The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 382

foreseen encriflco of himeclf. The convic- one of the sacred cities of the Jews. Jewish tion that he must gl ve himself to n violent trndition makes it the scene of the last donth-give his flesh to the hungry nncl judgment and the resurrection of the dead. It was a modem city, which may account for etnrving multitude, mnde tho decndonce of the omission of its name in the synoptic nar- his popularity in Gnlilee a certain conse- rative. Christ never visited it that we know quence of ony right apprehension of his of. He preferred the fishing village of Beth- mission or claims. Thie mastery over the saida, or the more thoroughly Hebrew aspect powers of nature which his compassion for of Capernanm. Nevertheless, "Tiberias" gave to Gentile ears the beBt and lea.qt du- others prevailod on him to manifest would bious designation of the lake. So Pausanias be misunderstood. The mor11l and mystic (v. 7. 3) calls it the 11.lµv11 T,Eep[, (" the lake meaning of it was for more important than Tiber"). Luke (v. 1) calls it the '' Lake the superficial inferences drawn by the Gennesaret," and l\Iatthew and 1\Iark "the Galilreans. The real lesson of the miracle Sea of Galilee" without any other epithet. John (xxi. 1) calls it "the Sea of Tiberias." would grievously offend them. Ilut it sank This multiplicity of lake-names, due in the deeply into the apostolic mind, and hence first instance to some peculiarity of the includ- the various aspects which it presents in the ing shores, finds easy parallels in Derwent- fourfold narrative. John selects this one water and Keswick Lake, and in tbe " Lake specimen of the Galilman ministry on of the FourCo.ntons," called also" La.keof Lu- zern," etc. Christ sought retirement from account of its typical character, and records the surging crowd, and for himself and his the high and wonderful results which the excited disciples a time of rest and com- Lord educed from this high and striking munion with the Father, who had accepted, manifestation of his power. There is, more- as parl of his Divine plan, the awful sacrifice over, remarkable . correspondence between of the life of John the Baptist. He went "by ship," says Matthew (xiv. 13) to a desert the fifth and sixth chapters in this respect, place. In Luke's account this solitary place that Galilee, like J ernsalem, recoils from was towards or near (el9) a city called the highest claims of Jesus, and developed "Bethsaida." It is difficult to believe that 11.Il antagonism or an indifference as deadly this is the familiar Bethsa.ida or "fislting if not ·os m11lignant as that which bas dis~ town," situated a little south of Capemaum., becanse we a.re met in the o.ccorrnt of Mark played itself in the metropolis. " He came (vi. 45) with the statement that, after the to his own, and his own received him not." miracle, the disciples were urged to go to the other side of the lake (,rpl>r B118cra,~av) Ver. 1.-After these things (see note on towards Bethso.ido.. This, compared with oh. v. 1; not µe-rll. TovTo, which would mean ver. 17, is obviously in the same direction as after this particular scene in Jerusalem)- Capemaum. Indeed, the term, "Bethsauh i.e. ofter a group of events, one of which of Galilee," referred to in eh. xii. 21 (us may have been this visit to the metropolis, the Apostle Philip's residence), seems used but which included also the e11rly Galilrean with the view of clistingnishiug it from some ministry as presented in the synoptic narra- other place of the same name. Now, tive, and with which John 11.Ild his readers Josephus (' Ant.,' xviii. 2. 1) mentions o. were familiar-Jesus departed from the Bide Bethsaida Julias situated ou the north- of the sea on which he was, ond as we may eastern extremity of the lake. T!Je rnin11 judge (ver. 24) from Co.pema.um, now known of this city may be still seen on the rising to be his chief resting-plo.ce, most probably hilly ground which Lere retires somewhat the home of bis mother, brothers, and nearest from the river and the lake. It w11s situated friends, to the other side of the sea of in Gaulonitis, in the tetrarchy of Philip, and Galilee, of Tiberia.s; or, of the Galilrean sea therefore beyond the jurisdiction of Herod, of .Tiberias. . It does not follow that the yet not far from the road into Penea by evo.ngelist ho.d the southernmost portion of which the Galilrean pilgrims to the met.ro- the lake in his mind (o.s Meyer suggests). polis might be e::i:pected to travel. The Tiberias WM the showy city built by Herod silence of these hills provided the oppor- Antipas on the westel"Il shore of the lo.ke. tunity of retirement. But it was frustrated Herod colled the place e.fter the nome of by the eager excitement of the multitude. Tiberius Creear, e.nd conferred upon it many Ver. 2.-There was following him o. vast Gentile oho.raoteristios. From the time of orowd, beoause they were epeota.tors of I the Antipes to that of Agrippa. it was the chief tgwn of the tetrorohy. After the destruotion • Tischendorf (Gth and 8th edit.), l\Ieyer, of Jeruso.lem it bece.1J1e for centuries the site T.R., reo.d U,p.,,,, with ~. r, I:!., A, n, etc.: of a oelebrated school of Hebrew learning, and Laohmann, Tregelles, R.T., with B, D, L.  248 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [oli. v1. 1-11.