The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-01-28
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

JESUS FEEDS FIVE THOUS-
AND MEN.
John III.
Read Matt. 14:13-36; Mark 6:30-56;
Luke 9:10-17.
Jesus said unto them, | am the bread
of life; he that cOmeth to me shall
not hunger, and ne that believeth on
me shall never thirst.-John $685..
A BUNDLE OF NEEDS.
More than a year has passed since
we watched the woman beside the
WELL The Galilean ministry had
been in full swing, the twelve have
been selected, parable teaching has
been begun, lines of cleavage are be-
ginning to be strongly marked, the
disciples have been sent out on their
teaching mission, John the Baptist
has been beheaded and in these spring
days that mark the peak of the popu-
larity of the Great Teacher the twelve
come fastening back, fearful Of the
next stroke of Herod's sword, but
eager to pour into the listening ears
of Jesus their experiences on the
road. The clear insight of their Mas
ter was never better revealed than
during these experiences which are
related by all the Gospelers. He was
first of all teacher and gave Him
self to the class as to no other group,
for upon their understanding of Him
rested the whole outcome of His mis-
sion to earth. Their teaching eXper-
fences needed to be checked over, their
fears quoted, their WEAKNESS rested
and their grief assuaged so the des-
ert call became insistent and they
crossed the lake in order that the
class might have uninterrupted con-
verse. But disappointment awaited
them in the crowds that outran the
slow moving boat and thronged them
so that the desert became as populous
as the city. Forgetting Himself and
His sorrow over John, whose death
foreshadowed His own, He turned to
the meeting of the needs crowding
upon Him.
There were the disciples, first in
His thinking. They had come for a
review lesson, but a new text was set
in the throngs. They urged the send
ing the crowd away-a quite natural
thing and one IN which we would have
been likely to share. They were just
as selfish as you or l. But if they
could not abide the crowd their need,
pressing more insistently than their
leisure, was sympathy for that group
and it was to this lesson that the
Teacher set them.
Primarily the crowds need was not
bread. Not one of them would have
starved if Jesus had not provided a
meal. Towns were within easy reach
and the pilgrims to the Passover who
made a large part of it would have
been sadly careless travellers if they
had not planned for food for their
journey. They needed shepherding.
AS a soldier said of the boys facing
the battle, "They need their mothers"
That tender touch of understanding
spirit was what their hearts really
hungered for and it was that thai
Jesus planned to give. Finely John
makes it all symbol and uses it as
the first Communion from which all
later ones have sprung instead Of
from the meal in the upper room,
which he omits entirely. The boy
needed the strengthening of the spirit
of sacrifcial loyalty so that it would
become the passion of his life--could
his name have been Stephen? Jesus
needed to get away from the shadow
of the cross flung over Him by the
death of John, He needed Ike clear
seeing of the drift of His popularity
so that in fellowship with His Father
He might fight through again the old
temptation to accept a temporal in
stead of an eternal Kingdom.
THE MEANS.
How magnifcently your Lord flung
aside the plea of the people tina; He
accept crown. On the rugged hills
with God, dashed by storm and buffet
ed by wind and wave He strobe into
immortality by refusing to give what
men asked and by presenting what
they needed instead. For His disci-
piles Philip had the first test. How
familiar it sounds if we translate his
dismay into the words, "If we only
had the money" We all have said il
many times over and the Church Of
Jesus has faltered because we have
lost sight of Jesus in our intentness
on costs. Andrew was different. He
knew they had what the crowd need.
ed, but america First" The lessor
of Jesus is still unlearned that he who
would be greatest must put himself
last. Then He dared them to an i'm
possible thing, the feeding of thu
throng. They must have looked a
each other in amazement at His or
der. They would be laughed at l.
they invited the folks with only five
loaves and two fishes. But He hat
told them to do it. Where God or