230 Ephphatha. We cannot hear God's voice speaking to us. [S. MARK VIII. We cannot open our lips to pray for pardon, for our prayers are very scanty and feeble. What can cure us but God's mercy in Christ? Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou alone canst enable us to hear Thee better and speak to Thee more clearly. 33. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; God leads the soul apart, sets it in a sick-chamber or far from home or friends, that so He may work His wonders of mercy. His Word gives power to the tongue, His Spirit opens the ears. Lord, how great a change! Whence comes it that I can delight in being alone with Thee, and feel Thy goodness helping my infirmity? 34. And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. Indeed our gracious Lord has reason to sigh over human miseries. They touched His heart even when He was about to relieve them. And there are worse evils than bodily deafness and dumbness -hardness of heart which defies the Saviour's power, a scoffing tongue that will not speak kindly or truly, sin that will not seek for pardon. When our Lord thought of all this He sighed. His great power and love could not cure such complaints. Let us pray that our ears may remain open to His Word, and our tongues free to praise Him. 36. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; Christ did not seek for praise, and would fain avoid any stir. His work went on best in quietness. But those who witnessed His miracles could not keep silence. If those who were charged to be silent about Christ's saving work yet proclaimed it so loudly, what shall we do who are ordered to proclaim it? What voice will be sufficient for us? He desires us now to send the news of it throughout the world. 37. And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. This praise belongs to Christ only, such a wealth of goodness was poured out in all His actions. He not only did good, but did it so tenderly, so modestly, with such lasting effect, no fault could be justly found in Him. If we cannot deserve such praise as this, let us at least do everything as well as we can. God does not require great actions, but the doing well whatever we have to do; whatever it be, it is worth doing well. VER. 6.] The Seven Loaves. 231 CHAPTER VIII. 1. Christ feedeth the people miraculously: 10. refuseth to give a sign to the Pharisees: 14. admonisheth his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod: 22. giveth a blind man his sight: 27. acknowledgeth that he is the Christ, who should suffer and rise again: 34. and exhorteth to patience in persecution for the profession of the gospel. N those days the multitude being very great, and having saith unto them, 2. I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3. and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. These poor people hung on our Saviour's words and rejoiced in His presence, forgetful of their own necessities. He, on the other hand, bore them tenderly in mind, and provided nourishment for them. We can take example both from them and from Him-as they did, thinking of God's Word first of all; and as He did, always remem. bering our brethren's needs, and looking out for ways to help them. We may be sure that Christ our Master knows our wants and feels for them. 4. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? Here below there is nothing that can satisfy man's deepest wants, no love that lasts, no joy that wholly casts out grief. To whom can we turn for sustenance except to our God, Who passed through this wilderness and left supplies of grace for us? Mere pleasure is dust and ashes, mere honour is wind, mere wealth only chains; we must look up for Bread to some One higher. 5. And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. The Holy Spirit has seven gifts. Christ our Saviour imparts these to us. His apostles, and their successors in the Christian ministry, were intrusted with a store of sacramental grace that should supply the needs of believers in every age. We are ignorant and changeable, cold and foolish. What strength it is to reflect on the infinite treasures of grace which Almighty God has for us! We feel our own misery, but we have a mighty and bountiful Friend to Whom we look, His stores never fail. 232 The Pharisees require a Sign. [S. MARK VIII. 7. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. Lord, give me courage always at meals to remember Thy goodness, Who art the Giver, and to ask for a blessing on my food. Sometimes I have forgotten Thy bounty, sometimes I have been ashamed to acknowledge it. Let me think of Thy presence, and so I shall not fear what men say. That I have sufficient food, and that it is nourishing to me, comes of Thy goodness. 8. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away. We do not read that our Lord sat at a royal table or blessed any grand banquet. No, He welcomed poor people to simple fare; nor would He allow any waste, even though His liberality had been so great. His guests went home, knowing more than they had known before about God and their duty, and remembering gratefully the compassion and wonder-working power of their mighty Friend. Who was this, they asked themselves, Whose words and acts bring God so close to us? 10. ¶ And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. II. