NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 138
Matthew 16:3 | 1731
Aerial view of Magdala (Magadan), the home of Mary Magdalene and where Jesus spent some of his time (Matt 15:39). In 2009,
the remains of a first-century synagogue were discovered.
© Duby Tal/Albatross/Alamy
15:30 y Mt 4:23
15:31 z Mt 9:8
15:32 a Mt 9:36
15:36 b Mt 14:19
15:37 c Mt 16:10
16:1 d Ac 4:1 e Mt 12:38
mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he h
ealed them. y 31 The people were
amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and
the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. z
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; a they
have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them
away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get e
nough bread in this remote p
lace to
feed such a crowd?”
34 “How many l oaves do you have?” Jesus a
sked.
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the
fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them b and gave them to the disciples, and
they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked
up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. c 38 The number of those who ate
was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd
away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
The Demand for a Sign
16:1-12pp — Mk 8:11-21
16
The Pharisees and Sadducees d came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show
them a sign from heaven. e
2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’
3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know
5,000 (see note on 14:13 – 21). But here the
crowds appear to be Gentile, not those who
have followed Jesus around the lake from
Galilee as before. The teaching period is lon-
ger and the need for food more acute (v. 32).
The close duplication of the earlier miracle
may intentionally demonstrate that Jesus is
the bread of life for Gentiles as well as Jews
(see note on 14:13 – 36).
15:31 they praised the God of Israel. Makes
more sense if it describes a Gentile, rather
than a Jewish, response. Jews would praise
just “God,” but Gentiles would have to specify
that it was not their god(s) but the Jewish one.
15:33 The disciples’ question seems extremely
obtuse after the previous feeding miracle. But
because the Greek for “we” may be emphatic,
perhaps they think Jesus is now asking them
to provide the food. Perhaps the question
also illustrates the hardness of heart (see
note on 14:33) that blinds even Jesus’ closer
followers before the resurrection and the gift
of the Spirit at Pentecost.
15:34 – 38 The “seven loaves” (v. 36) and the
“four thousand men, besides women and
children” (v. 38) may be merely the numbers
counted. But Matthew may see symbolic, as
well as literal, meaning in the “seven basket-
fuls” of leftovers in v. 37 as opposed to the
“twelve basketfuls” in 14:20, because seven
was the universal number (as in seven days
of creation), appropriate for all nations, while
twelve was the distinctively Jewish number
(as in twelve tribes of Israel). That the word
for “basket” in the Greek also changes from a
typical Jewish lunch pack (kophinos in 14:20)
to a larger Gentile hamper (spyris here in v. 37)
could support this suggestion.
15:39 Magadan. Probably a variant of Magdala,
on the west-central shore of the Sea of Gali-
lee, confirming that Jesus had been on the
Gentile, eastern side before they crossed over.
16:1 – 12 There is danger in Israel as Jewish
leaders test Jesus further by requesting a
sign (vv. 1 – 4), and Jesus warns his disciples
about them and their influence as he returns
to Gentile territory (vv. 5 – 12).