Sections 68 & 69

Section 68
ANOTHER AVOIDING OF HEROD'S TERRITORY
MATT. 15:29
MARK 7:31

Section 69 
THE DEAF STAMMERER HEALED AND FOUR THOUSAND FED
MATT. 15:30-39
MARK 7:32-8:9

Jon Courson helped me to see the feeding of the 4,000 in a meaningful light.  All of the below is his topical study on this incident:

"The passage before us is controversial. Many scholars suggest it is nothing more than a retelling of the "feeding of the five thousand" story in Matthew 14. Why? It's the only explanation they can offer for the seeming stupidity of the disciples. You see, here in chapter 15, the disciples ask Jesus how they are to feed such a large crowd. Why would the disciples wonder how to feed four thousand if only a mere chapter earlier, they had seen Jesus feed over five thousand? "The only logical answer," conclude the scholars, "is that Mat_14:14-21 and Mat_15:32-39 are two different accounts of the same event." I, however, reject their premise for the following reasons:

• There were five thousand men in chapter 14.
• There were four thousand men in chapter 15.
• There were five loaves and two fish in chapter 14.
• There were seven loaves and a few fish in chapter 15.
• The multitude sat on the grass in chapter 14—the implication being it was springtime.
• The multitude sat on the bare ground in chapter 15—the implication being it was summertime.
• Jesus was in Bethsaida, the northern side of the Sea of Galilee, in chapter 14.
• Jesus was in Decapolis (Mark 8), on the eastern side of Galilee in chapter 15.
• After He fed the multitude in chapter 14, they wanted to make Him King.
• After He fed the multitude in chapter 15, they made no such request.

Above all, however, the reason I know these two events are separate is because Jesus Himself referred to them as such in Mat_16:9-10. If the "scholars" are right in suggesting there was only one feeding with two accounts, then Matthew wasn't listening to the Spirit as he wrote his Gospel, and Jesus was mistaken and confused about His own miracles."

I believe that's where the problem was. Here, the disciples were with Jesus in Decapolis. "Certainly Jesus won't do a miracle here," the disciples must have thought. "This is heathen territory. Most of this crowd is Gentile. The Lord isn't going to feed these people. Besides that, they've been with Him three days now. In Galilee, He fed the crowd after only one day. This is the wrong place. These are the wrong people. This is the wrong time."

The same thing happens to me and to you. The Lord blesses us. A miracle happens. Provision is made. Grace is shown. Then we get into a similar situation a month, a year, or a decade later. And we say, "Oh yeah, I know the Lord saw me through that previous difficulty. I know He provided for me graciously. But that was a different time. I was in Galilee then. I was having morning devotions. I was really close to Him. Now? I'm in the wrong place with the wrong people. This is the wrong time. Nothing is going to happen. The Lord isn't going to see me through this trouble. Not now. I'm out to lunch. I'm in Decapolis."

How easy it is to fall into the subtle trap of expecting the Lord to bless us because of our own worthiness or because we're in Galilee. "I'm praying. I'm studying. I'm close to the Lord. Of course He'll bless me!" But what we fail to factor into the equation is this very simple understanding. Jesus, we are told in verse Mat_15:32, called His disciples and said, "I have compassion on the multitude." The word translated "compassion" is actually a Greek word that describes the retching of the intestines—something which one feels very deeply. Looking out upon the hungry people of Decapolis, Jesus said, "I hurt for them. Even though no one is asking Me to provide, even though no one is believing I can provide, I want to do something for these people because I have compassion upon them." -Jon Courson