DCLM Search The Scripture 28th August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult)
DCLM Search The Scripture 28 August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult) || Christ Feed The Multitudes
DCLM Search The Scripture 28 August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult)
ADULT STS LESSON 34 – CHRIST FEED THE MULTITUDES
MEMORY VERSE: “And they did an eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full” (Matthew 14:20 TEXTS: Matthew 14:14-21; Luke 9:11-17; Mark 8:1-26 After Christ was told of the death of John the Baptist, He left the city and went into a desert place. Although He must have felt bad about his death, He was never disheartened at the awful disclosure. He was still going to minister to the multitudes who had always loved to hear Him preach. This spontaneous Resolve of Christ to minister in spite of the demise of John the Baptist, His forerunner, is full of instructions for contemporary believers. While the Scripture does not forbid Christians from sympathizing with the bereaved, we should however, exercise restraint and not brood over the departure of our loved ones for a long time. John the Baptist could be said to have finished his course and it was time for him to exit the world having fought a good fight Of faith. Death is a price that must be paid by mortal beings. That is why the Scripture commands us thus: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Before death catches up with a believer, he or she is expected to have been fully prepared. Like a traveller whose travel documents must made ready, every serious minded Christian must ensure that his or her Christian experiences are intact and up-to-date. A believer who is worth his salt owes it a duty to also get his sinful neighbours prepared by letting them know that death, being a sudden’ occurrence, is coming with equal certainty upon every mortal being and when it strikes, careers of great achievement will end immediately. However, this study focuses on the people’s resolve to hear the gospel, Christ’s compassion and supernatural provision. THE PEOPLE’S COMPELLING RESOLVE AND CHRIST’S TIMELY MESSAGE (Matthew 14:14; Luke 9:11) “And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing” (Luke 9: 11). The resolve of the multitudes to be exposed to the gospel of salvation is highly commendable. It would be recalled that Christ had earlier visited Nazareth, His own country, where He was rejected. Were it not for their refusal, He would have performed miracles of various sorts in Nazareth. However, people’s sentiment and misgiving in His own country did not deter Him from preaching the gospel. He did circumvent their apathy and went where God’s word would be highly esteemed. The prompt readiness of the multitudes to be fed with the word fostered in Christ an unprecedented attention towards their felt needs. The energy He could have dissipated on the critically minded folks back in His country was profitably expended on sincere seekers whose preoccupation was to really discover God’s blueprint for their lives. The contemporary world which could otherwise be referred to as a field of harvest is littered with different categories of people; there are those whose lives are entirely opposed to Christ; there are people who profess godliness without having experienced the new birth; there are also those whose motives are purely selfish and materialistic. The people who profess godliness without God’s required corresponding grace are sometimes found on the streets preaching heresies. They often resort to the media with a view to Projecting their fallacies and distortion of Christian truth. This they do quite enthusiastically not minding the impending consequence. But Paul the apostle minced no words when he told Titus that their “…mouths must be stopped” (Titus 1:11). DCLM Search The Scripture 28 August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult) The resolve of the multitudes to hear Jesus preach to them was met with His spontaneous preparedness to urgently open their spiritual eyes to the needful. Believers need to imbibe passion for the lost and feel touched with their infirmities. A number of them are being fed with junks and not with meals that are nutritious for their spiritual renaissance in their various places of worship. Many of them have had their lives infested with worldly orchestrated ideals. It is therefore expected of every born again Christian in whose hand the real seed of life is to conscientiously and passionately dispense it without expecting to be cheaply rewarded. “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9: 16). However, the preacher of the undiluted word of God must “Study to shew [himself} approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2: 15). CHRIST’S MATCHLESS COMPASSION DISPLAYED (Matthew 14:14-16; 9:36; Mark 8:1-4; Luke 9:12, 13; John 6:5-7) “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14). The life of Jesus was full of activities targeted at people’s spiritual and physical wellbeing. He stressed the urgency of the task thus: “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Our Lord Jesus Christ is a perfect example of what a leader should be. He forfeited His convenience and got preoccupied with the need of the people. If Christian leaders are to follow the Master’s work of snatching souls out of the hand of the devil they will lead the way while others follow. Christ’s sense of alertness was unequalled. In the same vein, believers who are compassionate must be prepared to forfeit their convenience and pleasure in their search for souls. Each moment of intimate sharing should be seen as a golden opportunity to preach the gospel of salvation to sinners. Compassion was the compelling force in the heart of Jesus Christ that made Him seek the lost (Matthew 9:36). Compassion is not sympathy. We may sympathise with people but do nothing to help