Chapter 14

Chapter 14. — On John and Herod. On the Feeding With the Loaves in the Wilderness. On Jesus Walking Upon the Water

¹ At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report of Jesus, and said to his servants: This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore the powers are at work in him. This Herod was the son of the one who slew the infants in Bethlehem. Consider from this the conceit of the tyrannical life. For behold, after how long a time Herod hears the things concerning Jesus! For those in places of power learn such things slowly, because they take no thought for those who shine in virtue. And this man appears to fear the Baptist. For this reason he does not even dare to declare it to any others, but to his servants—that is, to his slaves. And since, while John was living, he did no sign, Herod supposed that from the resurrection he had received this gift also from God, the working of wonders.

² For Herod, having laid hold of John, bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother. For John said to him: It is not lawful for you to have her; and though he wished to kill him, he feared the multitude, because they held him as a prophet. Matthew did not make mention in what went before of the narrative concerning John, because his purpose was to write only the things concerning Christ. For indeed he would not have made mention of it even now, had this not borne upon Christ. And John reproved Herod, as holding unlawfully the wife of his brother; for the law commanded that the brother should then take the wife of his brother, when that one had died childless. But here Philip did not die childless; for he had a child, the girl who danced. Some, however, say that, while Philip was yet living, Herod took away both the wife and the tetrarchy. But whether this or that, the deed was unlawful. And not fearing God, he feared the multitude, whence also he kept putting off the killing; but the devil found for him an opportune season.

³ But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod; whence he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. And she, being instructed beforehand by her mother, said: Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. Behold the wantonness! The queen dances, and the better she dances, the worse it is. For it is a shame for a queen to do anything unseemly with skill. And consider also another folly of Herod: he swore to give whatever she might ask; but if she had asked for your own head, would you have given it? Give me here, she says, the head of John. For what reason did she add the word here? She feared lest Herod, coming to his senses afterward, should repent. Through this she presses him: Give me here, she says.

⁴ And the king was grieved; yet for the sake of the oaths and of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given, and sent and beheaded John in the prison; and his head was brought on a platter, and was given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took up the body and buried it. He was grieved on account of virtue. For even an enemy admires virtue; yet for the sake of the oaths he gives an inhuman gift. And let us learn from this, that there is a time when it is better to break an oath than, for the sake of an oath, to do something impious. The body of the Baptist was buried in Sebaste of Caesarea; but his precious head was first laid in Emesa. And they came and told Jesus. What did they tell Jesus? Not that John was dead—for the narrative concerning John was inserted in the middle—but that Herod was saying of him that he was John.

⁵ And when Jesus heard of it, he withdrew from there by boat into a desert place apart. Jesus withdraws on account of Herod’s murderous deed, teaching us also not to cast ourselves openly into dangers. And at the same time, lest he should seem to have been made flesh in appearance only, for this reason he withdraws. For if Herod had laid hold of him, he would have attempted to kill him; and had he attempted to kill him, if Jesus had snatched himself out of the midst of the dangers—because the time of his death had not yet come—he would have seemed to be a phantom; for these reasons, then, he withdraws. And into a desert place apart, that he might work the wonder of the loaves.

⁶ And when the multitudes heard of it, they followed him on foot from the cities. And Jesus, going forth, saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and healed their sick. The multitudes display faith, in that they run to Jesus even as he withdraws. Therefore as a reward of their faith they receive their healings; but also the following on foot, and that without food—all these are [marks] of faith.

⁷ And when evening had come, his disciples came to him, saying: The place is desert, and the hour is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food. But Jesus said to them: They have no need to go away; give them to eat yourselves. The disciples are loving toward men, for they care for the multitude, and for this reason do not wish them to be fasting. What, then, does the Savior do? Give them to eat yourselves, he says. And this he says, not as ignorant of how great poverty the apostles had—far from it—but that, when they said, We have not, he might seem to come of necessity to the working of the wonder, and not out of vainglory.

⁸ And they say to him: We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes. And he said: Bring them here to me. And having commanded the multitudes to recline upon the grass, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, looking up to heaven, he blessed. Bring me the loaves here; for even if it is evening, yet I, the Maker of the seasons, am present; if the place is desert, yet I am he who gives food to all flesh. And we learn from this, that even if we have but little, we ought to spend it upon hospitality; for the apostles also, having but little, gave to the multitudes. But just as these few things were multiplied, so also your few things shall be multiplied. And he makes the multitudes recline upon the grass, teaching frugality, that you too may not take your rest upon costly couches and coverlets. And he looks up to heaven and blesses the loaves, perhaps both that he might give assurance that he is not against God, but came from the Father and from heaven; and at the same time, that he might train us, when we touch the table, to give thanks and so to eat.

