Fifthly, The account taken of the guests; not that they might pay their share, (here was no reckoning to be discharged, they were fed gratis,) but that they might be witnesses to the power and goodness of Christ, and that this might be some resemblance of that universal providence that gives food to all flesh, Ps. 136. 25. Here were four thousand men fed; but what were they to that great family which is provided for by the divine care every day? God is a great Housekeeper, on whom the eyes of all the creatures wait, and he giveth them their food in due season, Ps. 104. 27.—145. 15.
Lastly, The dismission of the multitude, and Christ's departure to another place; (v. 39.) He sent away the people. Though he had fed them twice, they must not expect miracles to be their daily bread. Let them now go home to their callings, and to their own tables. And he himself departed by ship to another place; for, being the Light of the world, he must be still in motion, and go about to do good.
CHAP. XVI.
None of Christ's miracles are recorded in this chapter, but four of his discourses. Here is, I. A conference with the Pharisees, who challenged him to show them a sign from heaven, v. 1..4. II. Another with his disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees, v. 5..12. III. Another with them concerning himself, as the Christ, and concerning his church built upon him, v. 13..20. IV. Another concerning his sufferings for them, and theirs for him, v. 21..28. And all these are written for our learning.
1.THE Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting, desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather; for the sky is red: 3. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites! ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4. A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
We have here Christ's discourse with the Pharisees and Sadducees, men at variance among themselves, as appears, Acts 23. 7, 8. and yet unanimous in their opposition to Christ; because his doctrine did equally overthrow the errors and heresies of the Sadducees, who denied the existence of spirits and a future state; and the pride, tyranny, and hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who were the great imposers of the traditions of the elders. Christ and Christianity meet with opposition on all hands. Observe,
I. Their demand, and the design of it.
1. The demand was of a sign from heaven; this they desired him to show them; pretending they were very willing to be satisfied and convinced, when really they were far from being so, but sought excuses for an obstinate infidlity, That which they pretended to desire, was,
(1.) Some other sign than what they had yet had. They had great plenty of signs; every miracle Christ wrought was a sign, for no man could do what he did unless God were with him. But this will not serve, they must have a sign of their own choosing; they despised those signs which relieved the necessity of the sick and sorrowful, and insisted upon some sign which would gratify the curiosity of the proud. It is fit that the proofs of divine revelation should be chosen by the wisdom of God, not by the follies and fancies of men. The evidence that is given, is sufficient to satisfy an unprejudiced understanding, but was not intended to please a vain humour. And it is an instance of the deceitfulness of the heart, to think that we should be wrought upon by the means and advantages which we have not, while we slight those which we have. If we hear not Moses and the prophets, neither would we be wrought upon though one rose from the dead.
(2.) It must be a sign from heaven. They would have such miracles to prove his commission, as were wrought at the giving of the law upon mount Sinai; thunder, and lightning, and the voice of words, were the sign from heaven they required. Whereas the sensible signs and terrible ones were not agreeable to the spiritual and comfortable dispensation of the gospel. Now the word comes more nigh us, (Rom. 10. 8.) and therefore the miracles do so, and do not oblige us to keep such a distance as these did, Heb. 12. 18.
2. The design was, to tempt him; not to be taught by him, but to ensnare him. If he should show them a sign from heaven, they would attribute it to a confederacy with the prince of the power of the air; if he should not, as they supposed he would not, they would have that to say for themselves, why they did not believe on him. They now tempted Christ as Israel did, 1 Cor. 10. 9. And observe their perverseness; then, when they had signs from heaven, they tempted Christ, saying, Can he furnish a table in the wilderness? Now that he had furnished a table in the wilderness, they tempted him, saying, Can he give us a sign from heaven?
II. Christ's reply to this demand; lest they should be wise in their own conceit, he answered these fools according to their folly, Prov. 26. 5. In his answer,
1. He condemns their overlooking of the signs they had, v. 2, 3. They were seeking for the signs of the kingdom of God, when it was already among them. The Lord was in this place, and they knew it not. Thus their unbelieving ancestors, when miracles were their daily bread, asked, Is the Lord among us, or is he not?
To expose this, he observes to them,
(1.) Their skilfulness and sagacity in other things, particularly in natural prognostications of the weather; "You know that a red sky over night is a presage of fair weather, and a red sky in the morning, of foul weather. There are common rules drawn from observation and experience, by which it is easy to foretell very probably what weather it will be. When second causes have begun to work, we may easily guess at their issue, so uniform is nature in its motions, and so consistent with itself. We know not the balancings of the clouds, (Job 37. 16.) but we may spell something from the faces of them. This gives no countenance at all to the wild and ridiculous predictions of the astrologers, the star-gazers, and the monthly prognosticators, (Isa. 47. 13.) concerning the weather long before, with which weak and foolish people are imposed upon; we are sure, in general, that seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, shall not cease. But as to the particulars, till, by the weather-glasses, or otherwise, we perceive the immediate signs and harbingers of the change of weather, it is not for us to know, no, not that concerning the times and seasons. Let it suffice, that it shall be what weather pleases God; and that which pleases God, should not displease us.
(2.) Their sottishness and stupidity in the concerns of their souls; Can ye not discern the signs of the times?
[1.] "Do you not see that the Messiah is come?" The sceptre was departed from Judah, Daniel's
