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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.
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