Matthew 16:4

As the Lord sent the multitudes away after the miracle of the five loaves, so also now, not on foot, but by boat, that the multitudes may not follow Him; "And He sent away the multitude, and entered into a ship, and came into the coasts of Magedan."

Mark says Dalmanutha; no doubt the same place under a different name; for many copies of the Gospel according to Mark have Magedan.

This Magedan is the country opposite Gerasa, and is interpreted "fruits," or "a messenger." It signifies a garden, of which it is said, "A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed," [Song of Songs 4:!2] wherein the fruits of virtues grow, and where the name of the Lord is announced. It teaches us that preachers having ministered the word to the multitude ought to be refreshed themselves with the fruits of the virtues within the chamber of their own heart. It follows; "And there come unto him Pharisees and Sadducees tempting him, and desired him to shew them a sign from heaven."

Wondrous blindness of the Pharisees and Sadducees! They asked a sign from heaven, as though the things they now saw were not signs. John shews what sign it was they desired; for he relates, that after the feeding with the five loaves, the multitudes came to the Lord and said, "What sign doest thou, that we may see it and believe on thee? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written, He gave them bread to eat from heaven." [John 6:30-31] Therefore when they say here, Shew us a sign from heaven, they mean, Cause that it rain manna for one or two days, that the whole people may eat, as was done for a long time in the desert. He looking into their thoughts as God, and knowing that even if a sign from heaven should be shewed them they would not believe, would not give them the sign for which they asked, as it follows, "But he answered and said unto them, When the evening is come, ye say, It will be fair weather; for the sky is red, &c."

That is, ver 2 and 3. They are omitted in many manuscripts and versions]. But the sense is clear, that fair and rainy days may be foretold by the condition and harmony of the elements. But the Scribes and Pharisees who seemed to be doctors of the Law could not discern the Saviour's coming by the predictions of the Prophets.

We might also understand this saying, "When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red," in this way, By the blood of Christ's passion at His first coming, indulgence of sin is given. "And in the morning, It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowring;" that is, at His second coming He will come with fire before Him.

Otherwise; "The sky is red and lowring;" that is, the Apostles suffer after the resurrection, by which ye may know that I shall judge hereafter; for if I spare not the good who are mine from present suffering, I shall not spare others hereafter; "Ye can therefore discern the face of the sky, but the signs of the times ye cannot."

"The signs of the times" He means of His own coming, or passion, to which the evening redness of the heavens may be likened; and the tribulation which shall be before His coming, to which the morning redness with the lowring sky may be compared.

As then in the sky there is one sign of fair weather, and another of rain, so ought ye to think concerning me; now, in this My first coming, there is need of these signs which are done in the earth; but those which are done in heaven are reserved for the time of the second coming. Now I come as a physician, then as a judge; now I come in secret, then with much pomp, when the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. But now is not the time of these signs, now have I come to die, and to suffer humiliations; as it follows, "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign he given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet."

This Matthew has already given; whence we may store up for our information, that the Lord spoke the same things many times, that where there are contradictions which cannot be explained, it may be understood that the same sayings were uttered on two different occasions.

interlin.: He says, "Evil and adulterous generation," that is, unbelieving, having carnal, and not spiritual understanding.

To this generation that thus tempted the Lord is not given a sign from heaven, such as they sought for, though many signs are given on the earth; but only to the generation of such as sought the Lord, in whose sight He ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit.

But what is meant by the sign of Jonas has been explained above.

And when the Pharisees heard this, they ought to have asked Him, What it was He meant? But they had not asked at first with any desire of learning, and therefore the Lord leaves them, as it follows, "And he left them, and went his way."

That is, leaving the evil generation of the Jews, He passed over the strait, and the people of the Gentiles followed Him.

Observe, we do not read here as in other places, that He sent the multitudes away and departed; but because the error of unbelief held the minds of the presumptuous, it is said that He left them.

Next let us remark in what way, when asked in regard to one sign, that He might show it from heaven, to the Pharisees and Sadducees who put the question, He answers and says, “ An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall be no sign given to it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet, ” when also, “He left them and departed.” But the sign of Jonah, in truth, according to their question, was not merely a sign but also a sign from heaven; so that even to those who tempted Him and sought a sign from heaven He, nevertheless, out of His own great goodness gave the sign. …

And He called them, indeed, “an evil generation,” because of the quality arising from evil which had been produced in them, for wickedness is voluntary evil-doing, but “adulterous” because that when the Pharisees and Sadducees left that which is figuratively called man, the word of truth or the law, they were debauched by falsehood and the law of sin. For if there are two laws, the law in our members warring against the law of the mind, and the law of the mind, we must say that the law of the mind, that is, the spiritual, is man, to whom the soul was given by God as wife, that is, to the man who is law, according to what is written, “A wife is married to a man by God;” but the other is a paramour of the soul which is subject to it, which also on account of it is called an adulteress. …

3. “And the Pharisees and Sadducees came anddesired Him to show them a sign from Heaven. But He saith, When it is evening, ye say, Fair weather, for the sky is red; and in the morning, Foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowering. Ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not the signs of the times? 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.”

4. What then saith the ardent Peter? “It is good for us to be here.” For because he had heard that Christ was to go to Jerusalem and to suffer, being in fear still and trembling for Him, even after His reproof, he durst not indeed approach and say the same thing again, “Be it far from thee;but from that fear obscurely intimates the same again in other words. That is, when he saw a mountain, and so great retirement and solitude, his thought was, “He hath great security here, even from the place; and not only from the place, but also from His going away no more unto Jerusalem.” For he would have Him be there continually: wherefore also he speaks of “tabernacles.” For “if this may be,” saith he, “we shall not go up to Jerusalem; and if we go not up, He will not die, for there He said the scribes would set upon Him.”

But the Jews did not remember the Prophecy, and said, “What sign showest Thou unto us?” ( Ps. lxix. 9 ), both grieving that their shameful traffic was cut off, and expecting by these means to stop Him, and also desiring to challenge Him to a miracle, and to find fault with what He was doing. Wherefore He will not give them a sign; and before, when they came and asked Him, He made them the same answer, “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.” ( Matt. xvi. 4 .) Only then the answer was clear, now it is more ambiguous. This He doth on account of their extreme insensibility; for He who prevented them without their asking, and gave them signs, would never when they asked have turned away from them, had He not seen that their minds were wicked and false, and their intention treacherous. …