CHAPTER 15
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Matthew 15:1-2
With this verse the red flags should come out and the danger lights should start flashing for Jesus. We can see the parallel account in Mark 7:1-23. These leaders had come all the way from Jerusalem to check out Jesus and his teaching. Jerusalem was the undisputed headquarters of the Jewish faith. These men were not coming on a leisure trip but rather they were sent by the Jewish headquarters as official representatives to begin building a case against Jesus.
The theological question involved here was that of ritual washing, which was extremely important in Judaism but not important at all to Jesus. Perhaps at this point we should say a thing or two about the whole subject of clean and unclean and about the practice of ritual washing. God established all the laws about the clean and the unclean as types, shadows and patterns in order to teach his people about holiness (cf. Exo. 19:10; 29:4; 40:30-31). Ritual washings really did not take away transgression and sin but they were a picture of the real cleansing from sin and defilement that would one day come through the Messiah and his shed blood.
Unfortunately, the scribes and Pharisees had taken the concept of ritual washing and developed a huge and ponderous system never found in scripture. They felt that defilement was everywhere. A simple trip to the market would defile them. Any contact with Gentiles, whom they felt were unclean, would bring defilement. This defilement was thought to be infectious.1 If they touched anyone in their defilement that person would become unclean. If they touched food, drink or a vessel it would become unclean. In their minds the sole guard against this defilement was a ritual washing. This washing had very little to do with cleanliness. Barclay describes this process:
The minimum amount of water to be used was a quarter of a log, which is defined as enough to fill one and a half egg-shells. The water was first poured on both hands, held with the fingers pointed upwards, and must run up the arm as far as the wrist. It must drop off from the wrist, for the water was now itself unclean, having touched the unclean hands, and, if it ran down the fingers again, it would again render them unclean. The process was repeated with the hands held in the opposite direction, with the fingers pointing down; and then finally each hand was cleansed by being rubbed with the fist of the other. A really strict Jew would do all this, not only before a meal, but also between each of the courses.2
Today in evangelical churches there is a new interest in the Passover celebration and many churches and groups use the Passover as a teaching tool each year. We will notice that there are ritual washings as a part of this celebration. So the practice was everywhere in the Judaism of Jesus’ day. Interestingly, the practice continues in present-day Judaism. The former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, remarked about this procedure in his book saying: “…we must also wash our hands before sitting down to any meal at which bread will be eaten. This duty is rabbinic in origin (i.e. not specified in the Torah).” 3 The great rabbi thus admits that it is a tradition not found in scripture.
Ritual washing was so important to the scribes and Pharisees that a whole system of theology developed around the practice. The Jewish leaders felt that it was a part of the oral tradition passed down by Moses. Each generation built upon that tradition until in time the oral tradition was much larger than the scripture itself and had become equally important as the scripture. After Jesus’ time the oral tradition was compiled into the Mishnah and later into the many volumes and over six thousand pages of the Talmud. Blomberg mentions that eventually there was an entire Mishnaic tractate called Yadaim (hands). In that tractate, the various laws of cleanliness were outlined.4 These volumes became the basis of later Judaism and are still highly valued today. We can imagine how in time such involved teachings even became ridiculous. For instance, in the tractate Yadaim it is said concerning the proper vessel: “The water may be poured over the hands out of any vessel, even from vessels made from cattle-dung…” (Mishnah, Yadaim, 2).
We might ask why people insist upon improving God’s word with their tradition? Wiersbe says, “People obey tradition to please men and gain status (Gal. 1:14).” He notes how in the evangelical church there have come to be many traditions that people sometimes regard as more important than the scripture, although they often contradict the scripture.5 We probably need to point out however that all tradition is not bad. There are good traditions that we should carefully guard. We think of the good traditions of prayer and Bible study, for instance. Paul speaks of other good traditions that we should keep. These are the apostolic traditions as found in 1 Corinthians 11:2; Philippians 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6; and 2 Timothy 2:2. Alas, it seems that bad traditions always tend to outnumber the good ones.
