1

thanks, He distributed them to 'the disciples, and the disciples'1 to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.' They therefore gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over to them that had eaten.

When now the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, 'This is of a truth the Prophet that should come into the world.' When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come, and carry Him with them by force, to make Him a king, He withdrew again into a mountain, Himself alone. And when even was come, His disciples went down unto the sea; and as they entered into the ship, they came into the current (drifted along against their will, see vol. iii. 138), over the sea, in the direction toward Capernaum. And it had already become dark; and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea, excited by a violent storm, raged exceedingly. When they had now rowed about five-and-twenty or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship; and they were afraid. But He said unto them, 'It is I; be not afraid.' Then desired they to receive Him into the ship-made haste to receive Him into the ship and immediately-on His reception-the ship was at the land whither they went.

They had thus passed over the last part of the distance without remarking it, so much were they possessed and occupied. with the wonderful appearance of Christ.

The day following, when the people, which stood on the other side of the sea,3 saw that there had been no other boat there, save only the one into which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not gone with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone alone (meanwhile, however, other boats from Tiberias had landed near to the place where they had eaten bread, after thanksgiving by the Lord)—when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there-on the other side-any more than the disciples-they entered into ships (which had mean

The words thus marked have, according to the most respectable documents, been probably transferred from Matt. xiv. 19.

* The breadth of the lake, according to Josephus, was about 40 stadia. * See above, vol. iii. p. 142.

while arrived), and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.1 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?'

6

They seemed to anticipate a second miracle, which might excite them still more than the first. But Jesus saw that they had not received even the first in a right spirit. Without doubt, this company formed the proper centre of that multitude which yesterday would have made Him a king,-a swarm of chiliastic adherents, who would gladly have made of the person of Jesus a worldly Messias according to their own mind, but especially a bread-king. That they form such a swarm, is shown not only by the circumstance, that they still pursue after the Lord, when He has dismissed them along with the rest, but also by the following words of Jesus, and the manner in which they receive them.

We see thus the remarkable fact, that a great multitude of people have, of two miracles following close on each other, so sensually apprehended the first, that with the second they dare not now be even made acquainted. In this view Jesus passes by their inquiry, and immediately meets them with the upbraiding declaration :

'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye have seen signs, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.' This is His rebuke: they have not seen the miracle in the feeding, but the feeding in the miracle; nothing but their fleshly interest makes them to be His followers. Therefore the exhortation:

'Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you; for Him hath the Father sealed, even God,'-Him hath He attested by the miracles as the Dispenser of bread unto eternal life.

They seemed as if they would acquiesce in this. They said unto Him, "What shall we do, that we may work (procure) the works of God?' They have the miracles of God in view, and very specially miraculous feedings. Jesus answered and said unto them, 'This is the work of God, that ye believe on

The rare instances in which John falls into the style of writing in periods, are characteristic. Besides this passage, see particularly chap. xiii. 1, etc., xix. 28; 1 John i. 1-3; 2 John 1-3.

Then said they unto Him, The Lord had represented bread of life, in contrast to

Him whom He hath sent.' Faith is a work of man in God, of and through God, and for God; and on this account is therefore as well a work of God, as it is the highest, freest work of man. Then said they unto Him, 'What sign showest thou then, that we may see and believe thee? What (then) dost thou work?'-in contrast to us, who should work the work of God. What they mean by this question, they explain to satisfaction in what follows: Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written (Ps. lxxviii. 24), Bread from heaven He gave them to eat.' To have been fed once, is not sufficient for them; they rather see themselves thereby occasioned to make Him understand, if He would be their Messias, He must again and again feed them in as wonderful a manner as Moses fed the people in the desert. To this Jesus replied, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not the bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the bread from heaven, which is the true. For the bread of God is that which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world.' 6 Give us at all times this bread!' Himself to these men as the true the highly praised manna of Moses, in like manner as He had previously represented Himself to the Samaritan woman as the Giver of the true living water, in contrast to the water of the sacred well of Jacob. And now they answered Him quite in a similar tone to that in which the woman had answered Him, in the words, Sir, give me this water, that I no more thirst, neither come hither to draw. But their words had a less noble meaning this was shown by the sequel. Jesus said unto them, 'I am the bread of life. He that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But,' He continued, 'I have said unto you, that ye have seen Me, and still do not believe.' This He had said to them in the words, Ye seek Me not because ye have seen signs, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. They must not suppose that His mission shall be frustrated through their unbelief. This He gives them to understand in the words, All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me!' As little, however, should they suppose that the divine purpose hinders them from coming to Him. Hence the words, And him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.' He thus declares that He will occupy

Himself with all-even with the poorest, and not perchance only seek to gather around Himself a select number of preeminent men. He then proceeds: 'I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will-seeking an ideal position of life, corresponding to the ideal life itself-but the will of Him that sent Me,' in the fulfilment of the historical obligations imposed on Me for the salvation of the world. On this He announces to them the purpose of the Father in reference to the salvation of the world. First as the purpose of salvation in a negative sense: And this is the will of the Father that hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it again at the last day. He then presents it as the purpose of salvation in a of salvation in a positive sense: 'And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.' Thus He is in both respects the bread of life,-first, because He delivers from death,-secondly, because He communicates eternal life. In the first form of salvation, the personality is but little developed; it is in the neuter that the impoverished life is spoken of, which is in danger of being lost. In the second form of salvation, it is no more the question of mere deliverance from destruction, but of investment with the highest life; here the personality stands forth. There salvation had to do with lost men; here with the individual man. There the party saved was more passive; here he is an active personality, having his eye turned to the Saviour, and finding life in the contemplation of His life. There salvation had pre-eminently the form of divine predestination; here it has pre-eminently the form of human freedom.1

The promise of raising up again at the last day is the strongest expression of the fact, that He is the bread of life; for it is the promise of a new and eternal fulness and freshness of life at the end of the world.

To the Jews (the Judaists among His hearers), however, the declaration of Jesus was very offensive. They murmured at Him because He said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. And they said, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph,

1 So also again, vers. 44 and 45, the form of predestination and the form of freedom are conjoined.

whose father and mother we know? How then can this man say, I came down from heaven?'

Jesus replied to them in these words: Murmur not among yourselves'-in timid, pusillanimous, party whisperings.- No man can come to Me,' He adds, 'except the Father, who hath sent Me, draw him'-in opposition to the attraction of party feeling—' and I will raise him up at the last day? They must therefore withdraw themselves from the attractive influence of party spirit in order to feel the drawing of the Father. He who suffers shipwreck in reference to his party, has the consolation that Jesus will raise him up at the last day. Only of such liberated souls as boldly follow the drawing of the Father is the Church of believers formed. To this He points in the words: 'It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all the taught of God (Isa. liv. 13; Jer. xxxi. 33, 34). Every one, therefore, that heareth the Father, and learneth of Him, cometh unto Me.' Thus, by a preparatory and entirely special revelation of God to him, must each man come to know Christ. These revelations are, no doubt, very imperfect and dark, only anticipations of the highest revelation. Therefore it is said further: Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He who is of God, He hath seen the Father.'

And just on this account is He able to impart life; therefore He adds: 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.' In this sense did He say, I am the bread of life.

And now He desires also to explain to them why He had called Himself the substantial, true bread of life, in contrast to the manna; and why He had said of the latter, that it did not come down from heaven. This purpose is subserved by the following comparison. First, the different effects of the typical and of the true manna come into consideration :

"Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are (notwithstanding) dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that he that eateth thereof may not die (be also preserved from the power of death).'

He proceeds to describe the altogether peculiar substance of the true bread of heaven:

This bread is, in the first place, Himself: 'I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this