Mt 15:29-37
29[At that time,] Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. 30Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. 31The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
32Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” 33The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” 34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” 35He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 37They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets full.
Reflection
Amazed: Matthew makes a distinction between Jesus’ followers. The first are the disciples with whom Jesus shares the meaning of his parables, or the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (13:10-11). The second are the crowds, who are taught the beatitudes and parables about God’s reign, and who “look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand” (13:13).
In this passage, however, the crowds appear to exhibit more faith in Jesus than the disciples. They bring him the sick for healing, and stay with him for three days, so awed by his work that they glorify God (vv 30-31). The account of Jesus’ healings calls to mind the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah about the promised Messiah: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared, then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing” (35:5-6).
In turn, Jesus displays compassion toward them. He tells his disciples of his concern for the crowds, “I do not want to send them away hungry” (v 32). But they question the possibility of finding enough food for everyone in that “deserted place” (v 33). Though they have witnessed the Lord’s works of wonder, the disciples are unable to grasp that he can satisfy the people’s hunger. Jesus nevertheless involves them in caring for the crowds.