Matthew 15

Matthew 15:30

Parallels: Mark 8

Our Lord, after many amazing miracles, feeds above four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fishes; and then goes over to Dalmanutha. Mat XV. 30, to the end. Mark VIII. 1—10.

MAT. XV. 30.

ANT. XV. 30. AND great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’s feet, and he healed them: 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the AND while Jesus was seated on the mountain to which he went up (Mat. xv. 29,) there came to him, besides the deaf man of whom we have just been speaking, great multitudes, having brought along with them persons who were lame, or blind, or dumb, [or] maimed by the loss of a limb, and many others who had different complaints; and they cast them at the feet of Jesus, entreating his compassion, which failed not to operate on such occasions, and he healed them all. And so many and various were the displays of his miraculous power in the cures he wrought, that the whole multitude was perfectly amazed when they beheld the dumb speaking forth the praises of God and of their great Deliverer; the maimed made whole by the recovery of hands and arms which they had lost,

The people having been with him three days, he

or which were grown quite useless to them; a the lame walking with vigour and agility, and the blind seeing every object distinctly, and immediately bearing, without any inconvenience, the full force of unaccustomed light: b and, struck with such various and pleasing wonders, they glorified the God of Israel, who had raised up so illustrious a prophet to his people, and sent help to so many afflicted creatures whom no human power could have restored.

This concourse of people continued with him much longer than could have been imagined; and, the season being favourable, they were so intent on hearing Christ and seeing his miracles, that they lodged two nights together in the fields: c and therefore, in those days, the multitude being very great, and having spent the provision they had brought out with them, so that now on the third day they had nothing to eat, Jesus having called his disciples to him, says unto them, I cannot but have compassion on the multitude of my hearers, who flock thus eagerly about me, and express such zeal in their attendance, as to expose themselves thereby to many inconveniences; for they have continued with me now three days, and I well know that they have nothing left to eat; And therefore I will not send them away fasting to their own houses,

a The maimed made whole.] The word אֶלְהוֹרָה, which we render maimed, does, in the strictest propriety (as Festus observes,) signify one whose hand or arm has been cut off (see Mark ix. 43;) but it is sometimes applied to those who only were disabled in those parts. (See Beza and Casaub. in loc.) And though in some rare instances it may be used to signify a lameness in the feet (see Elsner. Observ. Vol. I. p. 77, and Albert. Observ. p. 109,) yet, as it is here opposed to כְּשֶׁל אֶלְהוֹרָה, the lame walking, it must undoubtedly be limited as in the paraphrase. It is reasonable to suppose that among the many maimed, who were brought on such occasions, there were some whose limbs had been cut off; and, I think, hardly any of the miracles of our Lord were more illustrious and amazing than the recovery of such.

b Bearing—the full force of unaccustomed light.] So far as we can judge by

all the stories of the blind restored to sight, which occur in the gospels, this was universally the case; and I could not forbear pointing out so wonderful a circumstance.

c They lodged two nights together in the fields.] This we may infer from the next verse. The season of the year was pleasant, it being, as we have observed, quickly after the passover. (See sect. Ixxxiii. note b, p. 459.) And besides, that the great number of cures which had been wrought but just before might animate them, perhaps they might conclude that the miraculous power of Christ, which was displayed in so many glorious instances around them, would either preserve their health from being endangered by the large dews which fell in the night, or restore them from any disorder they might contract by their eagerness to attend on his ministry.

and feeds four thousand with seven loaves and a few fishes.

houses, [lest they faint] by the way: for divers of them came from far. [MAT. XV.—32.]

lest, if I do, they should some of them faint by the way: for our Lord knew that several of them came from a considerable distance, and were but ill furnished for procuring accommodations abroad

lxxxvi Mark viii. 3

And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here? [Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? [MAT. XV. 33.]

And his disciples, not reflecting on the miracle he had lately wrought for the relief of the five thousand, or not imagining he would repeat it, answered him, From whence can any one hope to satisfy these men with bread and other food here in this desert country, if he had ever so much money to spare for the purpose? [And] especially whence should we, whose stock is so small, have so much bread in the wilderness as might suffice to fill so great a multitude, whose appetites are many of them sharpened by so long a fast? We cannot but wonder to hear thee mention such a design.

And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, [and a few little fishes.] [MAT. XV. 34.]

