Day 25: Jesus feeds four thousand families in a Gentile area
Remember how Jesus told the Gentile woman that it wasn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs? Today, we see Jesus doing a miracle just like His miracle of feeding five thousand Jewish families; except this time, He does it for Gentiles too! But His disciples still don’t understand.
What problem did the people have in verse 1?
How does Jesus say He feels about this crowd of hungry people?
Having compassion on someone means feeling sorry for them or caring for them. We frequently see Jesus in the Gospels showing compassion.
Why is the question the disciples ask in verse 4 a silly question?
How much food do the disciples have this time (v. 5 and v. 7)?
What does Jesus do with the loaves and the fish (vv. 6–7)?
What did the people do (v. 8)?
How many baskets of broken pieces of food did the disciples pick up (v. 8)?
How many people had eaten (v. 9)?
How does this miracle show that Jesus has enough spiritual bread for everyone—including the Gentiles?
Who came to Jesus in verse 11 and why?
What did the Pharisees ask Jesus for, and how does He respond?
What did Jesus tell His disciples to watch out for in verse 15?
When God rescued His people from Egypt, He tells them to bake bread without yeast (or leaven) and eat it at the special meal. So, every year, the Jews celebrate the Passover and eat bread with no yeast for a week. The Pharisees are in many ways the opposite of the followers of Herod, who is the ruler set up by the Romans. But they have one thing in common: they want Jesus dead (Mark 3:6).
How did the disciples misunderstand what Jesus meant (v. 16)?
What does Jesus ask the disciples in verse 17?
What body parts does Jesus say must not be working for His disciples (v. 18)?
In verses 19–20, what miracles does Jesus remind His disciples about?
Why was it silly of the disciples to think that Jesus was complaining that they’d forgotten to bring bread?
Thank Jesus that He has more than enough for everyone who puts their trust in Him. Ask Jesus to help you really see who He is, unlike His disciples in today’s passage. Pray for a friend who doesn’t trust in Jesus yet to start seeing who He is.