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Matthew 15:29 – 16:12 (Jesus feeds the four thousand)

INTRODUCTION: We are continuing in our series on Miracles and Controversy, and today we come to a passage that seems almost a repeat of an earlier miracle. Back in Matthew 14 we looked at the feeding of the five thousand, and now we come to a very similar miracle, the feeding of the four thousand.

And you may wonder, why did Jesus do this miracle twice, and why did God choose to have Matthew record both of them? If the whole point was that Jesus is able to feed many people with just a few loaves of bread, didn’t he already make that point with the five thousand? And besides that, although feeding four thousand is pretty good, it’s not quite as impressive as feeding five thousand. Four thousand seems almost anti-climactic compared to the five thousand. So, what’s the point? Those are some of the questions we will be exploring as we study this passage today. (Read Matthew 15:35-38 and pray.)

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If you had miraculous powers like Jesus did, how would you use them? Or perhaps an even more important question, why would you use them? I imagine some of us would use our powers just to show off a little, you know to draw attention to ourselves. Most of us would also use our powers to benefit ourselves in some way. (If you doubt that, just ask yourself, how many times have you prayed that you would hit the lottery, and how many times have you prayed that someone else would hit the lottery?) And I would like to believe that we would also use our powers to help other people, and I believe that most of us would, although probably not at our own expense.

So, why did Jesus use his miraculous powers? Certainly not to show off. In fact, Jesus often told people not to tell others about his miracles. Jesus also never used his miracles to benefit himself. Not once! He refused to make bread for himself when he was hungry in the wilderness, and he refused to call on God’s angels to rescue him at the cross. Jesus did do miracles in order to help other people, as evidenced by his healing and feeding miracles. In fact, all that Jesus did, he did for others, even at great cost to himself.

But even though Jesus did miracles out of love and compassion for other people, that was not the only reason. Jesus’ miracles had a deeper meaning. They were meant to demonstrate that he was indeed the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. And they were meant to teach spiritual truths as well. Jesus healed the deaf, but then he also spoke about hearing and believing God’s word. Jesus healed the blind, but then he also spoke about seeing the truth of God’s revelation in his own person and miracles. Jesus cleansed lepers, but then he also spoke about spiritual cleansing. Jesus raised people from the dead, but then he also spoke about his own resurrection and the resurrection to come.

And so, when we look at a miracle like the feeding of the four thousand, yes, we want to be amazed at Jesus’ awesome power to perform such a miracle. But we also want to look for the deeper meaning that Jesus is trying to teach us through this miracle. So, let’s take a closer look at this passage today.

I. Jesus feeds a great crowd – again! (Matthew 15:29-39)

We begin with Matthew 15:29-39 where we find Jesus feeding a great crowd – again!

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 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. 31 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.

32 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.”

33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 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. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan. (Matthew 15:29-39)

And so, when you read this account right after reading the feeding of the five thousand back in chapter fourteen, you immediately think, “Repeat! Re-run! I hate re-runs! I didn’t know God did re-runs!” Yes, God does do re-runs, and praise God he does re-runs! God can do the same miracle as many times as he wants, and that’s a good thing.

But you’re right. This passage does contain many parallels to the similar account in chapter fourteen. Both times a great crowd gathers, Jesus teaches them and heals their sick, they are hungry and far from home, Jesus has compassion on them, he talks with the disciples about feeding them, they only have a small amount of food, Jesus instructs the crowd to sit down, he gives thanks for the food, he has the disciples distribute the food, everyone eats and is satisfied, and there is food left over.

And so, we learn many of the same lessons from this miracle as we did from the first one. We learn that God has compassion on all people; we learn that when God asks you to do something, you can do it; and we learn that you can do anything with God. God has no limits; he is not confined by our lack of resources. But we already learned all that from the first miracle. Why did Jesus do this miracle twice, and what was he trying to teach the disciples and us in the process?

Well, on the most basic level, one reason Jesus did the miracle twice is that there was a need to be filled twice. People were hungry and needed to be fed.

At the same time, Jesus was also trying build the faith of the disciples. Does anyone else think it strange that the disciples were wondering what to do in this situation when they had just been through it a short time before with the crowd of five thousand?

Jesus calls his disciples together. He explains the problem to them just as before, and they answer: “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” (Matthew 15:33) The word translated “remote place” here is the same word for “desert” or “wilderness,” and it brings to mind the wanderings of Israel when God provided bread for all the people for forty years in the wilderness.

The obvious answer to the disciples’ question is, “No one, at least no human being, can provide bread for a multitude in the wilderness; only God can.” And so, Jesus, the Son of God, does what only God can do. Although he refused to provide bread for himself when he was in the wilderness, he will feed the multitude in this remote place.

So, the disciples ask Jesus where they can get enough bread, and Jesus patiently answers them just like he did before with the feeding of the five thousand. “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” “Okay,” Jesus says, “let’s have all the people sit down,” and the disciples are definitely in re-run territory at this time.

We shouldn’t be too hard on the disciples here. How many times has God provided for us in the past, and we still have trouble trusting him for whatever we are going through in the present?

I remember when God asked me to take a giant step of faith when we moved to Florida back in 2009. I had to send Rosi and the boys down to Florida ahead of time while I waited in Massachusetts for the house to be sold and for a job offer to come. God had asked me to do some crazy stuff before, like quit my job as a recording engineer and move into a church to serve as youth pastor where they couldn’t really pay me, or when he told me to give my car away to another youth pastor when I really could have used it myself.

God had proved himself faithful in both of those previous situations, but I was the only one at risk back then, and now God was asking me to take some new steps of faith which involved my family as well. That was a whole lot tougher, and I needed to remember that God can do the same miracles twice, and that he who provided in the past could also provide in the present. And, of course, he did. Because he’s God!

