Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. Tabha. Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes…
The valley, known by the Arabic name Tabgha, lies in the northwestern part of the coast of Lake Kinneret, near the intersection of Kfar Nahum (Capernaum). The Hebrew name for this place is Ein Sheva (Seven Springs) in connection with the accumulation of hydrogen sulphide springs here. In Greek the area is called Heptagon. There are still several springs here, Ein Nur and Ein Sheva, which still flow today.
There are a lot of holy places along Lake Kinneret; you won’t be able to visit them all in a short time. But one more important place in Galilee cannot be ignored. This is Tabha. It was here that important events for Christians took place. The most famous of them is the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Tabgha was a secluded place by the lake where Jesus often came when he wanted to be alone.
According to the famous Gospel accounts, at this place Jesus fed about “5,000 men, besides women and children,” with five loaves of bread and two fish. The stone on which Jesus placed the baskets of loaves and fish became the altar erected on this site in 350.
Today there is a new church here, built on the ruins of an ancient church from the Byzantine period. The modern church is equipped with a beautiful courtyard with a fountain, and inside the central hall you can see a recreated mosaic, the original of which dates back to the 4th century. AD An unknown artist depicted lotuses and lakeside birds here. At the altar there is one of the most famous images in the history of Christianity - two fish and a basket of bread, symbols of the miracle that happened here.
The modern Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes was built in 1982 on a Byzantine foundation and is an exact reproduction of the 6th century church. Remains of the foundations of the first church can be seen under the window to the right of the altar and in the north cross nave.
The church was rebuilt around 450 into a Byzantine church, the altar of which, unlike the first church, was directed to the east. The sacred stone was placed under the altar of the new church.
The interior of the church is specially made very modest, so as not to drown out the beauty of the early Christian mosaics - this is the main attraction of the church. Restored mosaics from the 5th century. - a unique example of early Christian art. An unknown artist depicted water flowers and lakeside birds of Galilee, as well as the famous Christian image: two fish and a basket of bread - symbols of the miracle that happened here.
The spacious courtyard of the church is decorated with mosaics in the form of geometric shapes. Under the protection of glass panels, you can also examine what remains of the original 4th century mosaic.
In the courtyard of the church there is a fountain with seven taps in the shape of fish (symbolizing the seven sources of Tabgha), in which gold and silver fish swim.
We visit Tabgha on regular and individual excursions “ Christian Galilee and Nazareth", as well as in "
Early on the morning of Thursday, June 18, there was a severe fire in the Catholic Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Capernaum (Tabgha, Kfar Nahum). The fire destroyed the archives and office premises of the church, and the prayer hall was badly damaged by smoke.
Police have launched an arson investigation into the historic Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Capernaum, on the shores of Lake Kinneret. The fire, which broke out at dawn on Thursday, severely damaged the church building, which is one of the main centers of attraction for tourists and Christian pilgrims. Two people suffered from smoke inhalation - a 79-year-old attendant and a 19-year-old tourist.
Firefighters found multiple fires, indicating a deliberate arson. An inscription in Hebrew was found on the wall of the building against “idol worshipers” - a quote from the prayer “Aleinu le-Shabeah”: “And the idols would be destroyed.” Previously, incidents of minor vandalism against Christian objects regularly occurred in the area; Vandals have repeatedly damaged road signs by “symbolically” burning crosses on graphic images of churches. Therefore, the police believe that the arson was motivated by religious hatred.
The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes is a Catholic church erected on the site where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of thousands with five loaves and two fish. The church is served by monks from the Benedictine order. The modern temple was built as a copy of the 5th century church over a historical mosaic floor discovered during excavations. According to Reuters, the ancient mosaics were not damaged.
Homeland Security Minister Gilad Erdan strongly condemned the arson as a "cowardly act" and promised that police would deal with the crime as a priority. “We will not allow anyone to question the coexistence of religions and national communities in Israel, an attack on the principles of interreligious tolerance is a blow to the most basic values of the state of Israel, we will show zero tolerance for such acts,” the minister said.
Since 2009, there have been 43 “hate crimes” against Christian religious sites in Israel. In most cases, the police failed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes" (Tabgha)
The Hebrew name for this area is Ein Sheva (Seven Springs) in connection with the accumulation of springs here, mostly hydrogen sulphide. In Greek the area is called Heptagon, a word whose meaning is similar to the Hebrew. The largest of the springs, Ein Nur, gushes inside an impressive octagonal pool. Ein Sheva itself, the second largest source, flows near a two-story building belonging to the Franciscan monastic order. On the left hand at the entrance to the gate of the Tabgha Church there is a baptismal font (baptistery) of the 5th century, which at one time was located at the entrance to the city of Hebron.
In the Christian world, Tabgha is known as the place where Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes. Today there is a new church here, built on the ruins of an ancient church from the Byzantine period. According to the famous accounts from the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, at this point Jesus fed about “5,000 men,” “besides women and children,” with five loaves of bread and two fish. The Christian tradition tells of another miracle that took place in Tabgha: the appearance of Christ to his fishermen followers after his execution on the cross and his order to Simon (aka Peter) to be his successor. “He said to him: Be a shepherd of my sheep,” a quote from the Gospel of John.
The modern church has a beautiful entrance courtyard with a fountain, and inside the central hall you can see a recreated mosaic, the original of which dates back to the 4th century. AD, containing, among other things, an image of loaves and fishes and inscriptions in Greek. Under the protection of glass panels, you can also view what has survived of the original mosaic from the ruins of the Byzantine period church of the 4th century.
In the mountainside on the other side of the road, it is also easy to discern a small cave called Job’s Cave. According to legend, Job lived in it when he came here to wash himself with spring water, which to this day many consider healing...
Capernaum
The city of Capernaum is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Tiberias or the Sea of Galilee), in the Galilee, belonging to the Israeli park system. Now there are two monasteries here - Orthodox and Catholic (Franciscan). Capernaum is mentioned in the New Testament as the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew, John and James.
Capernaum was founded about 2,500 years ago and flourished in the 1st century. AD due to its location on the border of the state of Herod Antipas. Trade routes from the Mediterranean coast to Syria and Asia Minor ran through Capernaum. After the conquest of Palestine by the Romans, a detachment of legionnaires was stationed in the city.
In Capernaum, according to the Gospels, the main preaching activity of Jesus Christ took place. At that time the city was a fishing village and a customs house on the way from Caesarea to Damascus. In Capernaum, Jesus found his apostles - Peter, Andrew, the Zebedee brothers John the Theologian and James and Matthew Levi. In the 2nd century, a community of Jews who converted to Christianity was formed in Capernaum. In the next century, a church was built in the town and it became a stronghold of Christianity in the area.