And he commanded [the multitude] to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them: and they did set them before the people. [MAT. XV. 35, 36.]

And they had a few small fishes; and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.

So they did [all] eat, and were filled. And they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets [full.] [MAT. XV. 37.]

And he asked them, How many loaves are you provided with, or what have you at hand to eat? And they said, We have only seven loaves among us all, and a few little fishes, which is a very trifle to the present purpose. And, having ordered them to bring out what they had, he commanded the multitude to sit down in ranks on the ground, that they might be served as before, in an orderly manner; and then having took the seven loaves, and solemnly given thanks to his heavenly Father, acknowledging his goodness as the great Author of all mercies, when he had blessed them before them all, he brake them into proper pieces, and gave [them] to his disciples to set before them; and they accordingly set them before the people. And, as they likewise had a few small fishes, he took them also in the same manner; and, having blessed [them] as he had done the bread, he commanded his disciples to set them also before [the multitude.]

So they did all eat, and were abundantly satisfied: and the disciples afterwards collected what was left, and they took up no less than seven baskets full of what remained of the fragments; which Jesus ordered them to gather up, that

ᵃ That they might be served as before, file, by which means the four thousand men in an orderly manner.] See note ᵇ on would be exactly disposed as the five Mark vi. 40, p. 435. Probably here they thousand had been. might sit as hundred in rank, and forty in

Reflections on the number and variety of his

he might thus convince them in the strongest manner of the greatness of the miracle, and teach them also, at the same time, to use a prudent frugality in the midst of plenty.

And they who had eaten of these loaves and fishes were about four thousand men, beside a considerable number of women and children, who were there in company with them, and all partook of the same entertainment.

And, the repast being over, he dismissed the multitude: and immediately after this, entering into a ship with his disciples, he crossed the sea, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha (which, with several neighbouring cities, stood in the coasts of Magdala, not far from Gadara, on the eastern shore of the sea of Galilee;) and there he had an interview with some Pharisees, which will be related in the next section.

IMPROVEMENT.

Mat. xv. 30, 31 WITH what a circle is our blessed Lord surrounded! Let us pause a little, and endeavour to paint him to our imagination on this mountain, where the astonished multitudes so justly extolled all these mingled wonders of power and of grace. Let us reflect on the dumb speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, the deaf hearing, and the blind seeing, that with them we may glorify the God of Israel.

But who can describe the sentiments of these happy creatures, who, without any dangerous or painful operation, found themselves, in a moment, restored beyond all the efforts of nature, and beyond all the prospects of hope! With what pleasure did the ear, which had just been opened, listen to the pleasing accents of his instructive tongue! How did the lame leap around him for joy! and the maimed extend their recovered hands in grateful acknowledgments of his new creating power! While the voice of the dumb sang forth his praises in sounds before unknown; and the eye of the blind, hecked the curiosity which would have prompted it to range over the various and beautiful objects of unveiled nature, to fix its rapturous regards on the gracious countenance of him that had given it the day!

• With what a circle is our blessed Lord surrounded! As this story of feeling the our thousand is so very much the same with that we had in sect. lxxviii, I refer the eader to the improvement of that section (p. 437) for practical reflections on the greatest part of this; and choose here to indulge a devout meditation on the number and variety of those cures which Christ performed, which constitutes the whole of this improvement, having been elsewhere but transiently touched upon.

The Pharisees ask him for a sign from heaven.

Let us farther reflect with what correspondent pleasure must our Lord survey these grateful and astonished creatures, while his benevolent heart took its share in all the delight which he gave! These trophies of his greatness, how unlike to those of the field, the monuments of desolation and slaughter! Trophies, for which the hero must have struggled with the man, and might sit down and weep over his own success!

Whose heart is so insensible as not to feel an humane as well as devout pleasure in the history of these and the like miracles, though the subjects on which they were wrought are long since mouldering in the dust! But let us farther recollect that our Divine Leader has other yet more noble and more permanent trophies; those immortal spirits, which he has redeemed, and sanctified, and saved! So may our transported souls, O blessed Jesus, in the consciousness of health, vigour, and salvation, behold thee as our Deliverer! So mayest thou view us with satisfaction, as the travail of thy soul, in that mountain of God where we hope to offer thee nobler praises, and for ever to consecrate to thy service those powers which thou hast recovered from weakness, dishonour, and ruin!