John 6:10 — Community Reflections

JOHN 6:10 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.”

Jesus said, 'Make the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men). — Jesus' command to sit (kathizo) is preparation for distribution. The grass detail suggests spring, consistent with Passover. The enumeration (peri pentakischilioi andres) refers to men, suggesting the total crowd with women and children exceeds 5000.

Church Fathers on John 6:10

As missiles rebound with great force from a hard body, and fly off in all directions, whereas a softer material retains and stops them; so violent men are only excited to greater rage by violence on the side of their opponents, whereas gentleness softens them. Christ quieted the irritation of the Jews by retiring from Jerusalem. He went into Galilee, but not to Cana again, but beyond the sea: After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
Chrysostom · 4th century

This sea has different names, from the different places with which it is connected; the sea of Galilee, from the province; the sea of Tiberias, from the city of that name. It is called a sea, though it is not salt water, that name being applied to all large pieces of water, in Hebrew. This sea our Lord often passes over, in going to preach to the people bordering on it.
Alcuin · 8th century

He goes from place to place to try the dispositions of people, and excite a desire to hear Him: And a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did on them that were diseased.
Theophylact · 11th century

Read all 47 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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