Jesus Christ in Capernaum
Capernaum received the honorary title of the city of Christ, since Jesus Christ, visiting Galilee, most often stopped there. The Gospel tells us that Jesus performed many miracles in Capernaum; He healed the son of a courtier, Peter's mother-in-law, who was lying in a fever, the paralytic and dying servant of the Roman centurion, who built a synagogue for the Jews. In this synagogue, Jesus cast out an unclean spirit from a possessed man. On the streets of Capernaum, Jesus cleansed a leper.
Despite the many miracles that Christ performed in Capernaum, and all the admonitions and reproofs that He expressed to the inhabitants of the city, who were mired in the commercial and industrial bustle, they did not repent, did not accept Christ and did not believe in Him. Therefore, Christ with sadness pronounced a bitter condemnation against them and predicted the complete destruction of the city: “And you, Capernaum, who have ascended to heaven, will be cast down to hell” (Matthew 11:23). This prophecy was exactly fulfilled; The Jewish war, which swept through Palestine like a tornado, almost destroyed the city to the ground. The Romans later restored Capernaum, and after the division of the empire in 395, the city came under the jurisdiction of Byzantium. But after five years, the city suffered new destruction, but not from the war, but from a terrible earthquake. Its consequences were so catastrophic that the Byzantine government decided not to restore the city lying in ruins. Gradually, the ruins were overgrown with grass, and the city lay in ruins and oblivion for almost a thousand years. And only thanks to the efforts of archaeologists who excavated the ruins, it was revived and again turned into a busy tourist center.
The Franciscan monastic order, which built its monastery here, made a huge contribution to the excavations of ancient Capernaum, especially in the period from 1964 to 1984.
Suspects of arson of the Christian Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes released
The first suspects detained by the police on suspicion of involvement in the night arson of the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes were 16 minor yeshiva students from the settlement of Yitzhar and their guide. The group was detained during dawn prayer at the grave of a righteous man near Tiberias.
The investigation into the arson, which police suspect was motivated by “religious hatred,” has been assigned to the Judea and Samaria Police Department, which specializes in nationalist crime. The right-wing organization Honeinu immediately joined in protecting the rights of the detainees.
“The Arab-Jewish conflict in Israel involves dozens of radical leftist organizations funded from abroad and aiding our enemies. We are making every effort to help those who feel that they belong to the Jewish people,” this is how the tasks of “Honeinu” are explained on the Russian-language page of its website...
Six hours after the arrest, the suspects were released. Honeinu's lawyer stated that the police made the arrest only to create the appearance of hectic activity, and solely on the basis of the suspects' membership in a certain sector of the population.
Meanwhile, the famous Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes is closed to tourists today; only officials and journalists are allowed inside. In the morning, the German ambassador came here to assess with his own eyes the scale of the damage caused. Correspondents from foreign TV channels report from the fire, standing on piles of charred books, showing red writing on the wall left by the arsonists, and filming charred bird corpses lying on the paved floor of the courtyard.
Fortunately, the fire did not reach the central hall of the church with its world-famous mosaics of the 5th century - firefighters managed to stop the spread of the flames. The fish in the outdoor pool were not harmed.
Two miles west of Capernaum is a place that Josephus called the “Spring of Capernaum.” This name comes from the Greek word Heptapegon, which means “place of seven springs.” The valley, known by the Arabic name Tabgha, lies in the northwestern part of the coast of the Kinneret lake. Several springs are still preserved here. During the time of Jesus Christ, this place had another name - “Magdalene chapels”. This name comes from "Mai-Gad" or "Wasser von Gad", which means "Water of Happiness". The water sources were rich in fish, which contributed to the development of fishing in these areas. This is the very place where the apostles were fishing when the resurrected Savior appeared to them, who, having asked Peter three times about his love for Him, made him the head of the Christian church, the shepherd of His sheep. The stone at which Jesus dined with his disciples now serves as the altar of tiny St. Peter's Basilica (see Mark 6:30 - 44; John 21).Tabgha - place of multiplication of loaves and fishes From the Greek "Heptabecho" - seven springs that flow here into the Sea of Galilee. In Tabgha there is the Temple of the Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves, built in 1882 by Catholic Benedictines on the foundations of a 4th century church. The ancient mosaic has been almost completely preserved, it amazes with its beauty and sophistication and, centuries later, is the main decoration of the temple. At this place Jesus fed many thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish. From the Byzantine church, a mosaic floor has been preserved, depicting a lake, birds, plants, bread and fish, as well as the remains of an altar. Near the springs are the remains of a Byzantine mill. During the time of Jesus, this area with springs was called the Magdalene Region (mai-gad=Wasser von Gad (water of happiness) Tabgha was a secluded place by the lake, where Jesus often came when he wanted to be alone. For the first four centuries, only Jewish Christians lived in Capharnaum, who from father to son passed on their memories of Jesus’ stay in Tabgha, linking these memories with three rocks: one rock, located not far from the main street, reminded of the first feeding of bread, a cave near the cliff of the Sermon on the Mount, and a rocky ledge of the lake of the appearance of the resurrected people. Around 383, Egeria visited three holy places in Tabgha and left notes about it, which have survived to this day. She claims that the stone on which the Lord laid out bread was used as an altar around which a church was built. Remains of the foundation of this first church (built around 350) are still visible under the window to the right of the altar and in the northern cross nave.This first shrine was rebuilt around 450 into a Byzantine church, the altar of which, unlike the first church, faced the east. The sacred stone of the first miracle of saturation with bread was placed under the altar in place of the usual casket for relics. Over the next decades, the church was decorated with mosaics, which are considered one of the most beautiful in the holy country and testify to Egyptian influence. This influence possibly goes back to the Patriarch Martyrius of Jerusalem, who lived for some time in Egypt and is mentioned in the mosaic inscription to the left of the altar as the founder. In 614, during the Persian attack, this church was destroyed so that in 670 Bishop Arculf could only see many columns scattered near the springs. For more than 1,300 years, these holy places were hidden under ash, until in 1932 archaeologists Mader and Schneider excavated old stonework with mosaics still preserved. Later a church was built here. In 1982, the new church, restored on Byzantine foundations, was consecrated by Cardinal Heffner of Cologne, who also donated a beautiful cross for processions. The church and the area around it are the property of the German Association in the Holy Land. The monks of the Benedictine Abbey of Dormizio in Jerusalem guard the shrine, and also run a boarding house for the disabled and a camp for youth groups. At the entrance lies a large stone shaped like a millstone. On the territory of the church, a fountain with seven taps was built, in the shape of fish (probably based on the number of sources in this place.) In which goldfish and a small turtle once swam. In the center of the fountain there is a flowerbed on which an olive tree grows. In the courtyard of the church there is also a souvenir shop for tourists.
