VII THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE KING. Chs. 14:1 to 16:12

1. JOHN THE BAPTIST BEHEADED. Ch. 14:1-12

1 At that season Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus, 2 and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore do these powers work in him. 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she should ask. 8 And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. 9 And the king was grieved; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat with him, he commanded it to be given; 10 and he sent and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came, and took up the corpse, and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

To record the death of John the Baptist just at this point in the story is a stroke of genius. The death of his herald was a certain portent of the rejection and crucifixion of the King. Its recital forms a fitting transition to this portion of the “Gospel of the Rejection” which deals with the temporary retirement of Jesus and the crisis of his struggle with the Pharisees in Galilee.

In itself the incident is one of tragic interest and deep moral significance. The picture of Herod shows the peril of trifling with conscience. Herodias reveals the deadly power of revenge. Both are contrasted with the moral grandeur of John; both are connected with the career of Jesus. This Herod Antipas is to be distinguished from Herod the Great and from Herod Agrippa; yet all are involved in a common infamy. Herod the Great slaughtered the babes of Bethlehem in hope of destroying the true King; Herod Antipas murdered John the Baptist, the herald of the King; Herod Agrippa killed James and imprisoned Peter, tw6 of the chief messengers of the King.

The real instigator of the crime was Herodias whom Herod married although her husband, the brother of Herod, was still living. John the Baptist, with the courage of a great prophet who does not fear to rebuke sin in high places, had won the enmity of Herodias by condemning this guilty alliance. She hated him not only for his rebuke, but because his influence threatened to foil the ambition which had led her to desert her husband in order to secure a position of royalty. Herod imprisons John but hesitates to put him to death both for fear of the people and because he himself regards John with something of reverence and awe. Herodias plots to secure a cruel revenge. While Herod is celebrating his birthday in revelry with his companions, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, is sent in to dance immodestly before the king. In his drunken delight he promises with an oath to reward her with any gift she may name. Prompted by her mother she requests the head of John the Baptist. The king is entrapped but he is a moral coward. He fears to withdraw his rash oath lest he should be ridiculed by his companions. He violates his conscience. He issues the fatal command. He wins the contempt of his comrades and secures the scorn and condemnation of a world. It is not the last time that an indecent dance has wrought the downfall of a king. It is not the last time thata man has been more afraid of a sneer than a crime. It is not the last time that the vanity and malice of a woman have compassed the death of a prophet.

Herodias gloates over her bloody prize. Herod has silenced the voice of John; he cannot still the voice of conscience. Again and again the buried memory of his crime rises up to torment him. And now more terrible still he comes to believe that John himself has risen up from the grave to confront him and possibly to destroy him; for he hears of the miracles of Jesus and his awakened conscience fills him with horror; he believes that none but John could perform such works. He identifies John with Jesus. It is not strange that Jesus now sees clearly what “the princes of this world” have in store for him and that he now seeks places of seclusion where he can instruct his disciples and prepare them for his last struggle with the rulers and for the hour when he will follow his forerunner in the experience of a violent and cruel death.

2. THE FIVE THOUSAND FED. Ch. 14:13-21

13 Now when Jesus heard it, he withdrew from thence in a boat, to a desert place apart: and when the multitudes heard thereof, they followed him on foot from the cities. 14 And he came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 15 And when. even was come, the disciples came to him, saying, The place is desert, and the time is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 And he said, Bring them hither tome. 19 And he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. 20 And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And they that did eat were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

When Jesus learned that John had been put to death, and possibly had been told that Herod believed John was risen, and identified Jesus with the man he had murdered, our Lord withdrew from the scenes where multitudes had been attending his ministry to seek in seclusion both an opportunity to rest with his disciples, who had just returned from their great mission, and also to instruct them in reference to his own person and work and approaching death. He entered into a boat and crossed to the northern shore of the lake to a desert place where he might be uninterrupted. However, when the crowds heard where he was they followed him from all the neighboring cities; his heart was touched with compassion; he healed their sick and then he performed what is often regarded as his most remarkable miracle. With five loaves and two fishes he fed five thousand men, besides women and children. It is the one miracle which is recorded in all the four Gospels. Here for the first time the story of Matthew unites with that of John. The fact is not of great importance until we remember that in the latter Gospel an interpretation is given and the meaning of the miracle is set forth in the sermon which our Lord delivers, subsequent to the miracle, when he declares himself to be “the bread of life.” The account in Matthew reveals the deep sympathy of our Lord and his divine power; but read in the light.of the Fourth Gospel the miracle becomes a parable concerning his person and work. It illustrates his saying, “T am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” The multitudes did not understand the truth thus depicted; nor was it then disclosed to his disciples, but to every follower of Christ to-day this record brings among others the following familiar and important messages:

(1) We must seek to relieve the physical wants of men, but we must be more concerned still with their deeper spiritual needs, of which the hunger and thirst of that fainting multitude were symbolic.

