l&tion to me is not Bl\lvl\tion. Even the the twelve. (For this use of (ll.•')'•, eoo ob. Bdmi~irlon thlll I Rm the Holy One of God ix. HJ; ]\{ark xiv. 71.) l8cariot is most is not ctcrnnl life. We may compare Christ's probably "of Korioth," a town of J udab, severe rebuke to Peter, when, after tbe mentioned in Josh. xv. 25, though Westcott grand confession (Matt. xvi. 16), he counhid oites another Keriolh in llfoab (Jer. xlviii. himself worthy to disapprove the methods 4-1). If this Kcriotb, which Simon and his of bis Lord's mercy, "Got thee behind me, sou Judn.s havo degraded, bo the Korioth- S&tan : thou art an off'enee to me ; thou Hezrou, then it would seem thnt Judas was savourest not the things that be of God, the only J11d8!,an among the npostles. For bnt the things that be of men." Judns did he it was that was about to betray him being far worse-be wanted to use the Divine one of the twelve ( cf. ver. 64 ). •o ,re&pe&Bdi- power of his Master for his own persona.I ,,..,., gives a somewhnt different turn of de- ends. scription to the futurity of the deed. Hnd it Ver. 71.-Now he apake oonoerning J'uclas yet fully dawned on the soul of the trn.itor? the aon of Simon the Iscariot I being one of HAd ho In.id any plans to bring his Master to the point from which he turned so di- 1 The reading 'l,r1<a.p1rliTou for 'l,r1ra.p1rliTT1v vinely 1 We know not. justifies this translntion; it is that of~.., D, C, G, L, n, and is preferred by Tregellcs, prefer the other text, as N reads, ci,rl> "" West.cott and Hort, Tischendorf (8th edit.), purliTou as the •'IJV is the reading of eleven R.T~ and Bengel; but Meyer and Godet uncials.
HOMILETICS. Vars. 1-15.-The miracle of the loaves and fishes. 'l'he scene of our Lord's ministry changes once more to Galilee, where he remains for the next seven months. Large multitudes followed him on account of his miracles-" because they saw the miracles which he did on them which were diseased." I. '£HE SCENE OF THE 1'"EW ll!IRACLE. 1. It was, as Lulce tells us, at a " city called Bethsaula," that is, Bethsaida. Julias, in Gaulonitis, on the north-east of the sea of Galilee. 2. It was along the slopes of the 11101,mtain that closes round the lalce. "Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples." 3. It was a thoroughly se,d,uded district, far from the stir of human life, and therefore well fitted to prepare the multitudes for the solemn lessons they were about to receive; for we are told by the synoptists that the miracle followed a day of teaching and healing. IT. THE OCCASION OF THIS MIRACLE. 1. It occuri·ed near the time of the Passover. "And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh." This was the only feast of the i;ort that our Lord failed to attend, on account of the increasing hostility of the Jews. 2. It oe,cu,rred during a fernporary withdrawal of Jesus from society, caused by the news of the death of John the Baptist, and by the need of rest after the exhausting labour of his disciples in their first missionary tour. III. THE COMPASSION OF JESUS FOB THE MULTITUDE. 1. Tliey had travelled afool "out ef all the cities," many of them long distances, to see our Lord. 2. They were, in our Lorri's eyes, as" sheep without a shepherd," and therefore "he was moved with compassion toward them" (Mark vi. 34). 3. They had remained a whole day in "the daert,'' and would be sure to faint on their way back, if they departed without food. How considerate is our Lord for the physical wants of men! IV. MARK BOW HE PBEPABES THE DISCIPLES FOB SUPPLYING THE WANTS OF' THE XULTITUDE. "He saith to Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" 1. He 'f1ULkes the disciples feel the inadequacy ef their resources for the work in hand. They had but five loaves and a few fishes; and Andrew might well say, "What are these among so many?" The sense of an inadequacy is often the beginning of Divine strength. 2. He makes the disciple, r,arry their inadequate resources to himself. " Bring them hither to me," as Matthew reports. V. MARK THE OBDEB l'UBBUED IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE FOOD. "Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand." There is something moral in the idea of order or arrangement. It implies an economy of effort as conducive to a practical result. 1. :& cmtributeB the food bg mean, of the disciples. "He gave the loaves to the disciples, Ml.d the disciples to the multitude." Thus the Lord feeds the hungering on. v1. 1-71.J 'fHE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 277