And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground.

“Above, the evangelical teaching having been confirmed through the liberation of the Gentiles from the power of demons by the power of Christ, now he confirms it through liberation from spiritual infirmities, in that he healed many. And he does three things: first the place is set forth; second, the offering; third, the liberation. The second at "and great multitudes came to him," etc.; the third at "and he healed them." First the place is described in general, for "when he had passed," namely from the region of the Gentiles, "he came near the sea," which was in Judea, which is sometimes called Gennesaret, sometimes the Sea of Galilee. By the fact that he returns to the Jews it is signified that the remnant of Israel will be saved; Romans 11:5: "So then, at this present time also, there is a remnant saved according to the election of the grace of God." Then the place is described in particular, saying, "and going up into a mountain, he sat there." By the mountain is signified the height of the Word; Psalm 35:7: "Thy justice is as the mountains of God." But Jesus was not standing but sitting, because unless he had come down we would not have known him, according to that word of Psalm 143:5: "Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend." Likewise by the mountain is signified the height of glory, as is found in Genesis 19:17: "Save thyself in the mountain," etc., to signify that there true rest is, not here; Hebrews 13:14: "For we have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come," that is, we await the one to come. There follows the offering: "and there came to him great multitudes," etc. And first it is set forth as to the multitude of the crowds; second, as to the offering of the sick; third, as to the manner. As to the first: "then there came to him great multitudes"; Psalm 85:9: "All the nations thou hast made shall come and adore before thee, O Lord." And they did not come empty, for they had with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, etc. And in this it is signified that those who are converted to the Lord ought to offer others to the Lord; and this is what it says: "having with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, and the feeble." "Feeble" in Latin signifies a defect of power, but in Greek it is said of one who has a weak hand: for just as one is called lame who is injured in the feet, so one is called feeble who has a withered hand. By these are signified diverse kinds of spiritual diseases. By the dumb are signified those who cannot praise God, of whom Isaiah 56:10 speaks: "dumb dogs not able to bark." The lame are said to be those who never walk firmly toward the good, but quickly turn to evil; 3 Kings 18:21: "How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow him." By the blind are signified unbelievers, who are deprived of the light of faith; Isaiah 59:9: "we have groped for the darkness." By the feeble, who have a withered hand, are signified those who have a feeble heart; Psalm 21:16: "my strength is dried up like a potsherd." "And many others." In this they showed great faith, for they brought not only their own but others. Likewise they show their devotion by the manner: for sometimes they asked that he lay on his hand, as above in chapter 9; sometimes, however, that they might touch the hem, as above in the same, namely chapters 9 and 14. But now it sufficed to lay them at his feet. And by this it is given to us to understand mystically that the sinners whom we convert we ought not to subject to ourselves, according to what is found in 1 Corinthians 4:1: "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God." There follows the account of the healing. And first the healing is set forth; second, the wonder; third, the effect. He says therefore, "and he healed them"; Psalm 106:20: "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." And elsewhere, Psalm 102:3: "who forgiveth all thy iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases." And there follows the wonder: "so that the multitudes marveled, seeing the dumb," etc. Here the effect is set forth. This had been foretold: Isaiah 35:5: "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened," etc.; and in Psalm 138:3: "wonderful are thy works." But it is asked: why does he make no mention of the feeble? Because there was no opposite act to which it could correspond. But observe that some, having seen the miracles, blasphemed, as is found above in chapter 14, but these praised together; hence they glorified the God of Israel. "And Jesus, having called together his disciples," etc. Here the teaching of Christ is shown to be praiseworthy through the refreshment of the good. And first the motive is set forth; second, the material; third, the distribution; fourth, the refreshment. The second at "and the disciples say to him," etc.; the third at "and he commanded the multitude to sit down"; the fourth at "and they all ate, and were filled." It should be noted that this motive is set forth after what precedes, because the sick cannot be fed, for "their soul abhorred