For some strange reason we all tend to defend our “sacred” traditions more than we are willing to defend the word of God. Poole cites a certain rabbi Jose who had this to say about the hand-washing tradition: “He sinneth as much who eateth with unwashen hands, as he that lieth with a harlot.” 6 So it goes, we make laws upon laws to defend the supposed sacredness of our own tradition. Kretzmann says, “…A breach of these rabbinical rules was placed on a level with breaking the greatest moral laws.” 7
“Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?’” (15:3). As we have seen, in time their tradition became as important, and even more important than scripture to the Jewish people. Their tradition even became an accepted way of breaking the scripture. We should note here that Jesus did not get around to answering their original question until 15:10-11.
“For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (15:4-6). Here Jesus gives them a striking and stinging example of how their tradition nullified the commands of God. In Exodus 20:12, it is written that we must honor both father and mother. But they had a neat way of getting around this commandment. Rather than supply the needed help to their old folks, they were allowed by their tradition to declare all their funds devoted to God (or Corban as we see in Mark 7:11). Therefore, their funds could not be transferred to anyone else, but they could still be used by themselves in the meantime. This arrangement was much like the workings of an irrevocable trust in our time. 8 Quite simply, the ancient law was cancelled out by their tradition.
This kind of thing continues to go on among Jews and in modern Israel. A very similar practice also takes place in Israel during the shemittah or seventh-year. We know from the Bible that on the seventh year all lands owned by Jews were to lay fallow (Lev. 25:4-7). Items that came up voluntarily could be eaten but they could not be sold. Today, in order to circumvent this law Jewish lands are also “sold” to a non-Jew before the sabbatical year begins. The land can then be farmed and after the shemittah it is then returned to its Jewish owner. This tradition is called the heter mechira (right to sell).9
Cyprian the bishop of Carthage around 250 says: “…What presumption there is to prefer human tradition to divine ordinance! How can we not see that God is indignant and angry every time a human tradition relaxes the divine commandments and passes them by.” 10
No doubt Jesus’ reply was a stinging rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees. He had used on them their own rabbinic technique of answering a question with a question.11 Guzik says, “Ultimately, these conflicts with the religious leaders became the outward reason why Jesus was delivered to the Romans for death.” 12
“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (15:7-9). Here Jesus cites Isaiah 29:13. He makes clear that the ancient prophet was really prophesying about the scribes and Pharisees and others who would elevate tradition above scripture.
Jesus points out that real religion is a whole-hearted thing. It is not a matter of play acting like that of the Pharisees. He plainly calls them hypocrites and he would do so in several other places (22:18; 23:13, 15). This term means “to judge under” but the practical meaning was “to play a part behind a mask.” 13
Barclay mentions the great definition of worship laid down by William Temple: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.” 14
Meyer says: “Jesus had no sympathy with a system that reduced religion to a slavery to outward forms. His new kingdom was in the heart, in loving sonship to God, and in faith. All outward observances had value only as expressions of the inner spirit. He waived aside their deadly pedantry and told his hearers to care above everything for the cleanliness of the heart.” 15 Pett comments, “The importance of the passage is enormous because it emphasizes that all tradition must be judged against the scriptures.” 16
JESUS’ EXPLANATION TO THE CROWDS
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Matthew 15:10-11
Barclay comments: “It may well be held that for a Jew this was the most startling thing Jesus ever said. For in this saying he does not only condemn Scribal and Pharisaic ritual and ceremonial religion; he actually wipes out large sections of the book of Leviticus…This saying of Jesus cancels all the food laws of the Old Testament…If Jesus was right, their whole theory of religion was wrong.” 17 We might hasten to add that in canceling sections of Leviticus with its food laws, Jesus was actually fulfilling all that law in himself.
Mark, in writing to a largely Gentile audience says simply that with this Jesus declared all foods clean or kosher (Mk. 7:19b). We remind ourselves again that all the clean and unclean foods were but types, patterns and shadows of the real cleansing from sin and defilement that would become available with the shed blood of Jesus.
