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Mark 6:1. He left from there and came to His fatherland; His disciples followed Him. Mark 6:2. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard said in amazement: Where did He get this from? What kind of wisdom was given to Him, and how are such miracles performed by His hands? Mark 6:3. Isn't He the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Josiah, Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here, between us? And they were offended because of Him. The Lord comes to the Fatherland not because he did not know that he would be ignored, but so that later they could not say: if He had come, we would have believed. He comes along to expose the envious nature of His compatriots; for while they should have admired the Lord, who so adorned their fatherland with teachings and miracles, they instead humiliated the Lord for His poor origin. That's what evil is envy! She always tries to darken what is good and does not allow those who are envious to see it. So now many, out of ill-intention and extreme ignobility, dishonor some because of their humble origins, although they are worthy of all honor. Mark 6:4. Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and among his relatives and in his own house. Mark 6:5. And he could not perform any miracle there, only laying his hands on a few sick people and healing them; Mark 6:6. And he marveled at their unbelief; The Lord says in general about all the prophets that they do not enjoy honor in their homelands, among relatives and households. Do they have famous relatives? In this case, these relatives envy them and therefore dishonor them. Will they be of poor origin? - they are again dishonored for their poor origins. The Lord could not work miracles there, not because he was powerless, but because they were unbelievers. While sparing them, He does not perform miracles, so as not to serve to further condemn them as unbelievers and at the sight of miracles. On the other hand, miracles require, firstly, the power of the performer, and secondly, the faith of those who receive the miracle. Since the second (of these conditions), that is, the faith of those who needed healing, was lacking here, it was not appropriate for Jesus to perform miracles. So we must understand that the evangelist’s expression “and could not” was used instead of “did not dare.” then he walked around the surrounding villages and taught. Mark 6:7. And having called twelve, he began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. Mark 6:8. And he commanded them not to take anything for the journey except one staff: no bag, no bread, no copper in their belts, Mark 6:9. but to put on simple shoes and not wear two clothes. Mark 6:10. And he said to them: If you enter a house anywhere, stay in it until you leave that place. Mark 6:11. And if anyone will not receive you and will not listen to you, then when you leave there, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city. The Lord taught not only in cities, but also in villages, so that we would know that we should neither neglect small towns nor constantly visit large cities, but that we should sow the word in small towns as well. Further, not only did He Himself teach, but He also sent His disciples, two at a time, so that they would be bolder. Otherwise, if He had sent them one at a time, then one would not have been able to act so boldly, and if He had sent more than two at a time, then the number of apostles would not have been enough for all the villages. So, he sends two at a time: “Two are better than one,” says Ecclesiastes (Eccl. 4:9). He commands them not to take anything - neither scrip, nor belt money, nor bread, in order to teach them non-covetousness and so that others, looking at them, will be touched when they teach non-covetousness by the fact that they themselves have nothing. In fact, who will not be touched and moved to non-covetousness, seeing that the apostle does not take either the bag or the bread, which is most needed for us? He orders them to stay in one house, so that they do not think of them as changing places for the sake of gluttony, wandering from one to another. From those who would not accept them, they had to, according to the Lord, shake off the dust from their feet as a sign that they had made a long journey for their sake and, however, without benefit for them, or as a sign that they had not taken anything from them, not even the dust itself, that, on the contrary, they shook it off, so that it would turn into a testimony to them, that is, in reproof. “Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment” than for those who do not receive you. For the Sodomites, having been punished here, will be punished more easily there; Moreover, the apostles were not sent to them. On the contrary, those who did not accept the apostles will suffer the most severe torments of those. Mark 6:12. They went and preached repentance; Mark 6:13. They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. The fact that the apostles anointed with oil is spoken of by Mark alone and also by James, the brother of God, in his Council Epistle: “If any of you is sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil” (James 5:14). Oil is also useful against diseases, it is used for illumination, is used in a joyful state of mind and signifies the mercy of God and the grace of the Spirit, by which we get rid of diseases and from which we receive light, joy, and spiritual joy. Mark 6:14. King Herod, having heard about Jesus (for His name had become known), said: It is John the Baptist who has risen from the dead, and therefore miracles are done by him. Mark 6:15. Others said: this is Elijah, and others said: this is a prophet, or like one of the prophets. Mark 6:16. When Herod heard it, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he rose from the dead. This Herod was the son of Herod, who beat up the infants. As a tetrarch, Mark calls him king, using this name not in the strict sense. Hearing about the miracles of the Lord and realizing that he had killed righteous John for no reason, Herod began to think that he had risen from the dead and after his resurrection received the