Matthew 15 · The Lantern

The Tradition of the Elders

Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem come to Jesus, saying,

Pharisees and scribes came to him from Jerusalem. They did not come because they were amazed at the power in Jesus that healed people even if they "only touched the edge of his cloak." Instead, they came with a faultfinding attitude and brought an accusation before the teacher.

They were faulty for two reasons; because they had come from Jerusalem, from the holy city, and because they were elders of the people, and doctors of the Law, and had not come to learn but to reprove the Lord, for it is added, Saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?

Above, the Lord showed the power of his teaching under figures; now he shows its sufficiency. And this is shown in two ways. First, that it does not require the observances of the law; second, that it was given not only to the one nation of the Jews, but also to the Gentiles, at and Jesus went from there and retired into the district of Tyre and Sidon.

“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.”

Among other observations, some of the Jewish elders ruled that a person should not take or eat food unless he first washed his hands. This observation, however, reveals a particular custom that is human and produces no beneficial effect. Therefore this tradition of the elders is practically useless, for it does not benefit a person's health.

Of what kind these traditions were, Mark shows when he says, The Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not. (Mark 7:3.) Here then also they find fault with the disciples, saying, For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

Then is presented that in which they accused them: why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the ancients? It was commanded, as is found in Deut. 4:2: you shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it.

And He, answering, said to them: “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God on account of your tradition?

Sometimes Scripture speaks in brief form, wanting things to be understood from the reasoning presented: just as in that passage where the Savior says among other things to the Jews, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition? For God said, Honor your father and mother; and, Whoever curses father or mother, let him surely die.

(cont. Adv. Leg. et Proph. ii. 1.) Christ here clearly shows both that that law which the heretic blasphemes is God's law, and that the Jews had their traditions foreign to the prophetical and canonical books; such as the Apostle calls profane and vain fables.

But he answering, said to them. The Lord does two things: he does not respond by excusing the disciples, but shows that they themselves are not worthy to reprehend them. Above, 7:5: you hypocrite, cast out first the beam from your own eye.

For God said, ‘Honour the father and the mother,’ and, ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother should end in death.’

And since this had no shade of contrariety to the law, to command men to wash their hands, He brings forward another tradition, which is opposed to the law. And what He saith is like this. "They taught the young, under the garb of piety, to despise their fathers." How, and in what way?

For God hath said, Honour thy father and thy mother. Honour in the Scriptures is shown not so much in salutations and courtesies as in alms and gifts. Honour, (1 Tim. 5:3.) says the Apostle, the widows who are widows indeed; here 'honour' signifies a gift.

Then when he says for God said etc., he presents what this commandment is, which is about honoring parents. And first he presents the commandment; second, the punishment. Hence he says for God said: honor your father and your mother. And it should be noted that honor is nothing other than reverence shown in testimony of virtue.

But you yourselves say, ‘Whoever may say to the father or the mother: It is a gift, whatever by me you shall be profited —

For the Scribes and Pharisees desiring to overturn this foregoing most provident law of God, that they might bring in their impiety under the mask of piety, taught bad sons, that should any desire to devote to God, who is the true parent, those things which ought to be offered to parents, the offering to the Lord should he preferred to the offering them to parents.

(Quæst. Ev. i. 16.) Otherwise; The gift whatsoever thou offerest on my account, shall profit thee; that is to say, Whatsoever gift thou offerest on my account, shall henceforth remain with thee; the son signifying by these words that there is no longer need that parents should offer for him, as he is of age to offer for himself.

But you say etc. Here he touches on how they transgress. And first he shows this; second, he presents the authority. And regarding the first, he shows their custom; second, what followed. He says you say: whoever shall say to his father or mother etc. This is read in many ways.

he shall not honour his father.’ And you made void the word of God on account of your tradition!

And thus the parents refusing what they saw thus dedicated to God, hat they might not incur the guilt of sacrilege, perished of want, and so it came to pass that what the children offered for the needs of the temple and the service of God, went to the gain of the Priests.

(ap. Anselm.) And thus through these arguments of your avarice, this youth shall Honour not his father or his mother. As if He had said; Ye have led sons into most evil deeds; so that it will come to pass that afterwards they shall not even honour their father and mother.

But from this teaching two absurdities follow: one against one's neighbor, and another against God. Against one's neighbor, because he who would speak thus, and he who was thus instructed, does not honor his father. Hence Rom. 1:30: inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. And it follows: those who do such things are worthy of death.

