Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-05
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For August 1othThe First Miracle of JesusJohn g. III
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL
Golden Text: Whatsoever He
saith unto you, do it."-,John 2, ).

saith unto you, do it."-,Dohn 2, 5.
1t was only the third day after
the disciples had placed themselves
under the leadership of Jesus that
there was a wedding in Cana of
Galilee. We don't know the names
of the bride and groom, but we are
quite sure of the fact that they
were in very moderate circum-
stances. Both Jesus and His new
disciples had been invited, and went.
This was quite a surprise to some
of them-Andrew and John particu-
larly-for they had been disciples of
John the Baptist, and had become
accustomed to the very austere and
ascetic life that he lived; they nat
urally supposed that the One whose
: forerunner he had been would be
OF the same severe ascetic type. But
they were EMBELLISHMENTS
they kept their ears and eyes open
and their mouths shut; a, mighty
good rule for learners in every age!
1t is rather interesting that one
of the earliest incidents in the pub
lie ministry of the Messiah was at
tendance at a wedding feast. One
would have thought that in begin
ming the work of winning the world
from the devil and of establishing
the kingdom of God on earth He
would have first secured headquar-
ters in the most strategic city, emf
ployed a lot of stenographers, maize
arrangements to have display adj
vertising in the newspapers, and a
.publicitv man to write news stores
bout Him as His campaign pro-
Needed; had an effective organization
headed up as chairman and excel
tive committee of the most promI-
nent men in the territory, financially,
socially and religiously!
Instead OF that, He has gathered
six men, five of whom were fisher
men, from an obscure village, who
have given up their work to be with
Him, and learn from Him; and al
most His first step is to go to be
a guest at a wedding feast.
All! But there is real significance
In this. Sin saddens; and He had
come to bring joy into life. Sin IS
no respecter of persons or places; 1t
puts it's clammy hand on every re-
lationship of life and blackens and
furnishes it. He had come to put
away sin, and put it away just as
widely as sin has tarnished what
imagine what she said to the host,
more than a wedding? The home
is the center, and the two ind:Vid-
uals Who are united in I, marriage
are the makers Or breakers of a
hume and everything those lives
touch. A wedding feast was the
best place of all the world for Him
to begin-His presence sanctified IT,
s:iaddened it, removed thu difficult
ties Of it Woe be to the home that
is established without Him!
An Embarrassing Situation
For some reason q very embar-
RAISING situation arose at this feast
the wine gave out! Can you imag-
inc how the hostess felt? Can you
ina CINE what she said to the host?
particularly if he had been charged
with the duty of providing what
would be necessary?
1t may have been that an uneX-
pected number of guests had arrived
and that this was the reason for
their lack now; or it may have been
that the family was so poor that
they could not afford more than
they had provided which. proved in
sufficient. But whatever the rea
son was, the embarrassment was
none the less
Mary sensed it; she was so poor,
she probably had been in similar
situation or on the edge of it be-
fore. AS a relative she felt free to
take hand in the matter. She had
no idea what to do, but she knew
one thing-she had never been to
this oldest son of hers with any diff
ficulty but what He had found a
solution for it. She had learned by
experience to look to Him, ever
since her husband had died, and He
was one of those people who court
confidence and who always seem to
have way out of a difficulty. Of
course, she had no idea He was go.
ing to do what He did, for no one
had ever seen Him work a miracle;
but she felt sure He would know
what to do to help these relatives
out of their difficulty. So she came
to Him and said-I think she must
have taken Him aside and whis-
pered it-"They are out of winer'
And then lie turned upon her alb
ruptly and said in a severe tone:
Woman that's none of your bust
ness or mine either My time has
not come yet
An, no. no! no! That is just
what some might think He said
from using Il mode of address that
is not the custom of our day. But
we must remember that He ad.
dressed her in the same way who,,
He was hanging on the cross, when
He WAS making provision fir her,
placing her the care OF His be-
loved John. What He really said
wis this. and in the tenGlrast
hope:
Yfittle woman, don't you worry
will look after this; but since my
amounting and inauguration we have
to realize that our relationships
have changed and that | must now
wait until my Father indicates what
He wants me to do
And that this was His attitude oil
tenderness and helpfulness no one
realized more than Mary for she
went right to the servants and said
Whatsoever He saith unto you, dc
it L don't know what He is coins