Matthew 14:18

Mat 14:18 . φέρετε , etc.: Christ’s imperial way in critical situations often arrests attention.” Stretch forth thine hand” (Mat 12:13 ). “Bring them hither to me.”

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 18. Bring them hither to me.] No creature of God should be considered as good or safe without the blessing of God in it. If thou have but even a handful of meal and a few herbs, bring them to Christ by prayer and faith, and he will make them a sufficiency for thy body, and a sacrament to thy soul. Let the minister of the Gospel attend also to this-let him bring all his gifts and graces to his Maker - let him ever know that his word can be of no use, unless the blessing of Christ be in it.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He said, bring them hither to me. The loaves and the fishes, signifying that they were sufficient; or that he would make them so: this he said, to try their faith in him, their obedience to him, and their liberality to others: and indeed, the best way to have an increase of temporal supplies, is to bring what we have, and put it into Christ's hands; whereby not only good is done to others, but that with an overplus is returned to the giver.

He said, bring them hither to me. The loaves and the fishes, signifying that they were sufficient; or that he would make them so: this he said, to try their faith in him, their obedience to him, and their liberality to others: and indeed, the best way to have an increase of temporal supplies, is to bring what we have, and put it into Christ's hands; whereby not only good is done to others, but that with an overplus is returned to the giver.

Matthew 14:19

mat 14:19

mat 14:19

mat 14:19And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass,.... The other evangelists say, that he ordered the disciples to cause the people to sit down; both no doubt were done: the multitude were commanded to sit down by Christ, which, without his orders, they would never have done; and the disciples were enjoined to place them in form, by companies, in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties, that their number might be the better taken, and the food more orderly distributed by the apostles:

and took the five loaves and the two fishes: into his hands, lifting them up, that they might be seen by the whole company; and they be fully convinced of the miracle going to be wrought by him:

and looking up to heaven; to his Father in heaven, who is the Father of mercies; and from whom every mercy and blessing of life comes; and giving thanks to him for the same, as was usually done by him,

he blessed the five loaves and the two fishes;

and brake the loaves, and divided the fishes;

and gave the loaves, and fishes also,

to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitude; who were the ministers and servants of Christ, employed by him in this manner, for the more orderly and quick dispatch of this business: and which was an emblem of their spiritual work and office: who received all their food from Christ, which they distributed to the churches, and fed them with.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

Ver. 18. Bring them hither to me] Bring we all we have and are to Christ, that he may take off the curse and add the blessing. What the apostle saith of meat and marriage, is true of the rest, "all things are sanctified by the word and prayer," 1Ti 4:3. To teach the people this it was, that the fruit of the trees was not to be eaten till the trees were circumcised, Lev 19:23.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Matthew only. He said, Bring them hither to me (ferete moi wde autouv). This gives the sense, but still more is implied. He takes up their wde . "Yes," he says, "it is possible to feed them where we are, and especially where I am. For there is not the poverty of supply here that you think there is." Observe that for the disciples to bring them "here" was in itself an act of faith.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Observe, 1. How the master of the feast marshals his guests, he commands them all to sit down: none of them reply, "sit down, but to what? Here are the mouths, but where is the meat? We can soon be set, but whence shall we be served?" Nothing of this; but they obey and expect.

O how easy is it to trust to God, and rely upon Providence, when there is corn in the barn, and bread in the cupboard! But when our stores are all empty, and nothing before us, then to depend upon an invisible bounty, is a true and noble act of faith.

Observe, 2. The actions performed by our blessed Saviour, He blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples and they to the multitude.

1. He blessed. Teaching us by his example, in all our wants to look up to heaven for a supply, to wait upon God for his blessing, and not to sit down to our food as a beast to his forage.

2. He brake the loaves. He could have multiplied them whole, why would he rather do it in the breaking? Perhaps to teach us, that we are to expect his blessing in the distribution, rather than in the reservation of what he gives us.

Scattering is the way to increasing: not grain hoarded up in the granary, but scattered in the furrows of the field, yields increase. Liberality is the way to riches, and penuriousness the road to poverty.

3. Christ gave the bread thus broken to his disciples that they might distribute it to the multitude. But why did not our Lord distribute it with his own hand, but by the hands of his disciples? Doubtless to win respect to his disciples from the people.

The same course doth our Lord take in spiritual distributions. He that could feed the world by his immediate hand, chooses rather by the hands of his ministers to divide the bread of life to all hearers.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. And He said, Bring them hither to Me.] Mk. has: “And He answered and said to them, Give ye to them to eat. And they say to Him, Are we to go away and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? And He saith to them, How many loaves have ye? go, see. And having ascertained, they say, Five, and two fishes.” Mt. summarises.—οὐκ ἔχομεν] The editor avoids the half-sarcastic question of the disciples.—οἱ δέ] for Mk.’s καί, as often. Mt. also avoids the question in the mouth of the Lord; see on 8:29, 16:9-10, 17:11, 14, 17, 18:1, 19:7, 26:18 and Introduction, p. xxxii.

(M)

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.