Part 13 (1/2)

”There go Jesus and his disciples!” somebody said. ”They're heading for Bethsaida!”

A crowd of people began to walk around the sh.o.r.e of the lake. As they went, others joined them from the towns and countryside round about.

Jesus was the most popular man in Galilee just then. Wherever he went, he might be sure that a crowd would follow him.

The people walked and ran, and by hurrying they reached the quiet spot near Bethsaida as soon as Jesus did. When he stepped out of the boat, thousands of people were waiting for him on the sh.o.r.e. Jesus had gone away for a rest, but when he saw the people he felt sorry for them.

_They are like a flock of sheep_, he thought--_a flock of sheep with no shepherd to look after them._

They had spoiled his holiday, but Jesus spoke to the people and said that he was glad to see them. Then he began to teach, just as he did in the cities and towns. All day long he taught, and if there were any who were sick, he healed them.

The day wore on, and evening was drawing near. One or two of the disciples pulled Jesus' sleeve, and said to him:

”Master, it is getting late. Hadn't you better send them away to find something to eat in the towns near by? There is nothing for them out here in the country.”

Jesus answered: ”There is no need for them to go away. Give them something to eat right here!”

The disciples looked at him as if they did not know whether he was serious or not. They said: ”Do you mean that you want us to go and buy food for all these people? Where would we get enough money for that?”

Andrew said: ”There's a boy here with five loaves of bread and a couple of fishes. But how far will that go among five thousand people?”

Jesus only answered, ”Tell them to sit down on the gra.s.s.”

The disciples went among the crowd, and had the people sit down in groups, fifty in each group.

Jesus took the five loaves and the two fishes, and as he held them, he said a prayer of thanks to G.o.d. Then he broke the loaves, and gave the bread and the fish to the disciples and told them to pa.s.s the food around among the crowd. They pa.s.sed it here and they pa.s.sed it there, but they never ran out of food. n.o.body could tell where it was coming from, but there was enough for everyone and some left over.

The people were hungry after their long walk and the hours of standing in the sun. They ate heartily. As they finished their meal, they began to think about what had happened.

”Where did all this food come from?” they began to ask themselves.

”Where did Jesus get all that food?” ”There were but five loaves and a couple of fishes and yet we have all had enough and to spare!”

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The crowd began to talk in excited voices. ”Jesus gave us this food.”

”A wonderful thing! He gave us food to eat, when there wasn't anything here!” ”Why, this is just the man we have been looking for!”

”There's the man to make the Jews strong and rich--he makes food out of nothing!”

The people were rising to their feet.

”Make him a king!” they started to cry. ”Jesus is the man to be king of the Jews!” they shouted. ”We want our king!”

But Jesus was not there any longer. Jesus had gone; he had slipped away through the crowd and disappeared. Even the disciples did not know where he was. He stayed alone in the mountains until long after dark.

Those foolish people! That foolish, foolish crowd! They did not understand him at all. Did they never think of anything except their stomachs?

Jesus remembered how the devil had once tempted him in the wilderness.

What was it that the devil had said? ”If you are the Messiah, make these stones into bread.”