First, therefore, as regards the arousing of people to hearing, it is said: And going out, they went about through the towns, evangelizing and healing everywhere, so that already that word of the Psalm began to be fulfilled: "Their sound went forth into all the earth." For although not all received their teaching, nevertheless on account of the miracles they wished to hear the teaching; whence in Acts 8 it is said: "The crowds gave heed to what was said by Philip, hearing with one accord and seeing the signs which he performed." And therefore these men not only preached but also healed everywhere, so that all might be aroused to hearing by their zeal, by word and by sign; in which not only the benefit of the hearers is set forth, but also the faithfulness of the preachers. For because they went about, they were free from idleness; because through the towns, free from pride; because evangelizing, free from frivolity; because healing everywhere, from respect of persons. And therefore they had their end in themselves, which is to speak sufficiently for persuasion and to arouse hearers. And this is the first and general end.
11. (Vers. 7.). The second end or special utility is the arousing of hearers to conferring; as regards which it is said: Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him, so that the fame of Christ's name was carried by the Apostles not only to the common people but even to kings, as is said of Paul in Acts 9: "He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel." Whence the hearers could already say what the Gibeonites said in Joshua 9: "We have heard the fame of the power of your God, all that he did." And from this hearing he was aroused to inquiring and doubting on account of the variety of those holding opinions.
12. (Vers. 7.8.). Whence there follows: And he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead. And Herod adhered more to this opinion; whence in the fourteenth chapter of Matthew: "Herod heard the fame of Jesus and said to his servants: This is John the Baptist; he himself has risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works operate in him." Now he held this opinion on account of the eminence of the sanctity of life, because, as is said in the sixth chapter of Mark, "Herod feared John, knowing him to be a just and holy man." Nevertheless, he did not firmly adhere to this opinion; therefore it is said that he was perplexed, that is, he wavered, according to that passage in the first chapter of James: "He who hesitates is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind." — And this was on account of other opinions; whence he adds: But by some, that Elijah had appeared, namely, it was said. And this opinion seemed probable on account of the eminence of power. Whence in the forty-eighth chapter of Sirach: "Elijah was magnified in his wondrous deeds." And this opinion seemed more credible, because, as is said in the tenth chapter of John, "John indeed performed no sign." Whence Christ, performing miracles, seemed more like Elijah.
But nevertheless not all assented to this; on account of which he adds: But by others, that one of the ancient Prophets had risen. And they held this opinion on account of the knowledge of truth: because, according to that passage in the third chapter of Amos, "the Lord will not do a thing unless he has revealed his secret to his servants the Prophets." And thus it is clear that there was a threefold opinion on account of a threefold excellence which they heard concerning Christ, namely, of sanctity, of power, and of knowledge of truth. And therefore they conferred with one another, and some believed this and some believed that.
13. (Vers. 9.). Now the third end was the arousing of those conferring to wonder; with respect to which there follows: And Herod said: John I have beheaded, as a mortal and passible man. Herod had beheaded him on account of John's truthfulness and Herod's malice, according to what is said in the fourteenth chapter of Matthew: "John said to Herod: It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife"; and it follows after that for this cause he beheaded him. And thus from his very death he judges weakness in John, however great he was proclaimed to be.
And therefore from this comparison he marveled at the power of Christ; whence he adds: But who is this, about whom I hear such things? that is, such great wonders; whence he could say: "What God is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders," such as namely had not been heard before, according to that passage in the ninth chapter of John: "Since the world began it has not been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind," etc.
14. The fourth purpose was the arousal of those who marveled to behold him; on account of which it is added: And he sought to see him. For we gladly see what we admire. This, however, he did not then attain, according to what is said in Luke 10: "Amen I say to you, that many kings and prophets wished to see the things that you see and did not see them." But he did not attain this because he did not seek diligently; whence Proverbs 14: "The scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it." Whence it must be considered with great care how God ought to be sought, so that he may be seen and found by those who seek.
15. And the Apostles returned and reported. After the instruction of the Apostles accomplished through word or precept, there follows here the instruction of the same through deed or example. This part, moreover, has two sections. In the first, he instructs through a familiar example, but in the second through a figurative one, at the place: Now the day had begun to decline. The first is observed in the spiritual instruction of the crowds; the second, in their bodily refreshment, which bears the form and figure of spiritual refreshment.
The instruction of the crowds by the Lord, in which a model is given to preachers for teaching the faithful people, is set forth with respect to four things that are required in preaching. The first is faithfulness of company; the second is suitability of place; the third, docility of the people; and the fourth, affability of the Master; so that nothing may be lacking to the word of God, neither on the part of those assisting, nor on the part of those opposing, nor on the part of those hearing, nor on the part of those teaching, that would prevent the word of the Lord from having its due effect.