Hypocrites! Rightly did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, saying:

I have previously quoted some of the words of Isaiah that precede the verse quoted in the Gospel and some of the words that follow the verse quoted in the Gospel.

Esaias saw before the hypocrisy of the Jews, that they would craftily oppose the Gospel, and therefore he said in the person of the Lord, This people honoureth me with their lips, &c. Also, they honoured Him with their lips when they said, Master, we know that thou art true, (Mat. 22:16.) but their heart was far from Him when they sent spies to entangle Him in His talk.

You hypocrites. Properly speaking, hypocrites were those who entered the theater and had one character but simulated another with masks. These therefore are hypocrites, who outwardly pretend to be other than what they are within; hence inwardly they sought profit, but outwardly they moved men to offer to God.

‘This people honours Me with the lips, but their heart is kept far away from Me;

For the Jewish nation seemed to draw near to God with their lips and mouth, inasmuch as they boasted that they held the worship of the One God; but in their hearts they departed from Him, because after they had seen His signs and miracles, they would neither acknowledge His divinity, nor receive Him.

(ap. Anselm.) Or, They honoured Him in commending outward purity; but in that they lacked the inward which is the true purity, their heart was far from God, and such honour was of no avail to them; as it follows, But without, reason do they worship we, teaching doctrines and commandments of men.

Well did Isaiah prophesy of you. This is found in Isa. 29:13. First he presents their duplicity; second, the futility of their worship, at but in vain do they worship me. He says therefore this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

What Defiles a Man

And having called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand:

But what reason is there in going to prayer with hands indeed washed, but the spirit foul?-inasmuch as to our hands themselves spiritual purities are necessary, that they may be "lifted up pure" from falsehood, from murder, from cruelty, from poisonings, from idolatry, and all the other blemishes which, conceived by the spirit, are effected by the operation of the hands.

He no longer converses with the Pharisees, as they were incurable, but with the multitude. Christ sees fit to honor the multitude by calling them to Himself so that they might accept His word, and He says, "Hear and understand," urging them to be attentive.

And having called together the crowds to him, he said to them etc. Above, the Lord showed the Pharisees who were making accusations to be unworthy of reprehending the disciples, because they were involved in greater sins; but now, passing over them, he instructs others, so that what was said above, 11:25, may be fulfilled: you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent,…

not what is entering into the mouth defiles the man, but that going forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

Meantime they huff in our teeth the fact that Isaiah withal has authoritatively declared, "Not such a fast hath the Lord elected," that is, not abstinence from food, but the works of righteousness, which he there appends: and that the Lord Himself in the Gospel has given a compendious answer to every kind of scrupulousness in regard to food; "that not by such things as are intr…

(cont. Faust. vi. 6.) This declaration of the Lord, Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth a man, is not contrary to the Old Testament. As the Apostle also speaks, To the pure all things are pure; (Tit. 1:15.) and Every creature of God is good. Let the Manichæans understand, (1 Tim.

Consequently he proposes the most exalted teaching, which is the perfection of the moral life. Hence it should be noted that something is changed by an external thing, as water is heated by fire; and something is changed by an internal thing, as a man is changed by sin.

Then the disciples, having come near, spoke to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees, having heard the saying, were offended?”

But these things His disciples said, not as grieving for those men only, but as being themselves also slightly perplexed. But because they durst not say so in their own person, they would fain learn it by their telling Him of others.

But if any one's faith be so strong that he understands that God's creature can in no way be defiled, let him eat what he will, after the food has been hallowed by the word of God and of prayer; yet so that this his liberty be not made an offence to the weak, as the Apostle speaks.

Then his disciples came to him etc. Here he instructs about avoiding scandal and about the principal question, at but Peter answering. Regarding the first, two things. First, the question of the disciples is presented; second, Christ's response.

And He, answering, said, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.

"The Lord (beholdeth and) knoweth them that are His; " and "the plant which (my heavenly Father) hath not planted, He rooteth up; " and "the first shall," as He shows, "be last; " and He carries "His fan in His hand to purge His threshing-floor.

Every false doctrine and superstitious observance with the workers thereof cannot endure; and because it is not from God the Father, it shall be rooted up with the same. And that only shall endure which is of God.

But he answering said. Here the Lord's response is presented, and he shows that their scandal is to be disregarded: first, because they are alien to God; second, because they are harmful to men, at let them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind. He says therefore but he answering said: every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up.

