Commentary on Mark (chapters 5–6)
Commentary on Mark
continued
Chapter 5
Mark 5:1
And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. Gerasa is a notable city of Arabia beyond the Jordan, attached to the mountain of Gilead, which the tribe of Manasseh held, not far from the lake of Tiberias, into which the swine were cast. It signifies, however, the nation of the Gentiles, which after the slumber of the passion and the glory of his resurrection, the Savior deigned to visit through the preachers he sent. Hence Gerasa, or Gergesenes (as some read), well interprets as "casting out the colonist," or "the approaching stranger"; namely, indicating that the gentile people both expelled the hostile inhabitant from their heart and who were far, became near by the blood of Christ. [Mark 5:2] -- And when he had come out of the ship, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him from the tombs, who had his dwelling among the tombs. This man, who was vexed by an unclean spirit and was mad to the Lord but soon to be healed, holds the figure of the gentile people, who, up to the time of the Lord's incarnation, deluded by demonic doctrines, worshiped idols as God. He had his dwelling among the tombs because he delighted in dead works, that is, in sins. For what are the bodies of the faithless if not certain sepulchres of the dead, in which the word of God does not dwell, but a soul dead in sins is enclosed?
Mark 5:4
And no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with chains, for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, and he had torn the chains apart and smashed the fetters: and no one could tame him. By chains and fetters are signified the severe and hard laws of the Gentiles, by which sins are restrained even in their republic. And with the chains broken (as Luke writes), he was driven by the demon into the wilderness, who, having also transgressed those laws, was led by desire to those crimes that already exceeded common custom. [Mark 5:5] -- And always, night and day, he was in the tombs and in the mountains, crying out and cutting himself with stones. Always, night and day, the demoniac raged because paganism, whether struggling with the adverse circumstances of things or any peace and prosperity of a flattering world might smile, he never knew how to shake off the yoke of serving evil spirits from the neck of his mind. Through the foulness of his deeds, he lay as if in the tombs, wandered on the mountain peaks through the act of pride, and through the words of the hardest infidelity, as if frenziedly seizing stones, he cut himself. But with John the Baptist bearing witness, the Lord raised children for Abraham from the stones, while he turned the hard hearts of infidels to the grace of piety.
Mark 5:6
But seeing Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him, and crying out with a loud voice, he said: What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? How great is the madness of Arius to believe Jesus is a creature and not God, whom the demons believe to be the Son of the Most High God and tremble! What impiety of the Jews it is to say that he cast out demons by the prince of demons, whom the demons themselves confess to have nothing in common with him! This very thing that they shouted in the frenzy of the demoniac then, they did not cease to say and confess later in the shrines of idols, namely that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Most High God, and that they have no peace or fellowship with him. [Mark 5:7] -- I adjure you by God, do not torment me. For he was saying to him: Come out of the man, unclean spirit. The enemy of human salvation considers it no small torment to cease harming a man, and the longer he used to possess him, the harder he agrees to let him go. Hence, it must be earnestly studied that if at any time, as humans, we are overcome by the devil, we should immediately strive to escape his snares, lest, by resisting his strength somewhat tardily, it becomes more laborious at some point to expel him.
Mark 5:9
And he asked him, "What is your name?" And he said to him, "Legion is my name, for we are many." He inquires not as one ignorant of the name, but so that, once the plague that tormented the man had been publicly confessed, the virtue of healing might appear more gracious. Even the priests of our time, who know how to cast out demons through the grace of exorcism, are accustomed to say that the afflicted can only be healed to the extent that they can disclose, by confessing openly, everything that they have suffered from unclean spirits through sight, hearing, taste, touch, or any other sense of the body or mind, whether awake or asleep. Now, what the spirit said, "Legion is my name, for we are many," signifies that the people of the nations are not subjected to any one individual but to countless and various rites of idolatry. Against this, it is written that the multitude of the believers were of one heart and one mind (Acts IV). Hence, well in the construction of Babylon, the unity of languages was shattered by the spirit of pride, while in Jerusalem, the diversity of languages was united through the grace of the holy. And that confusion, this vision of peace, because evidently in various languages and nations, one faith and piety fortifies the elect throughout the world, bringing about peace. But for the reprobates, several sects, more than languages, dissociate and confuse them.
Mark 5:10
And he pleaded with Him greatly, that He would not send them out of the region. In the Gospel of Luke, it is written thus: And they begged Him not to command them to go into the abyss. Therefore, the demons knew that at some time in the future they would be sent into the abyss by the coming of the Lord, not foreseeing the future themselves, but recalling what the prophets had said about them. And so, the glory of the Lord’s coming, which they marveled at, they feared would extend to their own condemnation. [Mark 5:11] -- There was a large herd of pigs feeding near the mountain. And the spirits implored him, saying: Send us into the pigs, that we may enter them. And Jesus immediately granted them. Therefore, he allowed what they were asking for, that through the destruction of the pigs, an occasion for salvation might be offered to humans. For the shepherds, witnessing these things, immediately reported them to the city. Let the Manichaean be ashamed. If the souls of humans and beasts are from the same substance and author, how can two thousand pigs be drowned for the salvation of one person? In their destruction, however, men who are unclean, devoid of voice and reason, are judged figuratively, who, feeding on the mountain of pride, delight in filthy actions. For demons can dominate over such through the worship of idols. For unless someone lives like a pig, the devil will not take power over him, or only to test him, but not even to destroy him.
Mark 5:13
And the unclean spirits, coming out, entered into the pigs, and with great force, the herd rushed into the sea, about two thousand of them, and were drowned in the sea. This signifies that once the Church is glorified and the people of the Gentiles are freed from the domination of demons, those who refused to believe in Christ engage in their sacrilegious rites in secluded places, submerged in blind and profound curiosity. And it should be noted that the unclean spirits would not have gone into the pigs unless the gentle Savior had granted it to those who were asking, whom he could certainly consign to the abyss. Wishing to teach us something necessary, namely, that they were much less able to harm humans by their own power, who could not even harm any kind of cattle. This power, however, the good God can give us by hidden justice, he cannot give unjustly.
Mark 5:14
But those who fed them fled, and reported it in the city and in the fields. That the shepherds of the pigs, fleeing, reported these things, signifies that even some leaders of the impious, although they flee from the Christian law, nonetheless proclaim its power among the nations with awe and wonder. [Mark 5:14-15] -- And they went out to see what had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid, etc. It is written in the Gospel of Luke, "Sitting at his feet." It signifies that the multitude, delighted by their old life, honors indeed but does not want to endure the Christian law, saying that they cannot fulfill it, yet admiring the faithful people who have been healed from their former lost way of life. To sit at the Lord's feet is for him from whom demons had exited, just as those corrected from sins with fixed intention of the mind, to stare at the tracks of their Savior which they follow. To be clothed again is to receive with a sound mind the pursuit of virtues that the insane had lost. This figure fits aptly with that parable of the Lord in which the prodigal and extravagant son, returning to the father, is immediately dressed in the first robe with a ring, clearly indicating that whoever truly repents with a heart for what was lost can, by the grace given by Christ, recover the first works of righteousness they had fallen from, along with the ring of unbroken faith.
Mark 5:17
And they began to ask him to depart from their region. The Gerasenes, aware of their own frailty, judged themselves unworthy of the Lord's presence, not grasping the word of God, nor yet able to bear the weight of wisdom with their still weak minds. This is also read to have happened to Peter himself upon seeing the miracle of the fish: and to the widow of Zarephath, who recognized that her hospitality was blessed by the presence of the blessed Elijah, nonetheless felt burdened, saying: "What do you have against me, man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to kill my son" (1 Kings 17).
Mark 5:18–19
And when he was entering the ship, the man who had been vexed by the demon began to beseech him that he might be with him; and he did not admit him, but said to him: Go to your house, to your own people, and announce to them how much the Lord has done for you, and has had mercy on you. These words can rightly be understood from that saying of the Apostle when he says: To dissolve and to be with Christ is far better, but to remain in the flesh is necessary for your sake (Philippians 1); so that everyone understands that after the remission of sins, one should return to a good conscience and serve the Gospel, for the salvation of others too, so that afterwards he may rest with Christ, and not neglect the ministering suitable to the redemption of the brethren, by wanting too prematurely to be with Christ. But when Matthew mentions two being healed from the legion of demons, whereas Mark and Luke mention one, you should understand that one of them was a person of some higher and more renowned position, whom that region grieved most deeply for, and for whose salvation they were most anxious. This is what the two Evangelists, wanting to indicate, decided to mention only him, whose fame from that deed had spread more widely and more famously. But also, the climax of the allegory agrees, because just as one possessed by a demon, in the same way two gentile peoples do not inconveniently express the type. For when Noah generated three sons, only the family of one was received into the possession of God, from the remaining two, different nations who were enslaved to idols were procreated.
Mark 5:22
And there came one of the rulers of the synagogue, named Jairus, and seeing him, he fell at his feet, etc. In this reading, where the ruler of the synagogue asks for the salvation of his daughter, but as the Lord goes to his house, a woman with an issue of blood precedes and seizes health, and then the daughter of the ruler attains the health she wished for, indeed called back to life from death, the salvation of the human race is shown, which the Lord coming in the flesh so dispensed, that first some from Israel would come to faith, then the fullness of the Gentiles would enter, and thus all of Israel would be saved. Who then is this ruler of the synagogue, who comes to the Lord to ask for his daughter, better understood as Moses himself? Hence he is well called Jairus, which means enlightening or enlightened, because he received the words of life to give to us, and by these words he enlightens others, and he himself is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, which enabled him to write or teach vital instructions. Seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet, because foreseeing in the spirit the Lord coming in the flesh, he surrendered himself to His power with a humble heart: he thus recognized that at the end of the age the man would be incarnate, understanding that He existed as God eternally before all ages. For if the head of Christ is God, what is more fitting than to accept His feet, which touched the earth of our mortality, as His assumed humanity? And the ruler of the synagogue falling at the feet of Jesus means that the lawgiver with the whole offspring of the patriarchs recognizes and admits, along with the Apostle, that the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Cor. 1:25).
Mark 5:23
And he earnestly begged Him, saying: “My daughter is at the point of death; come, lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” In the Gospel of Luke, it is written that she was his only daughter about twelve years old, and she was dying. Therefore, the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue is the Synagogue itself, uniquely composed by legal institution, as if it were the only one born of Moses. And this girl, as if in the twelfth year of life, that is, as the time of puberty approached, was dying, because nobly brought up by the prophets, after having reached the years of understanding and after she should have generated spiritual offspring for God, suddenly struck by the weakening errors, hopelessly abandoned the paths of spiritual life, and if not assisted by Christ, would have completely fallen into dreadful death.
Mark 5:24
And he went with him, and a great crowd followed him and pressed upon him. The Lord, proceeding to heal the girl, is pressed by the crowd, because while offering salutary teachings to the Jewish people, by which he might lift up their conscience sick with vices, he was burdened by the harmful habits of carnal people. [Mark 5:25] -- And a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years. The woman flowing with blood, but cured by the Lord, is the Church gathered from the Gentiles, which was polluted by the innate flow of carnal pleasures and was already separated from the congregation of the faithful, but while the word of God was determined to save Judea, she seized salvation with certain hope, already prepared and promised to others. It is noteworthy that both the daughter of the synagogue ruler was twelve years old, and this woman had a flow of blood for twelve years; that is, at the same time when the former was born, the latter began to be ill. For at nearly the same age of this world, both the Synagogue in the patriarchs was born, and the nation of the foreign Gentiles began to be defiled by the foulness of idolatry throughout the world. For the flow of blood can be rightly understood in two ways, that is, both concerning the pollution of idolatry and concerning those things that are done with the delight of flesh and blood.
Mark 5:26
And she had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse. Understand physicians either as false theologians, or as philosophers and secular law teachers, who, disputing about virtues and vices very subtly, promised to offer useful precepts for living and believing to mortals, or certainly those unclean spirits themselves, who, like consulting men, pushed themselves to be worshiped as gods. By eagerly listening to them, the Gentiles wasted the powers of natural industry all the more, but were no less able to be cleansed from the filth of their iniquity. But when she recognized that the Jewish people were sick and the true physician from heaven had arrived, she also began to hope for and seek a remedy for her illness.
Mark 5:27–28
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, "If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed." And immediately the source of her bleeding dried up. The Church comes and touches the Lord when it approaches Him through the truth of faith. However, it comes from behind, or as He Himself said: "If anyone serves me, he must follow me" (John 12). And elsewhere it is commanded: "You shall walk after the Lord your God." Or, because not seeing the Lord present in the flesh, after the mysteries of His incarnation had been fulfilled, it reached the grace of faith and recognition of Him. Thus, by the participation in His sacraments, it deserved to be saved from sins, as if by the touch of His garments, it dried up the source of her blood. For the source of blood is the origin of sin. The source of anyone's blood is the beginning of impure thought, from which all sin is born. But the Lord, with His evangelical words, not only sought to restrain evil deeds and words but also to uproot the root of wicked thoughts, granting that both be cleansed by evangelical sacraments, as if He endowed His garments with the power to dry up the source of filth.
Mark 5:30
And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself the power that had gone out from Him, turned to the crowd and said: "Who touched My garments?" He asked not to learn what He did not know, but that the power He clearly knew, indeed which He Himself had given, might be declared in the woman, and by the declared and recognized power of faith, many might reach salvation. [Mark 5:31] -- And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing against You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" The crowd pressing around Him in every direction, one believing woman touches the Lord, because those burdened by various disordered heresies or perverse habits, only the heart faithfully venerating the Catholic Church, is honored. For just as some seeing do not see, and hearing do not hear, so too those touching do not touch, who touch Christ not with a simple but with a doubtful or feigned heart. Therefore, to a certain one loving but not yet fully believing, He Himself says: "Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father (John 20). Clearly stating what it means to truly touch Him, namely to believe Him equal to the Father.