How interesting it is that “Johanan ben Zakkai, a Jewish teacher from the generation after Jesus, admitted privately to his disciples that outward impurity did not really defile; one should simply keep God’s commandments about purity…[this] was not emphasized publicly lest people fail to keep the ceremonial laws…” 18
Jesus put his finger on the real problem and that is the heart. Jeremiah says: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Religion has to touch the heart or it will not touch anything. Food can profit nothing in the matter of real religion. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:4-5, “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”
Paul deals with the whole related subject of what to eat or not eat in Romans chapter 14. He says, “One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them” (Rom. 14:2-3). He continues saying: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval” (Rom. 14:17-18). We see by this that we can eat anything that does not eat us first. It is amazing today that many, many Christians are picky over what they eat. It is as if they were trying to get to heaven by what they eat and how they eat it.19 There is a whole food cult out there. What we eat – and how we eat is no big deal anymore. We should just to pray over it – eat it – and shut up.
JESUS EXPLAINS TO HIS DISCIPLES
Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” Matthew 15:12
Jesus just dealt a devastating blow to a good portion of Jewish religion. In doing that he also dealt a devastating blow to his own disciples. After all, they considered themselves as good Jews (cf. Acts 10:14). The Pharisees were the exalted leaders of Judaism at that time and no doubt the disciples still had considerable respect for them. Jesus was knocking their religion and they were astounded. The hallmarks of the Jewish faith at that time were dietary laws, circumcision and Sabbath keeping.20
Later in Acts, it is interesting how Peter had been turned completely around in his theology. In regard to food laws and other ritual he said: “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are” (Acts 15:10-11).
“He replied, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots’” (15:13). Osborne feels that the imagery of planting is taken from Old Testament passages like Isaiah 60:21 and 61:3. 21 Certainly there were many scripture passages that spoke of uprooting (Jer. 42:10; 45:4; cf. 1:10; 11:16-19; 12:2; 24:6; 31:28). In fact, this was the very picture of the end days when the wicked will be uprooted from the earth and the righteous will be established forever and blessed (13:49-50).
“Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (15:14). Apparently, the blind people did sometimes lead others who were blind because there was no one else to do it.22 Morris speaks of this image saying, “…blind guides is a devastating description of the Pharisees, men who prided themselves on their enlightenment.” 23 Natural blindness is a difficult and dangerous thing but spiritual blindness is much more dangerous.
“On November 30, 1991, fierce winds from a freakish dust storm triggered a massive freeway pileup along Interstate 5 near Coalinga, California. At least 14 people died and dozens more were injured as topsoil whipped by 50 mile-per-hour winds reduced visibility to zero. The afternoon holocaust left a three-mile trail of twisted and burning vehicles, some stacked on top of one another 100 yards off the side of the freeway. Unable to see their way, dozens of motorists drove blindly ahead into disaster.” 24
“Peter said, ‘Explain the parable to us.’ Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them” (15:15-16). On several occasions it appears that Jesus was a little discouraged about the understanding of his disciples. They were lagging far behind and really did not understand the Master’s program very well. In fact, it was only after the resurrection that they began to really understand. Perhaps for this reason they were a little hesitant to ask him questions.
