Christ to the Gentiles
Notes
Transcript
The feeding of the 4,000 almost seems like a repetition of something that has already happened. In chapter 14 we saw the feeding of the 5,000 and it’s very similar to the feeding of the 4,000. But there are some differences.
The number of people – 5,000 men plus women & children verses 4,000 men plus women and children.
The number of days people had gone without eating- one day verses three days.
The amount of food present- five loaves of bread and two fish verses seven loaves of bread and a few little fish.
The amount of food left over- twelve basketsful verses seven basketsful.
But the biggest difference is the people who were fed. This group of people is overwhelmingly Gentile and the feeding of the 5,000 was overwhelmingly Jewish. I think the major point of including the feeding of the 4,000 is to prove that Jesus will do for the Gentiles what He has done for the Jews.
When I was a small kid, I can remember my mother and my grandmother calling me a heathen at times. If me and my sister or cousins were causing an unusual amount of trouble she would say, “Stop that! You’re acting like a bunch of heathen!”
I didn’t know what a heathen was but by her tone I could tell it wasn’t good. The word is used over 140 times in the KJV. It means nations other than the nation of Israel. It referred to people groups who did not worship the God of Israel. So “heathen” came to mean, in the English language, pagan, uncivilized, or barbaric people.
By the strict meaning of the word, we are all a bunch of heathens unless we are Jewish. The good news is Jesus has come for the heathen. Jesus has come for the Gentiles. Our text this morning proves that.
I want to show you three things from these passages:
1. Jesus heals the Gentiles (29-31).
2. Jesus feeds the Gentiles (32-39).
3. The Gentiles glorify the God of Israel (31).
1. Jesus heals the Gentiles (29-31).
A. The region He enters is a Gentile region.
Mark 7:31 says He entered the Decapolis. This was a region that contained ten cities. The population was Gentile and the religion was pagan.
Jesus probably went to the mountain to be alone with His disciples and get some rest. That rest won’t be found because very soon multitudes will go up the mountain to where Jesus is.
Recently in this gospel we have seen Jesus love for the Gentiles. In 15:21-28 Jesus healed the daughter of a Gentile woman and commended her for her faith. Matthew even includes Gentile women in his genealogy of Jesus.
Matthew wants to make it clear that Christ has a love for the Gentiles. Jesus leaves the Jewish regions He has been preaching in and goes to this Gentile region for more than simply rest. His entering into the Decapolis is symbolic of Christ leaving behind a nation that rejects Him to gather to Himself people from every nation who will embrace Him.
B. He heals a multitude of Gentile people (30).
The multitude was great. Four thousand men plus women and children. We are talking possibly 20,000 people.
It is a pitiful bunch. Look at verse 30 and you see that.
People are bringing their sick friends and family members to Jesus.
The lame- Some part of their body was deformed, crippled or missing.
The blind- Either born that way or blinded by some disease or accident.
The mute- unable to speak and oftentimes deaf as well.
The maimed- Disabled, paralyzed, unable to walk on their own or feed themselves.
There were other categories of people as well that aren’t listed. It’s hard for us to grasp what this would have been like.
I’m sure there was a stench in the air.
I’m sure there were children crying and people crying out for healing.
People were desperate for healing.
They were suffering.
The people they loved were suffering.
Finally, these people saw hope in the Person of Jesus.
What hope is there for the severely deformed, paralyzed, or deathly sick apart from Jesus? There is none.
The message of Christ should be appealing to those who suffer in their body in this world.
Through Christ those who have never walked in this world are promised they will walk in the next!
Through Christ those who have never seen a thing n this world are promised they will see!
Through Christ those who have known nothing but physical pain in this world are promised they will have relief!
Reject Christ and these people have no hope! He is the only hope for complete healing.
The Bible says these Gentiles brought their loved ones and cast them at Jesus feet.