16. (Vers. 10.). First, therefore, with respect to the faithfulness of company, it is said: And the Apostles returned and reported to him whatever they had done; in which their faithfulness appears, because they returned swiftly to the divine company. Whence they were not like the raven, of which Genesis 8 says: "Which went forth and did not return"; but like the dove, of which it is said that "when it had not found where its foot might rest, it returned to Noah in the ark," as a faithful friend. So also the Apostles, endowed with dove-like simplicity, returned swiftly to Christ as faithful messengers. — Their faithfulness also appears because they concealed nothing from God, but reported to him whatever they had done; not to instruct the Lord, from whom nothing is hidden, but to show that they did not even wish to conceal anything, even if they could. Against which, Isaiah 29: "Woe to you who are deep of heart, so as to hide your counsel from the Lord," etc. Or they reported for this reason, that they might not seek glory for themselves from their good deeds, but might refer all things to God, according to that saying in 1 Corinthians 10: "Do all things for the glory of God"; against those who say that word of Deuteronomy 32: "Our hand is exalted, and not the Lord, has done all these things."
17. Second, with regard to the opportuneness of the place, he adds: And taking them with him, as faithful ones, into his company, he withdrew apart into a desert place, which belongs to Bethsaida, as to a quiet and tranquil place; whence Mark 6: "Come apart into a desert place and rest a little." And this place is suitable for instruction, according to Hosea 2: "I will lead her into the wilderness and speak to her heart." Now this desert place was near the lake of Genesareth, which is apparent from the fact that he says: Bethsaida. Now Bethsaida is "the city of Andrew and Peter," as is said in John 1. And note that he does not say Bethsaida, as if near that city or in the city, but of Bethsaida, because the place was remote, yet within the borders of the city of Bethsaida. Whence in Mark 6 it is said that after the multiplication of the loaves he commanded them to go before him "across the water to Bethsaida." Whence there is no contradiction, but one explained what the other passed over in silence.
18. (Verse 11). Third, with regard to the docility of the people, he adds: When the crowds learned this, they followed him, namely so that they might receive the teaching of him whom they desired, according to Hosea 6: "We shall know and shall follow on, that we may know the Lord." Whence Bede in the Gloss: " They followed not on beasts of burden, not in vehicles, but by the labor of their own feet, so as to show the ardor of their minds." Whence in Mark 6 it is said that many "came there on foot from the cities." The reason for this is given in John 6, where it is said: "After these things Jesus went across the Sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he was doing," etc.
19. Fourth, indeed, as regards the affability of the Master, he adds: And he received them: in which is shown the kindness of Christ in sign, to which the Apostle exhorts in Romans 15: "Receive one another, just as Christ also received you to the honor of God." And not only in sign, but also in word; whence he adds: And he spoke to them of the kingdom of God, as if in affable and familiar discourse, so that that saying of the Psalm might truly be shown to be fulfilled: "I will declare your name to my brethren." But although he spoke affably, yet not uselessly, not carnally, because about the kingdom of God, not about the world: whence 1 Peter 4: "If anyone speaks, as it were the words of God"; and John 3: "He who is of the earth speaks of the earth," but Christ from heaven; and John 6: "You have the words of eternal life." - Nor did he show himself affable only in word and sign, but also in deed. Whence he also adds: And those who had need of healing, he healed: in which is shown the perfection of love, concerning which 1 John 3: "Let us love not in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth"; because "he who sees his brother have need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" Such charity Christ had: whence Acts 10: "He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil," not only speaking well. - Whence in this the preacher or prelate is instructed to show himself kind to his sheep, namely in sign, word, and deed. As a sign of which it was also said three times to Peter: Feed, in the last chapter of John.
20. Now the day began to decline, etc. After the instruction of the disciples through a familiar example, there follows instruction through a figurative deed, and this in the feeding of the crowds. Concerning the expression of which, two things are introduced by the Evangelist. The first is the occasion on the part of the need of the multitude; the second is the generosity on the part of the mercy of the Savior, and this at the passage: And he said to his disciples: Make them sit down, etc.
The occasion on the part of the need of the multitude is expressed with regard to four things, namely with regard to the lateness of the day, with regard to the barrenness of the place, with regard to the scarcity of food, and with regard to the great number of the people. And so this occasion is constituted from the circumstance of time and place, of the quantity of food and of persons.
