The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 108

intense eagerness and excitement they cast down their suffering friends before tho Lord. The action was enough. The sick lay around him; their reverentitu attitude, their mute distress, pleaded with the compassionate Saviour; he healed them all. 3. Tl1e wonder of the m1t!tit~e. 'l'~ese peasant.a of Decapol\s w~re men of ~imple hearts; they'. ha.d not ?9en preJudiced agamst our Lord by the em1ssanes of the Pharisees; they saw the Lords power, and they wondered. But they did more than wonder• they glorified 1.he God of Israel. Possibly they had worshipped other gods; but it ,;as the Prophet of the God of Israel who had wrought these marvelloUB cures; they recoanized his majesty, as Naama.n the Syrian had done ages before. It is o. lesson to ~s. God's mercies should lea.d us on to adoration. Worship is what we owe to God, and worship is the prostration of the whole being, bowed low in adoring reverence before the glory of God. May the mercies of each day lead us -~ practise here on earth that holy uuselfish worship which we hope hereafter to olfer before the ia!:lory-throne I . >. II. THE SEOOND MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES. .1. The Lord's words. The disciples ma.de no suggestion now, as they ha.d done bef\lI'e under similar circumstances (eh. xiv. 15). Their confidence in their Master was increasing; their reverence was deepening; they felt, it may be, that patient waiting was their most becoming attitude; it was not their place to otfer advice. But he called them; he would teach them, and us throuah them, to ea.re for the bodily wants of our fellow-creatures. "I have compassion ~n the multitude." "These words," Stier well says," iu the mouth and from the heart of Christ, have called into existence e.11 the institutions of philanthropy, unknown to heathenism, for a.II sorts of indigence and distress." The people were hungry; some of them (the Lord knew, as he knoweth all things) had come from far; they had contin11ed with him three days. Their deep interest in the Lord's teaching, their wonder,. e.t: ,his miracles, had so absorbed their thoughts that they had me.de :no provision for their necessities, a.nd their food was ex:ha.UBted. Probably they were strangers from Decapolis; very possib1y they had not heard of the feeding of the five thousand; who seem to have been gathered together on their way to the Passover. But these ignorant country people forgot themselves in attending upon the Lord. He cared for them. So '.he will care for .us if we continue in his service, casting e.ll our care on him. 2. The disciples: They- must have remembered the former miracle; their question, indeed, as reported by St. Matthew; tiOunds almost like e.n allusion to it: " Whence should we have so much bread?" The Lord's words seemed to imply that they were to provi4e the food; wheri.ce should they obtain it? He could supply it-that they knew; they knew not yet cert11,inly whether it would please him to do as he had done before ; they did not presume to prescribe his course of action. Their stock of provisions was very small, somewhat larger than on the former. occasion, but utterly inadequate for the. wants of such a multitude. 3. The mirule. Again the Lord gave thanks, teaching us that we should never omit to acknowledge the bounty of God e.t every meal; again he brake the bread in that gracious manner so long e.nd so well remembered (Luke :uiv. 35); again the disciples were his ministers in conveying the food to the a.sEembled crowds. "And they did.all eat, and were filled." The seven loa,v-es and the few littlli',fishes satisfied the hunger of four thousand men. The evangelist reminds us that,. though the meJ;L only were numbered, there were women and children also. The Lord provided libere.lly for e.11 alike. In Christ JesUB there is neither male nor female. Christianity has raised woman to her proper place in society. The Lord always loved the little children; he bade them come to him. He fed the whole multitude in bis sovereign power and generous bounty, as now from day to day he feedeth us, fathers, mothers, children. "He satisfied them with the bread of heaven." There was enough, and more than enough; the disciples took 1.1p seven baskets full (and those baskets of large size; compare in the Greek, Acts ix. 25)-more, appa.rentJy, than the little store which they had at first. So he will bless our basket e.nd our store if we trust in him. • LESSONS. 1. The multitudes brought their sick to Christ ; let us commend our sick in faithful prayer to the mercy of the Lord.. 2. They glorified the God of Israel; let 1lB learn alwa.ys to recognize his gracious hand, and to adore him· who. gi vcth all things. 3. He had oompassion. on the multitude ; let us learn of him to feel for the needy and helpleu. 4. Let 118 look to him. for our daily bread ; the Lord will provide, oR, xv. 1-39.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. Ill