them. It is not being sentimental. Many people often express sympathy and feel touched by the needs of others, yet do nothing to meet those needs. Compassion always moves one to take prompt action, to pray and witness until souls are brought in multitudes to Christ. “And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals” (Matthew 14:15). DCLM Search The Scripture 28 August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult) The submission of Christ’s disciples at this crucial period indicates a lack of trust in Christ’s ability to provide food for the multitudes. Although they were logically right to have expressed their apprehension, their sense of logic was miles apart from Christ’s supernal and enduring tenderness which made Him concentrate on feeding the multitudes with the word of life at the expense of His comfort. The believer’s love for God is subsumed in his total submission to the revealed will of God. It is not enthusiastic fellowship activities, charitable works, hospitality without true conversion and upright living. Love for God is not some sort of hypocritical service. It attracts no eternal reward when feigned. This love is demonstrated perfectly when the double ownership right of God over the believer (as our Creator and Redeemer) is understood. The believer’s practical responsibility is “to preach the gospel to the poor… heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). Unfortunately, many believers appear to have lost their initial passion and zeal for evangelism with its attendant grave consequences on the lost around them. When the gospel is not preached by the redeemed of the Lord, the unexpected becomes a regular feature; people get blatantly sold out to Satan; sinners become a lot more hardened; there is overwhelming upsurge in crime; false profession of faith increases and sinners get perpetually enslaved to sin. The believer is the only hope the world has. The lamentable voice of the lost is heard each day with their attendant solitary beckon on the believer to quickly rescue them from perishing. Sadly, in many religious assemblies, evangelism has been relegated to the background; deemphasised in their fellowship programmes and substituted for praise worship. This is tantamount to disobedience to the great commission and will doubtless attract divine displeasure. The negative effects of the last days are being felt on daily basis. Half-hearted service will not endure nor stand the test of time. Therefore, there is need to be wholly committed to our ministry and endeavour to fulfil it. SUPERNATURAL PROVISION FOR THE MULTITUDES (Matthew Mark 8:5-26; John 6:8-13) “And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me.” The supernatural provision and feeding of the multitudes show that Christ is interested in both our spiritual and physical wellbeing. In this miraculous provision, we observe the following: one, the orderliness and obedience of the crowd. They were instructed to sit on the grass which they did without questioning. Believers who seek to maintain an intimate walk with Christ and experience His blessings must do away with pride and be ready to obey Him and His faithful ministers at all times even when they do not understand the reason behind their decisions. Two, the blessing of the loaves and fishes. In His prayer, Christ revealed His total dependence on His heavenly Father to provide His needs. Thus, He praised God for the provision they had, and prayed to Him to bless it. His attitude is an acknowledgment of the Father from whom all blessings flow. From His example, it is important that we give thanks to God at our meals and fully depend on Him for our daily provisions. God’s provisions for our daily needs must be received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4). Three, that Christ “…brake [the bread], and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude” shows that He recognised His disciples as working together with Him to achieve the Kingdom purpose. As they faithfully dispensed the physical food to the multitudes, we should also be faithful in dispensing spiritual food to the world. DCLM Search The Scripture 28 August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult) However, unless Christ first fills our hearts with the right message, we can never fill the people’s hearts with the life-saving and edifying message of the gospel. As faithful ambassadors of the gospel, the Lord wants us to feed multitudes of sincere seekers with the full gospel. Four, the multiplication of the meat. It is worthy of note that the meat multiplied as the disciples obeyed their Master and distributed it. According to a Bible commentator, as the widow’s oil increased in the pouring out, the bread increased in the breaking. Thus, grace grows by being acted, and, while other things perish in the using, spiritual gifts increase in the using. The Bible says, “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” (Proverbs 11 :24). “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full,” It is amazing that the multitudes ate to their satisfaction and there were still leftovers. Truly, our God is a great Provider. If we obey Him, He can transform our lives with the little we have as there is no limit to what He can do. It is also instructive that He asked the disciples to gather the fragments in baskets, If we are true followers of Christ, we must be prudent in the management of human and material resources in our homes, churches and workplaces. Questions for review:
DCLM Search The Scripture 28 August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult)
DCLM Search The Scripture 28th August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult)
DCLM Search The Scripture 28th August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult)
DCLM Search The Scripture 28th August 2022 || Lesson 34
DCLM Search The Scripture 28th August 2022 || Lesson 34 (Adult)
