I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat

 

 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, after an encounter with Pharisees and scribes who came from Jerusalem, Jesus went out from there and departed to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, 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.  My study Bible comments here that Christ's healing of the multitudes in this passage shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman in yesterday's reading, above.  According to St. John Chrysostom's commentary, Christ healed the Canaanite woman "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delays with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."

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 reminds us that this second feeding of a multitude should not be confused with the first (see this reading), as they are two distinct miracles.  There is a variance in the number of loaves that is symbolically significant.  In the first feeding of five thousand, there were five loaves which symbolize the Law (the Torah or Pentateuch, meaning "five books").  Here there are seven.  Seven is a number which symbolizes completeness or fullness, and here, it indicates spiritual perfection, according to my study Bible.  So, in the first feeding, Christ reveals Himself as fulfilling the Law, but here He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  My study Bible also asks us to note that these crowds had been with Christ for three days, which is the number of days He will rest in the tomb.  It says that participation in Christ's perfection can only come through being united to Christ's death (see Romans 6:3-5).  

In a certain way, we might view today's feeding of four thousand men (and more women and children) as a kind of comment on the expansion of the kingdom of God through Christ's ministry to the Gentiles.  Coming just after the report of Christ's encounter with the Canaanite woman in yesterday's reading, in some sense the symbolism of the numbers which my study Bible commented on affirms the fullness of this ministry going out to the whole world, the continuation and extension of Christ's saving mission toward not only "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," but also to Gentiles.  In this is the fullness commented on by my study Bible, and hidden in the symbolism of the seven loaves.  But there is also the number four thousand.  In the previous feeding miracle, there were not only five loaves, symbolizing the Law, but also five thousand men (and more women and children) fed.  This number five in this case may easily symbolize change:  a great change coming into the world, Christ's ministry bringing something entirely new and unknown in the Incarnation of the Son.  But four thousand has at its root the number four, symbolizing the four directions of the globe, and perhaps more importantly the four arms of the Cross; in this we can see Christ as Son of Man, Savior to the whole world, and not just to the Jews.  It reminds us what a tremendous breakthrough it is in terms of spiritual history and revelation that He is now understood as Messiah by Gentiles, and has extended His grace to Gentiles as well as Jews.  The God of Israel has acted now through grace to gather in all who will come by faith, Gentiles becoming thereby "sons of Abraham" by virtue of faith in the promise to Abraham.   As St. Paul writes, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29).  Let us be grateful for the revelation of Christ.