The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 386

aheim remindR us thnt the fieh lnid on the Lnko enys, "in gronps of fifty." Mnrk first oharoonl fire ( eh. xxi. 9, 10, 13) wne "op- declares that Jesus orderer! them to sit down sorion," ond thnt of thie the risen Lord, on (rruµ,r6crnr. rruµ1r6rr,o.) in parties, and describes the shore of this very lokc, gave to his dis- the resnU as having the appenrnnce of oiploe to eot, though ho guided them at that garden-bcrls (1rpcirr,a(, 1rparr,cil), of fifty or of time to II ehoo.l of great fieheB, lxoJ.,,, µ,"f&• a hundred each. The 1rpo.rr«I. is area, jMIJ.8 A.,,,, o.nd bnde them o.dd eome of theee to the (Gnrtenbett; Homer, • Orl.,' vii. 127; xxiv. o,J,dp,a, which he woe content to uee etill. 247). "TJparr,o:l," says T heophylact, " arc The use of thie word on these two occasions the different divisions in garrlenH, in which shows tho.t, o.t the lo.at, our Lord reminds his different herbs are often planted.'' The disciples of the miroculous feeding by the imago of the garden-plots, with different shore of the lnke; and both narratives divisions between them, forced itself on the breathe the air of the northern parts of eye-witness (see Trench, 'Miracles,' p. 205). Galilee. But what are these among so Ver. 11.-Jesus then took the loaves ; and many 1 The same lesson of the insufficiency having given thanks (•uxap,rr-r~rrci, is used of human resources to meet great human by John, whereas Mark speaks of his look- needs is suggested by Numb. xi. 21-23. ing up to heaven and blessing the loaves, Our resources o.t the very best are quite ex- uttering words of praise. The Eucharistial hausted. Our beet, our all, o.vaih little- exprcs~ion corresponds with the fun,,tion of o.n expression which would o.pply to the the head of a household o.t the Pas~hal numberless' offers of our poor humanity and feast, o.nd is another hint of relation between of our limited· faculties to meet the moral the Passover and the discourse which here starvation of the world. Take the Old follows) he distributed 1 to them who were Testament: how can the dispensation of all set down. Thie is not incompatible with the its provision satisfy per se the need of man- language of the synoptists, that be gave to kind o.s o. whole? Greek philosophy, even the disciples, they to the multitude, an un- if it satisfy the few, the leisurely, the cyni- doubted allegory of the method in which co.1, the learned, the wise men of the West, all his greatest gifts have been diffused over what will it do for the poor, the broken- the world; but John calls special attention hearted, the consciously-guilty? The good to the part, the supreme part, to.ken in this things of this life o.re equally powerless, and proceeding by the Lord himself. Advantage the proposals of even truth itself, ii part from has been taken of this to ahow that the the gracious operations of the Spirit, would narrative is a glorification of the Eucha- foil to meet the wants or necessities of the 1istial meal, at which Jesus go.rn to his unbelieving. disciples the bread which he brake. Like- Ver. 10.-1 J'eSllS said (the omission of 3~ wise also of the fishes (o,J,cipiwv) as much rather augments the vivid force of the state- as they wished. This is, doubtless, the ment), Make the people (~116pw1rous here, place or moment when the mighty miracle contrasted with the lt118pes of the next clRuse) occurred. recline. Now there was muoh grass in the "'Twas seed-time when he blessed the plaoe. As already said, this is in harmony bread, with the note of time conveyed in ver. 4. 'Twas harvest when he brake." The other evangelist •(Mark vi. 39) speaks of the people sitting down " upon the green This pretty couplet, with Augustine's and grass "-a vivid touch this ofo.n eye-witness; Olsho.usen's remarks that the processes of Matthew (xiv. 19) also speaks of the grass; nature were hastened by the great organ of and Mark and Luke add another remember- the Divine Creator, does not throw any light nble featw-e which John omits. The men upon the phenomenon.• It m::i.kes it more (l!vllpu were distinguished from l!v9po,1roi, 1 The T.R. here introduces, ou the au- which last term may ho.ve included the "women and children" (Matt. xiv. 21), who thority of ~•, D, r, .o., with others, .,.o,s in no great numbers probably formed, ao- µa911Tcii'J, ol ~~ µci911.,-cil-a probl\ble introduc- cording to Eastern custom, a company by tion from the account of Matthew (~", A, themselves). The men eat down (reclined), B, L, H, 1, 3:l, llS"', 25!, numerous manu- in number-the matter of tha "number" is scripts of Italio Version, and Vulgate and here put into the "aocuso.tive of closer other versions; Origen, Basil, etc.). The definition" (Meyer)-about five thousand.• clause is omitted by R.T., Tregelles, and Tischendorf (8th edit.). 1 A~ is omitted by ~. B, L, Syriao, and by • Auo-ustine ('Serm.,' 130, 131) con- Tischendorf (8th edit.), Westcott and Hort, trasted the dsily augmentation of seed in and R.T. the furrows with this multiplication in the 1 The Sinnitio manuscript (N) here reads, hsndsof Jesus; and• In Evang. Joh. Tract.,' .,.&.,,.as ,ro;\6s, instead of x&p'l'os 1roA6s, and :s.xiv., he repeated the idea in felicitous 'l'p«rxlA,o, instead of 1re11'1'11tc1~ll\o1o form (see Trench, l.a., 208).  252 THE <WSPEL ACCORDING TO S'l'. JOHN. [t:n, vr, 1-71.