Mark 5:32
And He looked around to see her who had done this. The Lord does not forget His faithful, nor does He cease to look upon those who hope in Him, but judges all who merit salvation as worthy of His regard and compassion. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him. [Mark 5:33] -- But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. Behold where the questioning of the Lord was directed, namely that the woman openly confessing the truth of her long-standing infirmity, sudden belief, divine propitiation, and the healing given to her, would herself be more firmly confirmed in faith, and would provide an example of salvation and life to many. Finally, it follows.
Mark 5:34
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” He did not say, “Your faith will save you,” but “has saved you.” For in the fact that you believed, you are already saved. While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader's house, saying, "Your daughter has died; why bother the teacher any further?" As the woman was cured of the flow of blood, the daughter of the synagogue leader was immediately reported dead, because while the Church is cleansed from the stain of sins and called a daughter due to the merit of faith, the Synagogue, filled with both disbelief and jealousy, is dissolved in mourning. Disbelief, because it did not want to believe in Christ. Jealousy, because it grieves that the Church believes. For it is written in the Acts of the Apostles: “On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.” (Acts 13). And what the messengers said to the synagogue leader, "Why bother the teacher any further?" is still said by those today who see such a desolate state of the synagogue that they do not believe it can be restored, and thus do not consider it necessary to ask for its resurrection. But what is impossible with human beings is possible with God (Mark 10); hence it fittingly follows:
Mark 5:36
“But Jesus, overhearing the word that was spoken, said to the synagogue leader, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe.’” The synagogue leader is understood as the teacher of the law, about whom the Lord says, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat” (Matthew 23). For if he himself is willing to believe, the Synagogue subject to him will also be saved. [Mark 5:38] -- And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and see the tumult, and they weep and wail greatly. And, he says, let all who hope in you rejoice, they will exult forever, and you will dwell in them. However, because the Synagogue deservedly lost this joy of the Lord's indwelling due to unbelief, it lies as if dead among those who weep and wail. Yet, heavenly mercy does not allow it to perish utterly, but rather, towards the end of the age, according to the election of grace, it restores its remnants to salvation and life. Whence it is aptly added:
Mark 5:39
And entering, he said to them: Why are you troubled and weeping? The girl is not dead, but sleeping. To men she was dead, who could not raise her, but to God she was sleeping, in whose arrangement, the soul was received and lived, and the body rested to be resurrected. Hence, the Christian custom has prevailed that the dead who are undoubted to be resurrected are called sleeping; as the Apostle says: We do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who sleep, so that you may not grieve as the rest who have no hope (1 Thess. 4). But also in part of the allegory, while the soul that sins itself shall die, however that which the Lord foresees to be about to be resurrected and to come to eternal life, though dead to us, could not incongruously be said to have slept to Him.
Mark 5:40
And they laughed at him. But he, having ejected them all, takes the father and mother of the girl, etc. Because they preferred to mock the word of the one raising rather than to believe, they are deservedly excluded outside, as unworthy to see the power of the one raising and the mystery of the one rising. Likewise, the crowd is ejected outside so that the girl may be raised, because if the importunate crowd of secular cares is not first expelled from the innermost parts of the heart, the soul which lies dead within will not rise. For while it scatters itself through countless thoughts of earthly desires, it cannot collect itself back to the consideration of itself at all. [Mark 5:41] -- And holding the hand of the girl, he said to her: Talitha cumi, which is translated: Little girl, I say to you, arise. A diligent reader might ask why the truthful Evangelist, explaining the words of the Savior, added from his own: I say to you, when in the Syrian language he used, nothing more was said than: Little girl, arise. Unless perhaps he thought it necessary to convey the force of the Lord's command, aiming to express the meaning of the speaker rather than the exact words to his readers. For it is known to be customary for the Evangelists and apostles, when they take testimonies from the Old Testament, to place greater emphasis on the prophetic sense rather than the words. And the Lord, holding the hand of the girl, raised her, because unless the hands of the Jews, which are full of blood, are first purified, their synagogue, which is dead, will not rise.
Mark 5:42
And immediately the girl rose and walked. Well, she rose and walked. For whomever the heavenly hand of mercy touches to revive from the dead due to sins, not only must he rise from the filth and lethargy of crimes, but he must also immediately advance in good works, evidently according to the psalmist, entering without blemish and practicing works of justice.
Mark 5:42
And they were amazed with great astonishment. And He strongly commanded them that no one should know this. And He commanded that something should be given her to eat. As a testimony of true resurrection, He commanded that food be given to the girl, lest it be thought by unbelievers to be not truth but a phantom that appeared. But also, if anyone has risen from spiritual death, it is necessary that they are soon fed with heavenly bread, and indeed become partakers of the divine word and the sacred altar. For according to the moral understanding, those three dead whom the Savior raised in the bodies signify three kinds of resurrection of souls. Indeed, some, by giving consent to evil pleasure, cause death to themselves by the hidden thought of sin. But implying that such people should be revived, the Savior raised the daughter of the synagogue leader, who was not yet carried out but died at home, as if harboring the vice secretly in the heart. Others, not only consenting to harmful pleasure but also committing the evil wherein they take pleasure, bring their dead out, as it were, beyond the gates. And demonstrating that these too can be resurrected if they repent, He raised the young man, the son of the widow, carried out beyond the city's gates, and restored him to his mother, because He restored the soul repenting from the darkness of sin to the unity of the Church.
Some, however, not only by thinking or doing illicit things, but also by the very habit of sinning, corrupt themselves as if by burying. Yet neither for these to be raised is the virtue and grace of the Savior lesser, if indeed there are thoughtful souls devoted to Christ who watch over their salvation like devoted sisters. For to indicate this, He raised Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days, and because his sister testified that he already smelled bad, as indeed notorious acts of vice are usually accompanied by a bad reputation. It must be noted, however, that the graver the death of the soul, the more intensely the fervor of penance must persist for it to deserve to rise. For lighter and daily errors can be cured by lighter penance. Wanting to secretly show this, the Lord resurrected the girl lying in the room with a very easy and brief word, saying: Girl, arise. And due to the ease of resurrection, He denied she was dead. But the young man carried out was resurrected with more words, as he had to be emphasized with: Young man, I say to you, arise. The four-day dead, however, needed that Jesus, groaning in spirit, troubled Himself, weep, groan again, and cry out with a great voice: Lazarus, come forth. And thus at last the one who was considered hopeless, shunning the burden of darkness, was restored to life and light.
