[5498] Matt. xx. 30.
[5499] Matt. viii. 29.
[5500] Matt. xiv. 33.
[5501] Rom. i. 3.
[5502] Rom. i. 4.
[5503] Luke vii. 12.
[5504] Matt. ix. 18.
[5505] John iv. 46.
[5506] John iv. 48.
[5507] Matt. xv. 24.
[5508] Matt. xv. 28.
[5509] Gal. iv. 26.
[5510] Gen. xv. 15.
[5511] Matt. xv. 22.
[5512] Matt. xv. 24.
[5513] 2 Cor. v. 16.
[5514] Rom. xi. 5.
[5515] 1 Cor. i. 27.
[5516] 1 Cor. i. 28.
[5517] 1 Cor. i. 21.
[5518] Ps. viii. 2.
[5519] Matt. xv. 25, 26.
[5520] Phil. ii. 7.
[5521] Luke viii. 46.
[5522] Exod. xxii. 31.
[5523] 2 Sam. xvi. 9.
[5524] Matt. xv. 27.
[5525] Matt. xv. 28.
18. Concerning the Multitudes Who Were Healed. Comparison of the Mountain Where Jesus Sat to the Church.
"And Jesus departed thence,"--manifestly, from what has been said before, from the parts of Tyre and Sidon,--"and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee," [5526] which is commonly called the Lake of Gennesaret, and again went up into the mountain where He went up and sat. We may say, then, that into this mountain where Jesus sits, not only the sound in health go up, but along with the sound, those also who were suffering from various disorders. And, perhaps, this mountain to which Jesus went up and sat is that which is more commonly called the Church, which has been set up through the word of God over the rest of the world and the men upon it; whither go not the disciples only, leaving the multitudes as in the case of the beatitudes, but great multitudes who were not accused themselves of being deaf or suffering from any affection, but who had such along with themselves. For you may see, along with the multitudes who come to this mountain where the Son of God sits, some who have become deaf to the things promised, and others blind in soul and not looking at the true light, and others who are lame and not able to walk according to reason, and others who are maimed and not able to work according to reason. Those, accordingly, who are suffering in soul from such things, though they go up along with the multitudes into the mountain where Jesus was, so long as they are outside of the feet of Jesus, are not healed by Him; but when, as men suffering from such disorders, they are cast by the multitude at His feet, [5527] and at the extremities of the body of Christ, not being worthy to obtain such things so far as they themselves are concerned, they are then healed by Him. And when you see in the congregation of what is more commonly called the church the catechumens cast behind those who are at the extreme end of it, and as it were at the feet of the body of Jesus--the church--coming to it with their own deafness and blindness and lameness and crookedness, and in time cured according to the Word, you would not err in saying that such having gone up with the multitudes of the church to the mountain where Jesus was, are cast at His feet and are healed; so that the multitude of the church is astonished at beholding transformations which have taken place from so great evils to that which is better, so that it might say, those who were formerly dumb afterwards speak the word of God, and the lame walk, the prophecy of Isaiah being fulfilled, not only in things bodily but in things spiritual, which said, "Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of him that hath an impediment in his speech be plain." [5528] And there, unless the expression, "the lame man shall leap as an hart," is to be taken as accidental, we will say that those formerly lame, and who now through the power of Jesus leap as an hart are not without design compared to a hart, which is a clean animal, and hostile to serpents and cannot at all be injured by their poison. But also, in respect of the fact that the dumb are seen speaking is the prophecy fulfilled which said, "And the tongue of him that hath an impediment shall be plain," or rather that which said, "Hear ye deaf;" but the blind see according to the prophecy following, "Hear ye deaf, and ye blind look up that ye may see." [5529] Now the blind see, when they see the world and from the exceeding great beauty of the things created they contemplate the Creator corresponding in greatness and beauty to them; and when they see clearly "the invisible things of God Himself from the creation of the world, which are perceived through the things that are made;" [5530] that is, they see and understand with care and clearness. Now the multitudes seeing these things, glorified the God of Israel, [5531] and glorify Him in the persuasion that it is the same God, who is the Father of Him who healed those previously mentioned, and the God of Israel. For He is not the God of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. [5532] Let us then cause to go up along with ourselves to the mountain where Jesus sits--His church--those who wish to go up to it along with us, the deaf, the blind, the lame, the maimed and many others, and let us cast them at the feet of Jesus that He may heal them, so that the multitudes are astonished at their healing; for it is not the disciples who are described as wondering at such things, although at that time they were present with Jesus, as is manifest from the words, "And Jesus called unto Him His disciples and said, I have compassion on the multitudes," [5533] etc.; and perhaps if you attend carefully to the words, "There came unto Him great multitudes," [5534] you would find that the disciples at that time did not come to Him, but had begun long ago to follow Him and followed Him into the mountain. But there came unto Him those who were inferior to the disciples, and were then for the first time approaching Him, who had not the same experience as those who had gone up with them. Observe, moreover, in the Gospel who are described as having followed Jesus, and who as having come to Him, and who as having been brought to Him, and the division between those who go before and of those who follow; and of those who came, who came to Him in the house, and who when He was elsewhere. For by observation, and by comparing things spiritual with spiritual, you would find many things worthy of the accurate wisdom in the Gospels.
