The Compassionate Heart of Jesus - Matthew 15:29-37

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent (Year C)(I) - 4 December

From the Gospel according to Matthew

At that time: Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’ And the disciples said to him, ‘Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ They said, ‘Seven, and a few small fish.’ And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage contains two significant events: Jesus' healing ministry and the feeding of the four thousand. It's important to note that this is distinct from the feeding of the five thousand (found in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6). This particular account appears only in Matthew 15 and Mark 8, with some unique elements in Matthew's telling.

This account is parallel to Mark 8:1-10, but Matthew's version includes additional details about the healing ministry. The location is likely in the Decapolis region, predominantly Gentile territory. Unlike the feeding of the 5000, this miracle occurs after three days of ministry. Matthew uniquely emphasizes that the crowd "glorified the God of Israel," suggesting a Gentile audience.

Today’s Reflection: