Lange Commentary - Mark 6:30 - 6:44

Online Resource Library

Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | Download

Lange Commentary - Mark 6:30 - 6:44


(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)

This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

3. Withdrawal of Jesus into the Wilderness on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and the miraculous Feeding of the Five Thousand. Mar_6:30-44

30And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran a foot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 35And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed; 36Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, 38and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42And they did all eat, and were filled. 43And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

See on the parallel passages of Matthew, Luke, and John.—The time is designated most clearly by John. Jesus has returned from the Feast of Purim (in the second year of His ministry) to Galilee; and the journey begins probably from the district of Tiberias. The time is evidently just before the Passover; as it is manifest, from Mark’s mention of the green grass, that the spring was just beginning. According to Luke, it was, also, the time when the Apostles once more assembled around their Master, and when Herod began to take an interest in Him and in His doings. According to Matthew, finally, this miracle coincided with the time immediately after the execution of the Baptist, and the report brought concerning it. The peculiarities of Mark in this section are as follows: The disciples tell the Lord also what they had taught. They were to take a little rest in the desert place. As elsewhere there was no time for either the Lord or His disciples to eat, on account of the press of the people, so it was here. The fact also is mentioned, that the Lord’s departure was made known to many, and that the crowds hastened to anticipate Him. We must add the allusion to these as sheep without a shepherd, and the vivid description of the people’s dejected state.

Mar_6:34. When He came out.—The crowds of people might seem to have rendered abortive the design of Jesus to withdraw for a season with His disciples; for, according to the most obvious connection, we should suppose that ἐîåëèþí must mean: “When He came forth from the ship.” But as the Evangelist has mentioned the fixed purpose of Jesus to go into a desert place apart, we must retain the connection with this, and assume that the “coming out” refers to His leaving the wilderness again.—And He began to teach them many things.—This likewise confirms the previous explanation. Since a large portion of the day was gone, the time must have been drawing too near to the decline of day; and hence His discourse was interrupted by the suggestion of the disciples.

Mar_6:37. Two hundred pennyworth.—See for the details in John,—“through whom this part of the scene, not recorded by Matthew and Luke, obtains the confirmation of authenticity.” Grotius: “The amount that happened to be in the chest was two hundred denarii.” Meyer: “This does not follow; it was the estimate made by the disciples of what the provision would cost.” But they would doubtless make their estimate according to the condition of their treasury. The denarius, äçíÜñéïí , was a Roman silver coin; it was used also at a later period among the Jews; somewhat lighter than the Attic drachma, but current at about the same value, being the customary hire of a day’s labor, about sevenpence halfpenny. See particulars in Winer.

Mar_6:39. By companies, óõìðüóéá óõìðüóéá .—A Hebraism, like the subsequent ðñáóéáὶ ðñáóéáß . Starke: “So that there were on each side 50, and 100 always together. Fifty such tables full made them just 5,000. Or, there were 50 seats in breadth, and 100 in length.” But, why not simply companies of 100 and of 50, through which they might freely pass? A living town in the wilderness. Gerlach: “Two longer rows of 100, a shorter one of 50 persons. The fourth side remained, after the manner of the ancients’ tables, empty and open.”

Mar_6:43. And of the fishes.—Reckoned among the relics which filled the twelve baskets. According to the account, these relics are distinguished from the êëÜóìáôá , or broken pieces of bread.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

See on the parallel passages in Matthew, Luke, and John.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