[5526] Matt. xv. 29.
[5527] Matt. xv. 30.
[5528] Isa. xxxv. 6.
[5529] Isa. xlii. 18.
[5530] Rom. i. 20.
[5531] Matt. xv. 31.
[5532] Rom. iii. 29.
[5533] Matt. xv. 32.
[5534] Matt. xv. 30.
19. Concerning the Seven Loaves. The Narrative of the Feeding of the Four Thousand Compared with that of the Five Thousand.
"And Jesus called unto Him His disciples and said." [5535] Above in the similar history to this about the loaves, before the loaves are spoken of, "Jesus came forth and saw a great multitude and had compassion upon them and healed their sick. And when even was come the disciples came to Him saying, The place is desert and the time is already past, send them away," [5536] etc. But now after the healing of the deaf and the rest, He takes compassion on the multitude which had continued with Him now three days and had nothing to eat. And there the disciples make request concerning the five thousand; [5537] but here He speaks of His own accord about the four thousand. [5538] Those, too, are fed when it was evening after they had spent a day with Him; but these, who are testified to have continued with Him three days, partake of the loaves lest they might faint by the way. And there the disciples say to Him when He was not inquiring, that they had only five loaves and two fishes; but here to Him making inquiry, they give answer about the seven loaves and the few small fishes. And there He commands the multitudes to sit down or lie upon the grass; for Luke also wrote, "Make them sit down," [5539] and Mark says, "He commanded them all to sit down;" [5540] but here He does not command but proclaims [5541] to the multitude to sit down. Again, there, the three Evangelists say in the very same words that "He took the five loaves and the two fishes and looking up to heaven He blessed;" [5542] but here, as Matthew and Mark have written, "Jesus gave thanks and brake;" [5543] there, they recline upon the grass, but here they sit down upon the ground. You will moreover investigate in the accounts in the different places the variation found in John, who wrote in regard to that transaction that Jesus said, "Make the men sit down," [5544] and that, having given thanks, He gave of the loaves to them that were set down, but he did not mention this miracle at all. [5545] Attending, then, to the difference of those things which are written in the various places in regard to the loaves, I think that these belong to a different order from those; wherefore these are fed in a mountain, and those in a desert place; and these after they had continued three days with Jesus, but those one day, on the evening of which they were fed. And further, unless it be the same thing for Jesus to do a thing of Himself and to act after having heard from the disciples, consider if those to whom Jesus shows kindness are not superior when He fed them on the spot with a view to showing them kindness. And, if according to John, [5546] they were barley loaves of which the twelve baskets remained over, but nothing of this kind is said about these, how are not these superior to the former? And the sick of those He healed, [5547] but here He heals these, along with the multitudes, who were not sick but blind, and lame, and deaf, and maimed; wherefore also in regard to these the four thousand marvel, [5548] but in regard to the sick no such thing is said. And these I think who ate of the seven loaves for which thanks were given, are superior to those who ate of the five which were blessed; and these who ate the few little fishes to those who ate of the two, and perhaps also these who sat down upon the ground to those who sat down on the grass. And those from fewer loaves leave twelve baskets, but these from a greater number leave seven baskets, inasmuch, as they were able to receive more. And perhaps these tread upon all earthly things and sit down upon them, but those upon the grass--upon their flesh only--for "all flesh is grass." [5549] Consider also after this, that Jesus does not wish to send them away fasting lest they faint on the way, as being without the loaves of Jesus, and while they were still on the way--the way to their own concerns--might suffer injury. Take note also of the cases where Jesus is recorded to have sent any one away, that you may see the difference of those who were sent away by Him after being fed, and those who had been sent away otherwise; and, as a pattern of one who was sent away otherwise, take "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." [5550] But further the disciples who are always with Jesus are not sent away by Him; but the multitudes after they have eaten are sent away. Likewise, again, the disciples who conceive nothing great about the Canaanitish woman say, "Send her away, for she crieth after us;" [5551] but the Saviour does not at all appear to send her away; for saying unto her, "O woman, great is thy faith, be it done to thee even as thou wilt," [5552] He healed her daughter from that hour: it is not however written that He sent her away. So far at the present time have we been able to investigate and see into the passage before us.
------------------------
[5535] Matt. xv. 32.
[5536] Matt. xiv. 15.
[5537] Matt. xiv. 15.
[5538] Matt. xv. 32.
[5539] Luke ix. 14.
[5540] Mark vi. 39.
[5541] ou keleuei halla parangellei
[5542] Matt. xiv. 19; Mark vi. 41; Luke ix. 16.
[5543] Matt. xv. 36; Mark viii. 6.
[5544] John vi. 10.
[5545] Or, did not mention the occasion of this.
[5546] John vi. 13.
[5547] Matt. xiv. 14.
[5548] Matt. xv. 31.
[5549] Isa. xl. 6.
[5550] Luke xiii. 12, Literally thou art sent away.'
[5551] Matt. xv. 23.
[5552] Matt. xv. 28.