Mk. 6:24. She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."
Mk. 6:25. And she immediately went in haste to the king and asked, saying: I want you to give me right now on a platter the head of John the Baptist.
Mk. 6:26. The king was grieved, but for the sake of the oath and those reclining with him, he did not wish to refuse her.
Mk. 6:27. And immediately, having sent a bodyguard, the king commanded his head to be brought.
Mk. 6:28. He went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
Mk. 6:29. His disciples, having heard, came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. The feast goes merrily: Satan dances in the maiden, and an oath is given—lawless and godless, and above all senseless. "That you give me," says the wicked woman, "right now," at once. But the reckless and lustful Herod feared to break his oath and therefore kills the righteous man, when he ought in this case to have violated the oath and not committed so terrible a crime (to keep an oath is not always good). A guardsman was the name for such a military man who was appointed by the community to execute and put to death criminals. One may also understand the passage under consideration in a figurative, spiritual sense. Thus, Herod represents the coarsely carnal Jewish people: he took a wife—false and absurd glory, whose daughter even now still dances and is in motion among the Jews—this is their deceptive knowledge of the Scriptures. They think they know the Scriptures, when in reality they do not know them, for they beheaded John, that is, the prophetic word, because they did not accept the Head of prophecy—I mean Christ. Therefore, if they possess the prophetic word, they possess it without the Head, that is, without Christ.
Mk. 6:30. And the Apostles gathered together to Jesus and told Him everything, both what they had done and what they had taught.
Mk. 6:31. He said to them: Go ye alone into a desert place and rest a little, for there were many coming and going, so that they had no leisure even to eat.
Mk. 6:32. And they departed to a deserted place in a boat by themselves.
Mk. 6:33. And the people saw them departing, and many recognized them; and they ran there on foot from all the cities, and arrived ahead of them, and gathered around Him. After their preaching, the apostles gather to Jesus. This should be a lesson for us that we too, having been chosen for some ministry, should not depart from obedience to the one who chose us or exalt ourselves before him, but should acknowledge him as head, turn to him, and report to him everything we have done and taught (one must not only teach but also act). Christ gives His disciples rest; this is a lesson for leaders, so that they know how to give rest to those who labor in word and teaching, and not always keep them in tension and toil. Furthermore, the Lord, not loving glory, withdraws to a deserted place. Yet even here He was not hidden from those who sought Him. On the contrary, the people watched so attentively lest the Lord be hidden from them that they went ahead, that is, outran the apostles themselves and went to the place where Jesus intended to rest. So you too should go ahead of Jesus: do not wait for Him to call you, but rather hasten forward yourself to anticipate Him.
Mk. 6:34. Jesus, going out, saw a great multitude and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
Mk. 6:35. And when much time had passed, His disciples came to Him and said: this place is deserted, and the hour is already late,
Mk. 6:36. Send them away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and settlements and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.
Mk. 6:37. He answered and said to them: You give them something to eat. And they said to Him: Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?
Mk. 6:38. But He asked them: how many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they found out, they said: five loaves and two fish.
Mk. 6:39. Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.
Mk. 6:40. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. The Pharisees, being ravenous wolves, did not shepherd the people but devoured them. Therefore the people, bypassing them, gather to Christ, the true Shepherd. And Christ gives them food—first the more profitable and precious kind, in word, and then bodily food as well. But observe the disciples, how they are distinguished by their love for mankind! Taking pity on the people, they approach Christ and begin to entreat Him on their behalf. The Lord, however, testing and trying them to see whether they had recognized His power—that He could feed the people—says, "You give them something to eat." To this the disciples, as if in reproach, point out to Him, on the one hand, the greatness of their own poverty, and on the other, the multitude of the people, as though He did not know this. In this difficulty they say, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" Finally, the Lord has them all recline on the grass in separate groups—that is, as if at different tables.
Mk. 6:41. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.
Mk. 6:42. And they all ate and were satisfied.
Mk. 6:43. And they picked up twelve full baskets of the fragments of bread and of the remains of the fish.
Mk. 6:44. And those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. The Lord looks up to heaven, first, to teach us to ask for our food from God, and not from the devil, as do people who live by unrighteous gains; and second, to show the people that Christ is not an opponent of God, but on the contrary, He Himself calls upon God. He gives the loaves to the disciples so that they would not forget the miracle after having received the loaves with their own hands. And the twelve baskets of leftovers remain for the same purpose, so that each of the apostles, having carried a basket on his shoulders, would always keep the miracle in memory. And the fact that He not only fed such a multitude of people but also left over an abundance is a sign of the superabundant power in Christ. Moses, though he gave manna, gave only enough for each one's need, for in what was left over, worms bred. And Elijah, feeding the well-known widow, provided exactly as much as was sufficient for sustenance. But Jesus, as Master, produces such that there is a surplus. This is the historical meaning. In the figurative sense, the five loaves signify the books of Moses, which are five: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The two fish signify the words of the fishermen—the Apostle and the Gospel. By these our five senses are nourished, signified by the five thousand people. However, we cannot consume everything, but much will remain in surplus that only the apostles can carry. Thus, the more difficult aspects of understanding the Law and the Gospel we, who are still enslaved to the five senses, cannot bear, but only the apostles can.
Mk. 6:45. And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the boat and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people.
Mk. 6:46. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.
Mk. 6:47. In the evening the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on land.
Mk. 6:48. And He saw them struggling in rowing, for the wind was against them; and about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and wanted to pass by them.