But it is also noted that since public offense requires public remedy, but lighter sins can be removed by lighter and secret penance, the girl lying at home arises with few witnesses, and it is strongly commanded that they disclose it to no one. The young man outside the gate is resurrected while accompanied and watched by many. Lazarus, called from the tomb, became known to such an extent that due to the testimony of those who saw, many people met the Lord with palms, and many Jews went away and believed in Jesus because of him. The Lord heard of the fourth dead man announced by a disciple, but since there were no living people to pray for his resurrection, He said: Let the dead bury their dead (Luke 9), that is, let the wicked weigh down the wicked with harmful praises: and because there was no just person to correct in mercy, let the oil of the sinner make their heads fat.
Chapter 6
Mark 6:1
And he went out from there and came into his own country, and his disciples followed him; and when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing him were amazed at his teaching, saying: Where did this man get all these things? And what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works performed by his hands? He calls his country Nazareth, in which he was brought up. But how great is the blindness of the Nazarenes, who, if their minds were not obtuse, could have recognized him as the Christ through his words and deeds, yet they despise him solely because of knowing his family. They refer wisdom to teaching and power to healings and miracles that he performed. Which distinction the Apostle recalls aptly and beautifully, saying: Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1). In this context, he refers power to signs because of the Jews and wisdom to teaching because of the Greeks, that is, the Gentiles.
Mark 6:3
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joseph, Jude, and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him. The scandal and error of the Jews are our salvation and the condemnation of the heretics. For they so clearly saw the man Jesus Christ, that they called him the carpenter, and according to another Evangelist, the carpenter's son; they also testified that his brothers and sisters were with them. Yet these are not to be considered as the actual children of Joseph or Mary, according to the heretics, but rather, according to the custom of sacred Scripture, they must be understood as their relatives, in the same way that Abraham and Lot are called brothers, although Lot was the son of Abraham's brother. And you have many such examples. [Mark 6:3] -- However, not without the provision of a certain sacrament did the Lord, appearing in the flesh, wish to be considered and called a craftsman and the son of a craftsman: but rather, even through this, He taught that He was the son of Him before the ages, who, as the maker of all things, in the beginning created heaven and earth (John I). For although human things are not comparable to divine things, yet the type is perfect, because the Father of Christ works by fire and spirit. Hence also His precursor said about Him as the son of a craftsman: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew III). He who in this great house of the world fabricates vessels of different kinds, or rather, by softening the vessels of wrath with the fire of His spirit, transforms them into vessels of mercy: but the Jews are ignorant of this sacrament: they look down upon the works of divine power out of contemplation of carnal lineage.
Mark 6:4
And Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house. It is testified in the Scriptures that the Lord Jesus Christ is called a prophet, and Moses, predicting His future incarnation to the children of Israel, said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from among your brothers, like unto me, you shall listen to him. Not only He who is the head and Lord of the prophets, but also Elijah and Jeremiah, and the other prophets, were held in less honor in their own country than in foreign cities, because it is almost natural for citizens always to envy their fellow citizens. They do not consider the man's present works, but remember his frail infancy, as if they themselves had not also come to mature age through the same stages of life.
Mark 6:5
And He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Not that He could not perform many miracles even among the unbelievers, but that in doing many, He might condemn the unbelievers. However, it can also be understood otherwise, that Jesus is despised in His house and country, that is, among the Jewish people, and therefore He performed few signs there, lest they become utterly inexcusable. Greater signs, however, He performs daily among the nations through the apostles, not so much in the healing of bodies as in the salvation of souls. As for the Lord being said to marvel at their unbelief, it is not as if He marvels at something unexpected and unforeseen, He who knows all things before they happen, just as He did not begin to marvel at the faith of the centurion as something new and previously unknown when He heard the words of his pious confession and said: "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel" (Luke VII). But He who knows the secrets of the heart shows that He marvels before men, indicating what is to be marveled at by men. Indeed, the faith of the centurion was marvelous, who, without a human teacher, without the eloquence of the Scriptures, without angelic oracles, recognized through miracles by divinely illuminated natural understanding that He who appeared as human in the frailty of humanity was truly God.
Conversely, the unbelief of the Nazarenes was no less astonishing, who, despite having an abundance of teachers and divine words in which the coming of Christ was preached, and having Christ Himself present among them, pressing the knowledge of Himself on them through both words and signs, still persisted in their disbelief. But in one instance, the blindness of the Jews is noted as marvelous, who were unwilling to believe in their own prophets about Christ, nor in Christ Himself born among them. In the other instance, the faith of the Gentiles is crowned, who, even though Christ was born among the Jews and cast out by them, deserved to receive Him, the mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, with the sacred oracles.
Mark 6:7
And he went around the villages in a circuit, teaching; and he called the twelve and began to send them two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. The kind and merciful Lord and master does not envy his servants and disciples his own virtues; and just as he had healed all sickness and all infirmity, he also gave his apostles power, to heal all infirmity and all sickness. But there is a great difference between having and giving, granting and receiving. He, whatever he does, acts by the power of the Lord; those, if they do anything, confess their own weakness and the power of the Lord, saying, like Peter: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk (Acts III).
Mark 6:8
And he commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff only. No bag, no bread, nor money in their belt, but be shod with sandals, and not put on two tunics. Such a preacher ought to have trust in God, that even if he does not provide for the needs of this life, he should surely know these things will not be lacking. Lest his mind be occupied with temporal things, he would provide less for others eternals. However, it is often questioned how Matthew and Luke recall that the Lord said to the disciples not to carry a staff, while Mark says: And he commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff only. This is resolved by understanding that the staff, which according to Mark is to be carried, is understood under a different signification than that which, according to Matthew and Luke, is not to be carried: just as temptation is understood under another signification in the saying, God tempts no one, and in another is said, The Lord your God tempts you, to know whether you love him. The former is of deception, the latter is of probation. Thus both sayings are to be taken as spoken by the Lord to the apostles, and to not carry a staff, and to carry nothing except a staff. For when he said to them according to Matthew: Do not possess gold, nor silver, etc.; he immediately added: For the laborer is worthy of his food.
This clearly shows why he did not want them to possess or carry these things. Not that they are not necessary for the sustenance of this life, but because he was sending them out in such a way that he demonstrated these things would be owed to them by those to whom they proclaim the Gospel and believe. It is clear, however, that the Lord did not command these things in such a way that evangelists should not live from anywhere else than from those to whom they preach the Gospel. Otherwise, the apostle who sustained himself by the labor of his hands so as not to burden anyone would have acted against this precept; but he gave the authority by which they knew these things were owed to them. When, however, something is commanded by the Lord, unless it is performed, it is a fault of disobedience. When authority is given, it is permissible for anyone not to use it and to relinquish their right. Therefore, the Lord ordaining this, which the apostle says he ordained, that those who proclaim the Gospel should live from the Gospel, spoke to the apostles so that they, secure, would not possess nor carry the necessary things for this life, neither great nor small. Therefore, he added, Nor a staff, showing that all things are owed by his faithful to his ministers, requiring nothing superfluous. Thus by adding, For the laborer is worthy of his food, he completely revealed and clarified the source of these words.
