"The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this
man give us his flesh to eat?" JOHN vi. 52.

ANY one who suddenly came upon a group of eagerly
disputing men and overheard this question, unconnected,
by itself, would see at once that he needed something
more before he could understand it, that it must have a
history; and if it interested him at all he would in-
quire how such a strange question came to be asked.
The answer would be this: Yesterday, on the other side
of the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus of Nazareth worked a mir-
acle, and fed a crowd of five thousand men with five
loaves of bread and two little fishes. During the night
He crossed the lake. In the morning the people found
that He was gone, and they took boats and followed Him.
When He saw them, He told them that He was afraid
they had come after Him not for His own sake, not
because they loved or honored Him, but because they
wanted another miracle and more bread. Then He
goes on to tell them that the food they really need is
food for the soul, not for the body. Then He offers
them Himself as their Savior, their Master, their nour-
ishment, their strength. And finally, led on into the
strong figure by the first event which started his dis-
course, the flocking of the people after food, He makes

-232-