So, we arrived at the shrine. Even before entering the temple, you can see the remains of ancient buildings and columns, which give you a certain feeling of the antiquity and holiness of the place. 
To the left of the entrance to the temple territory you can see this preserved monolith of a church from the 5th century AD, which at that time was near Hebron. 
In the courtyard of the temple you can see the remains of the first buildings and millstones, which apparently survived from ancient times: 
I really liked the vegetation in the temple courtyard, which adds its own flavor to the overall energy of the place: 
The temple building itself looks very neat and bright: 
So, first we visited the courtyard of the temple, where you can see a spring with a beautiful lily growing in it, and huge fish, as well as a large olive tree - a symbol of peace, prosperity, fertility and victory. 
There are a lot of fish in this source, which are not visible at first glance, but if you look closely... then here they are: 
Several photographs of the temple's design elements: 
Entering the temple, we saw that there were no luxurious decorations in it, and in my opinion this is very correct since the main luxury is the miraculously preserved mosaic of the temple: 
The inside of the temple looks like this: 
On the sides of the columns there are icons of Jesus and the Mother of God: 
In the center of the temple there is an altar, and below it is the main relic of the temple, the stone on which Jesus laid out bread to feed the people. It is quite possible that it was not this particular stone, but since it was it that was in the center of the ancient premises of the temple, and it was it that was perfectly preserved to this day, we will consider it a symbol of this significant event. 
The stone itself close up: 
Famous mosaic: 
On the sides of the altar, in the floor, you can see preserved elements of an ancient building under glass: 
And of course there are many more mosaics: 
There really are a lot of mosaics there. It took my breath away to look at this living proof of the then greatness of this place. 
How did Jesus Christ feed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes and still have twelve boxes left? My understanding is that Jesus created all this food out of nothing as God? Or did he attract God's abundance and create this food from the already existing light of God, as He blessed the loaves and looked to Heaven? Or was it somehow different? Explain this point to me, please! Sincerely, Meir Ahava
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:
Among the many miracles that the Lord performed during His earthly life, the miraculous feeding of five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish has a special spiritual meaning. All four evangelists talk about him. This event is in continuity with some Old Testament miracles (Exodus 16:3; 1 Kings 17:8-16; 2 Kings 4:42-44). The people of Israel, who lived in anticipation of the Deliverer, believed that the Messiah would give new manna. The special significance of this miracle was that it symbolically pointed to the future sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which the Lord established at the Last Supper. The Holy Evangelist John the Theologian reports an important chronological detail: Passover, the Jewish holiday, was approaching(John 6:4).
When people, according to the then Eastern custom, reclined to eat food, the Savior looked up to heaven, blessed and, breaking, gave the loaves(Matthew 14:19). The blessing formula was based on Lev.19:24 and Deut.8:10. It has been said since ancient times: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.” However, Hebrew and Greek words ( rem And eulogia), denoting “blessing”, can also be used to mean “thank”, as well as “praise”, “glorify”. When Jesus Christ fed the four thousand with seven loaves and fishes, taking the seven loaves and fishes, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to His disciples(Matthew 15:36). Bread in Palestine was baked in the form of thin and fragile cakes. It was easy to break, which is what the Savior did.
“How did Jesus Christ feed 5000 people”? Created from nothing. By this he pointed out to the people His Divine dignity. “But why doesn’t he create the loaves again? To<...>to teach by his very deeds that everything visible was produced and created by Him, and to prove that He is the one who gives fruit and who said in the beginning: may the earth produce the old herbs; Also: let the waters of the vipers consume the souls of the living(Gen. I, 11, 20). And a real miracle is no less important than the creation of history or reptiles. Indeed, although reptiles were created again, they were created from water. And to make so much out of five loaves and two fish is no less important than to produce fruit from the earth and reptiles from water; this meant that Jesus had power over the earth and the sea. Hitherto He had performed miracles only on the sick; and now he provides a general benefit, so that the people do not remain mere spectators of what happened to others, but receive the gift themselves. And what seemed wonderful to the Jews during their wanderings in the desert (since they said: food and bread can give, or prepare a meal in the desert (Ps. LXXVII, 20), the Lord showed the same thing in practice. This is why he leads them into the desert, so that the miracle is absolutely beyond any doubt, and no one thinks that something was brought from a nearby village for food. For this purpose, the evangelist mentions time, and not just place. From here we learn something else, namely: we learn the moderation of the disciples in satisfying the necessary needs, and how little they cared about food. There were twelve of them; and they had with them only five loaves of bread and two fish. They cared so little about the carnal, but were concerned only with the spiritual! And even these few loaves were not withheld, but they were given away as soon as they were asked. From here we must learn that even though we have little, we are obliged to give to those in need. When they are ordered to bring five loaves, they do not say: what shall we eat ourselves? How can we satisfy our hunger? - but they obey immediately. Besides what has been said, in my opinion, Christ does not create the loaves again in order to lead the disciples to faith: they were still very weak. That's why he looks at the sky. They had repeatedly seen examples of other miracles, but had never seen such a miracle. So, he took it, broke it and distributed it through the disciples, doing them honor through this. However, He did this not so much for their honor, but so that when the miracle happened, they would not remain in unbelief and would not forget about what had happened, when their own hands would testify to it.<...>But the miracle didn’t end there yet. The Lord made it appear that there was an excess, and the excess was not in whole loaves, but in pieces, to show that these were definitely leftovers from those loaves, and so that those who were not present when the miracle was performed could recognize that it happened. For this reason, Christ allowed the people to feel hunger, so that no one would mistake the miracle for a dream; For this purpose he made twelve remnants of the baskets, so that Judas would have something to carry. The Lord could satisfy hunger even without bread, but then the disciples would not have known His power, because this was also the case under Elijah. And for this miracle the Jews were so surprised at Him that they even wanted to make Him a king, although with other miracles they never attempted this” (St. John Chrysostom. Interpretation of St. Matthew the Evangelist. Conversation XLIX).
