Church Fathers Commentary John 6:1-14

"After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is [the sea] of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick. And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. Now the passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings` worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter`s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many? Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would. And when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost. So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten. When therefore the people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world." — John 6:1-14 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Just as missiles rebound with great force from a hard body and fly off in all directions, while a softer material retains and stops them, so violent men are only provoked to greater rage by violence from their opponents, while gentleness softens them. Christ quieted the irritation of the Jews by withdrawing from Jerusalem. He went into Galilee, but not to Cana again, but across the sea: After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

Alcuin of York: This sea has different names from the different places with which it is connected: the Sea of Galilee, from the province, and the Sea of Tiberias, from the city of that name. It is called a sea, though it is not salt water, as that name was applied in Hebrew to any large body of water. Our Lord often crossed this sea when going to preach to the people who lived near it.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He goes from place to place to test the dispositions of the people and to stir up a desire to hear Him: And a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did on those who were diseased.

Alcuin of York: Namely, His giving sight to the blind and other similar miracles. And it should be understood that all whom He healed in body, He also renewed in soul.

St. John Chrysostom: Even though they were favored with such teaching, they were influenced less by it than by the miracles—a sign of their low level of belief. For Paul says of tongues that they are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to those who do not believe. Those of whom it is said that they were astonished at His doctrine were wiser. The Evangelist does not say what miracles He performed, since the main purpose of his book is to present our Lord’s discourses.

The passage continues: And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. He went up the mountain because of the miracle that was about to be performed. The fact that only the disciples went up with Him implies that the people who stayed behind were at fault for not following. He also went up the mountain as a lesson for us to retreat from the turmoil and confusion of the world and to pursue wisdom in solitude.

And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Notice that in a whole year, the Evangelist has told us of no miracles of Christ except for healing the disabled man and the nobleman’s son. His purpose was not to give a systematic history, but only a few of our Lord’s most important acts. But why did our Lord not go up to the feast? He was using the wickedness of the Jews as an occasion to gradually set aside the Law.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The persecutions from the Jews gave Him a reason for withdrawing, and in this way setting aside the Law. Now that the truth was revealed, the types were finished, and He was under no obligation to keep the Jewish feasts. Notice the expression, "a feast of the Jews," not "a feast of Christ."

The Venerable Bede: If we compare the accounts of the different Evangelists, we will find very clearly that there was a one-year interval between the beheading of John and our Lord’s Passion. For since Matthew says that our Lord, upon hearing of John’s death, withdrew to a desolate place where He fed the multitude, and John says that the Passover was near when He fed them, it is evident that John was beheaded shortly before the Passover. Christ then suffered at the same feast the following year.

The passage continues: When Jesus then lifted up His eyes and saw a great company coming to Him, He said to Philip, From where shall we buy bread, so that these may eat? The phrase "When Jesus lifted up His eyes" shows us that Jesus was not generally looking around with His eyes lifted up, but was sitting calmly and attentively, surrounded by His disciples.

St. John Chrysostom: He did not merely sit with His disciples, but He also conversed with them informally and won over their minds. Then He looked and saw a crowd approaching. But why did He ask Philip that question? Because He knew that His disciples, and Philip especially, needed more teaching. For it was this same Philip who later said, Show us the Father, and it is enough for us. If the miracle had been performed immediately, without any introduction, its greatness would not have been appreciated. The disciples were made to confess their own inability so that they might see the miracle more clearly. As the text says, And this He said to test him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: One kind of temptation leads to sin, and God never tempts anyone with this. But there is another kind of temptation by which faith is tested. It is in this sense that Christ is said to have tested His disciple. This is not meant to imply that He did not know what Philip would say; rather, it is an accommodation to human ways of speaking. For just as the expression "who searches the hearts of men" does not imply a search born of ignorance but one of absolute knowledge, so here, when it says our Lord tested Philip, we must understand that He knew him perfectly. He tested him in order to confirm his faith. The Evangelist himself guards against the misunderstanding that this imperfect way of speaking might cause by adding, For He Himself knew what He would do.

Alcuin of York: He asks him this question not for His own information, but to show His still-unformed disciple his own dullness of mind, which the disciple could not perceive by himself.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, He did it to show Philip's dullness to others. He Himself was not ignorant of His disciple’s heart.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But if our Lord, according to John’s account, asked Philip where they could buy food for the multitude—testing him—it is at first difficult to see how this can be true alongside the other accounts, where the disciples first told our Lord to send the multitude away. In those accounts, our Lord replied, They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat. We must understand, then, that it was after saying this that our Lord saw the multitude and said to Philip what John recorded, a detail which the other evangelists omitted.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, they are two different occasions altogether.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Thus tested by our Lord, Philip was found to hold human assumptions, as appears from what follows. Philip answered Him, Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.

