FEEDING 4000 & THEIR FAMILIES

1. Why did Jesus perform miracles? 

a) If Jesus really were divine, he should have been able to perform miracles. Jesus did just that. He healed the sick, walked on water and even raised the dead. These miracles helped to support his claim that he was the true God come to earth to save mankind.

b) The miracles of Jesus are described in the New Testament and are listed more or less below.

2.Miracles of Jesus: Feeding the 4000 men and their families (Matthew 15:29-39, Mark 8:1-10)

a) During a time when Jesus was in the region of Galilee, large crowds of people gathered before him, bringing people who suffered from a variety of ailments, including being mute, invalid or blind. Jesus miraculously healed them. At one point, there was a large crowd of about 4000 men and their families who had nothing to eat. Jesus miraculously fed them. 

b) As explained in the Gospel of Matthew: 

Matthew 15:29-39 New International Version (NIV) 

²⁹ Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 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. 

³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; 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 enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” 

³⁴ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“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 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. 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.