The problem of material supply, induced by a belief in matter as substance, can only be solved by a comprehension of true supply in its relation to the phenomena we call food, clothing, and shelter. The pertinent question is, Are these things our supply? The answer is, As matter, no; but on page 27 of "Miscellaneous Writings," in speaking of a stone, Mrs. Eddy writes, "Take away the mortal sense of substance, and the stone itself would disappear, only to reappear in the spiritual sense thereof." The feeding of the multitude with the loaves and the fishes is perhaps the most impressive of the many Scriptural narratives revealing the divine law as available to meet a human need. The record shows that having, to human sense, but five loaves and two fishes, the Master fed about five thousand men besides women and children, without the necessity of complying with the laws of material belief which call for planting and reaping, and for fishing.
From the physical standpoint, the record is and always must be incomprehensible; hence, the story either has not been accepted as true by mankind or it has been thought of as a special act of divine interposition. From the metaphysical point of view, however, some understanding of the miracle as one of the "signs following" is not only possible, but is a necessary part of the student's unfolding thought, for the reason that lack, limitation, or poverty is as truly "disease" as is some physical disorder, and it is to be healed in the same way, —through the understanding and application of divine law. The operation of divine law may be defined as the activity of Truth in human consciousness. The divine Ego, or individuality, compasses and expresses all reality through its ideas, and each individual idea is complete, fully expressed, supplied, and "clothed upon." Because the Ego is Mind, and Mind is infinite, the only law and the only lawmaker, supply falls entirely within its scope; and divine Science being purely metaphysical, an understanding of the law of supply must be gained through a sense above and apart from the testimony of the material senses. This does not mean that we should ignore the phenomenon we call material supply, as phenomenon, but that we should discern the deep significance of our Leader's words on page 442 of Science and Health where she says, "Christ, Truth, gives mortals temporary food and clothing until the material, transformed with the ideal, disappears, and man is clothed and fed spiritually."
Jesus taught that to know is to possess. The loaves and the fishes seemed to be indefinitely multiplied, because he apprehended spiritual substance and was able to minister to those about him in terms of their sense of need. Through his perfect understanding of spiritual law, a channel for divine beneficence was opened and the multitude fed. As a result of Mrs. Eddy's discovery, the revelation of Christian Science, and of her untiring work in planting the vineyard, this same law can be so comprehended by all earnest students as to meet the human need of the present day. In studying the law of supply in its relation to cause and effect, we may find in the illuminating "scientific statement of being" a dependable chart to guide us amidst the rocks of mortal belief, and the basic truth therein expressed may be applied to every phase of the supply problem. Its metaphysical significance sharply confronts the tendency to stray from the narrow path that leads to Spirit, revealing through the divine logic that Mind is all, hence matter is nothing.
