Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Introduction to the Feeding of the Five Thousand. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
Book XI.
1. Introduction to the Feeding of
the Five Thousand.
“And when even was come His disciples came to
Him,”5337 that is, at the
consummation of the age in regard to which we may fitly say what is
found in the Epistle of John, “It is the last
hour.”5338 They, not yet
understanding what the Word was about to do, say to Him, “The
place is desert,”5339 seeing the desert
condition of the masses in respect of God and the Law and the Word; but
they say to Him, “The time is past,”5340 as if the fitting season of the law and
prophets had passed. Perhaps they spoke this saying, in reference
to the word of Jesus, that because of the beheading of John both the
law and the prophets who were until John had ceased.5341 “The time is past,”
therefore they say, and no food is at hand, because the season of it is
no longer present, that those who have followed Thee in the desert may
serve the law and the prophets. And, further, the disciples say,
“Send them away,”5342 that each one may
buy food, if he cannot from the cities, at least from the
villages,—places more ignoble. Such things the disciples
said, because, after the letter of the law had been abrogated and
prophecies had ceased, they despaired of unexpected and new food being
found for the multitudes. But see what Jesus answers to the
disciples though He does not cry out and plainly say it:
“You suppose that, if the great multitude go away from Me in need
of food, they will find it in villages rather than with Me, and among
bodies of men, not of citizens but of villagers, rather than by abiding
with Me. But I declare unto you, that in regard to that of which
you suppose they are in need they are not in need, for they have no
need to go away; but in regard to that of which you think they have no
need—that is, of Me—as if I could not feed them, of this
contrary to your expectation they have need. Since, then, I have
trained you, and made you fit to give rational food to them who are in
need of it, give ye to the crowds who have followed Me to eat; for ye
have the power, which ye have received from Me, of giving the
multitudes to eat; and if ye had attended to this, ye would have
understood that I am far more able to feed them, and ye would not have
said, ‘Send the multitudes away that they may go and buy food for
themselves.’”5343
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|