Spiritual ideas to meet our human needs are available to all of us today and every day because God is constantly unfolding them. Mary Baker Eddy expresses this truth very beautifully in "Miscellaneous Writings" where she says (p. 307): "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to-morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment."
A remarkable proof that God's ideas provide for humanity's needs is the feeding of the multitude by Christ Jesus. That Jesus did actually feed five thousand people when only five loaves and two fishes were apparent is attested by essentially similar accounts in all four Gospels. However, attempts have been made to explain away the event by suggesting that the Bible accounts are solely allegorical, referring symbolically to Jesus' feeding of the people with his teachings, or by suggesting that the people responded to Jesus' preaching of love and brotherhood by sharing food which they had concealed in their clothing.
While it is true that there is spiritual meaning to Bible passages, the full significance of Jesus' mighty deed will be lost if we do not accept the fact that the people were provided with what is normally considered as food. Also, while it is doubtless true that Jesus' teachings did awaken many individuals to greater compassion and unselfishness, it does not seem reasonable that the event would be described as a miracle if the people had simply shared hidden food; nor does it seem likely that twelve baskets full of food would remain after all had been fed. Furthermore, if we do not believe that "they did all eat, and were filled" (Matt. 14:20), we are, in effect, questioning the truth of the Holy Scriptures. But Christian Science affords an inspired and convincing explanation of how the food was supplied.
