Mt. 15:29 And Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.
Mk. 7:31 And again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.
This is still in Gentile territory. The Decapolis was made up of ten Greek cities. It always had some Jewish residents in them.
Mt. 15:30 Then the great multitudes came to Him, having with them those who were lame, blind, mute, maimed and many other.
The last time He was in this territory He dealt with a demoniac who had the Legion of demons within him. As the result of the loss of a herd of swine, He was asked by the residents to leave the territory and never come back. The man that was healed wanted to follow Yeshua, but He said no. Being a Gentile, the Lord told him to go back to his home and tell the people of the great things that Yeshua had done for him. We are told in that segment that he went through the Decapolis doing just that.
Mk. 7:32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hands on him.
Mk. 7:33 And He took him aside, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.
Mk. 7:34 Then looking up to Heaven, He sighed and spoke to him “Ephphatha,” that is, be opened.”
Mk. 7:35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
Mk. 7:36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.
Mk. 7:37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. The deaf to hear, and the mute to speak.”
When Yeshua returns to this area again, the residents do not ask that He leave, but come to Him in order to hear Him. Because of Yeshua’s instructions to him, it is very possible that the man was one of the Jewish residents. Although He would still help anyone with a personal need on the basis of faith, He was through working with the Jewish population in general. They had made up their minds, and so had He.
Mk. 8:1 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Yeshua called His disciples to Him and said to them,
Mt. 15:32a Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.”
Mk. 8:2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.”
Mt. 15:32b “And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
Mk. 8:3 “And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.
Mt. 15:33 Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
Mk. 8:4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”
Mt. 15:34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
Mk. 8:5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
Mt. 15:35 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
Mk. 8:6a And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
Mt. 15:36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.
Mk. 8:6b And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them, and they set them before the multitude.
Mk. 8:7 And they had a few small fish; and He said to set them also before them.”
Mt. 15:37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.
Mk. 8:8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.
Mt. 15:38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Mk. 8:9 And those who had eaten were about four thousand and He sent them away.
It is amazing just how short the memories of the disciples are. The feeding of the five thousand took place only a few days ago. Yet, not one of them seems to remember that incident. Another point to remember is that the feeding of the five thousand involved mainly Jewish citizens. Now the ones getting the benefit of His miracle are mostly Gentiles.
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