John 6:1

μετὰ ταῦτα. See on John 5:1. How long after we cannot tell; but if the feast in John 5:1 is rightly conjectured to be Purim, this would be about a month later in the same year, which is probably A.D. 29. But S. John is not careful to mark the precise interval between the various scenes which he gives us. Comp. the indefinite transitions from the First Passover to Nicodemus, John 2:23; John 3:1; from Nicodemus to the Baptist’s discourse, John 3:22; John 3:25; from that to the scene at Sychar, John 4:1-4; &c., &c. The chronology is doubtless correct, but it is not clear: chronology is not what S. John cares to give us. The historical connexion with what precedes is not the same in the four accounts. Here it is in connexion with the miracles at Bethesda and probably after the death of the Baptist: in S. Matthew it is in connexion with the death of the Baptist: in S. Mark and S. Luke it is after the death of the Baptist, but in connexion with the return of the Twelve. The notes on Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:40-44, and Luke 9:10-17 should be compared throughout.

ἀπῆλωεν. Departed, we do not know from what place. The scene suddenly shifts from Judaea (John 5:18) to Galilee; but we are told nothing about the transit or the reason for it.

From the Synoptists we gather that the murder of the Baptist (Matthew 14:13), and the curiosity of Herod (Luke 9:9), rendered it expedient to leave Herod’s dominions; moreover the return of the Twelve (Luke 9:10) made retirement easy and perhaps desirable (Mark 6:30-31). Thus the four narratives combine.

τῆς Τιβεριάδος. Here, John 6:23 and John 21:1 only. The name is added to describe the sea more exactly, especially for the sake of foreign readers. Another slight indication that this Gospel was written outside Palestine: inside Palestine such minute description would be less natural. The Greek geographer Pausanias writes λίμνη Τιβερίς; Josephus uses one or other of the names here combined by S. John; S. Matt. and S. Mark have θάλ. τῆς Γαλιλαίας; S. Luke λίμνη Γεννησαρέτ. Perhaps we are to understand that the southern half of the lake is specially intended; for here on the western shore Tiberias was situated. The name Tiberias is not found in the first three Gospels. The magnificent town was built during our Lord’s lifetime by Herod Antipas, who called it Tiberias out of compliment to the reigning Emperor; one of many instances of the Herods paying court to Rome. Comp. Bethsaida Julias, where this miracle took place, called Julias by Herod Philip after the infamous daughter of Augustus, and Sebaste, so called in honour of Augustus (see on John 4:7). The new town would naturally be much better known and more likely to be mentioned when S. John wrote than when the earlier Evangelists wrote.