II. The Pharisees ask for a sign (Matthew 16:1-4)

So, Jesus feeds a great crowd – again! – and then the Pharisees come to Jesus asking him for a sign. We are in Matthew 16 now, look at verses 1-4:

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away. (Matthew 16:1-4)

So here is Jesus doing all these miracles, and the Pharisees come and ask him for a sign from heaven to authenticate his words. I guess some people are never satisfied!

In one sense all of Jesus’ miracles were signs. They were signs that the kingdom of God had drawn near in his person and that God had sent Jesus and was indeed working through him. Earlier in our passage today in Matthew 15 we saw that Jesus healed the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others. These were the signs that were supposed to accompany the coming of Messiah. That is the deeper meaning to all the miracles. The Pharisees and Sadducees could interpret the appearance of the sky, but they were missing the signs of the times right in front of them. They could predict the weather, but they were missing out on the Messiah! Jesus’ miracles were already a sign from heaven, but then they asked for an additional sign. Once again, some people will never be satisfied no matter how many signs God gives them.

Earlier on the Pharisees attributed Jesus’ miracles to the power of Satan. Now here they are asking for some direct sign from God in heaven, but because they are asking in rebellion and unbelief, Jesus refuses to give it to them. He tells them: “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:4)

We looked at the sign of Jonah back in Matthew 12 (Matthew 12:38-45) and learned that by the sign of Jonah, Jesus was referring to his own death and resurrection. Just as Jonah was in in the belly of the fish for three days and three night, so Jesus would be buried in the ground and three days later would rise from the dead.

III. Jesus points to the deeper meaning (Matthew 16:5-12)

Jesus and the disciples get back into the boat, and that’s when Jesus explains to them the deeper meaning of this miracle. The conversation starts when the disciples realize that they forgot to bring any bread with them. Look at verses 5-7:

When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.” (Matthew 16:5-7)

They are in the boat, and Jesus warns them: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” The disciples are confused. They have no idea what Jesus is talking about, so they assume it must have something to do with the fact that they forgot to bring bread.

But Jesus isn’t talking about literal bread here. When Jesus talks about “the yeast of the Pharisees,” he is talking symbolically. When used as a symbol in the Bible, yeast is almost always used negatively as a symbol of evil or an evil influence. You might recall that when the Israelites left Egypt, they didn’t have time to leaven the bread, and even today when Jews celebrate the Passover, one of the customs is to remove all the yeast from the house.

And so, the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees had to do with their unbelieving rejection of Jesus as evidenced by their asking Jesus for a sign instead of believing on him on the basis of his teaching and prior miracles.

People today who demand that God give them a sign are in a similar situation. God has already given us the most important sign of all. He has given us the sign of Jonah. He sent his Son into the world who preached the kingdom of God and demonstrated the truth of his words through his miracles, especially the miracle of his own resurrection from the dead. That is the ultimate proof of Jesus’ identity and mission. You don’t need to ask God for a sign, because he has already given it. Jesus has come into the world. Jesus died. Jesus rose from the dead. What more do you want? What more do you need?

Jesus continues in verses 8-12:

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:8-12)

Jesus asks the disciples a series of questions in this section starting with, “Why are you talking about bread?” Jesus was using the yeast analogy to warn the disciples about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and all they can think about was that they didn’t bring enough bread with them in the boat. Jesus is saying, “It’s not about the bread!” It never was about the bread. Jesus’ miracles were not miracles for miracles’ sake, but they had a deeper meaning, and Jesus asks the disciples this series of questions in order to get them to probe more deeply.

Some people have tried to attach symbolic significance to the number of basketfuls of leftovers in each of the feedings. They say that the twelve basketfuls of leftovers in the first feeding represents the twelve tribes of Israel and the seven basketfuls of leftovers in the second feeding represents the fullness of the Gentiles, and so the two feedings represent the gospel going first to Israel and then to the nations. Is that what Jesus is getting at here? I don’t know – I’m not that smart!

Others point to the similarity in the language Jesus uses at this feeding to the words of communion found later in the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 16:26). Now there are some remarkable similarities here, and I believe Matthew may be making some connection, perhaps he wants us to see some sort of a preview of the Lord’s Supper in this feeding, but I still don’t think that’s the deeper meaning Jesus is talking about here.

The deeper meaning is that this miracle, as with all of Jesus’ miracles, points to him as Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus does what only God can do. He continues to provide bread for the people in the wilderness, just as God provided manna for the Israelites. And the disciples are worried because they forgot to bring some extra bread with them?

The key word here is “remember.” Jesus says: “Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread?” (Matthew 16:9-11)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. What he has done in the past, he will continue to do in the present and in the future. And so, if Christ has saved you, if he has brought you to God and provided all that you need in the past, you do not need to worry about the future. Jesus fed the multitude twice! God provided for an entire nation in the wilderness for forty years! And that means that God can take care of you and me.

CONCLUSION: Have you been worrying over God’s provision lately? These are difficult economic times, and some of us are feeling financial pressures like never before. We need to take this second feeding of the multitude to heart. Remember! Remember who Jesus is and what he has done.

Don’t just look at the feeding of the four thousand and say, “What a neat miracle!” Don’t be like the Pharisees looking for a sign when Christ has already come. Don’t be like the disciples wondering if Jesus can do it again and just focusing on the physical bread.

Dig deeper and see the deeper meaning behind the miracle. Jesus is God. He has not changed. What he has done before, he can do again. He has promised to meet your every need, and he will continue to do so.

© Ray Fowler

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