The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 385

br- thiB venoe. PC'rhRps no gre11trr difficulty suggestion. Thoy now go to him, to beseeoh iii involved in im11.gining the union of the his influence to send the multitudes nway, Divine n.nrl hnmnn in ono pereonality, in that they mny go into the villages and buy w!Jich nt tim<'s the Ego is the Son of God themselvea something to eat. When the Rnd nt other timeB purely the Son of mnn, enigmatic words burst from hie lips, "Give than there is in the blending of the flesh ye them t.o ent," the two hundred penny• nnd l!pirit in the Divine life of our own worth of bread is once more refen-ed to by exp<'ri<'DC'-O. John saw this, felt this, when the disciples ns insufficient (Luke iL 12, 18; the qncstion was nddressed to Philip. He Matt. xiv. 15-17), sow by intuitive glance, os on so many other Vers. 8, 9.-Thon aaith one of his dieoiplea occasions, what Christ "l.--r1ew" absolutely to him, viz. Andrew, Simon Pater's brother, (,io<1) or oo.me to 1--now by experienC'.0 and The spokesman is here specio.lly indico.ted. obseJ"VRtion (eh. iv. I ; xvi.19). The •• trial," On other occasions Andrew is singled out as not the " temptation," of Philip we.s obvious the brother of Simon and friend of Philip in the form and tone of the question. The ( eh. i. 44; xii. 22). This repeo.ted reference use of the word T<1pa(ow shows that it to the illustrious brother of Simon is n refu- frequently means "fost," "prove," as well tation of the ill-natured charge against the a.s "tempt." If God tempt,s, it is with the author of the Gospel, that he e.imed at the beneficent intention of encouraging the depreoiation of the character- of the great tempted one to succeed, t,o resist the allure- apostle. Moreover, it is interesting to re- ment, to show and prove hie power to bear member thnt in the Muratorian fragment on a more serious nssault. If the devil tempts the Canon, ".Andrew" is specie.Uy mentioned, (,mpd(<1), it is v;ith the hope of inducing the as being one of those present with John in sufferer t,o yield aud foil. Ephesus, who urged him to w1ite his Gospel Ver. 7.-Philip took a. calculating method (see Introduction, IV. 2 (3)). There is a I le.d of meeting the difficulty, nnd looked at the here (possibly o. lad who was brought with • question as one which their entire resources themselves, or who had atte.ched himself t,o were unnble to solve. He did not so much as the twelve) who has :five barley loaves, the think of the" when<'e," or from what qu1trler bread of the poorest classes. Of this there the loaves could be proClll'ed., as how much fa ample proof (' Sotah,' ii. 1, quoted by money would be required t,o meet the case. Edersheim, vol i. 681): "While all other Philip answered him, Two hundred pe=y- meat offerings were of wheat, that brought by worth of loaves are not sufficient for them, the woman accused of adultery was to be of the.t ea.oh one 1 may take a little, The barley, because, as her deed is that of the de=riu,; was equal to a.bout eightpence ho.If- animals, eo her offering is of the food of penny of onr money; so tba.t the BUm animals." If this lad was conveying the spoken of, probably representing the entire food-stock of the Lord nnd his apostles, it contents of theiroommon pnrse, we.e only six is an impressive but. accidental hint that pounds fifteen shillings, and was utterly " for our sakes he became poor," and claesed insufficient for the purpose. The conversa- himself socially with the humblest. And tion preserved by Mark (vi. 35-37) cannot two :fishes. The use of this. word is peculiar well be ma.de pa.rt -of this language of to onr Gospel (Luke, lx66es;. llfork, lxM,zs, Philip, but rather follows when the short the ordinary word for" fish; "but John llBeB afternoon WILS coming on, a.nd the long the word o,i,&puz, the diminutive of the Greek shadows indicated the near approach of word li,i,ov, which means " savoury," ea.ten darkness. Philip had told the other dis- with bread). This opsarion mostly consisted ciples of the Lord's question, and they he.d of small :fishes caught in the lake, which discll8sed. the possible perils of the case were dried, salted as " sardines " or " ancho- and the intentions of the Lord. It ie in- vies " a.re with ourselves for a similar pur- teresting to see, in Mark, that the se.me sum pose. This ha.bit belonged locally to the was mentioned as being insufficient for the neighbourhood of the lake, and revee.la needs of the great multitudes. John has the GalilS!an oligin or associations ·of. the not only abridged the na.rrative of the writer. The .Aramaic word, ophsonim, is synoptists, but added a feature which is of derived from the Greek opson, and that of interest, and shows how for some hours apltjain, or aphiz, is the name for a smell the disciples had meditated on what they fish caught in the lake, the drying of which fancied would be necessary, a.nd had come was_" lucrative source of industry. · Eder- t.o the 110mewhat unwelcome conclusion that 1 T.R. reads here i!v, ,, one," with the au- they m llBt sacrifice their en tirf stock of funds. The Lord had :tint of all made the thority of A. I', c,., and many other uncials; but tot, D, D, 1, 69, fift.een manuscripts, a.nd 1 T.R. here adds iJ./rriiw; it is omitted by many others, omit it (so Tischendorf, -Sth l<, A., B, L, n, etc., by Tischendorf (8th edit., Westcots and Hort, l'-1'., and 'l're,. edit.), Westcott and Hort, etc. gelle&l). - OH, VI, 1-71.] 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 261