Therefore, he signified this authority by the name of the staff when he said to take nothing for the journey except a staff only, so it is understood that through the authority received from the Lord (which is signified by the name of the staff), even things not carried will not be lacking. This is also to be understood about two tunics, that nothing besides the one he wears should be thought necessary to be carried by him, concerned that it would be needed, since it could be received by that authority. Therefore, Mark, by saying they should be shod with sandals or shoes, suggests that this footwear has some mystical signification, so that the foot is neither covered nor naked to the ground, that is, neither the Gospel should be hidden, nor should it rely on earthly comforts.
Mark 6:9
And what is not to be carried or worn as two tunics, but more explicitly is forbidden to be put on, saying; and not to be clothed with two tunics, what does it admonish them, unless to walk not doubly, but simply? Otherwise. In the two tunics, it seems to me to show a double garment, not that in places of Scythia freezing with icy snow, one should be content with a single tunic; but that in the tunic we understand the garment, so that we do not keep another reserved for ourselves out of fear for the future. Allegorically, however, by the purse, the burdens of the world, by the bread, temporal delights, by the money in the belt, the hidden wisdom is designated. For he who has the word of wisdom, but neglects to share it with his neighbor, holds the money shut in a belt: and it is written: Hidden wisdom and concealed treasure, what is the use in both? (Ecclesiasticus 41). Therefore, apostles should not carry a purse, nor bread, nor money in their belt, because whoever has received the office of a teacher, should neither be weighed down by the burdens of secular affairs, nor be dissolved by carnal desires, nor hide the entrusted talent of the word in the leisure of sluggish laziness.
Mark 6:10
And he said to them: Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. In Matthew it is written thus: Whatever town or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave (Matthew 10). He gives a general command of constancy, that they should observe the laws of hospitality, asserting that it is unbecoming for the preacher of the kingdom of heaven to rush from house to house and lose the rights of an inviolate hospitality. Nor is it idle according to Matthew that the house into which the apostles should enter is to be chosen, so that the reason for changing hospitality and violating the bond of hospitality does not stand. [Mark 6:11] -- And whoever does not receive you or listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Dust is shaken off the feet as a testimony of one's work, showing that they have entered the city and that the apostolic preaching has reached them. Or the dust is shaken off so that nothing is taken from them, not even what is necessary for sustenance, by those who have rejected the Gospel.
Mark 6:12
And they went out and preached that people should repent, and they cast out many demons, etc. The Apostle James says: "Is any one among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him" (James 5). Hence it is clear that this custom of the holy Church has been handed down by the apostles themselves, that the possessed or any other sick persons should be anointed with oil, consecrated by episcopal blessing.
Mark 6:14
And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become known, and people said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead." The extreme malice and furor of the Jews against the Lord are taught to us from almost every place in the Gospel; behold, they believed John, of whom it was said that he performed no sign, could have risen from the dead, without any witness. But Jesus, a man approved by God with deeds and signs (Acts 2), at whose death the elements trembled, whose resurrection and ascension were eagerly proclaimed by angels, apostles, men, and women alike; they preferred to believe not that He had risen, but that He had been stolen away secretly. When they said that John had risen from the dead, and that for this reason unexpected powers or actions were manifest in him, they correctly understood about the power of the resurrection, that the saints would have greater power when they have risen from the dead than they had when burdened with the weakness of the flesh. But they also showed that the miracle of the resurrection is not unbelievable, as they believed it of their own accord without any teaching, yet they proved by their own blindness and envy that they had not believed the credible truth in the Lord.
Mark 6:16
When this was heard, Herod said: "John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead." Luke wrote about this in this way: "Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John was risen from the dead; by some, that Elijah had appeared, etc." (Luke IX). It must be understood, therefore, either that after this perplexity he confirmed in his mind what was said by others when he said: "John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead"; or these words must be pronounced in such a way as to indicate that he was still doubtful. For if he were to say: "Is this indeed, or is this perhaps John the Baptist?" there would be no need to remind anything about pronunciation, because he would be understood as doubting and hesitating. Now, since these words are lacking, it can be pronounced in both ways, so that we can understand him to have spoken, confirmed by the words of others, or still (as Luke recounts) hesitating.
Mark 6:17
For Herod himself sent and seized John, and bound him in prison because of Herodias. The old story relates that Philip, the son of the elder Herod, under whom the Lord fled to Egypt, and the brother of that Herod under whom Christ suffered, had married Herodias, the daughter of King Aretas. Afterward, however, because of certain disputes against his son-in-law, her father took his daughter and, to the grief of her former husband, married her to his enemy. But who this Philip is, the Evangelist Luke teaches more fully: "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, Philip his brother tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis" (Luke III). [Mark 6:17-18] -- Thus John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, with the same authority with which Elijah had rebuked Ahab and Jezebel, reproved Herod and Herodias for having an unlawful marriage, and that it was not permitted, while his brother was alive, to marry his brother's wife, preferring to risk his safety with the king rather than to be forgetful of God's commandments for the sake of flattery.
Mark 6:21
And when a convenient day had come, Herod on his birthday made a supper for his lords, etc. Herod and Pharaoh alone among mortals are read to have celebrated their birthdays with joyful festivities; but each king defiled his own festival with blood under ill-omened auspices. However, Herod with much greater impiety, since he killed a holy and innocent teacher of truth, and the herald of life and the heavenly kingdom, and this at the request and petition of a dancer, neither was he ashamed to present the head of the slain man before the guests. For Pharaoh is not read to have committed such madness, but only ordering a sinful eunuch to be deprived of life. So far as he strayed from the cult of true religion, so much lighter is his transgression in violating his own festival. Nevertheless, from the example of both it is proven, it is more useful to us to recall frequently in fear and chaste behavior the day of future death, rather than to celebrate the day of birth in revelry. For man is born to labor in the world (Job 5), and the elect pass unto rest through death from the world.
Mark 6:22
And when the daughter of Herodias had come in and danced, and pleased Herod. Herod is not excused for having committed murder unwillingly and reluctantly because of an oath, since he perhaps swore for the purpose of preparing the machinery for the future killing. Otherwise, if he claims to have done it for the sake of an oath, if she had asked for the death of his father or mother, would he have done it, or not? What therefore he would have repudiated in his own case, he ought also to have contemned in the prophet. [Mark 6:24] -- When she had gone out, she said to her mother: "What shall I ask?" And she said: "The head of John the Baptist, etc." Herodias, fearing lest Herod should at some point come to his senses, or become a friend of her brother Philip and dissolve the illicit marriage with divorce, advised her daughter to immediately ask for the head of John at the very banquet, a work worthy of the dance, a prize worthy of blood!
Mark 6:26
And the king was distressed, because of the oath and because of those who were reclining at the table, he did not want to sadden her, but having sent an executioner, he commanded that her head be brought on a platter, etc. It is the habit of Scriptures that the historian recounts the opinion of many just as it was believed by all at that time. Just as Joseph is called the father of Jesus even by Mary herself, so now Herod is said to be distressed because those reclining at the table thought this. For, a pretender of his mind and a skilled murderer, he showed sadness on his face while he had joy in his mind. And he excused his crime by an oath, so that under the pretense of piety, he would become impious. But when it is added: And because of those reclining at the table, he wanted all to be partners in his crime, so that in a luxurious and impure banquet, bloody food would be served.
