Marco 6:37 Commento

A great variety of observable passages we have, in this chapter, concerning our Lord Jesus, the substance of all which we had before in Matthew, but divers circumstances we have, which we did not there meet with. Here is, I. Christ contemned by his countrymen, because he was one of them, and they knew, or thought they knew, his original (Mar 6:1-6). II. The just power he gave his apostles over unclean spirits, and an account given of their negotiation (Mar 6:7-13). III. A strange notion which Herod and others had of Christ, upon which occasion we have the story of the martyrdom of John Baptist (v. 14-29). IV. Christ's retirement into a desert place with his disciples; the crowds that followed him thither to receive instruction from him; and his feeding five thousand of them with five loaves and two fishes (Mar 6:30-44). V. Christ's walking upon the sea to his disciples, and the abundance of cures he wrought on the other side of the water (Mar 6:45-56).

And he went out from thence,.... From Capernaum; and came into his own country; or "city", as the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, the city of Nazareth; so called because it was the place where Christ was conceived, and where he was educated; for which he had a regard, and was willing it should partake of the benefit of his doctrine and miracles: and his disciples follow him; as they did wherever he went; and which is a true characteristic of a disciple of Jesus.

He answered and said unto them, give ye them to eat,.... This he said to try their faith, and make way for the following miracle: and they say unto him, shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? This might be just the sum of money they now had in the bag, as Grotius, and others conjecture; and the sense be, shall we lay out the two hundred pence, which is all we have in hand, to buy bread for this multitude? is it proper we should? is it thy will that so it should be? and if we should do so, as Philip suggests, Joh 6:7, it would not be enough to give every one a little: wherefore they say this, as amazed that he should propose such a thing unto them: or the reason of mentioning such a sum, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, might be, because that this was a noted and celebrated sum among the Jews, and frequently mentioned by them. A virgin's dowry, upon marriage, was "two hundred pence" (c); and so was a widow's; and one that was divorced (d), if she insisted on it, and could make good her claim: this was the fine of an adult man, that lay with one under age; and of a male under age, that lay with a female adult (e); and of one man that gave another a slap of the face (f). This sum answered to six pounds and five shillings of our money. (c) Misn. Cetubot, c. 1. sect. 2. & 4. 7. & 5. 1. (d) Ib. c. 2. sect. 1. & 11. 4. (e) Ib. c. 1. sect. 3. (f) Misn. Bava Kama, c. 6. sect. 8.

As man he was put to the test, but as God he came through victorious—yes, he bids us be of good cheer, because he has conquered the world. He hungered—yet he fed thousands. He is indeed “living, heavenly bread.” He thirsted—yet he exclaimed: “Whoever thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” Indeed he promised that believers would become fountains.

(Con. Evan. 2. 46) This in the Gospel of John is the answer of Philip, but Mark gives it as the answer of the disciples, wishing it to be understood that Philip made this answer as a mouthpiece of the others; although he might put the plural number for the singular, as is usual.

For if the incarnation was a fantasy, then our salvation is a delusion. The Christ was at the same time visible man and invisible God. He ate as man, quite like ourselves. He possessed from his humanness the same passions we have. He fed the five thousand with five loaves as God. As man he really died. As God he raised the dead on the fourth day. As human he slept in the boat. As God he walked upon the waters.

(ubi sup.) Again, in a mystical sense, the Saviour refreshes the hungry crowds at the day's decline, because, either now that the end of the world approaches, or now that the Sun of justice has set in death for us, we are saved from wasting away in spiritual hunger. He calls the Apostles to Him at the breaking of bread, intimating that daily by them our hungry souls are fed, that is, by their letters and examples. By the five loaves are figured the Five Books of Moses, by the two fishes the Psalms and Prophets.