Alcuin of York: In this, he shows his dullness, for if he had a complete understanding of his Creator, he would not have doubted His power in this way.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The reply that John attributes to Philip is put in the mouths of all the disciples by Mark. This either means we should understand that Philip spoke for the rest, or it is simply a case of using the plural for the singular, which is often done.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Andrew is in the same state of perplexity as Philip, only he has a slightly higher view of our Lord. He says, There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish.

St. John Chrysostom: Andrew probably had some reason in mind for saying this. He would have known of Elijah’s miracle, by which a hundred men were fed with twenty loaves. This was a great step, but he stopped there. He did not rise any higher in his understanding. For his next words are, But what are they for so many? He thought that less material could produce a lesser miracle, and more material a greater one. This was a great mistake, since it was just as easy for Christ to feed the multitude from a few fish as from many. He did not actually need any material to work with, but used created things for this purpose only to show that no part of creation is separate from His wisdom.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This passage confounds the Manicheans, who claim that bread and all such things were created by an evil deity. The Son of the good God, Jesus Christ, multiplied the loaves. Therefore, they could not have been inherently evil, for a good God would never multiply what was evil.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Andrew’s suggestion about the five loaves and two fish is presented in the other Gospels as coming from the disciples in general, using the plural.

St. John Chrysostom: Let those of us who are given to pleasure observe the simple and moderate eating of these great and wonderful men. He made the men sit down before the loaves appeared to teach us that with Him, things that are not are as things that are. As Paul says, He calls those things that are not as though they were. The passage then continues: And Jesus said, Make the men sit down.

Alcuin of York: To "sit down" meant to recline, as was the ancient custom. They were able to do this, as there was much grass in the place.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This means it was green grass, as it was the time of the Passover, which was kept in the first month of spring. So the men sat down, numbering about five thousand. The Evangelist counts only the men, following the instruction in the Law. Moses numbered the people from twenty years old and upward, making no mention of the women. This was to signify that a manly and mature character is especially honorable in God’s eyes. The passage continues: And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

St. John Chrysostom: But why, when He is going to heal the disabled, raise the dead, or calm the sea, does He not pray, yet here He gives thanks? It is to teach us to give thanks to God whenever we sit down to eat. He prays more in lesser matters to show that He does not pray out of any need. For if prayer had been truly necessary to supply His needs, His praying would have been in proportion to the importance of each particular work. But since He acts on His own authority, it is clear that He prays only out of condescension to us. And, since a great multitude was gathered, it was an opportunity to impress upon them that His coming was in accordance with God’s will. Accordingly, when a miracle was private, He did not pray; but when many people were present, He did.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Five loaves are then set before the multitude and broken. The broken pieces pass into the hands of those who break them, while the source from which they are broken does not diminish at all. And yet, there are the pieces taken from it, in the hands of the people breaking them. The miraculous operation cannot be grasped by sight or touch: that which was not, is now seen; that which is seen, is not understood. It only remains for us to believe that God can do all things.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He multiplied the five loaves in His hands, just as He produces a harvest from a few grains of seed. There was power in the hands of Christ, and those five loaves were like seeds—not planted in the earth, but multiplied by Him who made the earth.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe the difference between the servant and the Lord. The prophets received grace by measure, as it were, and performed their miracles according to that measure. Christ, however, working by His own absolute power, produces a superabundant result. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost. Therefore they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the fragments.

This was not done for pointless display, but to prevent people from thinking the whole event was a delusion. This is also why He used existing material to work from. But why did He give the fragments to His disciples to carry away, and not to the multitude? Because the disciples were to be the teachers of the world, and therefore it was essential that the truth be impressed upon them. For this reason, I admire not only the great number of loaves that were made, but also the specific quantity of the fragments: neither more nor less than twelve baskets full, corresponding to the number of the twelve Apostles.

Theophylact of Ohrid: We also learn from this miracle not to be fainthearted in the most extreme situations of poverty.

The Venerable Bede: When the multitude saw the miracle our Lord had done, they marveled, as they did not yet know that He was God. Then those men, the Evangelist adds—that is, carnal men, whose understanding was carnal—when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.

Alcuin of York: Since their faith was still weak, they only called our Lord a Prophet, not knowing that He was God. But the miracle had a considerable effect on them, as it made them call Him "that Prophet," singling Him out from the rest. They call Him a Prophet because some of the prophets had worked miracles, and this is appropriate, since our Lord calls Himself a Prophet: It cannot be that a prophet should perish out of Jerusalem.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Christ is a Prophet and the Lord of Prophets, just as He is an Angel and the Lord of Angels. In that He came to announce something, He was an Angel. In that He foretold the future, He was a Prophet. In that He was the Word made flesh, He was Lord of both Angels and Prophets, for no one can be a Prophet without the word of God.

