Matthew 16:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

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.

The wicked generation, by challenging Him, and the faithless ones, by forsaking God to follow the devil, present a dire scenario. They seek a miraculous sign from the heavens; however, He grants them no sign except for the sign of Jonah. This signifies that after three days spent in the depths of the sea creature—representing death—He would rise again. It can be asserted that this sign originates from heaven, for at the moment of His crucifixion, the sun was obscured and all of creation was altered. The objection remains, “no sign shall be given unto him but the sign of Jonah the prophet.” Signs were indeed provided for their benefit, yet the Jews rejected them. Consequently, the Lord, recognizing their obstinacy, chose to depart from them.

Mark says Dal-manutha, no doubt the same place under a different name, for many copies of the Gospel according to Mark have Magedan.

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

A corrupt and unfaithful generation seeks a miraculous sign, but no sign will be granted except for the sign of Jonah the prophet. The same message is reiterated and clarified in the twelfth chapter. Note their obstinacy: despite their awareness of Jonah and the hearing of these words both in the past and present, they show no desire to ask for the meaning of this miracle he refers to; instead, they only put Him to the test, as stated. Consequently, He left them and went away. After departing from them, as recorded in Mark, He reentered the boat and journeyed to the other side.

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.

Just as the great fish could not break down Jonah within its depths nor sustain him for an extended period, likewise, the all-consuming death, while certainly confronting the Lord, ultimately could not retain Him in a state of lifelessness. On the third day, it released Him, reminiscent of how the fish expelled Jonah. For death, which is perpetually accustomed to consuming the deceased, was overwhelmed and could not contain the Lord in His living form. It was unable to assimilate Him, for He was a foundation stone, as the apostle states, “But the stone was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). The fish swallowed and released only Jonah; however, in seizing the Lord, death let loose not only Him but also many others alongside Him. It is recorded that many bodies of saints were raised in conjunction with the Lord.

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 Sol. 4:12.) 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.) 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.

The implication of this is that when the Pharisees and Sadducees sought a sign from the Lord, they were essentially asking for a miracle reminiscent of those attributed to Antichrist. Their demand for such a miracle elucidates the Lord's response. On one occasion, when faced with this request, the God-Man expressed profound sorrow, resolutely declined to fulfill their demand, showed no desire to stay among those who made such requests, and distanced Himself from them. At another point, He issued a stern proclamation: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet” (Matthew 16:1, 4; Matthew 12:38-42).

A DECEITFUL AND AFFECTIONATE KIND, a generation of pretenders and betrayers of God, DESIRING SIGNS, AND NO SIGN WILL BE GIVEN TO THEM EXCEPT THE SIGN OF JONAH THE PROPHET. Had the adversaries of the Lord truly sought the truth, they would have inquired about the meaning of this reference to Jonah the prophet; however, they deemed it unnecessary to seek clarification. Consequently, forsaking them, as the Gadarene had once abandoned those who had rejected Him, He departed once more, filled with sorrow, back to the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, from which He had recently come.

In Matthew 12:39-40, we observe the surprising moment when Jesus departed with His disciples in a boat to cross to the opposite shore of the lake. Not wishing to prolong His discussion with the false teachers or remain with them any longer, Jesus, after briefly exiting the boat, re-entered it with His apostles and journeyed across the lake.

“Wicked generation,” etc.: refer to note on Matt. 12:38-40. - “He abandoned them and went away”: a straightforward and vivid depiction of Christ’s righteous anger toward the hypocrites who provoked Him (see Matt. 21:17).