Matt. XIV, 13-21: 13 And when Jesus heard it, he departed from there in a boat to a desert place alone; and the people, having heard about this, followed Him from the cities on foot. 14 And Jesus went out and saw a multitude of people, and had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 15 When evening came, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place and the time is already late; send the people away so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. 16 But Jesus said to them, “They don’t need to go, you give them something to eat.” 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, Bring them here to Me. 19 And he commanded the people to lie down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and two fishes, he looked up to heaven, blessed, and broke them, and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the people. 20 And they all ate and were filled; and they took up the remaining pieces, twelve baskets full; 21 And those who did eat were about five thousand people, besides women and children.
Mk. VI, 31-44: 31 He said to them, “Go alone to a deserted place and rest a little; for there were many coming and going, so that they had no time to eat.” 32 And they went to a deserted place in a boat alone. 33 The people saw How they set off, and many recognized them; and they fled there on foot from all the cities, and warned them, and gathered to Him. 34 Jesus went out and saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and began to teach them a lot. 35 And when much time had passed, His disciples came to Him and said, “The place Here deserted, and there is already a lot of time - 36 let them go so that they can go to the surrounding villages and villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said to them, “Give them something to eat.” And they said to Him: Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat? 38 But He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” go and have a look. When they found out, they said: five loaves and two fish. 39 Then he commanded them to seat everyone in sections on the green grass. 40 And they sat down in rows, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to give to them; and he divided the two fish among everyone. 42 And they all ate and were filled. 43 And they picked up pieces of bread and leftovers twelve full boxes of fish. 44 Now there were about five thousand men who ate the loaves.
OK. IX, 11-17: 11 But when the people knew, they followed him; and He, having received them, talked with them about the Kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing. 12 The day began to approach evening. And the twelve came to Him and said to Him: Let the people go, so that they can go to the surrounding villages to spend the night and get food; because we are in an empty place here. 13 But He said to them, “Give them something to eat.” They said: We do not have more than five loaves and two fish; Should we go buy food for all these people? 14 For they were about five thousand men. But He said to His disciples: Seat them in rows of fifty. 15 And they did so, and seated them all. 16 He took the five loaves and two fish and looked up to heaven, blessed them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 And they all ate and were filled; and the pieces that remained with them were collected into twelve boxes.
In. VI, 1-14: 1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, V neighborhood Tiberias. 2 Many people followed him, because they saw the miracles he performed on the sick. 3 Jesus went up to the mountain and sat there with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was approaching. 5 Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing a large crowd coming towards him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed them?” 6 He said this to test him; for He Himself knew what He wanted to do. 7 Philip answered Him: There will not be enough bread for them for two hundred denarii, so that each of them may have at least a little. 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to Him: 9 A certain boy here has five barley loaves and two fish; but what is this for such a multitude? 10 Jesus said, Command them to lie down. There was a lot of grass in that place. So the people, numbering about five thousand, sat down. 11 Jesus, having taken the loaves and given thanks, distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those reclining, also the fish, as many as anyone wanted. 12 And when they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing will be lost.” 13 And they gathered and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves that were left over from those who ate. 14 Then the people who saw the miracle done by Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
A Guide to Studying the Four Gospels
Prot. Seraphim Slobodskaya (1912-1971)
Based on the book “The Law of God”, 1957.
The miraculous feeding of the people with five loaves
(Matthew XIV, 14-21; Mark VI, 32-44; Luke IX, 10-17; John VI, 1-15)
Soon after the death of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ and his disciples went to the other side of the lake. People ran after him along the shore on foot. When the boat stopped, a lot of people had already gathered on the shore. Jesus Christ, seeing a multitude of people, took pity on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He went ashore and talked a lot and for a long time with the people about the Kingdom of Heaven, and healed many sick people. The people listened to Him with such zeal that they did not notice how time passed. Finally, the day began to turn towards evening.
The disciples approached Jesus Christ and said: “The place here is deserted, and the time is late; let the people go so that they can go to the nearest villages to buy bread for themselves, because they have nothing to eat.”
But the Lord answered the disciples: “They do not need to go; you give them something to eat.”
The Apostle Philip said to Him: “Even two hundred denarii’s worth of bread will not be enough for them, so that each of them will have at least a little.”
Jesus said, “How much bread do you have? Go and have a look."
When they found out, the Apostle Andrew said: “A boy here has five barley loaves and two fish; but what is this for so many people!?”
Then Jesus Christ said: “Bring them here to Me,” and ordered the disciples to seat the people in rows of one hundred and fifty people.
Then Jesus Christ took five loaves and two fish and, looking at heaven, blessed them, broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples distributed them to the people.
Everyone ate and were satisfied.
When everyone was satisfied, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “gather up the remaining pieces so that nothing is lost.”
The disciples went, gathered and filled twelve full boxes with the remaining pieces, and those who ate were about five thousand people, not counting women and children.
Another time, the Lord fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish, also not counting women and children.
Archbishop Averky (Taushev) (1906-1976)
A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, 1954.
Part two
27. The miraculous feeding of five thousand people with five loaves
(Matt. XIV, 14-21; Mark VI, 32-44; Luke IX, 10-17; John VI, 1-15)
All four Evangelists talk about this miraculous event, and Evangelist John points to this event as a reason for the Lord to reveal to the Jews His teaching about the bread of heaven and the sacrament of communion of His Body and Blood, and also gives an important chronological indication that all this happened , when “Passover, the Jewish holiday, was approaching” (the Third Passover of Christ’s ministry).