(2) We must believe that Jesus Christ can supply these needs of the soul, this hunger of the heart, this fainting for spiritual food. It is the divine Christ who foresaw his rejection and death; it is the Christ who was crucified and who rose again who alone can supply this need. Jesus did feed a multitude by the sea, but his real mission was to give his life for the salvation of the world.

(3) Faith is the condition of receiving the life which Christ provides. One must identify himself with this Saviour if he is to find the satisfaction which is promised; as Jesus declared we must “eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood.” There must be an appropriation of the grace which Christ supplies for every need. There must be a dependence upon him for the satisfaction of every spiritual want.

(4) Christ expects his followers to help him in the work and to bear the truth concerning himself to all the world, even as of old he bade the disciples bear to the multitudes the broken bread. Faith naturally results in a desire to share and not simply to keep. The Gospel message is a trust. The messengers of the King must be eager to complete his work.

(5) The blessing of Christ preceded and seems to have produced the miracle. It is certain that his blessing can secure great results from the simplest efforts in his service. When we hesitate because conscious that our gifts are small and our endeavors are weak, we must remember the five loaves and the two fishes which were offered to the Lord and which he used to feed the multitude.

(6) We must be ready also to carry out his commands and to obey his suggestions. It required the obedience of faith on the part of the disciples to become real assistants in that great work of grace. If we expect our efforts to be blessed, we also must both trust and obey.

(7) We must be careful also as to the fragments and allow nothing to be wasted of all that our Lord provides for body, or mind, or soul. We must treat with contempt nothing which he gives however small. The fragments in reference to which Jesus gave such careful commands were not the crumbs left by the eaters, but the portions which had been broken by Christ and his disciples. They were to be kept to supply future needs, but they also would be for days to come reminders of the miraculous power of their Lord. There are many suggestions both in the written word and in our daily experiences to remind us of the grace of our Lord; but none is more important than the memorial feast which he ordained, at which, as we partake of the broken bread, we are reminded anew of his body which was broken for us, and of the life he has given that we by faith in him may truly live.

3. JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER. Ch. 14:22-36

22 And straightway he constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the other side, till he should send the multitudes away. 23 And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray: and when even was come, he was there alone. 24 But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came unto them, walking upon the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; itis I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the waters. 29 And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

34 And when they had crossed over, they came to the land, unto Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place knew him, they sent into all that region round about, and brought unto him all that were sick; 36 and they besought him that they might only touch the border of his garment: and as many as touched were made whole.

It would be difficult to imagine a more beautiful sheet of water than that which is known as the Sea of Galilee. Of course, it is not a sea but a lovely inland lake. It is only about thirteen miles in length and seven miles in - breadth. Its clear water is supplied and again drained by the river Jordan. It lies six hundred and fifty feet below the level of the sea, and to the north rises the summit of Mount Hermon, which is clad in perpetual snows. Because of such a situation great currents of air frequently roll down from the surrounding hills and sweep the surface of the lake with sudden and fierce storms. It was in such a tempest that the disciples were found on that night when Jesus was seen walking toward them upon the surface of the water. This was a striking and marvelous miracle. Many have denied its reality. There is no reason, however, for doubt. It is attested by Mark and John. In neither of these accounts, however, does the form of Jesus appear more majestic and more kingly. He had commanded his followers to precede him across the lake while he remained to dismiss the multitudes which he had fed with the five loaves. At nightfall he had gone up on the hillside to pray. In the deepening darkness the disciples were faced by a raging wind. During the long hours they struggled wearily at the oars and with little progress. Suddenly they saw Jesus drawing near “walking upon the sea”; his appearance awakened more terror than the storm and “they cried out for fear”; but his word of cheer brought relief and confidence, so that Peter asked permission to come to his Master likewise walking upon the waters. Matthew alone records this incident of the faith and the failure of Peter. He tells us of his bold attempt, of his rising fear, his peril, his rescue, and his return to the boat with the Master, and then describes the stilling of the storm and the worship offered to Jesus as the Son of God. The whole picture reveals the One whom Matthew continually paints as the universal King, the “Ruler of all nature.”