⁹ And having broken them, he gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes; and they all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the fragments, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. He gives the loaves to the disciples, that they might always have the wonder in remembrance, and that it might not slip from their minds—although they quickly forgot it; and that you might not suppose that he worked the wonder in appearance only, for this reason there is a surplus. And twelve baskets, that Judas also might carry one, and might not be flung headlong into betrayal, calling to mind the wonder. And he multiplies both the loaves and the fishes, that he might show that he himself is the Maker of earth and sea, that the things we eat each day, by his giving, nourish us, and are multiplied by him; and the wonder is in the wilderness, lest anyone should suppose that he bought the loaves from some nearby city, and distributed them to the crowd; for it was a wilderness. And thus, then, according to the history. But according to the higher sense, learn that, since Herod—the tyrannical and leathern mind of the Jews (for so is Herod interpreted)—beheaded John, the chief of the prophets, that is, did not believe those who prophesied of Christ, Jesus thereafter withdraws into a desert place, to the nations, which were deserted of God, and heals those sick in soul, and then also nourishes them. For if he will forgive us our sins, and heal our infirmities through baptism, will he not nourish us by the imparting of the undefiled mysteries? For no one unbaptized partakes. And the five thousand are those who use the five senses badly; and through the five loaves they are healed. For since the five senses were diseased, as many as were the wounds, so many also were the fillings. And the two fishes are the words of the fishermen: one fish is the Gospel, the other fish the Apostle. And the five loaves they understood to be the Pentateuch of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. And the twelve baskets were those carried by the apostles. For the things which we, the multitudes, are not able to eat—that is, to understand—these the apostles carried and contained. And besides women and children: nothing childish or womanish and unmanly is required of Christians to have.

¹⁰ And immediately Jesus constrained his disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him to the other side, until he should send the multitudes away. Hinting at the inseparability of the disciples, he said the word constrained; for they wished always to be with him. He sends the multitudes away, not wishing to draw them after him, lest he should seem fond of display.

¹¹ And having sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray; and when evening had come, he was there alone; but the boat was now in the midst of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Showing us that we must pray without distraction, he goes up into the mountain; for he does all things for our sake, since he himself had no need of prayer. Until evening he prays, teaching us not to withdraw quickly from prayer; but to do this especially in the night, for then there is much stillness. And he allows the disciples to be storm-tossed, that they might learn to bear temptations nobly, and might come to know his power. And the boat was in the midst of the sea, that the fear might be the greater.

¹² And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking upon the sea; and when the disciples saw him walking upon the sea, they were troubled, saying that It is a phantom, and they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. He did not at once stand by them to loose the storm, teaching us not to ask quickly for release from misfortunes, but to bear them nobly; but [he came] about the fourth watch. For the night is divided into four [watches] among the soldiers who keep guard by turns, each watch having three hours. The Lord, then, after the ninth hour of the night, walking upon the water, as God, stood by them. Because of the strangeness and unwontedness of it, they thought it was a phantom. For they did not recognize him by his form, both because of the night, and because of the fear; but he first encourages them, saying: It is I, who can do all things; take courage.

¹³ And Peter answered him and said: Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you upon the waters. Peter, being most fervent in his love toward Christ, desires quickly to be near him, and before the others. And he believes that Jesus not only himself walks upon the waters, but will also grant this to him; and he did not say, Bid me walk, but Come to you. For the one would have been a matter of display, but the other of love toward Christ.

¹⁴ And he said: Come. And Peter, coming down from the boat, walked upon the waters, to come to Jesus; but seeing the wind strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me. The Lord spread the sea beneath Peter, showing his own power. But see how Peter, having prevailed over the greater thing—the sea, I mean—feared the wind; so weak is human nature. And straightway, when he feared, then he began to sink; for when his faith grew weak, then Peter is plunged under. And this made him not to be high-minded, and consoled the other disciples. For perhaps they had envied him; but he also showed how greatly Christ surpasses him.

¹⁵ And immediately Jesus, stretching out his hand, took hold of him, and says to him: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they had entered into the boat, the wind ceased; and those in the boat came and worshiped him, saying: Truly you are the Son of God. Christ, showing that it was not the wind that was the cause of the sinking, but the faintheartedness, rebukes not the wind, but Peter who had grown fainthearted. Wherefore also, lifting him up, he set him upon the water, allowing the wind to blow. And Peter doubted not altogether, but in something—that is, partially; for in that he feared, in this he disbelieved; but in that he cried, Lord, save me, in this he healed his unbelief. Wherefore he hears that he is of little faith, but not unbelieving. Those, then, in the boat were themselves also loosed from fear. For the wind ceased; and indeed, having come to know Jesus from these things, they confess his divinity. For to walk upon the sea is not [the work] of a man, but of God; as David also says: In the sea are your ways, and your paths in many waters. And let us sum up the discourse: the vessel is the earth; the waves are the life troubled by the wicked spirits. And in the fourth watch, toward the end at last of the ages, Christ stood by. For the first watch was the covenant with Abraham; the second, the law of Moses; the third, the prophets; the fourth, the coming of the Lord; for he saved those who were storm-tossed, entering in and becoming with us, so that we, coming to know him as God, might worship him. And see this also, how the things that befell him on the sea foreshadowed Peter’s denial, and then his turning back and repentance; for just as there he says, presumptuously, I will never deny you; so here also: Bid me come upon the waters; and just as then he was permitted to deny, and the Lord granted it to him, and did not forsake him utterly, [so here the force] of the denial drew him on.

¹⁶ And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent into all that surrounding region, and brought to him all who were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment; and as many as touched were saved. When Jesus, after a long time, came to Gennesaret, the people, recognizing him not only from his appearance, but also from the signs, display a fervent faith; so that they desire even to touch the hem, and indeed, having done this, they were healed. So then do you also touch the edge of the garment of Christ, that is, the end of his incarnate sojourning. For if you believe that he was taken up, you shall be saved; for the garment is the flesh, and the hem of it the end of his life on earth.