But Jesus said to them, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 16. But Jesus said. It may perhaps be asked here, if then our Lord, as Saint John relates, looking upon the multitude, inquired of Philip how so great a multitude could be fed in the desert, how can this be true, which S. Mat. relates, that the disciples first desired Jesus to send away the multitude? But we are to understand, that after these words our Lord looked upon the multitude, and said to Philip what Saint John mentions, which S. Mat. and the other evangelists omit. Saint Augustine de concord. evang.—They have no need to go: give you them to eat. This he says for our instruction, that when the poor ask us alms, we send them not to other persons and other places, if we are able to relieve them ourselves. E.—This happened when the Passover was near at hand, (being the third since the commencement of our Saviour’s ministry.) Saint John does not usually relate what is mentioned by the other evangelists, especially what happened in Galilee. If he does it on this occasion, it is in order to introduce the subject of the heavenly bread, 6:37. He seems also to have had in view to describe the different Passovers during Christ’s preaching. As he, therefore, staid in Galilee during the third Passover, he relates pretty fully his transactions during that time.