Leave them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man shall lead a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

You therefore, who seek after their fashion, looking to those who are themselves ever seeking, a doubter to doubters, a waverer to waverers, must needs be "led, blindly by the blind, down into the ditch." But when, for the sake of deceiving us, they pretend that they are still seeking, in order that they may palm their essays upon us by the suggestion of an anxious sympathy, -w…

And what follows also indicates, that of themselves it was said, and of their traditions. Thus He added, "They are blind leaders of the blind." Whereas, had He spoken it of the law, He would have said, "It is a blind leader of the blind." But not so did He speak, but, "They are blind leaders of the blind:" freeing it from the blame, and bringing it all round upon them.

There follows let them alone, they are blind. Here he shows that their scandal is to be disregarded because they are harmful to men. And first he teaches that it should be disregarded; second, their presumption; third, the harm. Regarding the first: you say that they are scandalized; let them be, and do not concern yourselves. But should one not be concerned about scandal?

And Peter, answering, said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

What then saith Peter? He saith not, "What can this be which Thou hast said?" but as though it were full of obscurity, he puts his question. And he saith not, "Why hast thou spoken contrary to the law?" for he was afraid, lest he should be thought to have taken offense, but asserts it to be obscure.

The Lord was used to speak in parables, so that Peter when he heard, That which entereth into the mouth defileth not a man, thought it was spoken as a parable, and asked, as it follows; Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

But Peter answering. Here he instructs them on the principal question; where he does three things: first, Peter's request is presented; second, the rebuke; third, the teaching. The second begins at but he said: are you also yet without understanding? The third at do you not understand etc. He says therefore but Peter answering said to him: explain to us this parable.

And He said, “Are you yourselves also still without understanding?

"Without understanding" is what the Lord calls those who, like the Pharisees, make a fuss about external matters and have not yet discovered the inner life. Meats, therefore, he says, have to do with filling up the body, but they do not reach into the heart.

The Saviour rebukes the disciples and censures their lack of sense, either because they took offense or because they did not understand the obvious. For He says, "That which is understood and is apparent to all, you do not understand; that food does not remain within but passes out below, not at all polluting a man's soul, for it does not remain inside.

But he said: are you also yet without understanding? For the Lord answered all in the person of Peter, who spoke for all. Here he reproves them. But why? One reason is that which Jerome gives, because what was plainly spoken, they thought was spoken in parables. For just as one who reveals hidden things is to be reproved, so conversely, one who hides manifest things; Ps.

Do you not understand that everything entering into the mouth goes into the stomach and is cast out into the sewer?

The Pharisees, as Peter made clear, begrudgingly grasped the dictum of the Lord which says, "It is not what enters the mouth that defiles a man." God indicated through Moses long ago that not everything about the use of food must be considered clean. He declared that certain things were clean and other things were unclean.

And the Lord includes herein man's two mouths, one of the body, one of the heart. For when He says, Not all that goeth into the mouth defileth a man, He clearly speaks of the body's mouth; but in that which follows, He alludes to the mouth of the heart, But those things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile a man.

Consequently he explains. And first he explains what he had said, namely that which enters the mouth; second, what he had said, namely but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man; third, he draws the conclusion. He says therefore do you not understand that whatsoever enters the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the drain? And why does the Lord speak thus?

But the things going forth out of the mouth come forth out of the heart, and these defile the man.

For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, slanders.

(Verse 19, 20.) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies: these are the things that defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person.

(non occ.) And from evil thoughts proceed evil deeds and evil words, which are forbidden by the law; whence He adds Murders, which are forbidden by that commandment of the Law, Thou shalt not kill; Adulteries, fornications, which are understood to be forbidden by that precept, Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thefts, forbidden by the command, Thou shalt not steal; False witness,…

Likewise he lists sins which are against the precepts of the second table: murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts. Likewise, sins of the mouth against one's neighbor: false testimonies; blasphemies, against the precepts of the first table.

These are those defiling the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

These things are what "defiles the person" when they come out from the heart and, after they have gone out from it, go through the mouth. Thus if they did not occur outside of the heart but were held by the person somewhere around the heart, not being allowed to be spoken through the mouth, they would very quickly disappear and the person would not be defiled any longer.

