fixity of the " laws of nature," as if they were above God Himself, and could never be suspended. It is well to be reminded sometimes by such miracles as that before us, that these so-called " laws of nature " are neither immu- table nor eternal. They had a beginning, and will one day have an end.
Let all true Christians take comfort in the thought that their Saviour is Lord of waves and winds, of storms and tempests, and can come to them in the darkest hour, *' walking upon the sea." There are waves of trouble far heavier than any on the Lake of Galilee. There are days of darkness which try the faith of the holiest Christian. But let us never despair if Christ is our Friend. He can come to our aid in an hour when we think not, and m ways that we did not expect. And when He comes, all will be calm.
Notes. John VI. 15—21.
15. — [ When Jesus therefore perceived.] This would be more lite- rally rendered, " Jesus knowing-, or having known." It seems to imply Divine knowledge of the multitude's secret intentions. Jesus knew men's hearts and thoughts.
[That they ivould come.] This would be more literally, " that they are about to come."
[TaJce him by force to make Mm a king.] The intention or wish was probably to place Him at their head, and proclaim Him their king, with or without His consent, and then to hurry Him away to Jerusalem, so as to arrive there at the passover feast, and announce Him as a Deliverer to the crowd assembled at that time. — The idea evidently in their mind was, that one who could work such a mighty mirade must be a mighty temporal Redeemer, raised up, like the Judges of old, to break the bonds of the Romish government, and restore the old independence and kingdom to Israel. There is no reason to suppose that there was any more spiritual feeling in the minds of the multitude. Of sense of spiritual need, and of faith in our Lord as a Saviour from sin, there is n© trace. Popularity and the good opinion of excited crowds are both worthless and temporary things.
Rollock remarks that the Jews were very sensitive about the 15
338 EXFOSITORr THOUGHTS.
tyranny and dominion of the Eomans, while they did not feel the far greater tyranny and dominion of sin. lie points out that we who are expecting the second advent of Chi st in the present day should take care that we increasingly feel the burden and yoke of sin, from which Christ's second advent will deliver the creation. Otherwise Christ's second advent will do us no more good than his first advent did to the Jews.
[He departed again into a mountain... .alone.] This would be more literally rendered, " the mountain," as at verse 3.
St. Matthew and St. Mark both mention another reason why our Lord withdrew to the mountain, beside His desire to avoid the intention of the multitude. Tliey tell us that He " sent the multitude away and departed to pray." (Matt. xiv. 23; Mark ix. 46.)
Some think that a miracle must have been wrought when our Lord withdrew Himself from the multitude, and that He must have passed through them invisibly, as after the miracle at Be- thesda, and at Nazareth. Yet it seems hardly necessary to sup- pose this.
It is worth noticing that after St. Luke's account of this mira- cle, he immediately relates that our Lord asked the disciples, "Whom say the people that I am?" (Luke ix. 18.) It does not however follow that He asked immediatel}^, but after an interval of some days. But the wish of the multitude here related may have occasioned the question.
16. — Whe7i even.. ..disciples^ went down unto the sea.] St. Matthew and St. Mark both say that our Lord " constrained " them to embark in the ship and depart. He " obhged " or " compelled " them. He probably saw that in their ignorance of the spiritual nature of His kingdom they were ready to fall in with the wishes of the multitude, and to proclaim Him a king.
17, — [Entered into a ship.] This would be more literally " the ship." It seems to mean that particular vessel or fishing-boat which our Lord and His disciples always used on the lake of Galilee, and which probably was lent for His use by the relatives of those of His disciples who were fishermen, if not by the four themselves, — viz., James, John, Andrew, and Peter. There is no necessity for supposing that when they left their calling to become disciples they gave up their boats so entirely as to have no more use of them when they wished. The last chapter of this very Gospel seems to prove the contrary. When Peter said, *' I go a fishing," there was " the boat" ready for them at once, (John xxi. 3.)
[ Went over the sea.... Capernaum.] This would be more literally "were going," "were in the act of going." Capernaum lay on