Matthew 15:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

NIV: "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."

NASB: And Jesus *said to them, 'How many loaves do you have?' And they said, 'Seven, and a few small fish.'

CSB: "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked them. "Seven," they said, "and a few small fish."

NLT: Jesus asked, 'How much bread do you have?' They replied, 'Seven loaves, and a few small fish.'

KJV: And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

NKJV: Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

Just as with the last miraculous feeding of a huge crowd (Matthew 14:13–21), Jesus responds to the idea that there are not enough resources to feed the crowd by asking the disciples to inventory how much food they do have (Matthew 15:32–33). The amount is strangely similar: They have seven loaves and a few fish.

In both cases, Jesus makes use of the little the disciples have, turning it into abundance. God will do this for them throughout their years of ministry, carrying the gospel of Jesus around the world; He will take their little strength and knowledge and ability and turn it into more than enough to cover the world with citizens of the kingdom of heaven (John 14:12). This miracle emphasizes that this mission will be truly worldwide, applying to the Gentile world just as much as to Israel.

Matthew 15:32–39 describes another miraculous feeding, separate from an earlier event where Jesus provided as many as twenty thousand meals (Matthew 14:13–20). Jesus has compassion on the hungry crowd after three days with them. He does not want to send them away without feeding them. He takes the disciples' seven loaves and few fish and makes all the people sit down. He gives thanks and starts handing food to the disciples, who pass it out until everyone has eaten all they want, which includes four thousand men plus women and children. While the first miraculous feeding was for a mostly Jewish crowd, this assembly is almost all Gentiles. After they leave, the disciples return to Jewish territory on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are offended that His disciples break the religious leaders' tradition about ritual handwashing before meals. Jesus turns that attack upside down, pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth—by the literal matter itself—but by the overflow of the spirit, such as the words that come out of the mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events set up the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel.

Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between some Pharisees and Jesus. They ask why His disciples break the traditional practice of ritual handwashing. Pointedly, Jesus asks why they allow the obvious intent of God's commandments to be broken through their traditions. Jesus and the disciples travel out of Israel, encountering a Canaanite woman. He praises her faith and casts a demon from her daughter. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals more people and feeds thousands more from another few loaves and fishes. This sets up another confrontation with religious leaders, warnings about their teachings, and predictions of Jesus' death in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 12/3/2024 2:18:52 PM