After the wonderful and beautiful object-lesson to the human understanding, in the feeding of the five thousand men, besides women and children,—in which Spirit was shown to be the source of all supply and its measure abundance,—the command was given to "gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." Like all revelation, this was an adaptation of spiritual truth to the human understanding, and was a result of Jesus' realization of Spirit as substance, the source of all good. Such a demonstration effectively destroyed the claim of want, and proved the truth of the psalmist's words: "The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." The divine economy discloses the abundance of good, but would save us from the perversion of any part of our precious possessions.
Connected with this coming of the Christ-idea to the flesh, is a well-known legend, which has a deep moral lesson for us to-day. Some years before Jesus began to preach and to heal the sick and sinful, a little Jewish boy was seriously injured while at play, and it appeared that his playmate was to blame for the sad occurrence. The child's sufferings, and, perhaps even more potently, the thoughts of those around him, filled him with a sense of hate and a desire for retaliation. Mortal sense was counseled to seek satisfaction in revenge, and in order to do this the child, with all the intensity of an Oriental nature, saved all he could for that purpose. In due time Jesus was healing the sick and afflicted in Galilee, and his marvelous work directed thought to this boy, who was badly deformed, his friends wondering if he also could be healed by the Nazarene. The one who told the lad of the possible help for him, had the wisdom to make it plain that he must forsake his evil intentions; upon which condition they were willing to take him to the Master. The struggle that ensued was most severe; but good won the day, the desire to be well deciding the question.
The intensity of the struggle but measured the false belief so long held, the wrong purpose in which the erring human thought was centered. When, however, the boy was brought to the Master, the sense of human will, in its expression of hatred and desire for revenge, gave way before the spiritual sense of gentleness and meekness, and he was healed. In his heart sprang up a song of gratitude and praise, for all things had become new; he was like one awakening out of a bad dream; he was transformed. For the first time in his life did he become conscious of the divine presence, and this brought to him an indescribable sense of wholeness. We are told that his "revenge money" was spent for provisions to carry with him, so that he could go about with the Master and witness his wonderful works.