And he answering said to them: Give them something to eat. He provokes the apostles to the breaking of the bread, so that by their testifying they have nothing, the greatness of the sign might be better known: at the same time insinuating that daily through them our fasting hearts must be fed, clearly when we are roused to love heavenly things either by their examples or their writings. Note, however, that the evangelist John, writing about this miracle of the loaves, prefaced it with the announcement that the Passover, the feast day of the Jews, was near. However, Matthew and Mark recall that this happened immediately after John was killed. From this, it is inferred that John was beheaded at the approach of this same Paschal festival, and the mystery of the Lord's Passion was completed in the following year, when the Paschal time returned again. And therefore, signified in the book of the Sacraments is his nativity on the fourth Kalends of September, and in the Martyrology, which is adorned with the names of Eusebius and Jerome, it is read: on the fourth Kalends of September, in the city of Edessa in the province of Phoenicia, the nativity of John the Baptist, the day on which he was beheaded: this does not specifically denote the day of his beheading, but rather the day on which his head was found in the same city of Edessa and placed in a church. Indeed, as the Chronicles of Marcellinus testify, in the time of Emperor Marcian, two eastern monks came to Jerusalem to worship and see the holy places; to whom the same precursor of the Lord, standing by revelation, commanded to go to the dwelling of Herod the king and seek his head there, and upon finding it, to place it in honor. Found by them and taken, but soon lost through negligence, it was brought to Edessa by others and placed in a certain cave in an urn underground, ignobly for a considerable time, until John again showed himself and his head to a certain pious abbot and priest named Marcellus, when he lived in the same cave. Clearly, it was found by the bishop of that city, named Julioramus, through the aforementioned priest. From that time, the beheading of the blessed precursor began to be celebrated in that city on the day when his head was found or lifted. You will find this written more extensively in the aforementioned book of Chronicles.

(ubi sup.) By these words He calls on His Apostles, to break bread for the people, that they might be able to testify that they had no bread, and thus the greatness of the miracle might become more known.

The Lord, however, testing and trying them to see whether they had recognized His power—that He could feed the people—says, "You give them something to eat." To this the disciples, as if in reproach, point out to Him, on the one hand, the greatness of their own poverty, and on the other, the multitude of the people, as though He did not know this. In this difficulty they say, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"

See now, how those who are disciples of Christ grow in love to man, for they pity the multitudes, and come to Christ to intercede for them. But the Lord tried them, to see whether they would know that His power was great enough to feed them. Wherefore it goes on, He answered, and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. But the disciples thought that He did not know what was necessary for the feeding of so large a multitude, for their answer shows that they were troubled. For it goes on, And they said unto him, Let us go and buy two hundred pennyworth, of bread, and give them to eat.

Our Lord's countrymen are astonished at his wisdom and mighty works, and are offended at him, Mar 6:1-4. He works few miracles there, because of their unbelief, Mar 6:5, Mar 6:6. He sends forth his disciples by two and two to preach, etc., Mar 6:7-11. They depart, preach, and work miracles, Mar 6:12, Mar 6:13. Different opinions of Christ, Mar 6:14-16. Account of the beheading of John Baptist, Mar 6:17-29. The disciples return, and give an account of their mission, Mar 6:30. He departs with them to a place of privacy, but the people follow him, Mar 6:31-33. He has compassion on them, and miraculously feeds five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, Mar 6:34-44. He sends the disciples by sea to Bethsaida, and himself goes into a mountain to pray, Mar 6:45, Mar 6:46. The disciples meet with a storm, and he comes to them walking upon the water, and appeases the winds and the sea, Mar 6:47-52. They come into the land of Gennesaret, and he works many miracles, Mar 6:53-56.

THE SYROPHœNICIAN WOMAN AND HER DAUGHTER--A DEAF AND DUMB MAN HEALED. ( = Mat 15:21-31). (Mar 7:24-37) And from thence he arose, and went into the borders--or "unto the borders." of Tyre and Sidon--the two great Phœnician seaports, but here denoting the territory generally, to the frontiers of which Jesus now came. But did Jesus actually enter this heathen territory? The whole narrative, we think, proceeds upon the supposition that He did. His immediate object seems to have been to avoid the wrath of the Pharisees at the withering exposure He had just made of their traditional religion. and entered into an house, and would have no man know it--because He had not come there to minister to heathens. But though not "sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mat 15:24), He hindered not the lost sheep of the vast Gentile world from coming to Him, nor put them away when they did come--as this incident was designed to show. but he could not be hid--Christ's fame had early spread from Galilee to this very region (Mar 3:8; Luk 6:17).

He answered and said unto them--"They need not depart" (Mat 14:10). Give ye them to eat--doubtless said to prepare them for what was to follow. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?--"Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little" (Joh 6:7).