International S. S. Lessons.
By Editor
"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." —Neh. 8:8 LESSON II.—SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1894.
[NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson; it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.] - Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed upon him and heard the word of God, that He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;
- And He saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
- And He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes out of the boat.
- And when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draft.
- And Simon answered and said, Master, we toiled all night, and took nothing; but at Thy word I will let down the nets.
- And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes; and their nets were breaking;
- And they beckoned unto their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
- But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
- For he was amazed, and all that were with him, at the draft of the fishes which they had taken;
- And so were also James and John, sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
- And when they had brought their boats to land, they left all, and followed him.
Golden Text: "He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes." Mark 1:22. NOTE.—This was the beginning of the second year of Christ's public ministry, noted especially for the tours which he made around Galilee with his disciples, training them for their work. The place of the lesson is on the shores of the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum. Parallel accounts are found in Matt. 4:18-22 and in Mark 1:16-20. - Where was Jesus at one time preaching? Verse 1. Note 1.
- What did he say as he was standing by the lake? Verse 2.
- What were the fishermen doing?
- What did Jesus do? Verse 3.
- What did he ask of Simon?
- What did our Saviour then do?
- When he had finished speaking, what instruction did he give to Simon? Verse 4.
- What reply did Simon make? Verse 5. Note 2.
- What was the result of Simon's obedience? Verse 6.
- What is said of the number of fish taken? Verse 7.
- How did this affect Simon Peter? Verse 8. Note 3.
- How were the others who were with Simon affected? Verses 9, 10.
- Who were they?
- What reply did Jesus make to Simon's prayer? Verse 10.
- What did they do when they had brought their boats to land? Verse 11. Note 4.
1. Lake of Gennesaret.—This name is probably a modification of the old Hebrew word "Chinneroth." See Joshua 12:3. The word means harp, and is applied to the lake on account of its shape. But the rabbis derive the word Gennesaret from "Gennesarim," meaning "garden of the princes." The region of country on the western shore of the lake was very fertile. Four great roads communicated with the lake, and this made it a meeting place for men of many nations. Stanley calls this lake "the most sacred sheet of water which the earth contains." Josephus says that it might be called "the ambition of nature." Learned rabbis say, according to the Cambridge Bible, that of the seven seas of Canaan, it was the only one which God had reserved for himself. Its principal interest, however, to Christians is on account of the associations with the Master. Says Farrar: "Josephus, in a passage of glowing admiration, after describing the sweetness of its waters, and the delicate temperature of its air, its palms and vines, the oranges and figs, the almonds, pomegranates, and warm springs, says that the seasons seem to compete for the honor of its possession." The lake is of oval shape, from twelve to fourteen miles long, and about half as broad. It is really an expansion of the River Jordan, and is 653 feet below the level of the Mediterranean. In some places it is over 150 feet deep. In the time of Christ it is said that as many as 4,000 vessels were seen on the sea at one time, from ships of war down to fishing boats. The neighborhood of this lake was at that time the most thickly peopled and most prosperous part of Palestine. 2. "Master, we toiled all night, and took nothing."—Simon was evidently discouraged. Night has always been, from time immemorial, the best time for fishing. To Simon it did not look reasonable that their efforts would be crowned with success, now that it had come day; but he did not allow his feelings or his reason to prevail. He did what every Christian ought to do in time of perplexity and trial. "At thy word," he says, "I will let down the net;" and if by faith we do according to God's word, we may know that the same word which commands has power to supply. So it was in this case. 3. THE marvelous miracle that was wrought before Simon, brought him to a sense of his own lack of faith. He had before this been with Jesus, but for some reason or other had gone back to his old employment of fishing. Our Saviour comes again to Galilee, and finds his disciples engaged in their old work, and this miracle was evidently wrought to show to Peter that if he would follow him, and obey his commands, success would always accompany his labors. By the words, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord," Simon did not desire to have Christ leave him. It was simply his expression that he was not worthy of Christ's presence, for we learn a little later on that he left all and followed Christ. 4. "They left all, and followed him."—And yet they had not wholly learned the lesson which Christ designed to teach them. What he wished them to learn was that implicit faith in his word would ever meet with success. Evidently Peter and the disciples believed for a time; but when Christ was crucified and buried, and their hopes of a temporal kingdom were dashed to the ground, they returned in disappointment to their old occupation of fishing. Jesus again meets with them, and a similar miracle to the one on this occasion is wrought, and again the disciples are shown their lack of faith. This time it was permanent. By the lesson of the fishes, by doing according to Christ's word, Jesus taught them to catch men. There are thousands of human schemes and human devices; there are compromises and perversions of truth. These ways of men seem to win many times, but they do not convert souls. Souls can be gathered in only one way, and that is the way the disciples gathered in the fishes,—by Christ's word.