It was a personal healing. Jesus could have spoke healing over the entire multitude. It would have been easier for Him humanly speaking. But Jesus chose to interact with each one individually. He wanted each one to know Him. He wanted to look into their eyes. He wanted them to see Him as the source of their healing.
It was complete. Look at verse 31 and you see that.
The mute spoke.
The maimed were whole.
The lame walked.
The blind could see.
The healing was immediate and it was complete.
C. The people wondered (31).
Those who were not in need of healing were amazed at the power of Jesus as well. They saw what God was doing for these people. I’m certain this must have brought a joy to them.
The healthy want to know there is hope for the sick because the healthy know they too will be sick one day. It’s just a matter of time before:
We all need a cane.
We all can’t stop shaking.
We all can’t feed ourselves.
There is a desire within all of us to find a sour5ce of eternal health. If you are healthy as a horse and you are reading this text this morning it ought to cause you to stand in amazement at Christ. You ought to wonder at His power! Jesus heals Gentiles!
2. Jesus feeds the Gentiles (32-39).
A. Jesus was moved to compassion.
Jesus said these people had been with Him three days. That gives you an idea of how long it took for Jesus to personally heal all of these people. They were far away from any town. Verse 31 says the place where they were was a wilderness. So there was no easy way to get food. The people probably hadn’t planned to stay that long. They were so overwhelmed with Jesus that it appears even those who were healed stayed.
Jesus says He will not send them away because He is concerned that they will pass out on the way home. These people were famished. They had gone three days without food and were sleeping outside as well.
To be clear, I think the disciples would have been fine with Jesus sending the crowd home. That’s what they tried to convince Jesus to do in the feeding of the 5,000 (14:15).
Aren’t you glad Jesus is more compassionate than we are?
Jesus will save people we wouldn’t save!
Jesus will heal people we wouldn’t heal!
We should be concerned if people are starving. Even lost people, we should be moved with compassion when we see human suffering. Primarily because we know if a lost person does starve to death they will go to hell. We should care in the same way Jesus did for the physical suffering of lost people. Whether it be disease or hunger, we should care.
B. Jesus miraculously feeds the multitude.
The disciples ask Jesus how they are going to feed all these people. They tell Him they only have seven loaves of bread and a few fish. Immediately we wonder why they would doubt. They have already witnessed Jesus feed more people with less food. When He fed the five thousand, He had less bread and less fish.
There’s a couple of options here:
One, they thought Jesus wanted them to feed the crowd. Perhaps they thought Jesus expected them to perform the miracle.
Two, they doubted that Jesus would do this miracle for the Gentiles. Sometimes we doubt not because of the power of our God but because of the person who needs our God.
It really was a no brainer. All they had to do was say “Do it again Lord!”
That’s a good prayer! “Do it again Lord!”
We’ve seen what God can do. We have read the Bible. We have watched Him work in our own life! There is plenty or proof that God is able and that He is powerful enough to meet any need we have!
Do it again Lord!
I read in the Bible about:
Walls falling down! “Do it again Lord!”
Souls being saved! “Do it again Lord!
Lives being spared! “Do it again Lord!”
The bills need paying! “Do it again Lord!”
My child needs healing! “Do it again Lord!”
It would have been such a simple prayer, but they didn’t pray it.
Despite their doubt Jesus feeds the multitude.
He takes the seven loaves and fishes. He thanked God for it. He began distributing it to His disciples. Everyone was fed. Everyone was full. There was food left over.
C. Jesus includes the disciples in the feeding of the Gentiles.
He gave the food to the disciples and they distributed it to the people. That’s important. They had already been accused of being unclean. They touched all those people when they fed the 5,000 and were accused of eating with unwashed hands. Now they’re going to feed gentiles. This would be considered even more defiling.
The disciples couldn’t do the miracle of healing all the people.
They couldn’t perform the miracle of multiplying the food.
But they could serve the people.
They could hand out the food.