21. (Verse 12). First, therefore, as regards the lateness of the day, it is said: Now the day began to decline: and so it was time to take refreshment, as is said below in the last chapter: "For it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent." In which also appears the wonderful devotion of the crowds, that on account of hearing the divine word they had forgotten bodily food. Something similar is read in Acts 20, that "Paul prolonged his speech until midnight."
But secondly, as regards the barrenness of the place, it is added: And the twelve came and said to him: Send the crowds away; and the barrenness of the place moved them to urge this.
Whence he also adds: That going into the towns and villages which are round about, they may find lodging and find food, lest, namely, they perish from hunger. And this is the sound counsel which the sons of Israel followed: Genesis forty-two: "The sons of Jacob went down into Egypt to buy food"; just as also the Apostles, John four: "The disciples had gone into the city to buy food."
So also these men now gave counsel on account of the scarcity of the place; whence they also add: Because we are here in a desert place, where there is a lack of food, according to Exodus sixteen: "Why have you brought us into the desert, to kill this whole multitude with hunger?" And because it is difficult to find sustenance in the desert, therefore they said that word of the Psalm: "Can God prepare a table in the desert?" This the unbelievers said, detracting from the divine power; but the Apostles said it out of concern for human need, because they did not wish to tempt the Lord.
22. (Verse 13). But thirdly, as regards the scantiness of food, it is added: But he said to them: You give them to eat: you, as their prelates, according to that word of First Peter five: "Elders, feed the flock that is among you." But he says this so that from their response the scantiness of food might be known. — On account of which it is added: But they said: We have no more than five loaves and two fish. From which the poverty of the Apostles is apparent, not only for feeding the crowd, but even for satisfying their own hunger; and so that the great poverty might be shown, John specifies the kind of loaves. For it is said in John six: "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these among so many?" They were similar in this to that widow whose flour Elijah multiplied: Third Kings seventeen: "As the Lord God lives, I have no bread except as much flour as a handful can hold"; and in Fourth Kings four, the servant said to Elisha: "What is this, that I should set it before a hundred men?" Similarly the Apostles answered here, or Andrew in the person of all, as is said in John six; or he first and afterward the others; hence there is no contradiction. However these words were spoken, they show the inability of the disciples to feed the crowd.
Lest, however, they be thought to say this not on account of inability but on account of laziness, therefore they offer their service for the purchase of food, when they add: Unless perhaps we go and buy food for all this crowd. And this indeed can be the word of those offering service, according to that passage in Mark chapter six: "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" Or it can be the word of those showing inability to provide refreshment, not only with respect to the loaves they had, but also with respect to the price. Whence it is said in John chapter six: "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that each one might receive even a little." And certain of the disciples spoke in one manner, others in another; and John expresses one, Mark another, but Luke in the aforesaid discourse includes both; which is evident from the varied expression of the discourse itself.
23. (Verse 14.). Fourth, with respect to the numerousness of the people, it is added: Now there were about five thousand men, and accordingly so great a multitude that for each loaf there were a thousand men. Whence he names and numbers men: from which it appears how great was the crowd of the rest, not numbered on account of their multitude; whence in Matthew chapter fourteen it is said that there were "five thousand, besides children and women." He expresses the number, moreover, because on account of the five it was fitting for the Law, which instructed carnal and sense-bound men; on account of the perfection of the thousandfold it was fitting for the reception of the doctrine of evangelical perfection.
24. (Verses 14–15.). And he said to his disciples, etc.
After the occasion arising from the need of the multitude, he here adds the liberality arising from the munificence of the Savior. Now the liberality of the Savior is manifested in four things: in the ordering of the diners, the abundance of provisions, the courtesy of the ministers, and the satiety of the eaters; so that perfect liberality might thus be shown through the order of those reclining, the abundance of provisions, the readiness of those serving, and the fullness of those eating.
First, with respect to the ordering of those reclining, it is said: And he said to his disciples: Make them recline in groups of fifty. And so they did. For it befits a magnificent and liberal lord to attend to order in his arrangements, according to what is said in Third Kings chapter ten, that "when the Queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon and the food of his table and the dwellings of his servants and the order of those ministering, she had no more spirit in her." Now this was an arrangement of order with a determination of number; whence in Mark chapter six it is said that "they reclined in groups by hundreds and by fifties." For fifty times one hundred is five thousand. But the number fifty is more expressly stated, because on account of the number five it was more fitting for the Law and also for the five loaves of the meal. From this, moreover, Christ shows his wondrous wisdom, by which he foreknew the number of men and made it known to the disciples from their seating. Nor is this a wonder, because he was the one of whom it is said in Wisdom chapter eleven: "You have disposed all things in measure, number, and weight."