The feeding of the 4000 seems to follow on the heals of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5000. In other words, Jesus great miracle in the presence of a multitude of Jews occurred only slightly prior to his great miracle in the presence of the gentiles. The two events are separated in Matthew only by Jesus’ excursion to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, where he, presumably, met with a Jewish person, but Jesus wished to keep that meeting secret (Mark 7:24). Nevertheless, his efforts at anonymity failed, because, however the discovery was made, a gentile woman followed after him, pleading that he would heal her daughter (Matthew 15:22). Eventually, Jesus did as the woman desired, and immediately afterward, he returned to the Sea of Galilee, crossed over to its southern shores and entered the Decapolis (Mark 7:31), and Gennesaret in particular (Matthew 14:34-36; 15:29-31; Mark 6:53-56).
There is tension between these two miracles, similar to the tension between the Syrophoenician woman, whose request was directed to the Son of David. She came to Jesus, but at the wrong door, hoping to have her request granted (Matthew 15:24). Jesus didn’t seem to want to send her away empty, nevertheless, he was silent, behaving as though he hadn’t heard her. We sometimes have that same experience, when we pray, and the heavens seem like iron. Have we, too, come to the wrong door? Let’s see.
Returning now to the Decapolis, the people had been with Jesus for three days, as he healed the sick and infirm among them and, presumably, taught them. Yet, they hadn’t eaten, and because of this Jesus had compassion on them and wanted to feed them (Matthew 15:32).
The disciples wondered how they could feed so great a company of people (Matthew 15:33). But, why did they wonder? Hadn’t Jesus fed the 5000 only days, perhaps a week earlier? Surely, they hadn’t forgotten this. So, why the query? They wondered how the people could be fed, for the same reason Jesus said nothing to the woman who sought him to heal her daughter. She had no right to expect anything from the Son of David, because he wasn’t sent to heal her daughter or to fix any of the problems of the gentiles. He was sent to the House of Israel, only (Matthew 15:24). Therefore, the Apostles had this same mindset. What could their Messiah do for this great company of gentiles, because they had no legal right to him (cp. Ephesians 2:11-12). God hadn’t promised the gentiles he’d be their God, but he did make a covenant with Israel. Therefore, what could Jesus possibly do for these gentiles of the Decapolis?
Jesus asked his disciples what food they had with them, and they answered: seven loaves and a few small fish (Matthew 15:34-36). So, Jesus, just as he had done with the multitude of 5000 Jews, days earlier, gave thanks for the bread and the fish and commanded his disciples to have the multitude sit, while they distributed the loaves and fish among them (Matthew 15:34-36). Afterward, just as they had done when the 5000 ate their full, the disciples collected the leftovers and filled seven baskets with the remains (Matthew 15:37-38). They who ate were 4000 men, beside women and children (Matthew 15:39). Nevertheless, we must ask why this miraculous event occurred at all. Didn’t Jesus refuse to answer the Canaanite woman’s request on the basis that she wasn’t a Jew, and Jesus was sent to Jews only (Matthew 15:24)? If this is so, and Jesus’ disciples understood him properly in that he wasn’t sent to gentiles (Matthew 15:33), why did Jesus feed this great multitude? Did he change his mind? No, Jesus didn’t change his mind, and neither did he feed these folks on the basis of his being the Messiah. He fed the people, simply because he had compassion on them (Matthew 15:32). They came to him asking that he would heal their sick and infirm (Matthew 15:30), not on the basis of any promise of God, but simply pleading for mercy, just as the Syrophoenician woman pleaded for Israel’s crumbs (Matthew 15:27). Gentiles are alien to the promises, which God had made to Israel (Ephesians 2:11-12), but the God of Israel is glorified among the gentiles, when he is able to show mercy, despite never having promised them anything. While yet in rebellion, they came to him asking only for mercy, and in doing so they glorified the God of Israel (cp Matthew 15:31). Therefore, Jesus had compassion on them (Matthew 15:32).
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