all manner of meat," Psalm 106:18. Therefore it is necessary that before they are fed they be healed: so too in spiritual matters. Augustine: "to a sick palate bread is a punishment, which to a healthy one is pleasant," etc. And therefore the Lord feeds after the healing. And it should be noted that first he calls together the disciples in order to make them attentive, so that they might be mindful of the miracle. Likewise, that he might give us an example that however great a man may be, he ought to conduct himself toward lesser ones; Ecclesiasticus 3:20: "The greater thou art, humble thyself in all things." Hence, having called together his disciples, he said: "I have compassion on the multitude," etc. This was the motive, whereby he showed the humanity fitting to the divinity. Mercy is a passion, for one is merciful who has a wretched heart, who reckons another's misery as his own. But mercy belongs most of all to God; Psalm 102:8: "the Lord is compassionate and merciful, longsuffering and plenteous in mercy." And that which he reckons as his own, he ought to drive away as his own. Hence the Lord, insofar as he drives away misery, is called merciful. But a threefold motive of showing mercy is set forth. First he sets forth their perseverance; second, their want; third, the imminent danger. First perseverance is set forth, when it is said, "for they have now been with me three days." From which you can know that those who persevere with Christ are refreshed with his bread: for "he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved." By the three days you can understand the confession of the Holy Trinity; hence below, in the last chapter, 19: "Going therefore into the whole world, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Or the threefold act, namely of heart, mouth, and deed. Likewise the threefold time of the world, namely the time of the law of nature, of the Mosaic law, and of the law of grace and of glory at the end. Psalm 16:15: "I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear." Or by the three days, the three days of the death of Christ. Hence those sustain the Lord for three days who have conformed themselves to the death of Christ; Hosea 6:3: "he will give us life after three days, and on the third day he will raise us up." Hence through the death of Christ we await justification. Galatians, last chapter, 17: "always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus." The second thing touched on is their want; hence he says, "they have nothing to eat." But why did he wait for three days? Lest it could be alleged against him that they had been refreshed by food which they had brought with them. According to the mystical sense, he has mercy on those who know their own misery; Apocalypse 3:17: "he knoweth not that he is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," etc. The third is the danger: "and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way." For those faint in the way who are not refreshed by the word of God; Deuteronomy 8:3: "not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God"; Ecclesiasticus 15:3: "she fed him with the bread of life and understanding." "And the disciples say to him," etc. Here the material is set forth. And first, how he gave; second, how much material was at hand. Hence it says, and they say: "Whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert?" Here the slowness and forgetfulness of the disciples is reproved, because above the Lord had satisfied five thousand from five loaves. Hence they are reproved for slowness and forgetfulness. According to the mystical sense, in this the grace of God and his mercy are signified, who reveals his mysteries to the unworthy, and ministers his sacraments through them; Jeremiah 1:6: "I know not how to speak, Lord, for I am a child." To whom the Lord said: "Say not, I am a child"; Exodus 4:10: "I am of a slower and more impeded tongue," etc. Isaiah 3:7: "for I am a beggar, and there is no bread in my house; make me not ruler of the people." Then it is set forth how much material was at hand; hence Jesus said to them: "How many loaves have you?" And he did not ask as one ignorant, but so that the miracle might be shown. Hence he also caused the few small fishes to be mentioned, above, in the other miracle. And it is said that they had five loaves and two fishes, in which the teaching of the law was signified; and those loaves were of barley; here there are seven, and they are not said to be of barley, in which is signified the new law, informed by the sevenfold grace of God. Likewise in that former case there were only two fishes, but in this one many small fishes. "God hath chosen you the poor in this world, rich in faith." And in Psalm 8:9: "the birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea," that is, of this world. "And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground." Here the disposition is set forth. And first he disposes; second, he takes the material; third, he gives thanks, and breaks, and distributes. He says therefore, "and he commanded." In the other refreshment it is recorded that he made them recline upon