It is not strange that so striking a story has been i interpreted by Christians as symbolizing their spiritual experiences. It certainly is true that obedience to Christ does not secure freedom from the storms and tempests and trials of life. He had commanded the disciples to cross the sea for he knew that it would be better for them than to remain among the crowds who had, as John declares, such wrong conceptions of his person and work. The place of storm and trial is often the place of greatest moral security.

It is also true that the followers of Christ can always believe in his presence amidst the night and the storms. This is perhaps the supreme lesson in the story. At first the Lord may not be recognized; the form in which he comes may even increase our fear, but his word however voiced brings hope and even in the midnight and the tempest the assurance of his presence brings confidence and peace.

The experience of Peter may illustrate how faith can triumph over all obstacles, how doubt brings disaster, and how Christ is ever ready to save. It was not mere pride and presumption which led Peter to attempt to walk on the sea; it was simply the response of his faith to the word and example of his Lord. He was not rebuked by Christ for his request but for his unbelief. To-day our Lord does not correct his followers for trying to imitate his moral purity or for endeavoring to walk as he walked, but he does grieve at our imperfect faith. It is when we take our eyes off from him and think of our own weakness, and worry about our temptations, that we are imperiled. He must regret our doubt and fear, but as we put our trust in him he stretches out his hand and by a touch he gives us strength to walk in safety by his side. The Christian life is a continual triumph over natural tendencies which would draw us down. To walk really with Christ in holiness and purity and love is a continual miracle. Christ does not rebuke us for attempting too much, but for trusting him too little; and even when our faith has brought us to a position of peril or of shame, he is ready to rescue and relieve.

In reviewing this surprising miracle which Matthew has given in such fullness, it has not been unusual to find a symbol of the truth concerning the rejected and returning King whom Matthew is ever throwing into such bold relief. As Jesus fed the five thousand and then went up into the mountain to intercede for his disciples and then came walking on the waves to rescue them and bring them peace, so Christ having offered himself to the world as “the bread of life” has ascended to intercede for us; and some day he will come again; even now he may be drawing near; over all the turmoil and distress of nations he may be making his majestic approach, and when he appears the night will end and all the storms will cease.

The obvious purpose of the miracle was to relieve the disciples from fear and danger, and to give them ground for a larger trust in their Master. If, however, we are seeking for symbols, surely the closing paragraph of the story is a picture of the present ministry of Christ; amid the thronging multitudes of suffering men he is standing to-day, a presence unseen but real, full of compassion and ready to relieve the moral and spiritual ills of those who put forth the hand of faith; even though their trust is weak and they touch but the border of his garment, as many as touch are healed.

4. CEREMONIAL AND REAL DEFILEMENT. Ch. 15:1-20

1 Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is given to God; 6 he shall not honor his father. And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition. 7. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me.

9 But in-vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.

10 And he called to him the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man. 12 Then came the disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit. 15 And Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us the parable. 16 And he said, Are ye also even yet without understanding? 17 Perceive ye not, that whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: 20 these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man.

No sooner has Jesus crossed to the scenes of his earlier labors on the west side of the lake than the Pharisees and other religious leaders from Jerusalem make a bitter attack upon him. They declare that his disciples did not wash their hands when they ate bread. They did not mean that their hands were actually unclean, but that the companions of Jesus had neglected the ceremonial washing which Jewish tradition required. The charge may seem trivial. In fact there is something ludicrous in the picture of distinguished teachers making the long trip from Jerusalem solemnly to prefer such a charge against a great Prophet whose words and works were filling the land with wonder. However, to the mind of the Pharisees, the traditions of the elders were matters of great importance. These traditions consisted in the collected interpretations of the Old Testament law which had been given by the rabbis. They had come to be regarded as of more importance and authority than the law itself. To neglect these traditions was to these old formalists the most serious of sins. This particular requirement as to the washing of the hands before partaking of food was for some reason regarded as peculiarly sacred. The story is told of an imprisoned rabbi who was allowed the most meager amount of bread and water for his daily ration, that he used the water for bathing his hands instead of drinking it, saying that he had rather die than transgress the institutions of his ancestors.

This charge gave to Jesus an opportunity for rebuking the Pharisees, and also for showing the difference between ceremonial and real defilement; between that which is spiritual and that which is material; between purity of the soul and the observance of a form; between true religion and false.