(non occ.) And because these words of the Lord had been occasioned by the iniquity of the Pharisees, who preferred their traditions to the commands of God, He hence concludes that there was no necessity for the foregoing tradition, But to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Hence these are the things that defile a man, because these proceed from the mind. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man. Here he concludes, and presents this conclusion so as to respond to the principal point. Likewise, because the disciples were not understanding, he concludes that it was being said only against the tradition.

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

And Jesus, having gone forth from there, withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.

And why did He go at all into these parts? When He had set them free from the observance of meats, then to the Gentiles also He goes on to open a door, proceeding in due course; even as Peter, having been first directed to annul this law, is sent to Cornelius.

After our Lord departed from the Jews, he came into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. He left the Jews behind and came to the Gentiles. Those whom he had left behind remained in ruin; those to whom he came obtained salvation in their alienation. And a woman came out of that territory and cried, saying to him, "Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David!" O great mystery!

Above, the sufficiency of his teaching was shown, because it does not require observance of the law; here he shows that it is not restricted to one people, but is also sufficient for the salvation of the Gentiles. Now a threefold effect among the Gentiles is shown.

And behold, a Canaanite woman from that same region, having approached, was crying out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is badly demonised.”

Or, This mother represents the proselytes, in that she leaves her own country, and forsakes the Gentiles for the name of another nation; she prays for her daughter, that is, the body of the Gentiles possessed with unclean spirits; and having learned the Lord by the Law, calls Him the Son of David.

Also whosoever has his conscience polluted with the defilement of any sin, has a daughter sorely vexed by a daemon. Also whosoever has defiled any good that he has done by the plague of sin, has a daughter tossed by the furies of an unclean spirit, and has need to fly to prayers and tears, and to seek the intercessions and aids of the saints.

And behold a woman. Here the insistence of the woman is presented. In her petition three things are signified. First, piety; second, faith; third, humility; and these are necessary for obtaining what one asks. The second begins at but she came and adored him; the third at but she said: yes, Lord.

But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples, having come to Him, were imploring Him, saying, “Dismiss her, for she cries out after us!”

What is this new and strange thing? the Jews in their perverseness He leads on, and blaspheming He entreats them, and tempting Him He dismisses them not; but to her, running unto Him, and entreating, and beseeching Him, to her who had been educated neither in the law, nor in the prophets, and was exhibiting so great reverence; to her He doth not vouchsafe so much as an answer.

Therefore this woman besought the Lord on behalf of her daughter, the church of the Gentiles. "But he did not answer her a word." It was not that the Lord was unwilling to heal her but that he might reveal her great faith and humility.

Consequently the silence of Christ is presented: who answered her not a word. But this seems remarkable, that the fountain of mercy was silent. And a threefold reason is given. The first, lest he seem to go against what he had said above: go not into the way of the Gentiles.

But He, answering, said, “I was not sent except to the perishing sheep of the house of Israel.”

Therefore it was to Israel that he spake when He said, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Not yet had He "cast to the dogs the children's bread; " not yet did He charge them to "go into the way of the Gentiles.

(Verse 24.) But he answered and said: I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Not that he was not sent also to the Gentiles, but that he was first sent to Israel, so that when they did not receive the Gospel, the migration to the Gentiles might be justified.

Then follows the response of Christ: but he answering etc. The woman seemed to have shown piety sufficiently, but this seemed to be natural; therefore the Lord demanded a profession of faith. Therefore he was rejecting her, and said I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

But she, having come, was worshiping Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

Yet nevertheless the woman was not perplexed, but on seeing her advocates prevail nothing, she made herself shameless with a goodly shamelessness.

Then, in face of the Jews who were rejecting him, this Gentile woman asked him to heal her daughter. But the Lord turned a deaf ear to her. She fell down at his feet and adored him, saying, "Lord, help me." The Lord then said to her, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." What have the Jews to say to this?

But she came and adored him; hence she presses forward. And first her profession is presented; second, the response. Her profession is presented, because she recognized him as God, because she adored him. For although she had been repulsed by the apostles, she still pressed forward and adored. In this she recognizes God; Deut.

But He, answering, said, “It is not right to take the bread of the children and to cast it to the dogs.”

" The like lesson He both inculcates by examples, and repeatedly handles in parables, when He says, "Doth a father take away bread from his children, and hand it to dogs? " and again, "Doth a father give his son a stone when he asks for bread? " For He thus shows what it is that sons expect from their father.