Upon receiving the news of the death of John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus Christ departed from Galilee, together with the Apostles who had just returned from their preaching journey, by boat to the eastern side of Lake Tiberias, to a deserted place near the city of Bethsaida. Since one Bethsaida was located on the western bank near Capernaum, here, one must assume, is another one located in the east from the confluence of the Jordan into Lake Gennesaret, and called Bethsaida-Julia. According to the story of Ev. Mark, the people saw them going there, and many fled there on foot from all the cities and warned them of their arrival on the other side, and there in a deserted place they again gathered to Jesus Christ. Seeing the multitude of people, the Lord took pity on them, “because they were like sheep without a shepherd,” and began to teach them many things (Mark 6:34), tell them about the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:11) and heal their sick (Matt. 14:14). For some time, He, according to the story of St. John, went up the mountain, sat there with His disciples and saw that many people were coming to Him. The day began to turn towards evening. Then all the Apostles, approaching Him, began to say: “The place here is deserted and the time is late; release the people so that they can go to the surrounding villages and settlements and buy bread for themselves there, for they have nothing to eat.” But the Lord did not want to send the people away from Himself and said to the disciples: “Give them food!” Testing faith Ap. Philip, the Lord asked him: “Where can we buy bread to feed them?”, to which Philip replied: “Two hundred denarii will not be enough bread for each of them to get at least a little.” Other disciples said similar things. Then the Lord says to them: “How many loaves do you have? come and have a look.” They found out, and Andrew said to Him: “There is one boy here (probably a merchant of food supplies who accompanied this whole crowd) five barley loaves and two fish: but what is this for such a multitude.” Then Jesus said: “Bring here the loaves and fishes,” “tell the people to sit down.” And he commanded that the people be seated “on the stools,” i.e. departments of fifty. And the people sat down on the green grass, a hundred in one direction, and fifty in another, transverse to the first (“On lechs, by hundreds and by fifties” - Mark v. 40), in order to count everyone in this way. It turned out there were about 5,000, excluding women and children. And taking the five loaves and two fish, the Lord looked up to heaven, gave thanks (John v. 14), blessed them (Luke v. 16), broke them, gave them to the disciples, so that the disciples would distribute them to the people; He also divided two fish among everyone (Mark. ), as much as anyone wanted (John). “And they all ate and were filled.” When they were full, the Lord ordered the disciples to collect the remaining pieces so that nothing would be lost. Twelve full boxes of pieces of bread and fish were collected. “Then the people who saw the miracle done by Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet who is about to come into the world.” Jesus, having learned that they wanted to come and accidentally take Him and make Him king, again withdrew into the mountain alone” (John 14-15). Probably, the people wanted to take advantage of the imminent arrival of the Easter holiday in order to take Christ with them to Jerusalem, there and publicly proclaim Him king. But the Lord, of course, did not want to indulge these false ideas about the Messiah as an earthly king. He ordered the disciples to go forward to the western side of the lake, and He Himself, having calmed the people excited by the miracle, let them go and went up the mountain to pray.
A. V. Ivanov (1837-1912)
A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. St. Petersburg, 1914.
Feeding five thousand people with five loaves
(Matt. 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13)
Satisfying the souls of His listeners with the word of God, Jesus Christ sometimes fed their bodies with wonderful bread. So, one day, in a deserted place, near Bethsaida, on the other side of Lake Galilee, when the crowds of people who followed Him became hungry, He commanded His disciples to give them bread; but they, like the people who followed Him, had no bread, and only one boy had five barley loaves and two fish. However, for the One who could create an immense world out of nothing, these few and small loaves and fishes were enough to satisfy a huge mass of people, for the saturation of which it was necessary, according to the disciples, at least 200 denarii worth of bread.
Commanding the people to lie down on the grass, the Divine Nourisher blessed God and, having broken the loaves and fishes, gave them to His disciples, and they distributed them to the people. By the blessing of God, 5,000 people, not counting their wives and children, were fed with the miraculous bread, and the disciples were still able to collect the remains of 12 baskets - that is, several times more than the amount that the boy had before the miracle took place.
1. Of the many miracles of Jesus Christ - which are mentioned by the Evangelists - the miraculous feeding of 5000 with five loaves is described in detail by all four Evangelists, which alone confirms the undoubted authenticity of the miraculous event. On the other hand, this is confirmed by the words of the Savior, Who repeatedly refers to this miracle (Matthew 16:9; John 6:26).
2. The attempt of rationalists to explain the feeding of 5,000 people with five loaves not by a miracle, but by the ability of Jesus to force the people to discover the spare bread hidden in the bags and sacks he carried, contradicts the direct statement of the disciples of Christ that neither they nor the people have bread; and the Apostles did not say this at random. Moreover, if it really was as the rationalists imagine, then Jesus Christ could not at all count on the fact that those people who once said that they had no bread would take out their hidden bread and begin to eat it themselves and share it with others. Then it is necessary to assume some kind of general agreement of the entire people to deliberately hide the available bread from Jesus, in order to either put Him in difficulty or force Him to perform a miracle. And how did one boy not hide his reserve?
3. Talking about the miraculous multiplication of loaves, John mentions that five loaves and two fish were found in one boy, which shows the smallness and complete insufficiency of feeding even five people, and not 5000. The collection of 12 baskets of pieces further confirms the importance of the miracle.
4. In the life of followers of Christ, there is often such a need for spiritual food that only the Divine word, which feeds the souls of people, can satisfy it. The verbs of science and life are often unable to satisfy a person’s spiritual hunger, and in the vast and rich markets of Human thought, he sometimes does not find food for himself that would satisfy him, so that he feels a desert around him, and an emptiness in his soul. In such cases, from the meal of the Galilean fishermen, a few blessed breads of the Divine verb can satisfy the hungry in such abundance that the crumbs from the Divine meal can fill the coffers of science and art.
Note. “In the catalog (that is, dictionary) of Jewish and Greek sayings” attached to the Elisabeth edition of the Bible, the value of the denarius is defined as follows: “Denarius, in Slavic penyaz - the name of a silver coin. The denarius was of two kinds - sacred and civil; the sacred was twice as large as the civil and was called so because it was used for church needs; it was equal to 10 kopecks.” According to other studies, the denarius is a Roman coin that contains 10, and later 16 asces and is divided into 4 sesterces; equal to the Greek drachma or franc, about 25 kopecks. Transferred to our money, this amount (20-50 rubles at the 1913 exchange rate) should not seem insignificant for the purchase of bread for such a large number of people, because then in Palestine bread was in such abundance that buying it for 200 denarii could seem to the Apostles sufficient to satisfy 5,000 people.
5. The feeding with five loaves took place in the desert near Bethsaida Julia, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, on its Eastern shore, as can be seen from the fact that after this event Jesus returns by sea to Capernaum (John 6:17), and therefore mentioned in at the beginning of this chapter, the expression: on the floor of the sea of Galilee Tiberias (in the Russian translation “on the other side of the Sea of Galilee”, in the vicinity of Tiberias) should be translated: opposite or from Tiberias (της Τιβερ ιάδος), because Tiberias lay on the same shore as Capernaum, that is, in the West, and Bethsaida Julia - in the East.
Patristic interpretation
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407)
Art. 13-18 And when Jesus heard it, he departed from there in a boat to a desert place alone; and the people, having heard about this, followed Him from the cities on foot. And Jesus went out and saw a multitude of people, and had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When evening came, His disciples came to Him and said: This is a deserted place and the time is already late; send the people away so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said to them: They don’t need to go, you give them something to eat. They said to Him: We have here only five loaves and two fish. He said: Bring them here to Me.
