LECTURE XXI. A MULTITUDE MIRACULOUSLY FED. LECT. XXI. JOHN vi. 1-15. THOSE who read our Evangelist attentively will observe, that it is not his custom generally to relate our Lord's miracles, and the various events of His human life, as the other Evangelists. He is more occupied, as it was remarked at the outset, in recording our Lord's divine doctrine and discourses, than in relating His wonderful works: and in the cases wherein he yet instances these, it is principally with a view to elucidate or lead the way to those. To the other Evangelists was assigned the task of relating, more or less systematically, to Jew or to Gentile, the story of our Lord's devoted life. It was reserved for our Evangelist to report to us the doctrine of the word of God. Therefore out of our Lord's miracles he selects those principally on which His doctrine or discourses were founded, or which led thereto; and he relates the former in order to prepare us for what is to follow. Thus in the case before us, he gives us one of the miracles of the loaves, a This in fact is the only one of our Lord's miracles, with the exception of that supplementary event which immediately follows, that our Evangelist relates in common with any of the rest: and he relates this only as introductory to the subsequent discourse. as being the occasion of a remarkable discourse, LECT. wherein our Lord sets forth Himself as "the. XXI. Bread of life;" continuing that testimony to Himself of which we learned somewhat in the preceding chapter. After the events there recorded, and any others which may have occurred during the interval, our Lord left Judæa, and departed again into Galilee; where, as we learn from the second verse, He was again occupied in another course of miracles and mercy. While in this country He had occasion to cross its well known lake or inland sea, called the Sea of Galilee, or, as our Evangelist adds for his Gentile readers, to whom it was best known by that name, the lake of Tiberias: the water, on whose shore dwelt the fishers Simon and the sons of Zebedee, thence called to be "fishers of men;" which too was itself the scene of more than one miracle; and in whose adjacent cities so many mighty works were done. To the eastern coast of this large lake our Lord on this occasion crossed over from the other side: seeking the hill country, private and desert place near Bethsaida; where He and His disciples might have that needful rest and retirement, for which on the other side they had no opportunity. But the people on that side, whose sick He had been healing, and amongst whom He had been speaking of the kingdom of God", follow b From a comparison of St. Mark and St. Luke, we gather that the Missionary tour of the Apostles took place during this interval. See Matt. xiv. 13. Mark vi. 31. Luke ix. 10. d On ver. 2. Alford observes, "it is evident from this that a circuit in Galilee and works of healing are presupposed." XXI. LECT. Him in crowds to this; hastening round the head of the lake on foot, whilst He crossed it in one of the fishing boats of His disciples®. Our Evangelist accounts for the ready assembling together of such multitudes of people, by informing us that the Passover, a feast of the Jews, (as he explains for the sake of his Gentile readers,) was nigh, when much people were gathered together from the various villages to the principal cities or centres, previously to setting out for Jerusalem, where they must keep the feast; to which place they would travel together in a caravan or company". This mention too of the festival prepares us for the reference to it which runs through our Lord's subsequent discourse to the multitudes whom He had miraculously fed". On gaining the other side of the lake, and disembarking from the fishing boat, our Lord and His disciples betake themselves to some rising ground; and sitting down on the hill-side await the approach of the multitude, who had arrived at the landing place almost as soon as they, and who immediately follow them to the mountain'. e See the references above and verses following. g See Luke ii. 41-44. b Wordsworth notes, in connexion with the indubitable reference of the miracle and what follows to the Holy Eucharist, the significance also of the place," the wilderness of this world," where Christ," the true Bread of Life from Heaven, is ever distributing Himself," to the multitudes, "in all time, going up to the heavenly Jerusalem to celebrate an everlasting festival." There is no real discrepancy between this account and that of St. Mark, (ch. vi. 33.) His statement, that the multitudes "outwent" (πрoñλ0ov) our Lord and His disciples, would seem to mean, that they prevented their getting away without interruption into the lone place, and there obtaining the desired leisure. The multitudes "outwent" them: not that they arrived XXI. As they approached, our Lord addressed a LECT. question to Philip, doubtless with some special reason and view to his edification; arising it may be out of something that had previously occurred, or something that was in him, which the Lord knew, and which He knew needed correction. To Philip then particularly the Lord said, "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Our Evangelist with characteristic zeal for his Lord's honour is careful to inform us, that this question proceeded not from any ignorance or indecision on the part of Christ, but in order to try, and by at the landing place before them, but that having recognised Him as He was embarking, and guessing the place whither He was bound, they follow Him, and arrive, so to speak, in time to prevent His escaping them; arrive so as to keep Him in view, and come up to Him, and dispose themselves around Him as soon as He and His disciples had settled themselves on the mountain side. The кal σvvñλov πрòs avτóv would seem to favour this interpretation. It is evident from a comparison of the accounts that our Lord was all along a-head, and the people following. The expression in the next verse of St. Mark's account does not refer to the disembarkation, which would have required another word altogether, but simply, as a comparison of passages shews, to our Lord's going forth to the work of teaching and healing and feeding the multitudes, instead of taking the rest for which He had sought the desert place. He pitied the people rather than Himself; and being moved with compassion towards those shepherdless sheep, though He had sat Him down on the mountain side for rest, He immediately roused Himself again to labour; went forth (¿§€λ¤ùv, same word in St. Matthew and in St. Mark) from that repose which had scarce begun, and was thus interrupted. The usual explanation as to Philip's belonging to the town of Bethsaida, and so being most likely to know where bread might be procured, does not seem a sufficient reason why the question should be addressed to him, even supposing that this Bethsaida is the same as that mentioned in ch. i. 45. Nor is there any thing in Philip's answer to countenance such interpretation: while the Evangelist's comment upon our Lord's question, and Philip's answer to it, would seem to confirm the interpretation given in the text. See also ch. xiv. 8-11. On consulting Chrysostom, it is found that he takes much the same view. "Christ's relief of bodies," says Baxter in his Paraphrase," was in love to bodies and souls. Christ's questions were to instruct the hearers, and not Himself." LECT. trying to confirm, the faith of Philip; to strengthen XXI. his faith, by shewing him its weakness. That the faith of this disciple was imperfect, and needed such treatment, is plain from his answer. He expatiates upon the difficulty and expense of attempting, even partially, to provide for so great a multitude. Two hundred pennyworth of bread even-a considerable quantity if we regard the then rate of money-not being enough he thinks, glancing at the gathering multitudes, to give even a taste to each. But there is not so much as a hint of his trust in Divine power, or expectation of miraculous interference. So that we may understand the force of that affectionately reproachful question afterwards to this same disciple, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip ?" And indeed we know that, even after this and another miracle of the same kind, our Lord had yet to reproach His disciples generally for their want of faith". m After Philip's answer, another of the disciples interposes, speaking in much the same strain. And here the conversation seems to have ended, and the subject to have been dropped for the time, while our Lord was employed in His compassionate task of teaching many things to these forlorn; speaking unto them of the kingdom of The author of A Plain Commentary supposes this to have been the then store in their common purse. m ch. xiv. 9. n Matt. xvi. 5-12. Mark viii. 14—21. The express mention of the individual, Andrew, and the simple, natural manner of mention, has a great air of truth, and is a strong mark of credibility. On the accompanying explanation Bengel remarks," Petrus igitur eo tempore et loco, quo Johannes scripsit, notior fuerat Andrea, vel quia major, vel quia superstes Andreæ." |