Mark 6:28
And he brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. This can be understood literally, but we even today perceive in the head of John the prophet, that the Jews lost Christ, who is the head of prophets. Alternatively: The beheading of John indicates the reduction of his fame, by which Christ was believed by the people, just as the exaltation on the cross of the Lord Savior marked the advancement of faith, because before he was thought by the crowds to be a prophet, the Lord of prophets, and Christ the Son of God was acknowledged by all the faithful. Thus, John was diminished by his beheading, and the Lord was exalted on the cross, because, as the same John said, it was necessary for him to grow, but for John to diminish. And it was fitting that he who was esteemed as a prophet be recognized as Christ, and he who was considered Christ because of the height of his virtues be understood to be the prophet and precursor of Christ. This very distinction of the time at which each of them was born has been clearly signified, because John, who was to decrease, was born when the divine light begins to wane. But the Lord, who is the true light of the world, at that time of the year when days begin to grow longer, bestowed on us the shining gifts of his nativity.
Mark 6:29
Upon hearing this, his disciples came, took away his body, and placed it in a tomb. Josephus reports that John, being bound, was taken to the fortress of Machaerus, where he was beheaded. Ecclesiastical history narrates that he was buried in Sebaste, a city of Palestine, which was once called Samaria. But in the time of the leader Julian, pagans, envying the Christians who piously visited his tomb, attacked the monument, scattered the bones across the fields, and, upon gathering them again, burned them with fire and once more dispersed them across the fields. At that time, there were monks from Jerusalem present there, who, mingling among the pagans as they collected the bones, gathered the majority of them and brought them to their father Philip in Jerusalem. And he sent them to the blessed Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, where they were kept until the time of Theophilus, bishop of the same city, when, by the order of Prince Theodosius, all the shrines of the nations were destroyed. Then, after the temple of Serapis was cleansed of impurities, they were placed there, and the basilica was consecrated in honor of Saint John in place of the shrine of Serapis. Read the eleventh book of Ecclesiastical History.
Mark 6:30
And the apostles, gathering together, reported to Jesus all that they had done and taught. Not only did the apostles report to the Lord what they had done and taught themselves, but also what John suffered while they were engaged in teaching, or his own disciples or those disciples of John reported to him, as Matthew describes. Hence follows that which comes next: [Mark 6:31] -- And he said to them: Come apart into a desert place, and rest a little while, etc. Not only for the sake of their rest, but also for the mystical significance, because indeed Judah, having abandoned, which had taken away the head of prophecy from itself by not believing, in the desert of the Church which had no husband, the food of the word would be for the believers, as if to bestow feasts of bread and fish. For there the holy preachers, who in unbelieving and opposing Judea, were for some time pressed by the heavy burden of tribulations, found rest from the grace of faith bestowed upon the nations. And what need there was to grant rest to the disciples is subsequently shown, when it says:
Mark 6:31
For many were coming and going, and they had not even time to eat. Where the great happiness of that time is demonstrated by the labor of the teachers and the zeal of the learners, which would that it return in our time, so that such great crowds of faithful listeners throng to the ministers of the word, that they have no free time for tending to the body. For when the necessary hour for tending to the body is denied, how much less is there opportunity for indulging in the allurements of soul or flesh? Rather, from whom the word of faith and the ministry of salvation is sought timely and untimely, the spirit of these men is consequently kindled always to do and think of heavenly things, lest by their actions they contradict what they teach with words. [Mark 6:32] -- And getting into the boat, they went away to a desert place apart. Not the disciples alone, but taking the Lord with them, they got into the boat and sought a desert place, as the evangelist Matthew clearly shows.
Mark 6:33
And they saw them going away, and many recognized them, and they ran afoot from all the towns, etc. By saying that they outstripped them on foot, it is shown that the disciples with the Lord did not reach another shore of the sea or Jordan by ship, but having crossed a certain strait or lake, they went to the nearby places of the same region, which the natives could reach on foot.
Mark 6:34
And going out, Jesus saw a great crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. How He had compassion on them, Matthew explains more fully by saying: And He had compassion on them, and healed their sick. For this is truly to have compassion on the poor and those without a shepherd, to open the way of truth to them by teaching; and to remove bodily ailments by healing; but also to refresh the hungry, revitalizing them to the praise of divine generosity. The following parts of this reading also commemorate Him doing these things. Moreover, He tests the faith of the crowds and, having tested it, rewards it with a worthy recompense. For by seeking solitude, He explores whether they care to follow. They, by following and not with beasts of burden or various vehicles, but by taking the path of the desert with their own effort of feet, show how much they care for their salvation. Again, He, as the powerful and compassionate Savior and healer, by welcoming the weary, teaching the ignorant, healing the sick, refreshing the hungry, indicates how much He delights in the devotion of believers. According to the laws of allegory, Christ sought the deserts of the nations, and many bands of the faithful, leaving the confines of their old way of life, neglecting the support of various doctrines, followed. And He who was first known in Judea, after the teeth of the Jews became weapons and arrows, and their tongues a sharp sword (Psalm 57), God was exalted above the heavens, and His glory over all the earth.
Mark 6:35
And when the hour was now late, His disciples came to Him saying: The place is deserted, and the hour is already past. Send them away so that going into the nearby villages and towns, they may buy themselves food to eat. The late hour signifies evening time, as Luke testifies, who says: But the day began to decline, and the twelve came to Him saying: Send the crowds away, etc. (Luke 9). When the day declined, the Savior refreshes the crowds, either because the end of times is near, or when the Sun of Righteousness set for us, we were saved from the long decay of spiritual famine.
Mark 6:37
And he answering said to them: Give them something to eat. He provokes the apostles to the breaking of the bread, so that by their testifying they have nothing, the greatness of the sign might be better known: at the same time insinuating that daily through them our fasting hearts must be fed, clearly when we are roused to love heavenly things either by their examples or their writings. Note, however, that the evangelist John, writing about this miracle of the loaves, prefaced it with the announcement that the Passover, the feast day of the Jews, was near. However, Matthew and Mark recall that this happened immediately after John was killed. From this, it is inferred that John was beheaded at the approach of this same Paschal festival, and the mystery of the Lord's Passion was completed in the following year, when the Paschal time returned again. And therefore, signified in the book of the Sacraments is his nativity on the fourth Kalends of September, and in the Martyrology, which is adorned with the names of Eusebius and Jerome, it is read: on the fourth Kalends of September, in the city of Edessa in the province of Phoenicia, the nativity of John the Baptist, the day on which he was beheaded: this does not specifically denote the day of his beheading, but rather the day on which his head was found in the same city of Edessa and placed in a church.