Notice that the Lord withdrew every time when John was betrayed, when he was killed, and when the Jews heard that Jesus was gaining many disciples. He wanted to act more often as a human being, until the time came to fully reveal His divinity. Therefore, he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that He was Christ; He wanted this to become known after His resurrection. For this reason, he did not strictly punish the Jews, who had not previously believed in Him, but, on the contrary, excused them. He departed not into the city, but into the desert, and, moreover, on a ship, so that no one would follow Him. Don’t ignore the fact that John’s disciples have now become closer to Jesus. They notified Him of what had happened (with John) and, having left everything, became His disciples. So, in addition to misfortune, they were corrected a lot by the fact that Jesus had already inspired them about Himself with His answer. But why did the Lord not leave before receiving news from them, although he knew about what had happened without notice? In order to show in everything the reality of the incarnation. Not only by appearance, but also by his very deeds, He wanted to assure him of the truth, because he knew the evil cunning of the devil, who was ready to do anything just to destroy the thought of His incarnation in people. These are the reasons why Christ withdraws. But the people attached to Him do not leave Him, but follow Him; and the incident with John did not frighten Him. Such is affection! This is love! This is how she conquers everything and eliminates difficulties. It was for this that the people soon received a reward. And Jesus went out, continues the evangelist, saw many people, and had mercy on them, and healed their sick(v. 14). Although their zeal was great, the benefits of Christ exceeded the price of all zeal. Therefore, the evangelist gives special mercy as the reason for the healings in this case; Christ heals everyone, and does not ask about faith here, because those healed show their faith by the very fact that they came to Jesus, left the cities, carefully sought Him and did not leave, even when hunger forced them to do so. Christ intends to give them food. But he himself does not begin this, but waits until they turn to him with a request, everywhere, as I have already said, observing the rule: do not first begin to perform miracles, as at the request. But why didn’t any of the people come up and ask Him about it? They respected Him immensely, and with the desire to be with Him they suppressed their feelings of hunger. But His disciples did not come and say, “Feed them,” because they were still imperfect. But what are they saying? I'll be back later, says the evangelist, coming to His disciples, saying: the place is empty, and the hour has already passed; Let the nations go, so that they may go and buy food for themselves (v. 15). If the disciples, even after performing this miracle, forgot about it, and after the koshnitsa thought that Christ was talking about bread, when He called the teaching of the Pharisees kvass, then all the more, having not yet seen such a miracle in experience, they could not expect something like that (Matt. . XVI, 16). And although Christ first healed many sick people, the disciples, even seeing this, did not expect a miracle over the loaves. They were still so imperfect! You will notice the wisdom of the Teacher, how directly He leads them to faith. He did not suddenly say: I will feed them; they would not soon believe this. Jesus, says the evangelist, speech to them, - what exactly? They don’t demand to leave, you give them food(v. 16). Didn't say: I will give; But - you will give, - since they still considered Him a simple man. Even after this, they did not rise in concept; on the contrary, they responded as if they were a simple person, saying: not imams, just five loaves and two fish(v. 17). That is why the Evangelist Mark says that they did not understand what was said: for their hearts were petrified (Mark VI, 52; VIII, 17). So, since they were still crawling on the earth, the Lord himself begins to act and says: bring me their semo(v. 18). Although there is an empty place, here is He who feeds the universe; although the hour has already passed, He who is not subject to time is talking to you. John also mentions that the loaves were barley, and he speaks about this not without a purpose, but with the intention of teaching, so that we do not become vain about expensive dishes. This was also the meal of the prophets.
Art. 19-21 And he commanded the people to lie down on the grass, and taking five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven, blessed, and broke them, and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the people. And they all ate and were filled; and they took up the remaining pieces, twelve baskets full; and those who ate were about five thousand people, besides women and children.
Reception ubo five bread and both fish , continues the evangelist, and commanded the people to recline on the grass, looking up to heaven, bless, and break it for His disciples, and the disciples for the people. And I ate everything and was satisfied; and taking the excess ukrukh, fulfilled the twelve kosha. Those who eat are as many as five thousand men, except wives and children (vv. 19-21). Why did Christ look up to heaven and bless? He had to prove about Himself that He was sent from the Father, and that He was equal to Him. The evidence for these truths apparently contradicted one another. He proved His equality with the Father by doing everything with authority; but because he was sent from the Father, they would not have believed it if he had not acted in everything with great humility, and had not begun to attribute everything to the Father, and to call on Him in every matter. That is why the Lord, in confirmation of both, does not do either one or the other exclusively, but works miracles sometimes with power, and sometimes through prayer. Then, so that in these actions of His there would not again be a contradiction, in matters of less importance He looks to heaven, and in the most important things He does everything with authority, from which you must conclude that in less important matters He does this not out of the need for assistance, but giving honor to Him who gave birth to Him. Thus, when he forgave sins, opened paradise and brought a thief into it, when he sovereignly abolished the old law, raised many dead, tamed the sea, revealed the secrets of the heart, opened the eyes - which deeds are characteristic of one God, and not of anyone else - in no case of these actions we do not see Him praying. And when he intended to multiply the loaves, which was much less important than all the previously calculated actions, then he looks to heaven, both in confirmation of His embassy from the Father, as I noted above, and as our teaching, not to begin the meal before giving thanks to Him who gives us food. But why doesn’t he create the loaves again? To stop the mouths of Marcion and Manichaeus, who do not recognize Him as the Creator, to teach by His very deeds that everything visible was produced and created by Him, and to prove that He is the one who gives fruit and who said in the beginning: Let the earth bring forth the former herbs; also: let the waters of the creeping things destroy the souls of the living (Gen. I, 11, 20). And a real miracle is no less important than the creation of history or reptiles. Indeed, although reptiles were created again, they were created from water. And to make so much out of five loaves and two fish is no less important than to produce fruit from the earth and reptiles from water; this meant that Jesus had power over the earth and the sea. Hitherto He had performed miracles only on the sick; and now he provides a general benefit, so that the people do not remain mere spectators of what happened to others, but receive the gift themselves. And what seemed wonderful to the Jews during their wanderings in the desert (since they said: food and bread can give, or prepare a meal in the desert (Psalm LXXVII, 20), the Lord showed the same thing in practice. For this reason he leads them to desert, so that the miracle would not be subject to any doubt, and no one would think that something was brought from a nearby village for food. For this purpose, the evangelist mentions the time, and not just the place. From here we learn something else, namely: we recognize the moderation of the disciples in satisfying the necessary needs, and how little they cared about food. There were twelve of them; and they had with them only five loaves of bread and two fish. They cared so little about the carnal, and were concerned only with the spiritual! And even these few loaves were not "They began to hold back, and they gave them back, as quickly asked of them. From here we must learn that even though we have little, we are obliged to give to those in need. When they are ordered to bring five loaves, they do not say: what shall we eat ourselves? How can we satisfy our hunger? - but they immediately obey. Besides what has been said, in my opinion, Christ does not create the loaves again in order to lead the disciples to faith: they were still very weak. That's why he looks at the sky. They had repeatedly seen examples of other miracles, but had never seen such a miracle. So, he took it, broke it and distributed it through the disciples, doing them honor through this. However, He did this not so much for their honor, but so that when the miracle happened, they would not remain in unbelief and would not forget about what happened when their own hands testified to it. For the same purpose, he first allows the people to experience the feeling of hunger; For the same purpose, he waits for the disciples to come and ask, through them he seats the people, through them he distributes bread, wanting everyone to be predisposed to a miracle by their own consciousness and experience. For the same reason, he also takes bread from the disciples, so that there will be many testimonies about what happened, and the miracle will become more memorable for them. If, despite all this, they forgot, then what would have happened if such measures had not been taken? The Lord commands people to lie down on the grass, thereby teaching the people the simplicity of life; I wanted not only to nourish the body, but also to teach the soul.