the grass. By the grass temporal things are signified; hence Isaiah 40:6: "all flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field." Hence in the Old Law the foundation was upon temporal things, in the New only upon the stability of glory; Ecclesiastes 1:4: "but the earth standeth for ever." Or by the grass it is signified that we ought to sit above temporal things. Hence possession is not forbidden, but love, or affection for them; 1 John 2:15: "love not the things that are in the world." "And taking the seven loaves": in which it is signified that whatever has been administered to others of spiritual things was first in Christ; hence Acts 1:1: "Jesus began to do and to teach." All spiritual things were in him. Hence John 3:34: "God doth not give the Spirit by measure." "And giving thanks, he broke, and gave to his disciples": hence he gave us an example that we should give thanks; 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "in all things give thanks." Then, because not all things are given to all, as is found in 1 Corinthians, last chapter. Likewise 1 Corinthians 12:4: "there are diversities of graces." Consequently there follows the ordered distribution, for "he gave to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the people." First to the disciples, who were the mediators; Deuteronomy 5:5: "I was the mediator and stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you his words," etc. And 1 Corinthians 4:5: "let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God." Consequently he sets forth, as to the fullness of the refreshment, from the abundance of the fragments and from the number of those who ate. "And they all ate." Someone might say that from a little bread many could receive, so that each got only a little; but it was not so — rather "they were filled"; hence they ate even to satiety; Psalm 77:29: "they ate, and were all filled." Likewise there were many fragments left over, for "they took up seven baskets." But why, when there were fewer loaves, did more fragments remain, since indeed he had satisfied five thousand from five loaves? It can be said that seven baskets are the same as, or more than, twelve baskets. Chrysostom says that he worked different miracles, and in a different manner, so that the disciples might be more mindful. In the first miracle there were as many fragments left as there were apostles. But here according to the number of the loaves, in which it is signified that spiritual men ought to be refreshed by the sevenfold grace of God; 1 Corinthians 2:14: "for the sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit of God." There follows the number of those who ate: "and they that did eat were four thousand men." Above there were five thousand, because they were given over to the five senses; or on account of the five books of Moses; but here four, on account of the four cardinal virtues, or on account of the four Evangelists. "Besides children and women." But why are these excepted? Because the imperfect and the weak are excluded from true doctrine; Ephesians 4:13: "until we all meet... unto a perfect man," etc.”

“And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. Not regarding the smallness of the provisions, nor any further consulting with his disciples; but knowing his own power to increase this food, and determining to feed the multitude before he dismissed them, in an authoritative way ordered them to sit down upon the ground in rows, that they might be the better seen, and served. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. Not regarding the smallness of the provisions, nor any further consulting with his disciples; but knowing his own power to increase this food, and determining to feed the multitude before he dismissed them, in an authoritative way ordered them to sit down upon the ground in rows, that they might be the better seen, and served. Matthew 15:36 mat 15:36 mat 15:36 mat 15:36And he took the seven loaves and the fishes,.... Into his hands, and lifted them up, that it might be seen, and observed, that there were no other food than these, that so the miracle might appear in its true light: and gave thanks; to God for the provision, though it was so small, in the name of the whole company, according to the usage of the Jewish nation; who, if there were ten thousand (r), one for the rest used to say, "let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel, the God of hosts, that sitteth between the cherubim: teaching us to do so likewise, and to be thankful for, and content with our portion, be it more or less: and brake them; which also was the custom of the master of the family to do: and gave to his disciples: as a fresh trial of their faith, to reprove their unbelief, to put them in mind of the former miracle, and that they might be witnesses of this, and, in order to distribute to the people, which they accordingly did: and the disciples to the multitude; in doing which they obeyed their master's orders, though before they could not persuade themselves, that such a multitude of people could be filled with so small a quantity, (r) Misn. Beracot, c. 7. sect. 3.”