power to work miracles. Before, John had not performed a single sign, but after the resurrection, Herod thought so, he received the power to perform signs. But others said about Christ that this was Elijah, because He denounced many, for example, when he said: “Oh, unfaithful generation!” But Herod was afraid. This man was so pitiful that he was afraid of the dead! Mark 6:17. For this Herod sent and took John and put him in prison for Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. Mark 6:18. For John said to Herod: You must not have your brother’s wife. Mark 6:19. Herodias, angry at him, wanted to kill him; but she couldn't. Mark 6:20. For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and took care of him; I did a lot by obeying him, and listened to him with pleasure. Mark takes this opportunity to place here an introductory discourse on the death of the Baptist. Some say that Herod took Herodias while Philip was still alive and for this he was rebuked as a wicked man who married the wife of his living brother. On the contrary, others claim that Philip had already died, but left behind a daughter. And when Philip had a daughter left, Herod should not have married his brother’s wife even after his brother’s death; for the Law commanded a brother to take his brother’s wife in the event that the latter died childless. But in the present case the daughter remained; therefore, Herod's marriage was lawless. Look how strong the passion of carnal love is! Herod, who had so much respect and fear for John, neglected this just to satisfy his passion. Mark 6:21. An opportune day came when Herod, on the occasion of his birthday, gave a feast to his nobles, the captains of thousands and the elders of Galilee - Mark 6:22. the daughter of Herodias entered, danced and pleased Herod and those who were reclining with him; the king said to the girl: ask me what you want, and I will give it to you; Mark 6:23. and he swore to her: whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you, even up to half of my kingdom. Mark 6:24. She went out and asked her mother: what to ask? She answered: the heads of John the Baptist. Mark 6:25. And she immediately went with haste to the king and asked, saying: I want you to give me now the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Mark 6:26. The king was saddened, but for the sake of the oath and those reclining with him, he did not want to refuse her. Mark 6:27. And immediately, sending a squire, the king ordered his head to be brought. Mark 6:28. He went and cut off his head in prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the maiden, and the maiden gave it to her mother. Mark 6:29. When his disciples heard it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. The feast goes on merrily: Satan dances in the maiden, and an oath is made, lawless and godless, and most of all insane. “So that you give it to me,” says the evil wife, “now,” now. The reckless and lustful Herod was afraid to break his oath and therefore kills the righteous man, whereas in this case he should have changed his oath and not committed such a terrible crime (it is not good to fulfill an oath everywhere). A squire was a military man who was appointed by society to execute and kill criminals. You can understand the place in question in a figurative, spiritual sense. Thus, Herod represents the grossly carnal people of the Jews: he took a wife - a false and absurd glory, whose daughter is still dancing and in motion among the Jews - this is their deceiving knowledge of the Scriptures. They think that they know the Scriptures, when in fact they do not, for they beheaded John, that is, the prophetic word, because they did not accept the Head of the prophecy, meaning Christ. Therefore, if they have a prophetic word, then they have it without a Head, that is, without Christ. Mark 6:30. And the Apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him everything, both what they had done and what they had taught. Mark 6:31. He said to them: go alone to a deserted place and rest a little, for there were many coming and going, so that they had no time to eat. Mark 6:32. And they went to a deserted place in a boat alone. Mark 6:33. The people saw them depart, and many recognized them; and they fled there on foot from all the cities, and warned them, and gathered to Him. After their preaching, the apostles gather to Jesus. This should be a lesson for us that we, having been elected to any ministry, should not leave obedience to the one who chose us and exalt ourselves before him, but must recognize him as the head, turn to him and report to him about everything that we have done and taught (we must not only teach, but also do). Christ gives His disciples rest; This is a lesson for the primates, so that they know how to give rest to those who labor in word and teaching, and not always keep them in tension and labor. Further, the Lord, not loving glory, retires into an empty place. However, even here he did not hide from those who were looking for Him. On the contrary, the people watched so carefully, lest the Lord hide from them, that they preceded, that is, got ahead of, the apostles themselves and went to the place where Jesus intended to rest. So you should anticipate Jesus: do not wait for Him to call you, but rather hurry forward yourself to warn Him. Mark 6:34. Jesus went out and saw a multitude of people and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and began to teach them a lot. Mark 6:35. And as much time had passed, His disciples, approaching Him, said: “This is a deserted place, and there is already a lot of time,” Mark 6:36. let them go so that they can go to the surrounding villages and villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. Mark 6:37. He answered them; you give them something to eat. And they said to Him: Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat? Mark 6:38. But He asked them: How many loaves do you have? go and have a look. When they found out, they said: five loaves and two fish. Mark 6:39. Then he ordered them to seat everyone in sections on the green grass. Mark 6:40. And they sat down in rows, hundreds and fifty. The Pharisees, being ravenous wolves, did not feed