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Matthew 15:34
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Feeding the Four Thousand

32 aNow 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.”  
33 aThen His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”  
34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36 And aHe took the seven loaves and the fish and bgave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  
37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.
38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 aAnd He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of1 Magdala. 
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
<< Matthew 15:33   Matthew 15:35 >>

What Does Matthew 15:34 Mean?



Matthew 15:32-39

At first, Jesus' miracle of feeding the 4,000 (Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-10) may seem to be the same as the one He performed for 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15). They do have a few similarities: Jesus multiplies loaves and fish; a multitude is fed; the disciples are skeptical; and they collect leftovers.

However, some distinct differences nullify any notion that they are the same: The crowds are of different sizes; the disciples speak first in the first miracle, but Jesus does in the second; they occur in discrete locations; they follow different events; the numbers of loaves and fish differ; the numbers of baskets differ; the baskets themselves are different; and finally, Jesus spends one day with the 5,000, but three with the 4,000.

Jesus Himself removes any doubt by referring to them as two different miracles. He mentions the different numbers of people present at the two events, the different numbers of baskets of fragments gathered afterward, and the different sizes of the baskets (Matthew 16:9-10; Mark 8:19-21).

Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Four Thousand

Related Topics: Baskets of Fragments Gathered | Feeding of 5000 | Feeding of the Multitude | Jesus Christ's Miracles Feeding of 4000 | Miracles of Christ: Feeding of 4000




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Matthew 15:34:

Matthew 14:13-21
Matthew 15:32-39
Mark 6:30-44
Mark 8:1-10
Luke 9:10-17
John 6:1-15


 
<< Matthew 15:33   Matthew 15:35 >>

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