Indeed, as the Chronicles of Marcellinus testify, in the time of Emperor Marcian, two eastern monks came to Jerusalem to worship and see the holy places; to whom the same precursor of the Lord, standing by revelation, commanded to go to the dwelling of Herod the king and seek his head there, and upon finding it, to place it in honor. Found by them and taken, but soon lost through negligence, it was brought to Edessa by others and placed in a certain cave in an urn underground, ignobly for a considerable time, until John again showed himself and his head to a certain pious abbot and priest named Marcellus, when he lived in the same cave. Clearly, it was found by the bishop of that city, named Julioramus, through the aforementioned priest. From that time, the beheading of the blessed precursor began to be celebrated in that city on the day when his head was found or lifted. You will find this written more extensively in the aforementioned book of Chronicles.
Mark 6:38
And he says to them: How many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they knew, they said: Five, and two fish. By the five loaves of the Apostles, and two fish, the whole scripture of the Old Testament is signified. By the five loaves, namely the five books of the Mosaic law, by which the knowledge of divine eternity, the creation of the world, the course of the passing age, and the true religion of serving God became known to mankind. By the two fish, the psalms and the prophets are represented, which fed the people educated in the law of God with the new sweetness of grace from the promise of the Lord’s incarnation. By this threefold distinction of sacred Scripture, we are taught by the Lord’s authority that the entire series of the old instrument is comprehended. For appearing to the disciples after the resurrection, the Lord himself said that it was necessary that all things that were written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms concerning me should be fulfilled (Luke 24). And when he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and to hand them over, spiritually understood, to the faithful listeners, as though blessing the apostolic loaves and the fish, and multiplying them with the gift of internal sweetness, he ordered them to be distributed to the crowds.
Well, according to the Gospel of John, the loaves, which signify the law, are reported to have been barley loaves, which is mainly the food of animals and mostly of rustic servants, because to those just beginning and not yet perfect listeners, harsher and more coarse precepts must be entrusted. For the natural man does not receive the things that are of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2). And therefore the Lord, giving gifts according to each one’s strength and always provoking toward more perfect things, first feeds five thousand with five loaves, second four thousand men with seven loaves, third entrusts the mystery of his flesh and blood to the disciples: at last he grants the great gift to the elect, that they may eat and drink at his table in his kingdom.
Mark 6:39
And he commanded them to make them all sit down in companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. The different groups of those reclining signify the distinct gatherings of the churches around the world, which make up one catholic. The Lord commanded them well to recline by hundreds and by fifties, so that the crowd of the faithful, both distinguished by locations and united by morals, might receive their food. Indeed, the rest of the jubilee is contained in the mystery of the number fifty, and fifty is doubled to reach a hundred. Therefore, because one first rests from evil work, so that later the soul rests more fully in thought, some recline by fifties, others by hundreds, because there are some who have rest from corrupt actions, and there are some who already have rest in mind from perverse thoughts. They also reclined well on the green grass. For it is written, All flesh is grass (Isa. XL). And those reclining on the green grass are fed with the Lord's food, who, through the zeal of continence and trampling down the allurements of carnal desires, devote themselves to listening and fulfilling the words of God.
Mark 6:41
And taking the five loaves and the two fishes, looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke and gave to his disciples to set before them; and he divided the two fishes among them all. The Savior, to the hungry crowds, does not create new food, but accepting what the disciples had, blesses it; because coming in the flesh, he did not preach other than what was foretold, but shows how the writings of the Law and the Prophets are laden with the mysteries of grace. He looks to heaven to teach that the gaze of the mind must be directed there and that the light of knowledge is to be sought there. He breaks and distributes to the disciples to set before the crowds because he revealed the sacraments of prophecy to the holy teachers who preach these throughout the world. [Mark 6:43] -- And they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. What is left over for the crowds is lifted by the disciples; for the holier mysteries that the unskilled cannot grasp are not to be negligently omitted, but are to be sought by the perfected. For the twelve baskets symbolize the apostles, and by the apostles, all the choirs of following teachers are represented, indeed despised outwardly by men, but inwardly filled with the remnants of the saving food to nourish the hearts of the humble. For it is known that servile work is usually carried out with baskets, but He Himself filled the baskets with fragments of bread, Who chose the weak things of this world to confound the strong.
Mark 6:44
Now those who ate were five thousand men. Because there are five senses of the outer human being, the five thousand men who followed the Lord signify those who, though still in a secular condition, know how to use well the external things they possess. They are rightly fed with five loaves, because such people must still be instructed by legal precepts. For those who completely renounce the world and are four thousand, and are fed with seven loaves, that is, they are elevated by the evangelical perfection and are inwardly taught by spiritual grace.
Mark 6:45
And immediately he compelled his disciples to get into the ship and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd, etc. Why he compelled his disciples to get into the ship, and he himself, after dismissing the crowd, went up into the mountain to pray, John clearly declares, who, after completing that celestial refreshment, immediately added: "Jesus therefore, knowing that they would come and take him by force to make him king, fled again into the mountain himself alone" (John VI). Here he shows us a necessary example of living, that in the good things we do, we should avoid the retribution of human favor, and the exercise of spiritual virtues should not turn us to the desire for temporal pleasures. For it happened to some, that while they were admired for the merit of a higher life in their habits and were thought rightfully worthy of honor, upon receiving money or estates, they lost the rudiments of justice they had begun, and careless, they were corrupted by carnal seductions and avarice, and even by those who honored them for their good deeds, they became, due to their evil actions, not only despised but also hated. It is much less dangerous to be worn out by the wickedness of opponents in the things we do rightly than to be soothed by the favor of those who honor us. For the latter often corrupts a more secure mind, while the former always makes one circumspect and cautious.
Hence the Lord, initiating the path of life for us to follow, when those who admired his virtues wanted to make him king, fled into the mountain to pray. But when those who envied his virtues intended to deliver him to death, he promptly faced them and offered himself to be bound and crucified by the furious, teaching us by an evident example to be ready to endure the adversities of the world and to be cautious to avoid its flatteries when they might ensnare us; and lest the world's prosperity decieve us by softening us, we should implore the Lord with frequent prayers. The disciples preceded the Lord across the sea to Bethsaida, which is a city in Galilee of the apostles Andrew, Peter, and Philip, near the lake Gennesaret, as we find in books about places. Here he rightly advises how Mark says, after the miracle of the loaves, the disciples came across the sea to Bethsaida, while Luke seems to say that the memorable miracle and the celestial refreshment took place in the regions of Bethsaida. For he says: "Taking them, he withdrew privately to a deserted place, which is Bethsaida. But when the crowds found out, they followed him, and he received them" (Luke IX). And other things followed, up to the completion of the sacred refreshment history. Unless perhaps we understand by what Luke says, to a deserted place, which is Bethsaida, not the vicinity of the city itself, but the deserted places pertaining to it.
