John VI. 1-14.
1. The miracles performed by our Lord Jesus Christ are indeed divine
works, and incite the human mind to rise to the apprehension of God from
the things that are seen. But inasmuch as He is not such a substance as
may be seen with the eyes, and His miracles in the government of the whole
world and the administration of the universal creation are, by their familiar
constancy, slightly regarded, so that almost no man deigns to consider
the wonderful and stupendous works of God, exhibited in every grain of
seed; He has, agreeably to His mercy, reserved to Himself certain works,
beyond the usual course and order of nature, which He should perform on
fit occasion, that they, by whom His daily works are lightly esteemed,
might be struck with astonishment at beholding, not indeed greater, but
uncommon works. For certainly the government of the whole world is a greater
miracle than the satisfying of five thousand men with five loaves; and
yet no man wonders at the former; but the latter men wonder at, not because
it is greater, but because it is rare. For who even now feeds the whole
world, but He who creates the cornfield from a few grains? He therefore
created as God creates. For, whence He multiplies the produce of the fields
from a few grains, from the same source He multiplied in His hands the
five loaves. The power, indeed, was in the hands of Christ; but those five
loaves were as seeds, not indeed committed to the earth, but multiplied
by Him who made the earth. In this miracle, then, there is that brought
near to the senses, whereby the mind should be roused to attention, there
is exhibited to the eyes, whereon the understanding should be exercised,
that we might admire the invisible God through His visible works; and being
raised to faith and purged by faith, we might desire to behold Him even
invisibly, whom invisible we came to know by the things that are visible.
2. Yet it is not enough to observe these things in the miracles of Christ.
Let us interrogate the miracles themselves, what they tell us about Christ:
for they have a tongue of their own, if they can be understood. For since
Christ is Himself the Word of God, even the act of the Word is a word to
us. Therefore as to this miracle, since we have heard how great it is,
let us also search how profound it is; let us not only be delighted with
its surface, but let us also seek to know its depth. This miracle, which
we admire on the outside, has something within. We have seen, we have looked
at something great, something glorious, and altogether divine, which could
be performed only by God: we have praised the doer for the deed. But just
as, if we were to inspect a beautiful writing somewhere, it would not suffice
for us to praise the hand of the writer, because he formed the letters
even,equal and elegant, if we did not also read the information he conveyed
to us by those letters; so, he who merely inspects this deed may be delighted
with its beauty to admire the doer: but he who understands does, as it
were, read it. For a picture is looked at in a different way from that
in which a writing is looked at. When thou hast seen a picture, to have
seen and praised it is the whole thing; when thou seest a writing, this
is not the whole, since thou art reminded also to read it. Moreover, when
thou seest a writing, if it chance that thou canst not read, thou sayest,
"What do we think that to be which is here written?" Thou askest what it
is, when already thou seest it to be something. He of whom thou seekest
to be informed what it is that thou hast seen, will show thee another thing.
He has other eyes than thou hast. Do you not alike see the form of the
letters? But yet you do not alike understand the signs. Well, thou seest
and praisest; but he sees, praises, reads and understands. Therefore, since
we have seen and praised, let us also read and understand.
3. The Lord on the mount: much rather let us understand that the Lord
on the mount is the Word on high. Accordingly, what was done on the mount
does not, as it were, lie low, nor is to be cursorily passed by, but must
be looked up to. He saw the multitude, knew them to be hungering, mercifully
fed them: not only in virtue of His goodness, but also of His power. For
what would mere goodness avail, where there was not bread with which to
feed the hungry crowd? Did not power attend upon goodness, that crowd had
remained fasting and hungry. In short, the disciples also, who were with
the Lord, and hungry, themselves wished to feed the multitudes, that they
might not remain empty, but had not wherewithal to feed them. The Lord
asked, whence they might buy bread to feed the multitude. And the Scripture
saith: "But this He said, proving him;" namely, the disciple Philip of
whom He had asked; "for Himself knew what He would do." Of what advantage
then was it to prove him, unless to show the disciple's ignorance? And,
perhaps, in showing the disciple's ignorance He signified something more.
This will appear, then, when the sacrament of the five loaves itself will
begin to speak to us, and to intimate its meaning: for there we shall see
why the Lord in this act wished to exhibit the disciple's ignorance, by
asking what He Himself knew. For we sometimes ask what we do not know,
that, being willing to hear, we may learn; sometimes we ask what we do
know, wishing to learn whether he whom we ask also knows. The Lord knew
both the one and the other; knew both what He asked, for He knew what Himself
would do; and He also knew in like manner that Philip knew not this. Why
then did He ask, but to show Philip's ignorance? And why He did this, we
shall, as I have said, understand afterwards.
4. Andrew saith: "There is a lad here, who has five loaves and two fishes,
but what are these for so many?" When Philip, on being asked, had said
that two hundred pennyworth of bread would not suffice to refresh that
so great a multitude, there was there a certain lad, carrying five barley
loaves and two fishes. "And Jesus saith, Make the men sit down. Now there
was there much grass: and they sat down about five thousand men. And the
Lord Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks;" He commanded, the loaves were
broken, and put before the men that were set down. It was no longer five
loaves, but what He had added thereto, who had created that which was increased.
