The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 387

in<>xplkable. f<>r ground oorn e.nn be.ked ferenoe to the twelve tribes of Iemel, further be.rlev loo,es nlfnrd no pR.rallel with living than tbl\t the twelvo apostles themselves seedS: nnd rl,•nd nnd salted fish create were e.t first oboeen with thnt reference. ernn grcnl!'r difficulties. "Frugality exo.g- The number twelve points to the foot that gemkd into n mir~ole" (Renan) is for more the apostles had already been seleotod, thinknblo, thnugh 1t lenves the sequel unex- though this Gospel is silent nbout that faot. plRine,1. We must either reject the n11rm- Agnin, the word used for "bo.skct" is thnt tiv(', notwithstanding its wonderful C'onfirma- which is used in the three synoptic nlU"ra- tion Li· two or three separate eye-witnesses, tivcl', and contrasts with the o-,rop,on, the or we must aooept it. If we do the latter, we \'\"Ord used in the lo.tar account of the feed- Ii~ in this (and the following) miracfo an as- ing of the four thousand. It means the serrion tho.t the creative will of Christ is ordinnry wallet, or oorbis, in whioh Jews, the sole ea use of the additional food thRt wns on the march, were accustomed to co.rry pro,ided for the sustenance of this multi- their food. In Matt. xvi. S-12, where the tude. The Son of God added to the sum of two miracles are compared with ea.eh other, things, t.o the quantity of mo.tter, or oalled the two words are aguin used. The "frag- together from surrounding o.ir the elements ments," the supero.bundo.noe of provision of needed for the purpose, just as in bushing love for e.11 mnnkind, wns an idea specially the storm he met force by that will of bis conveyed by our Lord as antithetic to tho which is the ultimate source and ground of monopolizing doctrine of the scribes and all force. He spn.kc in the power of Heaven, Pharisees. It is unsatisfactory to suppose nnd it wn.s done. He gaTJe thanl,s, and he that the author of this Gospel manipulated distributed. the story as given in Murk, adapting it to Yer. 12.-Thcn when they were filled, he his own purpose. John's na.rrative is full sa.id to his disoiples. Go.ther together the of fresh life, though not so pictorial as that broken pieoes-not the crumbs left on the of the Second Gospel. Th~ incident of ground by the satisfied thouss.nds, but the Philip o.nd Andrew 1s calculated io throw pieces broken from the original loaves (see much light upon the event \\it..11.out con- each of the synoptists, who refer to the flicting witll the synoptists The mythical breaking, by Jesus, of the loaves)-that re- hypothesis suggests the.t we have here a main over-not eaten by the multitudes; the Messianic reproduction of the story of superabundo.nce of the provision is a witness Elijah und the cruse of oil (1 Kings xvii. to the affluence of the Giver and the reality 16), or the augmento.tion of the oil by of the gift-that nothing be lost. Thi. sacred Elisho. (2 KingR iv. 1-7), and still more economy of Jesns is in harmony with and the feeding by Elisha of o. hundred men illustrative of the we.ys of the Creator with with twenty loaves of bread nnd fresh ears his universe, and of the wisdom recom- of corn (2 Kings iv. 42-44). The sugges- mended to his disciples. The other evan- tion simply shows that there were anticipa- gelists describe the facts, but do not tions in the prophetic career of the grea: attribute, the order to the wise words of the prophets of the northern kingdom of that Lord himself. Paulus, in the endeavour to which the greater than Elijah &OC'omplished make this statement confirm his rationali,,-tic in vindication of hie own mission. interpretation, makes sad havoc of the Ver. 14.-The people (1t116pr.,,ra1) therefore, grammP.r, and, instead of tra.nslating- when they saw the sign whioh he I wrought Ver. 13.-Therefore they gathered to- -when they witnessed the marvel, admitted gether, and filled twelve bukets with the that it was a testimony to what wo.s special broken pisoes of the five barley loaves which and authoritative in the greo.t Healer and remained over to them that had eaten, says, Life-giver, a "sign" of his higher nnture "For(oiv) they gathered together, and had -Mid, Tbis is verily the Prophet that is filled [•-y•iuo-,u,, first aorist, not pluperfect] ooming into the world. This was probably twelve baskets with the fragments [the in reference to the great prediction (Deut. more than enough food that had been xviii 18) to which such frequent and solemn gathered o.nd prepared for eating] of the reference was made. From oh. i. 21 1 25, fi\·e loaves;" and he makes John here 1 N, D, D, Ito.lie Versions, Syriao (Cure- sp€Uk, not of remnants left after the mee.l, but of bread broken before the meal Such tonian), Tischendorf (8th edit.), Godot, Tre- a treatment of the text cannot be justified gelles, and R.T., omit I, '1110-avs; while T.R., on any pretext. The twelve baskets full Lachmann, with A, L, r, A, and many uncials o.:.o.,co; 1Co,t,(va11s) are interesting in two and versions, rate.in it. Westcott and Hort ways. The number "twelve" naturally prefer to read, & l,ra/110-•v 0-11~•"" plo.oing the ,snggests that each one of the twelve singular in the margin. Tisehendorf (8th apostles had been employed in the collection edit.) gives the singular in. the text, with of the fragments. There is no need, with ~. A, D, L, all the Syri.a.o Versiolll, O.!l(! Luthurdt, to imagine an unconscioUB re• other authorities. cm. vr. 1-71.