the people, but ate them. Therefore, the people, having passed them, gather to Christ, the true Shepherd. And Christ gives him food, first more useful and valuable - in words, and then bodily. But look at the students, how philanthropic they are! Feeling sorry for the people, they come to Christ and begin to beg Him for them. The Lord, tempting them and testing whether they knew His power, that He can feed the people, says: “Give them something to eat.” To this, the disciples, in the form of a reproach, present to Him, on the one hand, the greatness of their poverty, on the other, the large number of people, as if He does not know this. In this difficulty they say: “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?” Finally, the Lord makes everyone lie down on the grass in separate rows. That is, as if at different tables. Mark 6:41. He took the five loaves and two fish, looking up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to distribute to them; and he divided the two fish among everyone. Mark 6:42. And they all ate and were filled. Mark 6:43. And they collected twelve full baskets of pieces of bread and the remains of fish. Mark 6:44. There were about five thousand men who ate the loaves. The Lord looks to heaven, firstly, in order to teach us to ask for food from God, and not from the devil, as people who live on unrighteous gains do, and secondly, in order to show the people that Christ is not an opponent of God, on the contrary, He Himself calls on God. He gives the loaves to the disciples so that they will not forget about the miracle after they have received the loaves with their own hands. And twelve boxes of surplus remain for the same purpose, so that each of the apostles, carrying a box on his shoulders, would always keep the miracle in his memory. And the fact that not only to feed such a multitude of people, but also to leave surpluses, is a sign of the abundant power in Christ. Although Moses gave manna, it was only for everyone’s needs, for in what was left over, worms infested. And Elijah, impregnating a famous wife, delivered exactly as much as was enough for food. On the contrary, Jesus as Master produces what appears to be an excess. This is a historical meaning. In a figurative sense, the five loaves mean the books of Moses, of which there are five: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Two fish represent the words of the fishermen - Apostle and Gospel. These are what feed our five senses, signified by five thousand people. However, we cannot eat everything, but much will remain in excess, which the apostles alone can bear. Thus, we, who are still servile to the five senses, cannot bear the most difficult aspects of understanding the Law and the Gospel, but only the apostles can. Mark 6:45. And immediately He compelled His disciples to get into the boat and go forward to the other side to Bethsaida, while He sent the people away. Mark 6:46. And, having dismissed them, he went up the mountain to pray. Mark 6:47. In the evening the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on earth. Mark 6:48. And I saw them in distress on the voyage, because the wind was against them; About the fourth watch of the night he approached them, walking on the sea, and wanted to pass them. Mark 6:49. When they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. Mark 6:50. For everyone saw Him and were afraid. And immediately he spoke to them and said to them, “Be of good cheer; It's me, don't be afraid. Mark 6:51. And he entered the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were exceedingly amazed at themselves and marveled, Mark 6:52. for they did not understand the miracle of the loaves, because their hearts were hardened. "Forced the disciples". The disciples separated from Him only out of compulsion, but on their own they did not want to part, partly out of their love for Him, partly out of bewilderment about how He could come to them without a boat. And He, having dismissed the people, goes up (to the mountain) to pray alone, since prayer requires solitude and an imperturbable state. The Lord allows the disciples to be overwhelmed at sea so that they learn patience. For the same reason, He does not immediately appear to them, but allows them to be in danger from the storm for the whole night, in order to accustom them to be patient and wait for deliverance not at the very beginning of danger. But notice another circumstance, that is, that before ending the danger, He plunges them into even greater fear; for when they saw Him, they cried out in fear, thinking that it was a ghost. Then the Lord immediately encourages them with His voice, saying: “Do not be afraid”; then, entering the boat, he gives them complete peace of mind, because the wind suddenly stopped. Walking on the sea is a great miracle and is characteristic of the one true God; and the fact that there was confusion between the disciples and a contrary wind makes the miracle even more exalted. As for the apostles, they, not having known (Christ) from the miracle of the loaves, knew Him from the real miracle on the sea. Therefore, one can think that Christ allowed them to be in danger so that they, having not known Him from the miracle over the loaves, would now know from the miracle over the sea and benefit from it. Mark 6:53. And having crossed over, they arrived in the land of Gennesaret and landed on the shore. Mark 6:54. When they got out of the boat, immediately the inhabitants, recognizing Him, Mark 6:55. They ran around the entire area and began to bring the sick on their beds to where He was heard to be. Mark 6:56. And wherever He came, whether in villages, in cities, or in villages, they laid the sick in open places and asked Him to touch even the hem of His garment; and those who touched Him were healed. The Lord arrived in this place, it seems, after a considerable time (absence); That’s why the evangelist says: “having recognized Him... they began to bring the sick.” They had not yet invited Him into their homes, but they themselves brought the sick, begging them to touch at least the hem of His garment. For the miracle over the bleeding wife came to the attention of everyone and created even greater faith in them.