"And of the fishes as much as sufficed." It was not enough that the multitude
had been satisfied, there remained also fragments; and these were ordered
to be gathered up, that they should not be lost: "And they filled twelve
baskets with the fragments."
5. To run over it briefly: by the five loaves are understood the five
books of Moses; and rightly are they not wheaten but barley loaves, because
they belong to the Old Testament. And you know that barley is so formed
that we get at its pith with difficulty; for the pith is covered in a coating
of husk, and the husk itself tenacious and closely adhering, so as to be
stripped off with labor. Such is the letter of the Old Testament, invested
in a covering of carnal sacraments: but yet, if we get at its pith, it
feeds and satisfies us. A certain lad, then, brought five loaves and two
fishes. If we inquire who this lad was, perhaps it was the people Israel,
which, in a childish sense, carried, not ate. For the things which they
carried were a burden while shut up, but when opened afforded nourishment.
And as for the two fishes, they appear to us to signify those two sublime
persons, in the Old Testament, of priest and of ruler, who were anointed
for the sanctifying and governing of the people. And at length Himself
in the mystery came, who was signified by those persons: He at length came
who was pointed out by the pith of the barley, but concealed by its husk.
He came, sustaining in His one person the two characters of priest and
ruler: of priest by offering Himself to God as a victim for us; of ruler,
because by Him we are governed. And the things that were carried closed
are now opened up. Thanks be to Him. He has fulfilled by Himself what was
promised in the Old Testament. And He bade the loaves to be broken; in
the breaking they are multiplied. Nothing is more true. For when those
five books of Moses are expounded, how many books have they made by being
broken up, as it were; that is, by being opened and laid out? But because
in that barley the ignorance of the first people was veiled, of whom it
is said, "Whilst Moses is read, the veil is upon their hearts;" for the
veil was not yet removed, because Christ had not yet come; not yet was
the veil of the temple rent, while Christ is hanging on the cross: because,
I say, the ignorance of the people was in the law, therefore that proving
by the Lord made the ignorance of the disciple manifest.
6. Wherefore nothing is without meaning; everything is significant,
but requires one that understands: for even this number of the people fed,
signified the people that were under the law. For why were there five thousand,
but because they were under the law, which is unfolded in the five books
of Moses? Why were the sick laid at those five porches, but not healed?
He, however, there cured the impotent man, who here fed multitudes with
five loaves. Moreover, they sat down upon the grass; therefore understood
carnally, and rested in the carnal. "For all flesh is grass." And what
were those fragments, but things which the people were not able to eat?
We understand them to be certain matters of more hidden meaning, which
the multitude are not able to take in. What remains then, but that those
matters of more hidden meaning, which the multitude cannot take in, be
entrusted to men who are fit to teach others also, just as were the apostles?
Why were twelve baskets filled? This was done both marvellously, because
a great thing was done; and it was done profitably, because a spiritual
thing was done. They who at the time saw it, marvelled; but we, hearing
of it, do not marvel. For it was done that they might see it, but it was
written that we might hear it. What the eyes were able to do in their case,
that faith does in our case. We perceive, namely, with the mind, what we
could not with the eyes: and we are preferred before them, because of us
it is said, "Blessed are they who see not, and yet believe." And I add
that, perhaps, we have understood what that crowd did not understand. And
we have been fed in reality, in that we have been able to get at the pith
of the barley.
7. Lastly, what did those men who saw this miracle think? "The men,"
saith he, "when they had seen the sign which He had done, said, This is
indeed a prophet." Perhaps they still thought Christ to be a prophet for
this reason, namely, that they were sitting on the grass. But He was the
Lord of the prophets, the fulfiller of the prophets, the sanctifier of
the prophets, but yet a prophet also: for it was said to Moses, "I will
raise up for them a prophet like unto thee." Like, according to the flesh,
but not according to the majesty. And that this promise of the Lord is
to be understood concerning Christ Himself,is clearly expounded and read
in the Acts of the Apostles. And the Lord says of Himself, "A prophet is
not without honor, except in his own country." The Lord is a prophet, and
the Lord is God's Word, and no prophet prophesies without the Word of God:
the Word of God is with the prophets, and the Word of God is a prophet.
The former times obtained prophets inspired and filled by the Word of God:
we have obtained the very Word of God for our prophet. But Christ is in
such manner a prophet, the Lord of prophets, as Christ is an angel, the
Lord of angels. For He is also called the Angel of great counsel. Nevertheless,
what says the prophet elsewhere that not an ambassador, nor an angel, but
Himself coming will save them; that is, He will not send an ambassador
to save them, nor an angel, but Himself will come. Who will come? The Angel
himself? Certainly not by an angel will He save them, except that He is
so an angel, as also Lord of angels. For angels signify messengers. If
Christ brought no message, He would not be called an angel: if Christ prophesied
nothing, He would not be called a prophet. He has exhorted us to faith
and to laying hold of eternal life; He has proclaimed something present,
foretold something future because He proclaimed the present, thence He
was an angel or messenger; because He foretold the future, thence He was
a prophet; and that, as the Word of God He was made flesh, thence He was
Lord of angels and of prophets.