The Pharisees had accused the disciples of acting contrary to a human tradition. Jesus shows that it may be possible in obeying human tradition to transgress divine law. He cites an instance of what seems to have been a common practice among the Pharisees. According to an accepted tradition, if one pronounced over any property the word “Corban,” which means a “gift,” this property was regarded as dedicated to God. No matter how thoughtlessly or deceitfully the word might have been spoken, the vow must be kept. Even though a father or mother was in need of food, they might be allowed to starve but the oath could not be broken. It is even suggested that a son might use such devoted possessions for his own comfort and enjoyment; but the law of God which required one to honor his father and his mother might freely be set aside in order that the tradition of men might be sacredly observed. Jesus declares that this is the very essence of hypocrisy. He reminds the Pharisees that scrupulous observance of religious forms may be accompanied by utter disregard of moral law. This has been the peril of formalists and ritualists and hypocrites of all ages. In condemning the Pharisees Jesus quotes an appropriate passage from the prophet Isaiah: “This people honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.”

During this discussion with the Pharisees a crowd gathered. Jesus turned to them with the significant words involving the whole principle at stake, “Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man.” The Pharisees had believed that the touch of a hand which was unceremonially clean would defile the food which would in turn render the eater unclean. Jesus suggested that the serious matter is not such ceremonial defilement but the uncleanness which results from evil thought and from the impure heart.

It is easy to understand why the Pharisees were scandalized at such teaching. It seemed to run counter to the precepts of Moses in reference to clean and unclean food and so to contradict all the elaborate interpretations imposed by Jewish traditions. The anger of the Pharisees was reported to our Lord, but he at once replied that his followers need have no concern. Men who are guilty of such hypocrisy were evidently not plants of the divine planting and they would surely be rooted up. These boasted teachers were like blind men who were attempting to guide the blind; both they and their followers were certain to come to grief.

Peter turns to ask a fuller explanation of the statement which Jesus had made. The Master at first rebukes him for his lack of spiritual perception, but proceeds to explain most clearly that real uncleanness is not a matter of the body, but of the spirit, or only of the body as directed by the spirit. The only actual defilement is that of the soul. “A man is not made unclean by that which entereth into his mouth but by that which proceeds from his heart!” A man cannot be polluted by eating that which is ceremonially unclean, but only by thinking and doing that which is morally impure. To men of the present age such teaching may seem elementary. There is need, however, for its emphasis and for a new insistence upon reality in religion and upon distinguishing between what is formal and what is essential, between what is external and what is vital. To the Pharisees the teaching was revolutionary. It was a disclosure of their hypocrisy; it was a defiance of their proud claims; it was a defeat of their endeavor to discredit Jesus. It brought the conflict between him and the rulers to a climax. It is not strange that he deemed it necessary to withdraw from Galilee and to enter the Gentile territory near to Tyre and Sidon.

5. FAITH TRIED AND TRIUMPHANT. Ch. 15:21-28

21 And Jesus went out thence, and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 But she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 And he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. 27 But she said, Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters” table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee oe as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Only once during his earthly ministry did Jesus leave the land of his birth. It was in those days when he wished to avoid both the opposition of his enemies and the interruption of the crowds in order that he might find quiet and retirement in which to teach his disciples the great truths they were to proclaim after his rejection and death which he now saw clearly approaching. He withdrew across the border of Galilee “into the parts of Tyre and Sidon.” There he is met by a woman whose trust in him is so surprising that she wins from our Lord the word of unique praise: “O woman, great is thy faith.” Jesus seldom spoke in that way and it is well worth inquiring what it was in the faith of this woman which he regarded as so strange. Of course it is notable that she was a Canaanitish woman; that is, one who in modern speech would be called a heathen. She may have known little of the religion of Israel. She had been reared among the Gentiles. She had never seen our Lord perform a miracle, yet she addressed Jesus as the true Messiah, and asks him to heal her daughter who is grievously vexed with a demon. It is remarkable that a stranger and a foreigner should have made such a difficult request. However, these are not the circumstances which distinguish her faith. Its greatness lies in the fact that when it was tested, it stood the test; when it was tried it was triumphant.

It was tested first by the silence of Jesus, “He answered her not a word.” This was surprising. She had heard of the sympathy of Christ, and of his willingness to help and to heal; she comes to him with her broken heart; she pleads for a daughter “grievously vexed with a demon”; but Jesus makes to her petition no reply. It is like the test which comes to the followers of Christ to-day when, to the earnest cry of their hearts, there seems to be no answer and no response. They are tempted to doubt the efficacy of prayer or the love of the Master.

