The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 234

Ho would not believe it wne hie olrl monitor tho return of the twelve from their mission. risen, but rot the prince Wfl8 0,nxious 0,nd He e.nd they were no doubt very weary of pel'turbed m his mind, The murmur that the crowds which continually now thronged the greRt prophet wns EliRs (Elijah) dis- them. The ellcitement of the multit11de quieted him, too, Herod could not help o.hout ,Jesus was now e.t its height. Directly recn\ling to his mind the lifelong combat after the discour,e at Capernau m (John vi. ), of th0.t greet o.nd o.uetere servant of God which immediately followed the great miracle e.gninst o.nother wicked sovereign o.nd bis we a.re about to discuss, the popular enthu- queen, Ahe.b e.nd Jezebel, whose great siasm began to wane. Intensely weRry, crime was that they, too, had slain the dispirited too at the story of the murder Lord's prophets. That history, Herod felt, of John the Baptist, which was told the hnd to some extent been reproduced hy Master by the disciples and the friends of himself and H!lrodias. There was a rooted John on their return from their mission, expectation among the Jews that Elijah Jesus determined for a brief space to with- would reappear again on earth, and that draw himself from the public gaze. He hie appearance would herald the advent of crossed the Lake of Gennesaret in one of the Messiah. There are numberless refer- his friends' fishing-boats to a town lately ences in the Talmud to this looked-for identified by modern research 11B Betl1sa1,la return of the famous Elijah. Julias, a. small city recently beautified by Ver. 8.-0ne of the old prophets. Jere- Herod Philip, e.nd named Betbse1da Julias, miah and also Isaiah, though to a. lesser after the daughter of Augustus. Bethsa1,la, degree than Elijah, were looked for as " house of fish," was a name attached evi- heralds of the coming Messiah (see 2 Esdr. dently to several of these fishing centres ii. 10, 18, and 2 Mace. ii. 4-8; xv. 13-16). on the shores of the lake. l\1any of the It was expected that Jeremiah would reveal multitude of whom we read subsequently the hiding-place of the long-lost e.rk and of in the account of the miracle, had watch,-d the Urim. his depa.rtnre in the boat for the neigh hour- Ver. 9.-And he desired to see him; that hood of Bethsa.i:da Julias, and had gone on is, J esue. The desire of Herod was gre.tified, foot round the head of the lake to join the but not then. He saw him the day of the popular Teacher again. The distnnce rounrl Crucifixion, when Pilate sent him to Herod the north end of the lake from the point for judgment; but the tetrarch, wea.k and of embarkation, most likely Cnpernaum, to wicked though he was, declined the respon- Bcthsa1da Julias is not very considerable. sibility of shedding that blood, so he sent 'l'he crowd which soon joined him in retire- him ha.ck t.o the Homan governor. Here, in ment would be considerably swelled by many SS. Matthew e.nd Mark, follows the dra- of the Passover pil:a;rims just arrived at Ca- matfo and vivid e.ccount of the death of pernanm on their ...-ay to Jerusalem to keep John the Baptist. St. Luke probably omits the feast. These would be anxious, too, to see it, as his Gospel, or rather Paul's, was and to hear the great Gahlman Prophet, derived from what they heard from eye- whose name just then wns in every mouth. witnesses and hearers of the Lord. As Not very fo.r from Bethsa"ida. Julias there is a regards SS. 11-Ia.tthew e.nd Ma.rk, the latter secluded plain, El Batihah; thither Jesus no of whom wa.s probably simply the amanu- doubt went after leaving his fishing-boat, ensis of St. Peter, the awful event was purpOlling to spend some time in perfect woven into their lifl:'e story. It was most rest. Soon, however, the usually quiet natural tha.t, in their public pree.ohing a.nd plain becomes populous with the crow1is tee.rhing, they should make constant mention following after theGalilrean l\Iaster. Though of the tragedy which so persona.Hy affected longing intensely for repose so necessary f.,r Jesus and his little company. St. Luke o.nd himself and his disciples, he at once, moved hie master, Pa.ul, on the other hand, who by the eagerness of the multitude to heur were not personally µresent with the Lord and see him a.gain, gives them his usual when these events took place, would be loving welcome, and begins in his old likely to confine their memoirs e.s closely a.s fashion to teach them many things, and possible to those oiroumsta.noes in which to bee.I their sick. Jesus e.lone occupied the prominent place. Ver. 12.-And when the day began to Vere. 10-17.-T/16 Lord feeda the fi'De wear e.wa.y, then oa.me the twelve, a.nd said thousand. unto him, Send the multitude a.way, tha.t Ver. 10.-And the a.po1tlee, when they they may go into the towns a.nd oountry were returned, told him e.11 the.t they had round a.bout, and lodge, a.nd get viotuals : done. And he took them, a.nd went a.side for we a.re here in a desert pl.a.oe. Simple privately into a desert pla.oe belonging to oonsidera.tion for the crowds, among w!.om the oity oa.lled Bethea.ids. This, perhups we know were women and chihlren, prn- the most famous Rnd oftenest told of the b11bly dictated this l'l"mu.rk of the twelrn, Lon.I's wirclC!cs, wwi worked iliroctly llft.cr tl1uu6 h it h.a.,i bc~n wiiJJ duwe inbcnuiLy  234 'l'IIE oosrEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [en. 1x. 1-G2. --- ----------------------- Fng-grstf'<l thnt tho adnce or the disciplrs in a drnmntio m1mner the st.riking spcotncle wns "wing to tlwir feM tl1Rt., NI darkni,ss presented by these rogulnrly f,irmed com- wrnild Bor>n creep over the scene, some pn.nies, eRoh coneisting of two eq nal ranks, eRlRmity might happen wbiob would give Rnd A.II arrA.nge,l upon the slope of the hill. a fresh handle against Je,,us to hie many The pA.stures Rt that time woro in nil their enemies. spring glory. SS. John and Mark both Yer. 13.