Matthew - Week 50

Nothing Left to Eat 

READ 

Matthew 15:32 

32 Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.” 

The huge crowd was a concern to Jesus. They had brought people to be healed and had been with Him for three days. Now they had nothing left to eat. Jesus did not want to send them away hungry as they might be so weak they would collapse along the way.  

REFLECT 

Are you impressed that Jesus was concerned about the people’s physical needs as well as their spiritual needs? 

RESPOND 

With another believer, read Matthew 14:13-21 to refresh your thinking about Jesus feeding 5,000 men, plus, women and children. This will show similarities and contrasts to what you are about to read in Matthew 15.  

Seven Loaves and a Few Small Fish 

READ 

Matthew 15:33-34 

33 The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” 34 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.” 

Again, Jesus puts His disciples to a test by asking them a question. When they wondered where they would ever get enough food in the wilderness for the crowd, He asked how much bread they had. Only seven loaves and a few small fish surely seemed to the disciples as if Jesus should know how impossible it was for those to be of any help in feeding the huge crowd. 

REFLECT 

Does it sometime seem that your ability is insignificant in doing what you believe Jesus wants you to do? Could this be about the nudge to share your faith with an unbeliever? 

RESPOND 

From the past experience of Jesus feeding the 5,000, what would you expect now when confronted with a similar situation? Would you have thought of this had you been with the disciples at this time? Talk with a believer about remembering God’s help in the past to encourage you to trust Him at the present. 

Dinner Is Served 

READ 

Matthew 15:35-36 

35 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd. 

Jesus thanked God for the few loaves and fish—an amount the disciples thought horribly inadequate. Then He broke them in pieces and gave the pieces to the disciples to distribute. One wonders what the disciples were thinking as they had all this food to distribute from the small contribution they made. Surely they were amazed again at the miracle-working power of Jesus. 

REFLECT 

Have you sometimes been surprised at how God has worked in and through you? Be sure to share this experience with someone. 

RESPOND 

Talk with a fellow believer about Jesus not needing the little we can offer Him, but He uses what we have. Share with each other how Jesus has used something you have and multiplied it to help others. Perhaps He used your example to encourage someone else to do more than you could.  

Baskets of Food 

READ 

Matthew 15:37-39 

37 They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 38 There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan. 

This is similar to Matthew 14 when Jesus fed the 5,000. This time there were 4,000 men in addition to women and children. As previously, when everyone had eaten all they wanted, there were basketsful left over. Having fed the large group, Jesus sent them home, and He got into a boat and left the area. He went to the area of “Magadan,” which seems to be a variant spelling of “Magdala” where Mary Magdalene was from. Mark 8:10 reveals it also went by the name “Dalmanutha.” 

REFLECT 

Had you been among the disciples, do you think it would have caused you to realize that Jesus would be able to feed any amount of people He chose to? 

RESPOND 

Share with a friend Mark 10:23-27 to see what Jesus said about all things being possible with God.  

Proof of Authority 

READ 

Matthew 16:1 

1 One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. 

The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted Jesus to show them some miraculous sign. His previous miracles, however, never convinced them that Jesus was the Messiah. The Pharisees believed in the supernatural but the Sadducees did not. Their minds were already made up concerning Jesus and nothing He could do would change their thinking. The Sadducees did not believe in heaven or anything miraculous; they were only joining with the Pharisees to trap Jesus. 

REFLECT 

Have you met people whose minds are made up and they do not want to listen to any reasoning that is contrary to their thinking? This can be true about spiritual truths. 

RESPOND 

Read Acts 23:6-10. This passage reveals how the apostle Paul, when he was on trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin, used the different beliefs of the Pharisees and Sadducees to his advantage.