“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?” (15:17). The Master had to take a little time to give the disciples an elementary lesson on bodily plumbing. The things we eat for the most part do not remain in our bodies, but they pass on through. For this reason Paul could later say: “I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean” (Rom. 14:14). There is no food that is unclean. However, if we regard something as unclean and eat it anyway, it becomes a heart matter that defiles our conscience. Barnes says, “Those things pertain to the body as much as food does, and they cannot affect the soul. That must be purified by something else than external washing, and it is polluted by other things than a neglect of mere outward ceremonies.” 25
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them” (15:18). In Luke 6:45, the Master says: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” France says of the heart, “…it is not merely the seat of emotion, but the true person…the heart is what ‘makes a person tick.’” 26 As we have indicated before, a person will speak what is in his or her heart. If we but listen we can know for sure the kind of folks that are around us. Morris says, “It is a profound revolution in religious thinking when Jesus transfers the source of defilement from the merely outward to the state of the heart.” 27
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts— murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them” (15:19-20). Mark in his parallel listing adds several other vices such as greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, arrogance and folly (Mk. 7:21-22).28 We live in a sex-crazed age and the word for sexual immorality (Gk porneia) has taken on a world of significance in the area of pornography. This has become such a serious problem in the West that we must simply take a moment to deal with it. Even as early as 2007, a quarter of all internet searches had to do with pornography.29 It has been estimated that over 60 million people in the US are addicted to Internet pornography at some level. It is also estimated that nine out of ten children between age eight and sixteen have been exposed to porn.30
There is a really scary side of this has to do with the church. Reagan and Denney say, “The most recent studies available suggest that one out of every two people-that’s fifty percent of the people sitting in our pews-are looking at and/or could be addicted to Internet pornography.” 31 Worse still, 40 percent of the clergy have acknowledged looking at sexually explicit websites. This was according to a survey conducted by Christianity Today and Leadership magazines.32
Pornography warps sexual understanding. One addicted to porn will have a very difficult time having a happy marriage and sex life. Porn is also an open door where the devil can slip into a Christian home and tear it to shreds.
Let us just take one more of these evil symptoms that is listed in Mark’s parallel and that is arrogance. No one has to tell us that we are living in an age of arrogance and narcissism. Today we hear the concepts “it’s all about me” or the “me generation,” that all probably began with America’s baby boomers. Everywhere in advertising we hear the expressions, “How does this feel to YOU?” or “See if this is right for YOU.” We know in the church that it is not all about us as individuals but rather it is all about the Lord Jesus, about his program, and about his body, the church.
Pett sums up this section on outward things and on the inward things of the heart saying: “Nowhere had the old ritual suggested that men were constantly being defiled day by day, as a result of general contacts…Nor had it suggested that that uncleanness could be removed by bathing in water. Bathing in water was in fact preparatory to other methods of dealing with uncleanness…The purpose of the laws of cleanness and uncleanness was in order to bring out the wholesomeness and perfection of the living God. At the other end of the spectrum was the sphere of death and unwholesomeness.” 33
JOURNEY TO GENTILE LANDS
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Matthew 15:21
Here we see Jesus making a deliberate turn toward Gentile lands. He will first go to Tyre and Sidon and then spend some concentrated time in the Decapolis. It seems at first that Jesus simply wanted to get away and get some rest with his disciples. Mark says he did not want anyone to know he was there (Mk. 7:24). The situation among the Jews had become quite dangerous for Jesus and no doubt he was happy to get away. However, this journey did seem to involve a turning toward Gentiles since it ended up with some concentrated ministry in the Gentile Decapolis on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had to first go to the Jewish people and once they rejected the gospel he would turn to the Gentiles (10:6). This same pattern was seen in the ministry of Paul (Rom. 1:16; Acts 13:46). We can be eternally thankful that Jesus opened the gospel up to Gentile people.
Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities and were a part of ancient Phoenicia. Morris says, “They were a cultured race, and for example, the first-known alphabet comes from Canaanites working with Egyptians in the mines of the Sinaitic peninsula.” 34
Tyre was located some 40 air miles (64 km.) from Capernaum and Sidon was another 20 miles (32 km.) up the Mediterranean coast. The cities were typically enemies of Israel although in the times of David and Solomon they were friendly (cf. 1 Ki. 7). With Jesus’ going to these Gentile centers he was showing his disagreement with the Pharisees and others who felt that the Gentiles were unclean.35 His trip into Gentile lands could have taken several months. When he worked the miracle of bread and fish for the Jewish people, it was in the springtime, indicated by the green grass (14:19). However, when he did a similar miracle for the Gentiles in the Decapolis there was no longer any grass (15:35).36
“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly’” (15:22). Mark calls this woman a Greek, Syro-phoenician (Mk. 7:26). Commentators have pointed out that by calling Jesus “Son of David” she was trying to approach the Lord as an Israelite would, an putting herself on Jewish ground. 37 Jesus did not immediately answer her.
“Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us’” (15:23). This woman was crying out rather loudly and apparently was bugging the disciples. The quietness of Jesus is amazing and a little shocking. He was always so quick to hear the cries of the needy. Again, we must realize that the Lord is shifting over to a Gentile ministry. As the Servant of Israel (Isa. 53:6-8; cf. Matt. 10:5-6) he came to suffer and save the Jewish people. However, we see clearly in Isaiah 49:6-7, that the Servant of Israel would also reach out to save Gentile people (cf. Rom. 3:29).
Some feel that Jesus was merely testing her faith. Osborne says, “Jesus’ silence seems difficult to understand until we read the lesson of faith that he taught both the woman and his disciples (15:24-28).” 38
“He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel’” (15:24). We see this original calling made very clear in 10:5-6. However, when we look at the whole Bible we have to agree that God always had the Gentiles in mind too (Psa. 22:27; Isa. 56:7; Mat. 28:19; Rom. 15:9-12).
“The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said” (15:25). The woman here does two very important things. She kneels before Jesus and calls him “Lord.” Morris says, “Her attitude gave expression to the deep reverence she had for Jesus…she addresses Jesus as ‘Lord’ and pleads nothing but her need.” 39 She was doing everything right. She was persistent in her request and she was coming in great humility. I am amazed over my many years as a Christian that her simple prayer, “Lord, help me!” so often gets immediate results even today.
“He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs’ ‘Yes it is, Lord,’ she said. ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table’” (15:26-27). This is a shocking statement by Jesus. We need to take a moment to understand it better. It is true that Jewish people commonly referred to Gentiles as dogs. In the Middle East dogs were usually almost wild, homeless, unclean, scavengers that roamed freely on the outskirts of towns feeding on the garbage. Jesus is not comparing the woman to this picture. Rather, he is using the diminutive form of dog (Gk. kynarion) meaning the cute little domestic pets.40 These little pets ran around under the table waiting for scraps. In those days before napkins, people often wiped their hands on bread and dropped it to the floor underneath the tables.41
It is probably to our disadvantage that we are not able to see the Lord’s body language in this passage. Commentators feel sure that Jesus must have had a faint smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye at this point.42 The woman by her answer is acknowledging the importance of Israel in the matter of salvation (cf. Jn. 4:22). Barker and Kohlenberger say, “The woman’s answer is masterly.” 43
“Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment” (15:28). While it is still early for a full Gentile salvation by grace and through faith, this is a faint picture of it. France says, “No one else receives from Jesus the accolade Great is your faith!” 44 In time, millions of Gentiles would come to Jesus in just this way, in humility and in faith, calling on the Lord to help them and to save them.
JESUS CONTINUES HIS GENTILE MINISTRY
Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Matthew 15:29
Commentators are pretty well agreed that Jesus came to the Decapolis (Mk. 7:31), a group of Gentile, Greek-speaking cities on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.45 Probably the most prominent city in that area was Hippos, that sat on a hill, near the eastern coastline. The capital of this group of cities was Beth Shean, the only Decapolis city on the western side of the Jordan.
“Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them” (15:30). Now we see a full –fledged ministry of Jesus among Gentile people. All this is reminiscent of what is spoken in Isaiah 35:5-6: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy…”
“The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel” (15:31). Jesus was no doubt relieved that he did not have to hear the complaints of the scribes and Pharisees. All he heard were shouts of joy and thanksgiving. The fact that they praised the God of Israel was but another indication that these were Gentile peoples.46
FEEDING THE FOUR THOUSAND
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” Matthew 15:32
In this case we see that it was not the disciples but Jesus who was concerned that the people were hungry. France comments, “A crowd which stayed with Jesus in the desert (i.e. away from civilization) for three days must have been remarkably impressed with his power and ‘charisma.’” 47 We can imagine that whatever food supplies they had carried with them were exhausted by this time.
