pieces, handing them to His disciples to give to the people.

He divided the fishes also in the same way, and the disciples went about
among the groups giving each person a share, and everyone had enough to
eat; for although there were about five thousand men there, besides
women and children, the food was sufficient for all. Even more than
this, when the multitude had eaten all that they wanted, the disciples
gathered up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces.

When the people saw this wonderful miracle which Jesus had done, they
wished to make Him king at once, for they thought He was the Promised
One for whom they had been so long waiting, and they did not know that
the kingdom of Christ was not to be an earthly kingdom.

But Jesus would not allow them to make Him king, and He left them and
went up on the top of a mountain alone.

On another occasion when a great crowd had gathered to hear Him and had
been for a long time without food, He called His disciples to Him and
told them that He felt very sorry for the people because they had been
fasting three days, and He could not send them away so weak and hungry
for fear they would faint before they could reach home.

But His disciples said they did not know where they could get food for
so many, as they were in the wilderness.

Jesus asked them how many loaves of bread they had, and they told Him
seven, and also a few small fishes.

Then Jesus bade the people sit down on the ground around Him, and He
took the seven loaves and the fishes and offered thanks to God;
afterwards, He broke the loaves into pieces as He had done before and
gave them, with the fishes, to His disciples, and the disciples
distributed them among the people. As they gave out the food it
continued to increase wonderfully, so that all the people were fed;
and even after that there was food enough left so that they took up
seven baskets full, although about four thousand men, with many women
and children, had eaten.

These miracles show not only the power of our Lord, but His tenderness
and thoughtfulness for those around Him in the everyday affairs of life.
He not only cared for the souls of His people, but for their physical
comfort as well; for His heart was ever open to the cry of human need.

One of the first acts by which He manifested His power to the men who
afterwards became His disciples, was an act of helpfulness.

He saw two ships by the Lake of Gennesaret with the fishermen ne