We’ve got to stop thinking about all we can’t do. There is plenty we can do for the glory of God. We’re not Christ but we are His hands and His feet.
When we get to heaven we will be amazed when we discover the importance of:
Wiping a fevered brow
Feeding a hungry soul
Serving a cup of cold water
Visiting a suffering saint in the hospital
Giving a ride to a weary traveler
Praying with someone who feels hopeless
We’re not to think that the disciples weren’t blessed by their service. When they were finished there seven baskets left over. You might think to yourself “There were twelve baskets left at the feeding of the 5,000.” You would be right.
A different Greek word is used for basket i8n the two accounts. The word used in the feeding of the 5,000 described a basket that was large enough to contain one or two meals. The word used for basket in verse 37 is a different one.
It’s the word used in Acts 9:25 to describe the basket that Paul was smuggled out of Damascus in. It would be more like we would consider a hamper. The truth is these seven baskets would have held more food than the twelve did in the feeding of the 5,000. There was a tremendous amount of food left over for the disciples. Perhaps this was because no one had eaten in three days.
The point is the disciples were abundantly blessed in their service to God. There are both heavenly and earthly benefits when we serve others in the name of Jesus. Don’t forget these are Jews serving Gentiles. That wouldn’t be easy for a Jew to do. It’s not easy for us to serve those Christ has called us to serve. But it is a great blessing.
3. The Gentiles glorify the God of Israel (31).
A. This is a major accomplishment.
Archaeologists have explored the region known as the Decapolis. They’ve discovered all sorts of proof of the paganism that existed there. There are amphitheaters, and pagan idolatrous statues and monuments. They’ve discovered many false gods who were worshipped in that region. Gods like:
Zeus
Aphrodite
Athene
Artemis
Hercules
Dionysus
These were the gods they depended on. These were the gods they worshipped. But these gods could not heal them, and they could not quench their hunger. Christ came into the region doing both. As a result, these pagans glorified the God of Israel.
This miracle beyond the borders of Israel turned the attention of idol worshippers to the True God. It symbolized the gospel being taken to the entire world. All over this globe Gentiles would turn from their gods and to the God of Israel.
B. It is a miracle of mercy that the gospel has come to us.
The expansion of Christianity into the Gentile regions of the world can only be explained by the miraculous power of God. I have said many times, we’re a long way from Israel. The message of Christianity escaped the Middle east despite:
The weakness of its messengers. The first preachers were nobodies as far as the world was concerned.
The strength of its enemies. The Roman empire and the Jewish religious elite.
The smallness of its numbers. 120 believers when the book of Acts starts.
More amazing than the fact that God miraculously fed thousands of gentiles in this story is the fact that God has fed the Living Bread to millions of Gentiles around the world through the preaching of the gospel.
Thank God I am one of those Gentiles!
Thank God you are one of those Gentiles!
C. It is the churches responsibility to preach this gospel to the world.
Israel had that responsibility but failed to do it.
Christ came and took the gospel to the Gentiles.
He sends his people out to the world.
He’s put the Living Bread in our hands.
He has told us the people will perish if they don’t receive it.
We should be moved with compassion when we think of what will happen to those who do not receive the gospel.
We should be willing to take what Christ has put in our hands and put it into the hands of a lost world.
God has a people in this world. God has a people who will receive the gospel. They are from every nation. The miracle of God’s mercy is sweeping people into His kingdom from all four corners of the earth.
We look forward to seeing the Gentiles along with the Jews in heaven glorifying God together. There will be a day when Jew and Gentile will eat together in heaven. There will be more than 4,000 men plus women and children. The Bible says in Revelation 19:6-9:
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
Oh, but Isaiah says it even better! He says in Isa. 25:6-9.
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
What a blessing to be invited to this supper!
What a blessing to invite others to this supper!
Will you be there?
Have you invited others to come with you?
We come through the finished work of Christ. Be certain you have bowed to Him.