Who Is Jesus? Part 3Uzorak

The Message Inside the Miracle

Here we go. We’re launching into Part 3 of this Bible Plan with a major turning point in Jesus’ ministry. So if you haven’t read Who Is Jesus? Part 1 and Part 2 yet, go back and check them out! At the end of Part 2, we saw Jesus feed over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish in an epic callback to Moses. In chapter 15, He’s back at it, but this time with a very different audience. The miracle Jesus does here follows a bold conversation with a Gentile woman. 

This is super significant, because up to this point, Jesus’ ministry has been focused primarily on God’s special nation of Israel. Jesus had had some one-on-one interactions with Gentiles, but nothing on the scale of 4,000. Yet, after seeing one woman’s persistent faith, Jesus once again heads up a mountain, but this time near the mostly Gentile region of the Decapolis, to introduce His Kingdom to the non-Jewish nations. Imagine this as Sermon on the Mount 2.0. The audience is different, but the message is the same. Jesus is still all about pointing humanity to what it looks like to be people who love God with all we are—and to allow our love for God to shape the way we treat other people. And He’s not just saying it, He’s showing it. 

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. Matthew 15:31 NIV

And again:

Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 15:36-38 NIV

In the context of Scripture, numbers hold a lot of significance. The number four (as in 4,000) represents the idea of the four corners of the earth. It symbolizes how God gathers people from all over the earth and invites us to be part of His family. And once again we see the number seven. In this context, the seven loaves represented the seven nations that at one time occupied the promised land (referenced in Deuteronomy 7). Moses’ ministry was limited to the nation of Israel. But Jesus, the better Moses, launched a ministry that affects all people. The message inside this miracle is that Jesus’ Kingdom is so much bigger than one place or people group. And the invitation is on the table for everyone to participate in God’s redemptive plan to rescue humanity and restore creation.