St. John Chrysostom: Their expression, "who is to come into the world," shows that they expected the arrival of some great Prophet. This is why they say, "This is truly the Prophet," with the definite article used in the Greek to show that He was distinct from other prophets.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But let us reflect here for a moment. Because the Divine Substance is not visible to the eye, and because the miracles of God's governance of the world and the ordering of all creation are overlooked due to their constancy, God has reserved for Himself certain acts to perform at fitting times, which are outside the established course and order of nature. He does this so that those who overlook the daily course of nature might be roused to wonder by seeing something different from—though not at all greater than—what they are used to.

The governance of the world is a greater miracle than satisfying the hunger of five thousand people with five loaves, and yet no one wonders at it. The feeding of the five thousand excited wonder not because it was greater, but because it was uncommon. But it would be wrong to gather only this from Christ’s miracles. For the Lord who is on the mountain, the Word of God who is on high, is not a humble person to be casually overlooked; we must look up to Him with reverence.

Alcuin of York: Mystically, the sea signifies this tumultuous world. In the fullness of time, when Christ had entered the sea of our mortality by His birth, walked upon it by His death, and passed over it by His resurrection, then crowds of believers from both the Jews and the Gentiles followed Him.

The Venerable Bede: Our Lord went up the mountain, which signifies His ascension into heaven.

Alcuin of York: His leaving the multitude below and ascending the heights with His disciples signifies that lesser precepts are for beginners, while higher ones are for the more mature. His feeding the people shortly before the Passover signifies our refreshment by the bread of the divine word and by His body and blood—that is, our spiritual Passover, by which we cross over from vice to virtue. The Lord’s "eyes" are the spiritual gifts that He mercifully bestows on His elect. He turns His eyes upon them, meaning He looks upon them with compassionate regard.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The five barley loaves signify the Old Law. This is either because the Law was given to people who were not yet spiritual but carnal—that is, under the dominion of the five senses (and the multitude itself consisted of five thousand)—or because the Law itself was given by Moses in five books. The loaves being made of barley is also an allusion to the Law, which concealed the soul’s vital nourishment under carnal ceremonies. For in barley, the grain itself is buried under a very tough husk. It also alludes to the people who were not yet freed from the husk of carnal appetite that clung to their hearts.

The Venerable Bede: Barley is the food of cattle and slaves, and the Old Law was given to slaves and cattle—that is, to carnal men.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The two fish, which gave a pleasant taste to the bread, seem to signify the two authorities by which the people were governed: the royal and the priestly. Both of these prefigured our Lord, who held both offices.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, the two fish represent the sayings or writings of the Prophets and the Psalmist. While the number five refers to the five senses, a thousand stands for perfection. Those who strive to obtain perfect control over their five senses are called "men" because of their superior spiritual powers. They have no "womanly" weaknesses but, through a sober and chaste life, earn the sweet refreshment of heavenly wisdom.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The boy who had the loaves and fish is perhaps the Jewish people, who, in a way, carried them in a servile manner but did not eat them. What they carried was only a burden to them while it was closed up; when it was opened, it became their food.

The Venerable Bede: And it is well said, But what are they for so many? The Law was of little use until Christ took it into His hand—that is, fulfilled it and gave it a spiritual meaning. For the Law made nothing perfect.

St. Augustine of Hippo: By the act of breaking, He multiplied the five loaves. In the same way, the five books of Moses, when expounded by "breaking"—that is, by unfolding them—made many books.

Our Lord, by breaking open what was hard in the Law and opening what was shut—as when He opened the Scriptures to the disciples after the resurrection—brought out the full meaning of the Law.

Our Lord’s question revealed the ignorance of His disciples, which represents the people’s ignorance of the Law. They lay on the grass, meaning they were carnally minded and rested in carnal things, for all flesh is grass. Men are filled with the loaves when they fulfill in practice what they hear with their ears.

And what are the fragments but the parts that the people could not eat? This is an intimation that those deeper truths, which the multitude cannot grasp, should be entrusted to those who are capable of receiving them and later teaching them to others, as the Apostles were. For this reason, twelve baskets were filled with them.

Alcuin of York: Baskets are used for humble work. The baskets here represent the Apostles and their followers who, though despised in this present life, are filled within with the riches of spiritual sacraments. The Apostles are also represented as baskets because it was through them that the doctrine of the Trinity was to be preached in the four corners of the world. His not making new loaves, but multiplying what was already there, means that He did not reject the Old Testament, but only developed and explained it.