Matthew 15:32-39 32And Jesus, summoning his disciples to himself, said, “I have compassion for the crowd because they have already been remaining with me three days and they do not have anything to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven and a few small fish.” 35And after directing the crowd to sit down on the ground to eat, 36he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
Big things happen on top of mountains in the Bible. This story continues the mountain top experience of healing from the previous passage and adds another miracle that affected all the people. Two things are happening in this story. First, Jesus sees another teaching opportunity with his disciples, indicated by the middle voice participle summoning to himself. He gathered them together and poses a question to them. Second, he is filled with compassion for the great crowd and knows they are hungry. What follows is a story similar to the feeding of the five thousand in chapter 14 but with several interesting differences and similarities shown in the following chart:
| Feeding of the 5,000 | Feeding of the 7,000 |
| The disciples came to Jesus | Jesus came to the disciples |
| Jesus’ compassion is shown through healing | Jesus has compassion for the people; this story follows many healings |
| The disciples show initiative by being concerned for the people | Jesus takes the initiative |
| Late in the day | Three days of healing ministry |
| Jesus tells disciples to find food | The disciples ask Jesus for food |
| Disciples find food on their own | Jesus asks disciples again for food |
| Five loaves and two fish (seven total) | Seven loaves and a few small fish |
| Jesus directs crowd to sit on the grass | Jesus direct crowd to sit on the ground |
| Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread | Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread |
| Jesus gave food to the disciples who distribute | Jesus gave food to the disciples to distribute |
| The people eat and are satisfied | The people eat and are satisfied |
| Twelve baskets full left over | Seven baskets full left over |
| Five thousand men, plus women and children | Four thousand men, plus women and children |
| Jesus and disciples immediately get into a boat and leave | Jesus and disciples immediately get into a boat and leave |
The stories begin with differences but end with the same structure and ideas. One difference is who takes the initiative in the stories. In the first story, the disciples notice the hungry crowds. In the second story, Jesus’ compassion for the people drives the narrative forward. Second, in the first story, the disciples come up with the idea of sending the people away. In the second story, the disciples have no idea of what to do and respond to Jesus with a question. This question is surprising in the context of this chapter and Jesus’ ministry because it should be obvious by this point that Jesus is the miraculous Messiah and can solve any simple problem like this. Did they not learn anything from the first feeding? Third, Jesus had to ask the disciples for food in the second story whereas in the first story, they found the food on their own. This point highlights their lack of faith and initiative. Had they not learned anything about creativity and vision for ministry yet?
This story appears in the chapter context as a test of the disciples. Have they not learned anything yet? Are their eyes of faith still clouded by fears and doubts? Have they not recognized Jesus’ authority and identity as Israel’s Messiah? The Canaanite woman, an outsider and Gentile, knew who Jesus was but the disciples were stills struggling. Like the disciples, we are slow learners and struggle to grow into people of vision and initiative. Our memories are short, and we forget the miracles we have seen and experienced. The challenges before us blind us to the power of the Messiah that is available to us.
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