And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

- Matthew 15:29-39

In yesterday's reading, we were taken to Gentile territory of Tyre and Sidon. A woman of Canaan -- traditional "enemies" of the Jews -- came to Jesus and His disciples. She said, ""Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." The disciples asked Jesus to send her away, and three times He rebuffed her Himself. He told her, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." But she replied, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table." Jesus told her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel. Here Jesus is still in Gentile territory. The miracles or signs reported here are the same as among the Jewish multitudes in Jesus' ministry, and they are the prophetic signs of the Messiah: the mute speak, the lame walk, the maimed made whole, the blind seeing. And, among these Gentile people, like with the woman of Canaan in yesterday's reading, the God of Israel is glorified. Again, we're reminded that this Gospel was written with a Jewish orientation. My study bible notes, "Though Jesus focused on Jews, He taught and healed all who came to Him, thus transcending racial distinctions and prejudices."

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. Matthew's gospel gives us a second feeding, this time a crowd of four thousand men, besides women and children. Earlier we read about the feeding of the five thousand men (besides women and children). The difference in the story here is primarily that now the crowd includes many Gentiles. There's a significance in the number of baskets, once again. Previously, there were twelve baskets of fragments left over, suggesting the Twelve Apostles who will be sent out to all the world. But the the seven baskets in this story give us a number that frequently meant completion in the Old Testament. In this miracle, the whole world is filled with the holy bread of Christ, Gentiles included. It is again evocative of the Eucharist, and another sign of Jesus' divinity; and, yet again here, what has happened among the Jews is also happening in Gentile territory. It is a kind of cementing of the episode in yesterday's reading with the Canaanite woman, that the people of God, Israel -- and the God of Israel -- are for all the nations, a fulfillment of God's promise, and a promise of a New Covenant.

I believe we have to truly strain a little to see and hear with the eyes and ears of the contemporaries of Matthew for whom this Gospel was written. We should consider the great good news that is also somewhat shocking. Even the traditional enemies of the Jews, those who were considered to be peoples rightfully subdued, are included in this expanded understanding of God's kingdom, the people of Israel. What a shocking understanding indeed, demanding great awareness of the need to change, to change one's mind in order to grasp the new things. If we read it correctly, it is a startling revelation, one which really turns life in a new direction -- and the Good News of the Gospel means a broadening and turning out in new directions of what is considered holy. We contrast the faith of these Gentiles (especially the woman in yesterday's reading) with the outright hostility and possibly arrogance of the scribes and Pharisees in their encounter with Jesus in the reading of the day before. Jesus called them "the blind leaders of the blind" and said that, with such leadership, both leaders and followers will fall into a pit, or ditch. And what is the difference? Faith, certainly, but also a sense of humility. The ones on whom are bestowed miraculous signs of healing and feeding are the ones with the humility to come to Christ in worship, sitting at His feet, recognizing the signs He does, and glorifying the God of Israel. Let us, once again, consider their example.

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

-Psalm 51:16, 17