Matthew 15:29-39
When he left there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a mountain, where he sat down. Then large crowds came to him bringing with them the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them. As a result, the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.
Then Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry since they may faint on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven—and a few small fish.” After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Not counting children and women, there were 4,000 men who ate. After sending away the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
COMMENT & QUESTIONS
This is the second time Jesus feeds a big crowd. What differences can you notice between this account and the one on Day 37? What was Jesus motivated by both times?
There are some differences in the number of people He fed, and the number of loaves and fish that He used. As we noted on Sunday, the first account of Jesus feeding 5000 shows Jesus speaking to a group of people who are predominately Jewish. In this lesser known second account, Jesus feeds 4000 people who are largely gentile.
Jesus was motivated by the compassion He felt for the crowds.
Prayers
Give thanks for the food which the Father gives to us each day Pray that we will have compassion to see people who are in need around us today