned a little boat while go
And sailed a Morning Sea without a
And whittier any breezes might blow
I'd steer the little craft afar or near.
Mine was the boat,
And mine the air,
And mine the sea-
Not mine, a care.
INV boat became my place Of nightly toll,
sailed at sunset to the fishing ground,
AT morn the boat was freighted with the
spoil
had found.
Mine was the boat,
And mine the net,
And mine the skill,
And power to get.