The silence of Jesus, however, does not still the cry of this eager woman. She follows Jesus so persistently that the disciples, moved by a selfish desire to be freed from the annoyance, request him to give her what she asks and to send her away. Jesus then states a law of his earthly ministry which would render it apparently impossible for him to grant the request of the woman, “I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In the few years allotted for his task, it was wise and necessary that Jesus should confine his efforts to a limited area and to the people best prepared for his mission. It was, therefore, aside from his immediate purpose to perform miracles for people of other lands. Such statements concerning the reign of law are used in modern days to discourage those who have faith in Christ, and particularly such as trust in his willingness and power to answer prayer. The woman does not pretend to explain the difficulty involved. She turns to Jesus with undiminished fervor; she falls before him and cries, “Lord help me.” In hours of great need, men who are troubled by the problems of philosophy thus turn to Christ in simple, trustful prayer.

Jesus, however, replies in words which, of all those which ever fell from his lips, seem to be most nearly cruel. The unkindness, however, was not real. His actual love must have been revealed by the accents of his voice, “It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.” This might have seemed a heartless reply to the sorrowing mother, but she saw the tender irony it contained and also the possible promise for her relief. Jesus seemed to be saying that his own people who had rejected him, regarded the Gentiles as dogs, and that his ministry had been intended for them and not for the Gentiles. He uses, however, the word which implies the “little dogs,” which in Eastern lands belong to the household. On this suggestion the woman seizes. It is not exactly right to say that she “entraps the Master in his words”; he rather points out the path which her ready wit and eager faith at once followed, “Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters” table.” She admits that she is a Gentile and has no claim upon the help of Christ; but she believes that the granting of her request will be no real departure from the law of his earthly ministry. She suggests that even Gentiles may receive something from his overflowing grace. In fact, she makes her humble position the very ground of her plea.

Modern followers of Christ are sometimes tempted to cease from prayer by the consciousness of their own unworthiness. True faith, however, clings to Christ; it places no confidence in self; it makes personal unworthiness a plea for grace. It is never disappointed. Thus Jesus turns to the woman with his matchless word of praise and love, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt.” Her faith had triumphed over all the tests “And her daughter was healed from that hour.” Why, however, did Jesus so test her faith? Not to discover its quality; he knew that in advance, but that it might be developed and that his disciples and the multitude might understand the conditions on which her request was granted. If the faith of a Christian is tested to-day it is not that the Lord may learn its temper, but that the relationship of the believer to him may be more clearly defined; that the faith itself may be developed, and that others like the disciples may be instructed, and still others, like the multitude, may be shown the willingness of Christ to answer and reward those who put their trust in him.

6. THE MIRACLES IN DECAPOLIS. Ch. 15:29-39

29 And Jesus departed thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. 30 And there came unto him great multitudes, having with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and they cast them down at his feet; and he healed them: 31 insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing: and they glorified the God of Israel.

32 And Jesus called unto him his disciples, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat: and I would not send them away fasting, lest haply they faint on the way. 33 And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few small fishes. 35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; 36 and he took the seven loaves and the fishes; and he gave thanks and brake, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. 37 And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And he sent away the multitudes, and entered into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan.

Even in the regions of Tyre and Sidon, outside the border of his native land, Jesus has been unable to escape from the crowds. He has there been asked to perform a cure for a believing woman and the fame of the miracle has attracted the multitudes so that he now journeys with his disciples farther to the east and the south. He goes to the farther shore of the Sea of Galilee. Yet there again he is soon surrounded by “great multitudes,” having with them the “lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others.” He has not come with the purpose of performing miracles. He is seeking a place of retirement and an opportunity of teaching his disciples, but his compassion never fails. He healed them “insomuch that the multitude wondered when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing.” It was a region, the inhabitants of which were largely Gentiles. It was a fitting sequel to the miracle performed just previously in the region of Tyre and Sidon at the request of a Canaanitish woman. It was an intimation of the wider work which the true King was to perform among all nations. It is significant that as he heals these multitudes “they glorified the God of Israel.”

It is this fact of a ministry among Gentiles which forms the distinguishing feature of the great miracle which Jesus now proceeds to perform. As he beholds the multitudes hungering and fainting, he supplies them food by multiplying for their need seven loaves of bread and a few small fishes. There are those who imagine that this is but another account of the feeding of the five thousand. It is true that many of the features are the same. In both cases Jesus reveals his patient compassion. He has been seeking for retirement with his disciples but when the crowds gather about him he sacrifices his own plan and comfort; he resumes his work of teaching and he ministers to the bodies, as well as the souls of those who have thronged about him. We should notice also the unbelief of the disciples. When Jesus suggests the need of food they seem to have forgotten utterly the former miracle. Some commentators insist that such doubt is incredible and that this portion of the story, at least, must have been borrowed by the writer from the former narrative. Some of us are too conscious of similar unbelief in ourselves, in spite of repeated miracles of grace, to wonder long at the blindness of the apostles.