For Mark openly states that they preceded him to Bethsaida, where the boundaries of the city are clearly marked. But Luke, who does not say "to the deserted place, which is Bethsaida," but "which is Bethsaida," can rightly be understood, unless I am mistaken, as not referring to the city itself but to the deserted place pertaining to it, that is, adjacent to its boundaries. However, the Evangelist John narrates that the crowds ate bread near Tiberias, and the disciples getting into the ship came across the sea to Capernaum, both of which are cities in Galilee near the lake of Gennesaret, which is also called Tiberias from the city of Tiberias.
Mark 6:46
And when he dismissed them, he went into the mountain to pray. Not everyone who prays ascends into the mountain; for there is prayer that commits sin. But he who prays well, who seeks God by praying, this one, progressing from earthly things to higher things, ascends the summit of higher care. However, he who prays concerned about riches, or worldly honor, or certainly the death of an enemy, lying in the lowest parts himself, sends vile prayers to God. The Lord, however, prays not to petition for himself, but to intercede for me. For although he has placed all things in the power of his Son; nevertheless, the Son, to fulfill the form of a man, thinks it proper to petition the Father for us, because he is our advocate. For the Apostle says, “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ” (1 John 2). If he is an advocate, he ought to intervene for my sins. Therefore, he prays not as weak, but as pious. Do you want to know that he can do all things he wills? He is both advocate and judge. In one is the duty of piety, in the other is the insignia of power.
Mark 6:47
And when evening was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And seeing them toiling in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them. The labor of the disciples in rowing, and the wind being contrary to them, signifies the various labors of the holy Church, which, among the waves of the opposing world and the foul flows of spirits strives to reach the rest of the heavenly homeland as if to the safe station of the shore. Where it is well said, that the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. Because sometimes the Church, by such pressures of the pagans, is not only afflicted but also defiled to such an extent that (if it could be done) its Redeemer seems to have entirely deserted it for a time. Whence comes that voice of it amidst the waves and storms of sweeping temptations, and seeking the help of his protection with groaning clamor, “Why, O Lord, have you withdrawn far off? You despise in times of necessity, in tribulation” (Ps. IX)? Which likewise exposes the voice of the persecuting enemy, adjoining the following of the Psalm: “For he has said in his heart, God has forgotten; he has turned away his face, that he see not to the end” (Ibid.). But indeed He does not forget the prayer of the poor, nor does He turn away his face from those who hope in Him:
rather, He both helps those struggling with enemies to overcome and crowns the victors forever. Whence also here it is openly said, that he saw them toiling in rowing. For the Lord saw them laboring in the sea, although he was himself placed on the land, because even if sometimes he seems to delay imparting help to the troubled, nonetheless he supports them with the regard of his mercy so they do not fail in tribulations, and sometimes even with manifest help, having conquered adversities, as if treading upon and calming the waves, he liberates, as here also it is subsequently insinuated when it is said:
Mark 6:48
And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. Military stations and watches are divided into periods of three hours each. Therefore, when it says that the Lord came to them in the fourth watch of the night, it shows that they were in danger all night, and help was given to them at the end of the night. [Mark 6:48] -- They struggle through the entire dark time of the night, but as dawn approaches and the morning star promises the rise of the sun and day, the Lord comes, walking over, and subdues the swelling waves of the sea. For when human frailty, beset with pressures, considers its own weakness, it sees nothing concerning itself but the darkness of distress and the heat of fighting enemies. But when it lifts its mind to the light of heavenly protection and the gifts of perpetual reward, it sees, as it were, the sudden appearance of the morning star among the shadows of the night, which announces the coming day. For the morning star, for the most part, is said to illuminate three hours of the night, that is, the entire morning watch. And the Lord will come who, when the dangers of temptations have been lulled, will grant full confidence of freedom through His protection. It follows:
Mark 6:48
And he wanted to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost, and they cried out. For they all saw him and were troubled. Even now heretics think the Lord was a ghost and did not truly take on flesh from the virgin. Indeed, Theodore of Pharan, once a bishop, wrote that the Lord did not have physical weight according to the flesh but walked on the sea without weight and body. But the Catholic faith professes that he had weight according to the flesh, a corporeal burden, and walked on the waters with weight and bodily burden without sinking his feet. For Dionysius, an eminent writer among the ecclesiastical, in his works on the Divine Names, speaks thus: For we do not understand how from the virgin's blood by a law beyond natural formation, and how with feet set without sinking, bearing bodily weight and material burden, he walked on the wet and unstable substance. But how the Lord wished to pass by them, as if strangers, whom he had come to deliver from the peril of shipwreck, except that, disturbed and frightened for a moment, but immediately freed, they might marvel all the more at the miracle of their deliverance and give greater thanks to their deliverer? For even in the tempests of persecutions which arise for the constancy of faith from the faithless, such divine providence is sometimes shown.
For often the heavenly piety seemed to desert the faithful placed in tribulation so that it might seem as if Jesus wished to pass by the struggling disciples on the sea. Hence it is also in the psalmist, sweating in the struggle of the Church's martyrdom: Why have you forgotten me, why have you rejected me, and why do I go about mourning while the enemy afflicts me? While all my bones are being broken, etc. But the terrifying enemies say, Where is their God? (Psalm XLII) as if threatening shipwreck to the weary apostles. Their God himself says: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you (Isaiah XLIII). Hence it is rightly added here:
Mark 6:50
And immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. The first aid to those trembling and in danger is to banish fear struck into their hearts. The second is to quench the fury of the storms with the power of His presence. Nor is it to be wondered at that, when the Lord ascended into the boat, the wind ceased. For in whatever heart God is present by the grace of His love, soon all the battles of vices, and the opposing world, or evil spirits, are repressed and calmed. [Mark 6:51] -- And they were even more astounded within themselves. For they had not understood about the loaves. For their hearts were hardened. Indeed, the Lord showed that he was the creator of things in the miracle of the loaves: and in walking upon the waves, he taught that he had a body free from all the heaviness of sins: and in calming the winds and subduing the rage of the waves, he demonstrated that he ruled over the elements. But the disciples, still cardinal, did not yet recognize this to be God. And indeed, they were astonished at the magnitude of His virtues: yet they were not yet able to recognize in Him the truth of divine majesty.
Mark 6:53
When they had disembarked from the boat, they immediately recognized him: And running through that whole region, they began to carry those who were ill on mats to wherever they heard he was. They recognized him by reputation, not by face: or certainly because of the greatness of the signs he performed among the people, very many knew him by appearance as well. And see how great is the faith of the people of the land of Gennesaret, that they are not content with the salvation of those who are present only, but send out to other cities around, so that all may run to the healer. [Mark 6:56] -- And wherever he entered into villages, cities, or the countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him to let them touch even the fringe of his garment. And all who touched him were healed. Those who are unwell should not touch the body of Jesus, nor his whole garment, but the outermost fringe. And whoever touches it will be healed. Understand the fringe of his garment as the least commandment, which if anyone breaks, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven: or the assumption of flesh by which we come to the word of God, and afterwards enjoy his majesty.