So, the Lord chose such a place for this, gave nothing more than loaves and fish, offered everyone one common food and gave no one more than the other, in order to teach humility, abstinence, love - so that we would still be disposed towards each other and everything was considered common. And having broken it, he gave it to the disciples, and the disciples by the people. He broke five loaves of bread and distributed them, and these five loaves did not run out in the hands of the disciples. But the miracle didn’t end there yet. The Lord made it appear that there was an excess, and the excess was not in whole loaves, but in pieces, to show that these were definitely leftovers from those loaves, and so that those who were not present when the miracle was performed could recognize that it happened. For this reason, Christ allowed the people to feel hunger, so that no one would mistake the miracle for a dream; For this purpose he made twelve remnants of the baskets, so that Judas would have something to carry. The Lord could satisfy hunger even without bread, but then the disciples would not have known His power, because this was also the case under Elijah. And for this miracle the Jews were so surprised at Him that they even wanted to make Him king, although with other miracles they never attempted this. What word can describe how the bread was wasted, how it spread through the desert? How did they get enough for so many? There were five thousand who ate, besides wives and children.; and this serves as great praise for the people, that both women and men followed Christ. How could there be leftovers? This is also no less important than the first. Moreover, there were so many leftovers that the number of baskets was equal to the number of disciples - no more, no less. The Lord gave the pieces not to the people, but to the disciples, because the people were not as perfect as the disciples.
Blazh. Hieronymus of Stridon (342-419 or 420)
Art. 12-13 His disciples came and took his body and buried it.. — Josephus [Flavius] reports that John was beheaded in a certain city in Arabia. And then the following words: And his disciples arrived and carried away his body, can be attributed to both the disciples of John and the disciples of the Savior.
And they went and told Jesus. And when Jesus heard it, he departed from there in a boat to a deserted place alone.. - They announce the murder of John; Jesus, having heard about him, withdrew into a deserted place. Not out of fear of death, as some believe, but sparing his enemies, so that they do not add a new murder to the murder. Or perhaps He delayed His death until the day of the Passover, when the lamb was to be mysteriously sacrificed and when the lintels of the doors of the houses of the believers were to be sprinkled with blood (Exodus 12). It may also be that He withdrew because He wanted to show us an example of how we should avoid the unreasonable haste of those who give themselves up to persecutors, because not everyone shows the same inflexibility during torment that they show when giving themselves over to suffering. For this very reason He commands us in another place: When they persecute you in one city, flee to another (Matthew 10:23). Moreover, the Evangelist uses a skillful (eleganter) expression: he does not say: he fled, but: he withdrew, so that He rather moved away from his pursuers than was afraid of them. Otherwise. After the prophet was beheaded by the Jews and the king of the Jews and prophecy lost its language and its voice among them, Jesus withdrew to a deserted place of the Church, which had previously had no husband.
And the people, having heard about this, followed Him from the cities on foot.. - Having heard about the death of John, He could have retired to a secluded place for another reason, namely: to confirm the faith of those who believed. Finally, crowds of people followed Him on foot, not on pack animals, not on carts of various kinds, but on their own feet, to show the ardor of their souls. If we want to discover the meaning of individual expressions, we will have to go beyond the limits of the short work we have assumed. Nevertheless, it must be said in passing that after the Lord retired into the wilderness, very large crowds of people followed Him; for before His departure into the wilderness of paganism, He was revered by only one people.
And Jesus went out and saw a multitude of people; and had compassion on them and healed their sick. - In the gospel speeches, the spirit is always connected with the letter, and what at first glance seems cold, if you touch it, turns out to be flaming. The Lord was in the wilderness; Crowds followed Him, leaving their cities, that is, their former behavior and variety of teachings (dogmatum). Jesus, having gone out, shows that the crowds, although they had the desire to go, did not have the strength to reach the end; Therefore, the Savior comes out of His place and goes to meet him, just as, according to what is depicted in another parable, He runs out to meet his son bringing repentance (Luke 15:20). And seeing the crowds of people, He had mercy on them and healed the sick among them, so that complete faith would be immediately followed by a reward.
When evening came, His disciples came to Him and said: This is a deserted place, and the time is already late; release the people so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. - Everything is full of mystery (mysteriis). He left Judea and came to a deserted place; Crowds of people followed Him, leaving their cities. Jesus went out to them, had mercy on them, and healed the sick among them: and He did this not in the morning, not at daybreak, not at noon, but in the evening, when the Sun of righteousness had rested.
But Jesus said to them: they need not go. “They have no need to look for different foods and buy unknown bread for themselves, since they have the bread of heaven.”
You let them eat. - He calls the apostles to break bread so that the greatness of the miracle would be more clear, since they were witnesses to the fact that He himself does not have bread.