In both miracles we note the abundant supply for the hungry multitudes and we remember the message of supreme importance which Jesus attached to the miracle, namely, that he himself is the true Bread for the soul and that they who trust in him shal! have eternal life. It is in relation to this symbolic teaching that the two similar miracles contain their slightly differing suggestions. The five thousand who were miraculously fed were probably all Jews; among the four thousand were probably many Gentiles; and this latter miracle may be an intimation that Jesus, although rejected by his own people, is to give his life for the world and is to be the living Bread for all nations.

7. THE LEAVEN OF THE PER SEES AND OF THE SADDUCEES. Ch. 16:1-12

1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and trying him asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But he answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the heaven is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the heaven is red and lowering. Ye know how to discern the face of the heaven; but ye cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of Jonah. And he left them, and departed.

5 And the disciples came to the other side and forgot to take bread. 6 And Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, We took no bread. 8 And Jesus perceiving it said, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have no bread? 9 Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11 How is it that ye do not perceive that I spake not to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 12 Then understood they that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

As Jesus returns to the west shore of the lake his enemies again assail him bitterly. It is the very climax and final crisis of his ministry in Galilee. The desperate hostility of the rulers is evidenced by the fact that a coalition has been formed by the Pharisees and Sadducees, two parties usually violently opposed but now drawn together by their common hatred of Jesus. They “asked him to show them a sign from heaven.” It was an impertinence and an insult. He had filled the land with wonder at his signs. They had been countless in number and of many kinds. They had been sufficient to prove him to be the Christ, the predicted Messiah. Just what his enemies now wished it is difficult to say; possibly some voice from heaven, evidently some strange portent which would compel them to believe. However, to ask for another sign is a hypocritical way of throwing doubt and discredit upon the miracles which Jesus already has performed, and of suggesting that his enemies are quite ready to accept his claims if only he will present sufficient proof.

Jesus replies that their unbelief is not due to lack of evidence, but to want of spiritual discernment; the difficulty is not with the character of his proofs, but with the state of their hearts. They were wise enough to see indications of good or bad weather in a golden sunset or in a lowering morning, but in all the gracious works of Jesus they were too stupid to see the signs of his royalty and of the nearness of his Kingdom. His miracles were “the signs of the time,” the indications that the King had come. His enemies would have understood these signs had it not been that their sight was dimmed by sin, and their hearts were “adulterous” in their disloyalty to God. Jesus again, as on a former occasion, declares that only one distinct and unique sign is yet to be given, “the sign of Jonah”; the resurrection of Jesus, prefigured by the experience of the great prophet, was to be the crowning demonstration of his claims. One who will not believe in Christ in view of his resurrection is self-condemned; his condition is hopeless, his unbelief is fatal.

As Jesus crosses the lake with his disciples, he takes occasion to warn them against the false teaching of the enemies whose demand for a sign had revealed their true character. “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” According to Mark, Jesus added a warning against the “leaven of the Herodians.” As afterwards explained, Jesus used “leaven” as a symbol of false doctrine. The Pharisees were the formalists of the day; they reduced religion to a system of ceremonies, and regarded a ritual as more important than moral law. The Sadducees were rationalists and materialists; they did not believe in resurrection, or angel, or spirit. They were like those of the present day, who as far as possible, deny and discredit the supernatural in revelation and in religion. The Herodians may represent the modern secularists; they cared little for religion; they placed their hopes in political readjustment, and lived for the prizes and pleasures of the world.

Men of such beliefs and sympathies can have no place in their hearts for Christ; no wonder that they rejected him, and that he warned his disciples against them. In the present day the Church needs to be guarded against the same forms of false teaching. The leaven of formalism and materialism and worldiness is still spreading and against its insidious influences the followers of Christ need to be warned.

The disciples failed at first to understand what Jesus meant. They thought he referred to literal leaven, or to bread, and more naturally, as they had provided no bread for their journey. Jesus reminds them of the two miracles he had wrought in feeding the multitudes, so that if physical food had been needed he could have supplied that; but he was concerned about the more important matter of spiritual food. He was thinking of the false teaching to which his disciples would be exposed. Against this peril he ever wishes his disciples to be warned.