The Feeding of the Four Thousand
(Matthew 15:29-39)
1In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 4And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? 5And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away. 10And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
The Pharisees Seek a Sign
(Matthew 16:1-4; Luke 12:54-56)
11And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 12And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
(Matthew 16:5-12)
14Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida
22And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
Peter's Confession of Christ
(Matthew 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-20; John 6:66-71)
27And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 30And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
(Matthew 16:21-23; Luke 9:21-22)
31And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
Take up Your Cross
(Matthew 10:37-39; Matthew 16:24-28; Luke 9:23-27)
34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
The Feeding of the Four Thousand
(2 Kings 4:42–44; Matthew 15:29–39)
1 In those days, when there was a very great multitude, and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to himself, and said to them,
2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have stayed with me now three days, and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away fasting to their home, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come a long way.” 4 His disciples answered him, “From where could one satisfy these people with bread here in a deserted place?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves. Having given thanks, he broke them, and gave them to his disciples to serve, and they served the multitude. 7 They had a few small fish. Having blessed them, he said to serve these also. 8 They ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets of broken pieces that were left over. 9 Those who had eaten were about four thousand. Then he sent them away. 10 Immediately he entered into the boat with his disciples, and came into the region of Dalmanutha.
The Demand for a Sign
(Matthew 16:1–4; Luke 12:54–56)
11 The Pharisees came out and began to question him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, and testing him. 12 He sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Most certainly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 He left them, and again entering into the boat, departed to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod
(Matthew 16:5–12; Luke 12:1–3)
14 They forgot to take bread; and they didn’t have more than one loaf in the boat with them.
15 He warned them, saying, “Take heed: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They reasoned with one another, saying, “It’s because we have no bread.” 17 Jesus, perceiving it, said to them, “Why do you reason that it’s because you have no bread? Don’t you perceive yet, neither understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, don’t you see? Having ears, don’t you hear? Don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Twelve.” 20 “When the seven loaves fed the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Seven.” 21 He asked them, “Don’t you understand, yet?”
The Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 He came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him. 23 He took hold of the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village. When he had spit on his eyes, and laid his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything. 24 He looked up, and said, “I see men; for I see them like trees walking.” 25 Then again he laid his hands on his eyes. He looked intently, and was restored, and saw everyone clearly. 26 He sent him away to his house, saying, “Don’t enter into the village, nor tell anyone in the village.”
Peter’s Confession of Christ
(Matthew 16:13–20; Luke 9:18–20; John 6:67–71)
27 Jesus went out, with his disciples, into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” 28 They told him, “John the Baptizer, and others say Elijah, but others: one of the prophets.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30 He commanded them that they should tell no one about him.
Christ’s Passion Foretold
(Matthew 16:21–23; Luke 9:21–22)
31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke to them openly. Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But he, turning around, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you have in mind not the things of God, but the things of men.”
Take Up Your Cross
(Matthew 16:24–28; Luke 9:23–27)
34 He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? 37 For what will a man give in exchange for his life? 38 For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
The Feeding of the Four Thousand
(2 Kings 4:42–44; Matthew 15:29–39)
1 In those days the crowd once again became very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples to Him and said, 2 “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”
4 His disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these people?”
5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied.
6 And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish, and Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as well.
8 The people ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 And about four thousand men a were present.
As soon as Jesus had dismissed the crowd, 10 He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
The Demand for a Sign
(Matthew 16:1–4; Luke 12:54–56)
11 Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
12 Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod
(Matthew 16:5–12; Luke 12:1–3)
14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
16 So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.
17 Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts? 18 ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ b And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”
“Twelve,” they answered.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”
“Seven,” they said.
21 Then He asked them, “Do you still not understand?”
The Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.
24 The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not go back into the village.” c
Peter’s Confession of Christ
(Matthew 16:13–20; Luke 9:18–20; John 6:67–71)
27 Then Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
30 And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.
Christ’s Passion Foretold
(Matthew 16:21–23; Luke 9:21–22)
31 Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
33 But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Take Up Your Cross
(Matthew 16:24–28; Luke 9:23–27)
34 Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it.
36 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Footnotes:
9 a Men is implied here, that is, in addition to women and children; see Matthew 15:38.
18 b See Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah 42:20, Jeremiah 5:21, and Ezekiel 12:2.
26 c BYZ and TR “Do not go and tell anyone in the village.”