-But he 88.id unto them, Give ye bring forwstrd the beauty of this naturnl them to e&t. Godet here bPA1utifullv ob- carpet. • Muoh gre.se' (St. John); • on Per-ves that this reply, &nd tlle great m'iracle the green grass' (St. Ilfark)" (Godet). St. thnt followed, WM the result of a lol'ing Mark's vivid picturesque details show the thou~ht of the Redeemer. "John has dis- observant eye-witneas. The words rendered elos<>d it to us (vi. 4). It W:ll! the time of "in ranks" (" they aat down in ranks") the Passover. He e.ould not visit JeruanlPm liternlly mean they were like flower-beds with his disciples, owing to tho virulent set in the green grl\88. The bright-coloured hatred of which he hBd become the obj-·ct. Eastern robes of these men, as they ent in In this une1:pected gathering, resembling long rows, suggested the happy comparison. thnt of the nation at Jerusalem, he discerns Ver. 16.-Then he took the five loaves and a si~e.l from on high, and determines to the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, cekbrat~ a f<>a.st in the de.sert as a com- he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the pensation for the Paasover FeA.st." We have disciples to set before the multitude. The no more but five loaves and two fiahea; blessing was the usual introduction of a except we should go and buy meat for all pious J owish family to e. meal. It was pro- th.itl people. The me.in lines of this story nounced by the head of the household. are tl,e same in each of the four accounts An ordinary formula. was," Me.y God, the which we possess of this miracle; but each Ever-blessed One, bless what he has given of the four emngelists supplies some little nsl" The Jewish barley loe.ves were broad, d,-tail wanting in the others. It is clear thin cakes ; these were usually broken, not that there was no original written tradition cut-hence the expression," and brake." In from which they all copied. St. John tells SS. Mark and Luke the tense of the verb us it was a little boy who hnd this small, rendered " gave," in the origine.l Greek, is rough provision. The boy probably was an imperfect, and signifies," he gave, and in attendB.nce on the apostles, and this was kept on giving." This supplies a hint as no doubt the little stock of food they had to the way of working the miracle. Each pro-vided for their own frugal meal. The disciple kept coming to him for e. fresh barley lonv,·s were the ordinary food or the supply of bread. It was, however, RB it has poorest in Pn.lestine, and the two fish were been well said, a miracle of the highest dried, as was the common custom of the order, one of creative power, nnd is to ns country: and such dried fish was usually inconr.eivable. The evangelists make no eaten with the bread. nttempt to explain it. They evidently did Yer. 14.-Tiley were about five thousand not care to ask. They beheld it, e.od rele.ted men. St. Matthew adds, " hesides women it to ns jnst as they se.w it in its simple ail<.l children." The multitude generally bad grandeur. Neither disciples nor crowds seem come from a considerable distance, we know; at first to have grasped the stupendous there would not be, comparatively speaking, nature of the aot. St. Joho tells us of its n,unv women and chilclren among them. effect on the crowds, who, when they came T1,eee were grouped together apart, and, of to see what had been done, wished to take course, fed, but were not counted among the him by force and make him king. For a five thousand. And he BRid to his disciples, brief sµace they were convinced that in the llda.ke them Bit down by fifties in a company. poor Galilee Rabbi they had found King " Jesus Las no suo11er a.scertained that there Messiah-none but ho could he.ve done this Ill'(; five Joa ves and two fishes, t.ha.n he is great thing. They were right. satisfied. He commands them to make tbe Ver. 17.-And they did eat, and were all ruuliitude sit down. Just 11s though he had filled : and there we.■ taken up of fragments said, ' I have what I want; the meal is that remained to them, twelve baskets. A ready ; let them be seated I ' But he takes very impressive lesson from the Cree.tor him- care that his h-anquet shall be conducted self against waste or extravagance. St.John with an order worthy of the God who givea expressly t.ells us that this order to gather it. Everything must be calm and solemn; up the fragments of their meal !lmanatcd it is a kind of Passover meal. By the help from Jesua himaelf. Carefulneas, thrift, and of the apostk,s, h.,, seats his guests in rows economy in sme.11 things u.s in great, form or fifty each (St. Matthew), or in double part of the teaching of the loviug Master. rows of fifty, by hu11drc ds (Mark). This 0 Frorn 8Uch passages as Mark vi. 37 and ,.rderly arrangement allowed of the guests John xiii. 2!), it seems probable that the king eW1ily oount,<,d. St, Mark describes discipl~s, acting under thdr Master'• dircc• Oil. IX. l-62.] THE 008I'EL ACCOnDINO TO BT. I,UKM. 2311