They said to Him: We have here only five loaves and two fish.. — From another evangelist we read: Here one boy has five loaves of bread (John 6:9). Under him, in my opinion, is Moses. And by two fish we mean either both Testaments, or the number two, relating to the law (or: the law and the prophets). So, the apostles, before the suffering of the Savior and the shining of the lightning Gospel, had only five loaves of bread and two fish, which rotated in the salty waters and waves of the sea.
He said: bring them to Me here. - Listen to Marcion, listen to Manichaeus! The Lord commands us to bring ourselves five loaves of bread and two fish in order to sanctify and multiply them.
Art. 19-20 And he ordered the people to lie down on the grass. - In the literal sense, the meaning of this is quite clear; Let's reveal spiritual understanding. They received orders to sit down on the grass, or, according to another evangelist, on the ground, in fifties and hundreds (Luke 9:14), so that they could trample down their flesh and its shine, and the lusts of this world, and enslave them like dry hay. them to themselves, they, through the repentance of Pentecost (quinquagenarii numeri) could rise to the perfect peak of a hundredfold number (i.e., bear a hundredfold fruit).
And, taking five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven, blessed and, having broken them, gave the loaves to the disciples. - He looked up to heaven to teach that eyes should be turned there. He took the five loaves and two fish in his hands and broke them and gave them to the disciples. In the breaking of the Lord there was a multiplication (seminarium - nursery) of bread. If the loaves had not been broken, had not been divided into pieces and into numerous crumbs, then they could not have fed such a great crowd: a crowd of people with children and women. In this way the law is broken along with the prophets, divided into pieces, and mysteries are introduced into their midst, so that remaining whole, and in its previous state could not feed people, after being divided into parts it feeds many pagans (gentium-peoples. )
And the students are to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied. - Many people receive food from the Lord - through the apostles.
And they picked up the remaining pieces, twelve boxes full. - Each of the apostles fills his basket from what was left of the Savior, either in order to then have something from which to serve food to the nations, or in order to clearly show with the remnants that the multiplied loaves were valid (veros) bread. Investigate at the same time how in such a vast desert and in a solitary place only five loaves and two fish were found, and twelve baskets were found so easily.
And there were about five thousand people who ate, besides women and children.. “According to the number of five loaves [eaten], the number of people who ate was five thousand. Indeed, their number had not yet reached the sevenfold number [of loaves], as reported elsewhere in the narrative, which there were four thousand who ate (Matthew 15:38; 16:10), drawn [mysteriously] together with the four Evangelists. And five thousand such men ate, who grew into perfect men and followed Him of whom Zechariah says: Behold the Man, His name is East (Zechariah 6:12). But women and children, or the weaker sex and the younger age, are not worthy of being counted. Therefore, in the Book of Numbers, whenever priests and Levites, an army or a multitude of combatants are described, slaves, women, minors and lowly people remain without indicating the number.
Blazh. Theophylact of Bulgaria (XI–XII)
And when Jesus heard it, he departed from there in a boat to a deserted place alone.. Jesus leaves because of the murder of Herod, teaching us not to be exposed to danger; He also leaves so that they do not think that He was incarnated ghostly. For if Herod had taken possession of Him, he would have made an attempt to destroy Him, and if Jesus in this case had snatched Himself from the midst of danger, because the time of death had not come, then they would have considered Him to be a ghost. So that's why He leaves. “He goes into a deserted place” to perform a miracle over the loaves.
And the people, having heard about this, followed Him from the cities on foot. And Jesus went out and saw a multitude of people, and had compassion on them, and healed their sick. The people show the faith by which they follow the retreating Jesus. Therefore, as a reward for faith, he receives healing. They follow Him on foot and without food. It's all from faith.
When evening came, His disciples came to Him and said: This is a deserted place, and the time is already late; let the people go so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said to them, “They need not go; you let them eat. The disciples are humane, for they care about the people and therefore do not want them to go hungry. What about the Savior? “Give,” he says, “to them you are.” He says this not because he did not know what poverty the apostles experienced, but so that when they say “we have not,” it turns out that He begins to perform a miracle out of need, and not out of love for glory.
They said to Him: We have here only five loaves and two fish. He said: bring them here to me. And he ordered the people to lie down on the grass and, taking five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven and blessed. Bring Me the loaves here, for although it is late, I am the Creator of time; although the place is desolate, I am the One who gives food to all flesh. From here we learn that even if we have little, we must use it for hospitality, for the apostles, having little, gave to the people. But just as this little has multiplied, so will your little. Places the people on the grass, teaching simplicity, so that you too do not rest on expensive beds and carpets. He raises his eyes to heaven and blesses the loaves, perhaps in order for them to believe that He is not an adversary to God, but came from the Father and from heaven, and also in order to teach us, so that when we touch the table, we give thanks and This is how they ate food.
And having broken it, he gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the people. And they all ate, and were filled, and took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. And there were about five thousand people who ate, besides women and children. He gives bread to the disciples so that they always remember the miracle and so that it does not leave their thoughts, although they soon forget about it. So that you do not think that the Lord performed a miracle only in a ghostly way, for this purpose the loaves are multiplied. Twelve boxes appear so that Judas would carry it and not be carried away into betrayal, thinking about the miracle. And he multiplies the loaves and the fish, to show that He is the Creator of the earth and the sea and that everything that we eat every day, we eat because He gives, and the food is multiplied by Him. There was a miracle in the desert so that no one would think that He bought loaves from a nearby city and divided them among the people; for there was a desert. This is consistent with the story. By guidance, learn that when Herod, the carnal, rude mind of the Jews (for this means the word Herod in translation), beheaded John, the head of the prophets, that is, he did not believe those who prophesied about Christ, Jesus for the future goes to a deserted place, to the pagans, the desert in relation to God, and heals the sick in soul, then feeds them. If He does not forgive us our sins and does not heal illnesses through baptism, then He will not nourish us with communion of the Most Pure Mysteries, since none of those who have not been baptized receive communion. Five thousand are five senses that are in a bad state and are healed with five loaves. For since the five senses hurt, so many wounds, so many bandages. Two fish are the words of the fishermen: one fish is the Gospel, the other is the Apostle. But some by the five loaves mean the Pentateuch of Moses, that is, the book of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Twelve boxes were taken by the apostles and carried. For what we, the common people, could not eat, that is, understand, the apostles carried and contained. “Except wives and children,” for a Christian should not have anything childish or effeminate and unmanly.
And immediately Jesus forced His disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, until He let the people go. Pointing to the inseparability of the disciples, Matthew said “compelled,” for they wanted to always be with Him. The Lord lets the people go because He did not want them to accompany Him, so as not to appear ambitious.