See on the parallel passage of Matthew.—The return of the Apostles, and the first resting-place provided for them by their Lord.—Come into a desert place apart, and rest a while: Christ’s call to His overwrought, excited, and restless laborers.—This word of Christ perverted by many of His servants into a toleration of idleness: He says, a while!—Christ’s rest, and His disciples’ solemn prayer, in solitude.—The refreshments of the world, and the refreshments of Christ’s disciples.—Into solitude, but with Christ.—How the Lord sacrificed for men both His solitude and His refreshment.—How He turned the seeming failure of His plan (touching solitude) into a higher realization of the same object.—How we should fashion the web of our life—our plans and the conjunctures of circumstances—into higher unity of godly action and suffering.—The miraculous festival which our Lord prepared for His disciples after their labors and journeys in the world.—How He continually comes forth in His mercy: 1. From the bosom of heaven; 2. from the darkness of Nazareth; 3. from the solemn season of prayer in the wilderness; 4. from the glory of the new life in the resurrection; 5. from the throne of heaven.—The school of Christ a free school in the highest sense.—With Christ, all that we have we have freely.—Christ was already King when they wanted to make Him king; but King: 1. In the kingdom of the Spirit; 2. in the kingdom of love; 3. and in the kingdom of divine blessing.—His earthly exaltation would have been the translation of His throne from the realm of the infinite into the realm of the finite and transitory.—Christ was constrained to repel the people with as much earnestness as that with which the mercy of His Shepherd-heart sought them.—Christ the breaker of bread, because He Himself is the Bread of life.—The riches of His kingdom.—Sufficiency with Christ is lavish abundance.

Starke:—Osiander:—We should in such manner wait on our ministering as preachers of the Gospel, that we may be able to give in our account to the supreme Shepherd with joy.—It is good to rest after labor.—When we can separate ourselves from the tumult of the world, and send our spirits upwards to God, rest both of body and of soul is the result.—Hedinger:—He who is in earnest to go to Christ, will let no trouble, labor, or expense hinder him.—Osiander:—Although we may have a certain amount of rest in this world, yet that is soon disturbed again by business. Here all is unrest; yonder is perfect repose.—The Church of God has indeed many shepherds; but since many of them are shamefully given to negligence, and many are busy with vain labor, it is reasonable to lament that the poor sheep have, after all, but few true shepherds.—Quesnel:—The love of devout souls is indeed wise, but God’s love is better in this than all.—Poor people cannot do better than hang upon God, &c.—Hedinger:—Piety and faith never die of hunger.—What in men’s eyes is impossible, may become possible through God’s power.—As to the fragments, order and economy are in all things well-pleasing to God.—God is a God of order.—Take your food with prayer and thanksgiving, 1Ti_4:4.—Schleiermacher:—Thus they came back with minds excited, and perhaps disturbed, by all these various opinions concerning Christ; and therefore it was very important that they should become composed, and readjust all their views in their original relation to the truth.—We should never find a contradiction between that which is our duty and the internal bias of our hearts.—Christ found between this will (to be alone with His disciples) and the great pressure of the people no contradiction: He knew how to reconcile one with the other, and by the other.—There is nothing more essential in the kingdom of God than what is incumbent upon us as duty, and what is the object of our wishes, should coalesce and coincide, the one upholding and preserving the other.—There is one entirely and purely simple wisdom.—To this nothing is so absolutely essential as simplicity of spirit.—The disciples were to be convinced (by the miraculous feeding), that if they applied themselves to the duties and obligations of the spiritual kingdom, their outward life would take no harm; whilst, on the other hand, everything would be interrupted if the Master should always act as they might think best.

Footnotes:

Mar_6:30.—The êáὶ ( ὅóá ) of the Recepta has the weight of the Codd. against it.

Mar_6:33.—The ïἱ ὄ÷ëïé is an addition (from Matthew), and is wanting in A., B., D., Griesbach, Scholz, Lachmann. Lachmann and Tischendorf have óõíÝäñáìïí ἐêåῖ êáὶ ðñïῆëèïí áὐôïýò . The many variations are essentially the same in meaning.

Mar_6:36.—’ ÁãïñÜóùóéí ἑáõôïῖò , ôß öÜãùóé —Tischendorf, after B., L., Ä ., &c.

Mar_6:38.— Êáß before ἴäåôå wanting in B., D., L., Versions, Tischendorf.

Mar_6:43.—Tischendorf and Meyer, following B. and cursive MSS., read êïößíùí ðëçñþìáôá .