Those of whom the Lord speaks as children are the Patriarchs and Prophets of that time. By the table is signified the Holy Scripture, by the fragments the best precepts, or inward mysteries on which Holy Church feeds; by the crumbs the carnal precepts which the Jews keep.

He answering, said: it is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs. This is added to test her humility, because it was already sufficiently established concerning her faith, showing the superiority of the Jews over the Gentiles; for then humility is proven when one suffers reproach cast upon one's own nation; hence he says it is not good etc.

And she said, “Yes, Lord; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs falling from the table of their masters.”

For, "that food is necessary for the children," saith she, "I also know; yet neither am I forbidden, being a dog. For were it unlawful to receive, neither would it be lawful to partake of the crumbs; but if, though in scanty measure, they ought to be partakers, neither am I forbidden, though I be a dog; nay, rather on this ground am I most surely a partaker, if I am a dog." Wit…

But the whelps eat not the crust only, but the crumbs of the children's bread, because the despised among the Gentiles on turning to the faith, seek out in Scripture not the outside of the letter, but the spiritual sense, by which they may be able to profit in good acts.

But she said: yes, Lord. Here the remarkable humility and wisdom of the woman are indicated. He seemed to cast an insult upon her nation, but it is a mark of humility that she acknowledges the insult spoken. Hence she says yes, Lord.

Then Jesus, answering, said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

The Feeding of the Four Thousand

And Jesus, having departed from there, went along the Sea of Galilee; and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there.

"And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into the mountain, and sat down there.

Mystically; Having in the daughter of this Chauanæan prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, He came into Judæa; because, when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, then shall all Israel be saved. (Rom. 11:25.) Thus raising his hearers to meditate on heavenly things. He sat down there to show that rest is not to be sought but in heavenly things.

Above, the evangelical doctrine was confirmed through the liberation of the Gentiles from the power of demons by the power of Christ; now he confirms it through the liberation from spiritual infirmities, by the fact that he healed many. And he does three things. First, the place is set forth; second, the offering; third, the liberation.

And great crowds came to Him, having with themselves lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others; and they placed them at His feet, and He healed them,

Again Jesus went up on the mountain where he sat down. Not only people who were healthy but also those suffering from various disorders went up on the mountain where Jesus was sitting. Think of this mountain to which Jesus went up and sat as the church. It has been set up through the word of God over the rest of the world, and all sorts of people come to it.

(ord.) The dumb are they that do not praise God; the blind, they who do not understand the paths of life; the deaf, they that obey not; the lame, they that walk not firmly through the difficult ways of good works; the maimed, they that are crippled in their good works.

There follows the offering: and great multitudes came to him etc. And first, this is set forth with regard to the multitude of the crowds; second, with regard to the offering of the sick; third, with regard to the manner. Concerning the first: then great multitudes came to him; Ps. 85:9: all the nations thou hast made shall come and adore before thee, O Lord.

so that the crowd marvelled, seeing mute speaking, crippled restored, and lame walking, and blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Remember that the context is the plea of the Canaanite woman. Remember that the Lord's silence with her had proceeded from a consideration of the gradual timing of revelation and not from any problem of her volition. So when he said, "O woman, great is your faith," she is now certain of being saved.

They had not yet thoroughly understood the Lord's dignity as God but supposed him to be a mere man. For this reason they offered up glory to the God of Israel.

And there follows the admiration: so that the multitudes marveled seeing the dumb etc. Here the effect is set forth. This had been foretold in Isa. 35:5: then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped etc.; and in Ps. 138:3: wonderful are thy works. But it is asked: why does he make no mention of the feeble?

And Jesus, having called His disciples to Him, said, “I am moved with compassion toward the crowd, because already three days they continue with Me and have nothing that they may eat; and I am not willing to send them away hungry, otherwise they may faint on the way.”

In this way, by his speech, Christ had so disposed their souls that they had even become self-forgetful and had taken no care to provide for food or other inevitable needs. They had not grown weary, even in the desert, of being with Christ. But Christ understood the weakness of our nature and that we require food for the health of our bodies.

In this Gospel lection we must consider in Christ the work of His humanity, and of His divinity. In that He has compassion on the multitudes, He shows that He has feeling of human frailty; in the multiplication of the loaves, and the feeding the multitudes, is shown the working of His divinity.