The Feeding of the Four Thousand
(Matthew 15:29-39)
1In those days the multitude being very great, and not having what they may eat, Jesus having called near his disciples, saith to them, 2'I have compassion upon the multitude, because now three days they do continue with me, and they have not what they may eat; 3and if I shall let them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way, for certain of them are come from far.' 4And his disciples answered him, 'Whence shall any one be able these here to feed with bread in a wilderness?' 5And he was questioning them, 'How many loaves have ye?' and they said, 'Seven.' 6And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground, and having taken the seven loaves, having given thanks, he brake, and was giving to his disciples that they may set before them; and they did set before the multitude. 7And they had a few small fishes, and having blessed, he said to set them also before them; 8and they did eat and were filled, and they took up that which was over of broken pieces -- seven baskets; 9and those eating were about four thousand. And he let them away, 10and immediately having entered into the boat with his disciples, he came to the parts of Dalmanutha,
The Pharisees Seek a Sign
(Matthew 16:1-4; Luke 12:54-56)
11and the Pharisees came forth, and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from the heaven, tempting him; 12and having sighed deeply in his spirit, he saith, 'Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.' 13And having left them, having entered again into the boat, he went away to the other side;
Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
(Matthew 16:5-12)
14and they forgot to take loaves, and except one loaf they had nothing with them in the boat, 15and he was charging them, saying, 'Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod,' 16and they were reasoning with one another, saying -- 'Because we have no loaves.' 17And Jesus having known, saith to them, 'Why do ye reason, because ye have no loaves? do ye not yet perceive, nor understand, yet have ye your heart hardened? 18Having eyes, do ye not see? and having ears, do ye not hear? and do ye not remember? 19When the five loaves I did brake to the five thousand, how many hand-baskets full of broken pieces took ye up?' they say to him, 'Twelve.' 20'And when the seven to the four thousand, how many hand-baskets full of broken pieces took ye up?' and they said, 'Seven.' 21And he said to them, 'How do ye not understand?'
A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida
22And he cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring to him one blind, and call upon him that he may touch him, 23and having taken the hand of the blind man, he led him forth without the village, and having spit on his eyes, having put his hands on him, he was questioning him if he doth behold anything: 24and he, having looked up, said, 'I behold men, as I see trees, walking.' 25Afterwards again he put his hands on his eyes, and made him look up, and he was restored, and discerned all things clearly, 26and he sent him away to his house, saying, 'Neither to the village mayest thou go, nor tell it to any in the village.'
Peter's Confession of Christ
(Matthew 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-20; John 6:66-71)
27And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and in the way he was questioning his disciples, saying to them, 'Who do men say me to be?' 28And they answered, 'John the Baptist, and others Elijah, but others one of the prophets.' 29And he saith to them, 'And ye -- who do ye say me to be?' and Peter answering saith to him, 'Thou art the Christ.' 30And he strictly charged them that they may tell no one about it,
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
(Matthew 16:21-23; Luke 9:21-22)
31and began to teach them, that it behoveth the Son of Man to suffer many things, and to be rejected by the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise again; 32and openly he was speaking the word. And Peter having taken him aside, began to rebuke him, 33and he, having turned, and having looked on his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying, 'Get behind me, Adversary, because thou dost not mind the things of God, but the things of men.'
Take up Your Cross
(Matthew 10:37-39; Matthew 16:24-28; Luke 9:23-27)
34And having called near the multitude, with his disciples, he said to them, 'Whoever doth will to come after me -- let him disown himself, and take up his cross, and follow me; 35for whoever may will to save his life shall lose it; and whoever may lose his life for my sake and for the good news' sake, he shall save it; 36for what shall it profit a man, if he may gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? 37Or what shall a man give as an exchange for his life? 38for whoever may be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also shall be ashamed of him, when he may come in the glory of his Father, with the holy messengers.'
The Favor of God Message paraphrase
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
¹ During those days, another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said,
² “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
³ If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
⁴ His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”
⁵ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied.
⁶ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When He had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, He broke them and gave them to His disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so.
⁷ They had a few small fish as well; He gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.
⁸ The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
⁹ About four thousand were present. After He had sent them away,
¹⁰ He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
The Pharisees Demand a Sign
¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test Him, they asked Him for a sign from heaven.
¹² He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.”
¹³ Then He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.
¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”*
¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?
¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When He had spit on the man’s eyes and put His hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
²⁵ Once more Jesus put His hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
²⁷ Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
²⁸ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
²⁹ “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
³⁰ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.
Jesus Predicts His Death
³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again.
³² He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
³³ But when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter. “Get behind Me, Satan!” He said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
The Way of the Cross
³⁴ Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.
³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the gospel will save it.
³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Footnotes:
8:15: “Yeast” is a metaphor for influence. Jesus warns against the corrupting influence of the Pharisees’ legalism and Herod’s worldly power.
8:19: The feeding of the five thousand was an earlier miracle in which Jesus used just five loaves to feed a multitude, demonstrating God’s provision and abundance.
8:25: The two-step healing of the blind man is unique and may symbolize spiritual growth. Just as the man’s physical sight was gradually restored, so too our understanding of Jesus may unfold progressively.
8:29: Peter’s declaration, “You are the Messiah,” is a turning point in the Gospel. It marks the disciples’ recognition of Jesus’ true identity, though they still misunderstand what that means.
8:33: Jesus’ sharp rebuke of Peter reflects the seriousness of misunderstanding His mission. Peter, in trying to protect Jesus, was unwittingly aligning with Satan’s opposition to God’s plan.
8:34: To “take up their cross” means to embrace suffering and self-denial in following Jesus, reflecting the cost of true discipleship.
8:36: Jesus’ question about gaining the world but losing one’s soul emphasizes the eternal value of the soul over material success or worldly gain.