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'fO ST. JOHN. ------------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - we lenm thnt tho Son horlriAts diat.lnguiehed time, to the m<>nntain (cf. ver. 3), and this botween "the Obrist," "the Elijnh," nnd time himself alone. These occasio'lal s~pa- "thot Prophet;" but these veraes show how mtions from the apoet]ps were un,Jonhtrdly the two idoae wore blenrlml in tho minds of part of the discipline to which they were the people. As Jesus fulfillo<l one or more subjected. They were taught that, when of the predictions of the Old 'foet11ment, nnd he was no longer visible to them he might embodied the foreshnclowinge of bis entire still be spiritually present and able' to succour cnrecr which were given in the temple nnd them. the eabbnth, in the ritunl ond the priest, in Vars. 16-21.-(2) The maBlery of th~ the prophet nnd the king, it was grnclually forces of nature--a "•i']n" of 101,e, revenlocl to the world thnt in him nil fulness Ven 16, 17.-Now when it became even- dwelt. At nll events, just llB in the onse ing. This mnst have been the "second of N nthnnnel, the prophetio gifts of Jesus evening;" for the miracle itself was said to suggested to the guileless man that he wns be wrought when the day beg.m to decline King of Israel, so here we find a similar (Matt. xiv. 15; Luke ix. I :l). The first connection of ideas. evening (bij,(a) lasted from three to six p.m., Ver.15.-Jesns thereforeknowing(having the " secon<l evening" stretched from sun- found, perceived (-yvovs), by ominous move- down to darkness (ui,o-ria). The night was ments in the crowd, or in e.ny other way drawing on. Ria disoiples went down from still more explicit) that they were about the higher ground or grassy slopes to the see. to oome and by violence, or force, seize him (e,rl -r¾v 6a,\auu.. v), and having embarked in order that they might make him King. in a ship, they were making for the other This movement was not an unnatural one. side of the see. to Caperne.um ; or as Mark They were on the way to Jerusalem, und (vi. 45) says, "towards Bethsaida.." This they were thirsting to throw off the yoke of occasions no difficulty to those who re- Rome and of Herod, and probably indignant member that there were two Bethsaida.s- to the extreme with the "deep damnation" of one, "Bethsaida Julia1J," on the north- John the Baptist's death. In suoh a frame, eastern end of the fake; and the ot\1er near the display of power and resources which to Capernaum, ca.lled " Bethsaida of Gali- they had just witnessed pointed Jesus out lee." The two towns were so near that the as their popular idol, and encouraged the latter Bethse.ida might reasonably be re- belief, which did not die out till it was garded as the port of Ce.pernaum. quenched iD blood. The bald suggestion Vers. 17, 18.-And darkness had already would clash absolutely with the Lord's own oome on, 1 and J'esus had not yet come to plan, with the Father's design concerning them. This thrilling touch in John's nar- him. It would seem that the disciples rative makes it more than evident that the manifested great reluctance to leave Obrist beloved disciple Willi on board. He had or the crowd; for both Matthew (xiv. 22) been expecting the Master to make bis ap- and Mark (vi. 45) imply that Jesus had to pearance in some form. He bad looked use special means to iuduce them to depart long and eagerly to that point on the moun- ("1vd,.1<au•v). He compelled them to do so. tain-side whither he knew that Jesus b.e.d If we had nothing but the synoptic narrntive retired. Tb.e dreary and disappointed ex- to guide us, we might suppose that Jesus had peotntion, the long and weary w11iting, left difficulty in resisting the desire of tb.e dis- an indelible impression. Their natural ciples to remain always at his side; or that course towards Capernaam woulJ have the intensity of their affection was inter- been almost parallel with the shore of the fering too much with the need in which lake; but it was dark and tempestuous, he felt of retirement and solitude. John's they could not steer. And the sea was statement here illumines the language of being roused from its slumber by reason of the otb.er Gospels. The disciples them- a high wind whioh was blowing. If the selves were strongly moved by the passions wind ea.me from the north, it would drift of the thousands ; they were sharing in the general enthusiasm. To quench suoh an authority of N°, A., B, D, L, and many other unholy or unspiritual view of the true uncials ; but <P•v'Yu lll the unusual word Prophet and King, the disciples must be adopted by Tischondorf (6th and 8th edit.), separated from the orowd, and Christ had to on the authority of N* alone, and sowe overoome by some speoial utternnoe of his doubtful quotations, eto. 1 The R.T., Lachmnnn, and Westcott and authority the relnctonoe of the twelve to embark in their ship. Having done this, Hort here 11greo with 'l'.R., ~~,1 •..,...,&v«, on and without their help, he sent the multi- the authority of A, B, L, I', t,., and many tudes away. He withdrew,• for the seoond others; but Tischeudorf (8th edit.), on the authority of N, D, and one manuscript, and 1 'Av•X"'P~D'•v is the rending of T.R., no other, reads, ttaTb..afJ•v 5/; au-rous 'ii cr11t0Tli:, Laohmanll. R.T., Westcott and Hort, 011 Ui.e "and darkness overtook tbel!)."  254 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, JOHN, [orr, v1. 1-71,