Over the centuries some liberal commentators have felt that there was only one miracle of feeding and that the gospel writers had become confused about it, thinking that there were two feedings. When we take a close look at these two miracles we will find that there are many differences in them. The first was the feeding of 5,000 while this second involved only 4,000. The first was primarily for Jewish people while this one is for Gentiles. The firsts was in Jewish territory near Bethsaida while this one is in Gentile country. The first had 5 loaves and 2 fish while this one has 7 loaves and a few fish. The first had 12 baskets left over while this one has 7. In the first instance the crowd was with Jesus only one day while here they are with him three days. The first had green grass indicating springtime, while this one has no grass at all, indicating summer. In the first instance they tried to make Jesus king but we see no such response in this one.48
In the next chapter (16:9-10) Jesus by his own words clears up the mystery. He talks to his disciples about both feedings and jogs their memories about them. In fact, both Matthew and Mark include both miracles. We are amazed at how many times the scripture or either history or archaeology make so-called wise men look really foolish.
“His disciples answered, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?’” (15:33). We would think by now that the disciples would be full of faith, remembering the first great miracle of loaves and fish. Such was not to be. It entirely possible that the disciples never suspected that Jesus would work such a miracle for despised Gentile people. Once more, they were all probably adding up the staggering costs for such a meal and the scarcity of such supply in the wilderness.
“‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked. ‘Seven,’ they replied, ‘and a few small fish.’ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground” (15:34-35). The numbers in this miracle may be associated with the Gentiles. Seven could be connected with seventy, considered to be the number of Gentile nations on earth (Gen. 10:1-32).49
“Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people” (15:36). Here Jesus once again gives thanks to the Father, breaks the loaves and fish and gives them to his disciples. Once again a great miracle is worked in the hands of the Lord. The people are then fully satisfied with plenteous food. Like Moses long before Jesus is providing the crowds with food from heaven.
“They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over” (15:37). Once again, nothing is wasted from this great miracle. All the broken pieces are picked up and placed in baskets. The word for basket used here (Gk. spuris) is different from the baskets of the Jews mentioned in the first miracle feeding. The Jewish basked was kophinos in the Greek. The spuris was a hamper-like basked that was large enough to hold a person (Acts 9:25).50 Pfeiffer and Harrison think that these baskets may have held more than the ones in the previous miracle.51 When we consider this miracle we might remember that old hymn, Break thou the bread of life, by Mary Lathbury in 1877.
Break now the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
as once you broke the loaves beside the sea.
Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord;
my spirit waits for you, O living Word.52
“The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children” (15:38). This was a smaller crowd than were present for the first miracle. Pett feels that the number four is significant and could be compared to the four winds of Heaven (Dan. 8:8; 11:4) or the four corners of the earth (Isa. 11:12).53 The number four would seem to have some connection with the earth or the Gentile world. Again, we would have to think that the crowd could number from 8,000 to 12,000 once the women and children were included. We also note that there is no political movement to make Jesus king.
“After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan” (15:39). It is clear that Jesus sailed away from Gentile country but it is not entirely clear where he went. Commentators have had much discussion about Magadan. Mark calls it by the name of Dalmanutha (Mk. 8:10). Both of these cities are unknown. Some of the early Greek manuscripts have it as Magdala, located on the west side of the lake. The expert, Mendel Nun, did a lot of work locating evidences of ancient harbors. He shows two harbors in the area of Magdala and one on up the lake’s west side at Gennesar.54 It seems likely that Jesus and his disciples docked in the area of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene.55
Jesus probably knew that once he docked in the Jewish area the Pharisees and others would be there to once again test him and dispute with him.