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. If God showed us some new miracles every day some people would find fault with them. A teachable heart will be content with the many signs that God has given us already, but disputers always require something new. What we should seek in religion is not matter for questioning, but instruction about our duty and our prayers, and how to love God and man. 12. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. It was their own disposition that was to blame. God offered them signs enough if they cared to see them. There are some persons with whom it is no use to argue, the better way is to break off the discussion and pray that they may see things seriously. Their condition is a sad one, they drive away salvation and hinder God's good purposes for them. Lord, keep me from a scoffing spirit, and from complaining at or finding fault with Thy dispensations. 14. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. They thought more of Christ's company and conversation than of their bodily meals. The bread that had remained over (verse 8) must all have been given away before they left the shore, nor had VER. 21.] We should trust to Christ's Mercy. 233 they remembered to take any more except this one loaf. How does our great care for earthly comforts stand reproved by the simple life of this blessed company! 15. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. Two dangers are pointed out to us here. The Pharisees were religious outwardly, but there it ended; they were hypocritical and proud and hard upon others, their devotions had no sanctifying influence on their life. Herod and his courtiers were worldly, and led a careless life; they broke God's laws, and fell into open sin or despised all religion. Lord, keep us on a straight path between these two dangers, let our devotion be real and our life obedient. 16. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. They thought our Saviour was noticing their lack of food and telling them not to apply to any Pharisee or courtier of Herod for a fresh supply. Ah, He meant more than that. The leaven He spoke of penetrated men's minds, not the baker's dough. He warned them not to let the false and corrupting spirit of the world enter into their hearts. 17. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18. having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? God has done so much for us in mercy and grace, has cared for us so long, cannot we believe in His power and trust His loving Providence? Indeed we should provide, yet peacefully and quietly, for the needs of this present life, yet still trusting to a higher Wisdom to bring things right for us. Why think only of the body's needs? Why forget your Master's promise and His presence with you? Who has mercifully delivered you before? Who is full of goodness to His saints? Such questions the Lord Jesus puts to us. 19. When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand? Sin has darkened man's eyes, and made him forget the daily blessings for which he had to thank God. The Saviour's disciples had seen enough to make them trust entirely for everything upon so good and so mighty a Master; but they had forgotten, it had gone out of their memory. Are we not like them? God has dealt with us in mercy, guarded us from ruin, and fed us all our life long until this 234 Jesus cures a Blind Man gradually. [S. MARK VIII day. We should rest quietly in His Providence, doing indeed our part, but leaving the result to Him. With all our getting we should get understanding, that is the most needful possession. 22. ¶ And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. We have friends who are blind spiritually; nay, our own soul suffers from the same complaint. We fail to see God's hand, or the path we ought to walk in: we are dark inwardly. What else can we do but present with earnest prayers ourselves and our dear ones to the true Light of souls, praying Him to shine on our darkness and show us the way. Touch us, O Lord, with Thy healing grace, that this world's shadows may roll away from our inward sight. 23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. This cure was gradual. The man learned to lean upon and trust his kind Friend, He was safe with such a Leader. This represents to us the conversion of a soul, how God leads it apart, applies to it the remedies of grace, makes it lean upon its true Helper. Those are happy who, when the sense of their own blindness comes over them, have such a Divine Guide at hand to help them. 24. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. He saw dark forms like trees, only moving, between him and the light. This was one stage in his cure; but many remain half blind all their life; they do not see men as God sees them, they are entangled in this world's mists and shadows. Lord, let me see myself and other men as creatures made in Thy image and redeemed by Thy Blood, and therefore precious. If I injure them I offend Thee. 25. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. Ah, this seldom comes to the soul on earth. This world is but a journey in the darkness, or twilight at best; one day the clear daylight will come. God begins to enlighten us here. He leads us through trouble and suffering. We learn to see things more truly than we did, but we are far from seeing clearly. Lord, enlighten our eyes, and keep us from falling back into darkness again. 26. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town. Do not talk much of your religious feelings or of God's dealings with |