Then Jesus, having called his disciples together etc. Here the doctrine of Christ is shown to be praiseworthy through the refreshment of the good. And first, the motive is set forth; second, the material; third, the distribution; fourth, the refreshment.

And the disciples say to Him, “From where to us in a secluded place so many loaves as to satisfy so great a crowd?”

This was in response to everything that had happened before. So we must probe the corresponding reason for this entire situation and especially of the relation of Jews and Gentiles.

(Verse 33 and following) And His disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." And He directed the people to sit down on the ground.

And the disciples say to him etc. Here the material is set forth. And first, how he gave; second, how much material was at hand. Hence it says and they say: whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert? Here the slowness and forgetfulness of the disciples is reproved, because above the Lord had satisfied five thousand from five loaves.

And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves have you?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

Why had he earlier said to his disciples, "Send away the multitude," but now he does not send them away, even though three days had passed? It may be that they themselves had changed and improved by this time.

He teaches frugality by having them sit on the ground; and He teaches us to give thanks before eating by Himself giving thanks. Do you ask why it is that when there were five loaves and five thousand being fed, twelve baskets remained, but here where there are more loaves and fewer people only seven baskets were left over?

Then how much material was at hand is set forth; hence Jesus said to them: how many loaves have you? And he did not ask as one who did not know, but so that the miracle might be shown. Hence he also had them recall the few fishes, above, in the other miracle.

And having commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground,

Be attentive to the difference between those things that are written in the various places in regard to the loaves. I think that this passage belongs to a different order than the others. Note the differences. Those were fed on a mountain, these in a desert place.

Now all the rest He doth as on the former occasion; thus He both makes them sit down on the ground, and He makes the loaves multiply themselves in the hands of the disciples. For, "He commanded," it is said, "the multitude to sit down on the ground.

And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground. Here the arrangement is set forth. And first, he arranges them; second, he takes the material; third, he gives thanks, and breaks, and distributes. He says therefore and he commanded. In the other feeding it says that he made them recline upon the grass. By grass, temporal things are signified; hence Isa.

having taken the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks, He broke them and was giving to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.

And all ate and were satisfied; and they took up what was remaining of the fragments, seven baskets full.

They brought forward seven loaves of bread. The Gentiles received no salvation from the law and the prophets. However, they live because of the grace of the Spirit whose sevenfold light, as noted by Isaiah, is a gift. Therefore through faith in the Spirit the Gentiles receive salvation.

But when we come to the end, there is a difference. For, "they did all eat," so it is said, "and were filled, and they took up of the broken meat that was left, seven baskets full.

Consequently he sets forth the fullness of the refreshment, from the abundance of the remains and from the number of those who ate. And they all ate. Someone could say that from a little bread many can receive, such that each has only a little; but it was not so; rather, they were filled; hence they ate until they were satisfied; Ps. 77:29: they ate and were filled, every one.

And those eating were four thousand men, besides women and children.

He does this not only once but also a second time, in order that we should know his strength. This strength by which he feeds the multitudes when he wishes and without bread finds its source in his divinity. He does this in order to bring them to believe that he himself is the one who earlier had fed Israel for forty years in the wilderness.

As that first multitude which He fed answers to the people among the Jews that believed; so this is compared to the people of the Gentiles, the number of four thousand denoting an innumerable number of people out of the four quarters of the earth.

There follows the number of those who ate: and they that did eat were four thousand men. Above there were five thousand, because they were given over to the five senses; or on account of the five books of Moses; but here four thousand, on account of the four cardinal virtues, or on account of the four Evangelists. Besides children and women. But why are these excluded?

And having dismissed the crowds, He climbed into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

Observe, we do not read here as in other places, that He sent the multitudes away and departed; but because the error of unbelief held the minds of the presumptuous, it is said that He left them.

Wondrous blindness of the Pharisees and Sadducees! They asked a sign from heaven, as though the things they now saw were not signs. John shows what sign it was they desired; for he relates, that after the feeding with the five loaves, the multitudes came to the Lord and said, What sign doest thou, that we may see it and believe on thee?

Otherwise; The sky is red and lowring; that is, the Apostles suffer after the resurrection, by which ye may know that I shall judge hereafter; for if I spare not the good who are mine from present suffering, I shall not spare others hereafter; Ye can therefore discern the face of the sky, but the signs of the times ye cannot.

Matthew15

The Tradition of the Elders

What Defiles a Man

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

The Feeding of the Four Thousand