JESUS' EXAMPLE FOR SUCH "WORK 135 



man's blindness that moved the Great Heart with com- 

 passion and He healed him. 



I think of the five thousand far from home, out in the 

 desert, hungry, tired, night coming down. Jesus com- 

 manded His disciples to feed the multitude. They 

 showed how impossible His command was, again He in- 

 sisted "Give ye them to eat." They found the boy with 

 the loaves and fishes, all they had. They brought it all 

 to Jesus. Jesus took the five loaves and two fishes and 

 blessed and brake and not only were all fed and had 

 all they would eat, but there were twelve baskets full 

 more than were required. These twelve baskets were 

 not the leavings, the offal, but were there ready to be 

 distributed to any who needed more. God's measure is 

 always abundant, no niggardly hand when He is Pro- 

 vider, He prepares more than we need. 



Jesus fed this great multitude because they were 

 hungry, physically. It was their need that appealed to 

 Him. He drew no spiritual lesson at this time. The 

 next day He preached His sermon and emphasized that 

 He is the Bread of Life. "I am the Living Bread, if 

 any man shall eat of this bread he shall live forever." 

 Nowhere else does He make greater claims for Himself 

 than in this sermon that came as a result of feeding the 

 multitude. Before He preached the sermon He fed the 

 crowd. "Would not the church be wise to copy her Lord 

 in this wherever necessary? As He looks out over 

 stricken Armenia; over famine cursed China; over a 

 large part of Europe where the children to-day are dying 

 of hunger; over India where from the cradle to the 

 grave a multitude, over one hundred millions, are chroni- 

 cally hungry, does he say less to His disciples to-day in 



