Chapter Six
Jn. 6:1. After this, Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, in the vicinity of Tiberias.
The Lord, after a stern speech to the Jews which aroused envy and anger in them, calms them by withdrawing from them and goes to the other side of the Sea of Tiberias. He calls the lake a sea because Divine Scripture "called the gatherings of waters seas" (Gen. 1:10).
Jn. 6:2. A great multitude followed Him, because they saw the miracles which He performed on the sick.
Otherwise: He moves from place to place in order to test the disposition of the people. For while the negligent remained in their place, the more zealous followed after Him.
However, look, even those who followed, followed not because of the teaching, but because of the bodily benefit from the miracles, "because they," he says, "were astonished at His teaching, for He taught as one having authority" (Matt. 7:28, 29).
Jn. 6:3. Jesus went up on the mountain and sat there with His disciples.
He goes up "onto the mountain" because, he says, "they saw the miracles which He performed on the sick." The followers mentioned in Matthew are better and more philosophical, "because they," he says, "were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority" (Matt. 7:28, 29).
He goes up "onto the mountain" because He was about to perform a miracle. For He did not love honor and glory, so as to perform miracles in the midst of cities, but, avoiding the vain glory of men, He seeks solitude, teaching us to do the same.
He ascends "the mountain" also because He wishes to communicate something mysterious to the disciples. For He customarily always did so. Because one who is about to deliver such a discourse needs to be free from every disturbance, and the place needs to be free from every noise.
Jn. 6:4. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
"The Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near," he says. And yet He does not go to it, but withdraws into Galilee, because He was no longer subject to the ordinances of the law, so as to observe the legal feasts.
And in another sense: since the malice of the Jews was pursuing Him, He, having found occasions, little by little weakens the law; the type has ceased.
Note this also: "a feast of the Jews." It was not a feast of Christ, since Christ did not go to it, but only the Jews alone.
Jn. 6:5. Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a great multitude was coming to Him,
Why is it said "Jesus, lifting up His eyes"? So that we may know that His eyes were not wandering here and there, but He was sitting with awareness and attention and concentration, conversing with the disciples about divine matters, and finally looked up with His eyes and asked about the crowd, with what they might feed it.
Jn. 6:5. He says to Philip: where shall we buy bread, that we may feed them?
He asks not anyone else, but Philip. For he required more instruction, since he later says: "Show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us" (John 14:8). Therefore, He prepares him long in advance and by His question prompts him to always remember this miracle. For if the miracle had been performed without preamble, it would not have appeared so great a miracle. But now He first compels him to declare the lack of bread, so that he might better understand the greatness of the miracle about to be performed and could no longer forget what he had said. Therefore He says: "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"
Jn. 6:6. He said this, testing him; for He Himself knew what He wanted to do.
He says this testing Philip, that is, wishing to reveal what faith he has. Without doubt, He asks Philip not because He Himself does not know his thoughts, but because He wishes to reveal them before the others. "For the Lord Himself knew what He was going to do."
Jn. 6:7. Philip answered Him: two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that each of them may receive even a little.
Jn. 6:8. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says to Him:
Jn. 6:9. There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish; but what are they among so many?
Having tested Philip as to whether he had faith, and having discovered that he was not yet free from human weakness, He finds Andrew to be the same, although his understanding was somewhat higher than Philip's. Philip said that "two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough." Andrew points to "five barley loaves and two fish," perhaps having recalled the miracles of the prophets, such as when Elisha performed a miracle with loaves when Samaria had reached the point of utter destruction (2 Kings 4:42–44). However, it turns out that Andrew also had a thought that was in no way worthy of the Lord. He says, "but what is this for so great a multitude?" He thought that the Lord would perhaps multiply these loaves, but that if there had been more of them, the multiplication would have been greater. Clearly, his thinking was not correct, for the Lord could have created loaves out of nothing in a number sufficient for the people.
However, lest anyone think that creation is alien to His wisdom, He uses creation itself as an instrument for performing miracles, and taking the loaves as a kind of material occasion, He thus manifests the miracle.