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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
Yesterday, we read that Jesus went into Gentile territory, to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said to 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. After healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman, we note that Jesus is still in Gentile territory. My study bible says that "Jesus immediately bestows healing on other Gentiles as well, repeating what had been done among Jews (9:1-8, 27-33), that the God of Israel might be glorified. Though Jesus focused on Jews, He taught and healed all who came to Him, thus transcending racial distinctions and prejudices." The grace that restores people applies everywhere, and the God of Israel is glorified in doing so.
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. My study bible notes that this is a second feeding of a crowd told to us in Matthew's Gospel. (See Friday's reading for the feeding of the five thousand.) But the difference is that this one includes many Gentiles. It notes, "Again, this may be connected to the Eucharist. This is another sign of Jesus' deity, for He created new matter which had not before existed -- an attribute of God alone."
Today's reading takes the God of Israel into Gentile territory, in acts that glorify God through healing and feeding all those faithful who are in need. The numbers symbolically tell us a story: seven baskets left over indicates fullness and completion (in the feeding of the five thousand, twelve were left over, one for each apostle to take to the world). Even the number four thousand is a number that indicates the whole world -- not just Jews but also Gentiles. The number four is a double two, a balance that involves the idea of the other, and also a wide community. We think also of the four corners of the world, four directions, and especially the four corners of the Cross. Through the opening of the faith of the Canaanite woman, it's as if an entire new chapter of ministry has opened to include the world of the "others" -- the Gentiles. The God of Israel becomes glorified, therefore, through acts of grace and faith among both Jews and Gentiles. And this is the great revelation of Jesus' ministry. In this feeding, there's a sense of infinitude; it's no mistake that the symbolic food is fish, as in the expression "all the fish in the sea" -- a symbol of vast abundance and multiplication. The bread, of course, suggests the Eucharist, but also our daily bread -- the bread that not only supplies our physical needs but also the daily bread we need for spiritual sustenance. And of course, Christ who is the Bread of Life. The great good news of Matthew's Gospel, written as it is for a Jewish audience, is that there is nowhere, no people, among whom the God of Israel is not glorified through the ministry of Christ. This abundance is truly unlimited and knows no bounds. It is in the nature of this Word, this bread, this holiness, to expand, to grow in abundance. It cannot be contained by our normal limitations, even our understanding of group and community. Matthew's Gospel urges us to see this as a good thing, this taking God's glory to all the world, and manifesting holiness anywhere that is possible. If we apply the metaphor to our own lives then what we have is a sense in which we ask ourselves where our faith needs to expand. That is, what parts of our lives do we want to open up to God? Prayer is a way of inviting God in, so that God's glory may manifest wherever we think we need healing or sustenance. Each human being is a candidate for this kingdom, and there is no part of our lives God will not accept as a gift, particularly those places we consider the most painful or hidden or maimed or imperfect or "other." These, in some way in the great paradox of God's love, are the greatest gifts of all. What is it you lay down at Jesus' feet?
