The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-02-03
LIES Hunger
Lesson for February S, 1861

Lite S Hunger
Lesson for February S, 1861
If Christ could turn stones into
bread, if he could somehow start
with a boys lunch and build it
into a meal for five thousand
men with their wives and chill
dren, why did he not keep on do
ing it? No doubt he could have
turned stones into bread but he
never tried to do it. Nobody who
was out there in the wilderness
the day Jesus fed the five thou
sand had the least doubt that
Jesus powers were unlimited. No
wonder that las John tells us)
they tried to make him king by
force But Jesus steadily re-
fused to repeat the miracle.
Jesus loved people, but he was
not one to do everything he was
asked to do. For surely it would
have been a kindness to make
life easier for the poverty-strick-
en- people Of Galilee. Surely
there must have been really hun
CRY people there. You know there
were, because we hear of no one
crying for cake, or bread with
butter tthey would have said
olive OLD on it. Just bread. again,
please. again! But there was no
encore. Was Jesus heartless?
Had his power failed him?
Hunger for Bread
Now hunger for bread is one
of the elemental things in life.
Quite civilized people, once they
become really hungry, act like
savages. act like wild dogs. One
would think Jesus would not have
rebuked the people for wanting
what human beings, living crea-
lures, cannot help wanting. We
were not there, so we cannot in
tervieW anyone and find out for
certain just why Jesus sopke as
he did; but from various hints,
we can guess. For one thing, he
knew that all the people in Cali
lee who were sharers in the
great miracle of the loaves and
fishes" had managed to keep
alive and going. all their years
up to that day. Some of them
were lazier than average of
course but even a lazen man, if
hungry enough, will work. So
Jesus knew that what they want
ed him to do was not simply to
feed them.
The Starved Soul
Jesus. moreover. took this OPP
portunity to impress an idea on
the people of Capernaum, an
idea which was true but which
they were not quite able to swal-
low. Not only are endless meals
sure to make a man worthless;
but even bought-and-paid-for
meals, well balanced diets, can
be a drag on the spirit. Life has
other hungerS. Physical hungers
are loud and crude. But there
are other hungers whose voice is
quiet, hungerS dormant. in some
lives never making themselves
felt at all. These are the higher
hungers. if we may call them so.
these are the mmet appetites of
mind and spirit. When we refer
to a man or woman as having
lived a full life" we do not
mean that steak was served them
every night. There are appetiteS
that can be cultivated, but if they
are not. they may die away. The
hunger of the mind for under
standing. for sy m p by. for
peace, the hunger of the soul for
God. These can actually be
smothered by an abundance of
bread.
The Bread Of God
Jesus called himself the bread
of life, the bread Of God. If he
could use such a figure Of speech.
we may make bold to say that
desiring the Bread of Life is an
acquired taste. Just as an ap-
probation Of beauty. and of the
higher forms of love, are &C
quired tastes for most people,
SO the taste for the Bread of
God has to be awakened. Few
persons are born with it. Count
less men and women live not
only without Christ but not want
ing him at all. not feeling lost las
they are' without him. They do
not know what they are missing
Jesus called himself the bread
Of life. the bread of God. If he
could use such a figure Of speech,
we may make bold to say that
desiring the Bread of Life is an
acquired taste. just as an ap-
probation Of beauty. and Of the
higher forms Of love. are &C
CURED tastes for most people, 50
the taste for the Bread of God
has to be awakened. Few per.
sons are born with it. Countless
men and women live not only
without Christ but not wanting
him at all. not feeling lost las
they are) without him. They do
not know what they are missing
What will awaken them An Old
Testament meet had II s.n