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THE KING’S BUSINESS
before us, or rather before Christ, and before the small visible resources at our command. Philip’s answer is really amus ing. He figures out just how much it will cost to buy enough so that “ every one may take a little,” A h ! Jesus doesn’t provide “a little” for those who sit at His table. Philip, however, was quite a typical church treas urer, he believed in “carrying on the Lord’s work on strictly business principles.” Andrew, for a moment ventured to suggest to him that there was a little boy present with five loaves and two little fish, but he was immediately frightened at the apparent absurdity o f „ his own suggestion, and blurted out, “But what are these among so many?” ^But evidently they proved to be quite sufficient among so many, for God Himself took these insignificant things in His own hands and multiplied them. W e often are tempted to say o f our insignifi cant gifts and possessions, but “what are these?” “ Quite sufficient,” Jesus replies, “ if you will only put them into my hand.” That little chap who had come along with his five little cheap barley crackers and two little salt fish about the size o f sardines, played a great part in that day’s working. Jesus took him into partnership with Him self; and Jesus and the lad fed the mul titude. A small boy with very meagre means is o f vast account if he puts what he has in God’s hands, even though the Andrews think they do not amount to much. Jesus left His question to work all day in the minds o f Andrew and Philip, but “He Him self knew what He'would do”—He always does. As evening drew on the disciples had not even yet settled the hard problem, and came to Jesus and told Him that He better send the people away, for they cer tainly could not entertain them. They gave it up. Then Jesus came to the rescue (Matt. 14:15; Luke 9:12; Mark 6:35). Wednesday,-May i/. John 6:10-14. Jesus’ answer to their perplexed ques tion must have started Philip and Andrew: “ Make the people sit down.” However, they stood this test better this-time than
the former, for they did as they were bid den. Doubtless they did it with a good deal o f misgiving for they knew there were thousands o f mouths to feed and they knew there were only five insignificant bar ley cakes and two pitiful fishes to do it with. Common sense would have suggested that the proper thing to tell the people to do would be to “walk,” not “ sit down,” but these disciples had the uncommon sense to cast their reason to the wind and do just as Jesus told them. The multitude, too, obeyed and sat down. It was well that they did, for Jesus “distributed to them that were set down.” W e must obey if we would be fed, and' we must find rest at Jesus’ feet if we would receive bread from Jesus’ hand. Philip had tried to figure out how each might “take a little,” but Jesus distributed to them “as much as they would.” What we get from Jesus is what we will. But they were all "filled’,’ and so it is always at Jesus’ table (Ps. 23:1; Phil. 4:19). But bountiful as Jesus was, He would not have. His bountifulness teach us wastefulness.. Even “the broken pieces” must be gathered up. The disciples got a basketful o f pieces to take away, and so were well repaid for sharing their little all with the crowd (cf. Prov. 11:24, 25- Luke 6:38). The wondering crowd seeing the sign, said, “This is o f a truth the prophet.’ O f a truth He is, nothing could be plainer than that. But something fur ther is plain, that He is not only a prophet but one who has creative power like this is surely the Son o f God. Thursday, May 18. John 6:15-21. The Jewish people o f those days were living in a state o f expectancy, they were waiting for the prophet like unto himself o f whom Moses had spoken (Deut. 8:18). So when Jesus had wrought the marvel lous miracle o f feeding the five thousand with the five loaves and two fishes, they naturally concluded that the long expected prophet had come; was not this like the feeding o f the multitude in the wilderness under Moses?. They decided to take Him
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