Give Ye Them to Eat

We have a several accounts in the scriptures where the Savior fed those who were hungry. When He was teaching a multitude and his disciples suggested that the people “go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals,” He replied, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat.” The disciples gave Him the little food that they had, and He “took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full” (Matthew 14:15-20). Again in the next chapter a similar thing happened: “Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.” They again gave Him the little that they had, and “He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full” (Matthew 15:32-37). In these two miraculous stories He showed that He was concerned not only with spiritual but with meeting the temporal needs of those who followed Him.

                Jesus gave food and drink to His followers on other occasions as well. At the Last Supper we read, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). The account when He gave the sacrament to the Nephites is similar: “He took of the bread and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the disciples and commanded that they should eat. And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude…. He commanded his disciples that they should take of the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it. And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled” (3 Nephi 18:3-4, 8-9). Interestingly, when He gave them the emblems of His body and blood, He gave them enough that they were physically full after eating and drinking. Two other stories in the New Testament show how He gave food to His disciples. After finding the disciples on the road to Emmaus, “He went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them” (Luke 24:29-30). And then when He visited His apostles at the Sea of Galilee, He called them off the boat and said to them, “Come and dine.” The found Him on the shore and “they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread…. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise” (John 21:9-13). He, a Resurrected Being, had prepared a full meal for them to come and eat with Him. I love these stories because it shows that Jesus was concerned about meeting the physical needs of His followers—that’s one of the ways that He served them and showed His love to them. Even in giving the sacrament, something that we generally see as only a spiritual exercise, He gave them enough to be filled.

                Many of us spend a significant amount of time preparing food to feed others, especially parents. Perhaps in so doing we should see these activities as more than a mundane exercise but rather a way that we are trying to serve like the Savior did. As we spend time to feed our family and others, we can remember His words of approval to those who feed the hungry like He did: “Come, ye blessed of my Father… For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink” (Matthew 25:35). And we should remember that as we give bread to others to eat, He who is the Bread of Life gave Himself a ransom for us all. He declared, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Ultimately in all these stories, I believe He was feeding people not only to meet their physical needs but also to prepare the way to give them the more important spiritual meat that they needed. For example, after giving Peter physical food He said to His chief apostle, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?... Feed my lambs” (John 21:15). He wanted Peter to understand the need to feed the people spiritually so that they could have eternal life through Him. And although we need food each day for physical strength, we also need the spiritual meat that only Christ offers. As He said to the adversary, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We can live to give both bread and the word of God to others as we seek to emulate the Bread of Life.