1. The Life of Christ (34) Feeding the Four Thousand
Matthew 15:29–39 (NASB95)
29Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there.
30And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.
31So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
32And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”
33The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?”
34And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
35And He directed the people to sit down on the ground;
36and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
37And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full.
38And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.
Lesson 34 teaches the miracle about Jesus feeding the Four Thousand and then the warning against the leaven of the Pharisees. The scripture is in Matt. 15: Read the above scripture.
The parallel teaching is Mark 8:1-9.
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2. Feeding the Four Thousand
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Feeding the Four Thousand
The phrase “departing from there” in verse 29 refers to the Gentile district of Tyre and Sidon. Matt. 15:21
Jesus had just recently fed more than 5,000 people, the number was closer to 15-20,000 once one factors in the women and children. Matt. 14:13-21.
In this section Jesus both heals a large number of people (probably Gentiles) and feeds 4,000 people at one time (again, a much larger number of probably 10-12,000 with women and children).
In Matt. 15:32, Jesus has compassion on the crowd He has been teaching and healing for three days and says He wants to feed them since they have had nothing to eat during that time.
The response of the disciples in Matt. 15:33 is not surprising considering their track record, even though Jesus had just fed many more people than this.
Read and explain these points.
Matthew 15:21 (NASB95)
21Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon.
He fed the 5,000 recently before this as seen in Matthew 14: They had only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and he fed 15-20,000 including men, women and children.
In Matthew 15:29–39 Jesus feeds the 4,000 men but including women and children he feed 10 to 12, 000.
Matthew 15:33 (NASB95)
33The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” Recently He had fed the 5,000
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3. Feeding the Four Thousand
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Feeding the Four Thousand
Although there is no direct statement that these are Gentiles, the statement in verse 31 that they glorified “the God of Israel” seems to indicate that these were not Jews.
In this miracle, 4,000 men were fed, which means the total number of people was probably around 10-12,000.
After this Jesus, crosses the Lake of Galilee back into Jewish territory.
Upon His return He is immediately confronted and attacked by Jewish religious leaders who demand that He perform a miracle. Mk. 8:11
Mark 8:11 (NASB95)
11The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.
Read and explain these points. Matthew 15:31 (NASB95)
31So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
If they were Jews, why wouldn’t they say “They glorified God.” Because of this and the fact that they were in Gentile territory would indicate that most of the crowd were Gentiles.
Any one who is not a Jew is referred to as a Gentile. You are either a Jew or a Gentile.
Mark 8:11 (NASB95) 11The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.
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4. Jesus’ Warning Against the Leaven of the Pharisees
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Jesus’ Warning Against the Leaven of the Pharisees
Matthew 16:1–12 (NASB95)
1The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.
2But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3“And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?
4“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
5And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread.
6And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.”
8But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?
9“Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?
10“Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?
11“How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
12Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Read and explain these verses, where Jesus’ warning against the leaven or yeast of the Pharisees. The leaven of the Pharisees refers to the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
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5. Jesus’ Warning Against the Leaven of the Pharisees
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Jesus’ Warning Against the Leaven of the Pharisees
Jesus has been performing miracles and healings throughout His ministry, yet they want some special sign, as if that would convince them that He was the Messiah.
In Matt. 15:4, Jesus tells them that the only sign they receive will be the sign of Jonah.
As Jonah survived three days in the belly of a great fish, so Jesus will return from three days in the heart of the earth.
Jesus has no requirement to perform a miracle for negative volition since miracles do not change what people really think or who they really are.
After the incident, Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees.
Leaven or yeast is often used in the Bible to denote evil of some kind; in this case, it refers to their evil teaching about being good enough to get to Heaven on one’s own.
The disciples once again focus on the physical matter of leaven/yeast (which is used in making bread) and do not understand that He is speaking of spiritual evil.
Read and explain these points.
In Matt. 16:4 Jesus tells the Pharisees and Sadducees the only sigh they would receive is the sign of Jonah. . In Matt. 16:4 4“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away. The Jews thought that they could work their way into heaven and were good as they needed to be to get to heaven.
The word “leaven/yeast is used 38 times in the Bible, 17 times in the NT and 21 times in the OT, and many times it is used as something evil.
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6. Jesus’ Warning Against the Leaven of the Pharisees
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Jesus’ Warning Against the Leaven of the Pharisees
Since they (disciples) focus on physical bread, they begin to discuss or argue about the fact that they forgot to bring bread with them.
Jesus points out how stupid their discussion is since He has just shown on two occasions that He can make all the bread He wants (enough to feed thousands).
Jesus demonstrates His impatience with their lack of spiritual perception and rebukes (Matt. 16:8-10) them for not understanding what He meant.
Jesus goes on to ask how they can be so stupid and not understand that He is not talking about physical bread.
After being asked if they were negative like their fellow Jews (Mk. 8:17-18) and being reminded of the two miracles He had recently done, He asks them again if they get what He means.
They finally figure out that Jesus is not talking about bread but is talking about the false doctrines of the Jewish religious leaders. Matt. 16:12
Read and explain these points. Matthew 16:8–10 (NASB95) 8But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?
9Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?
10Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?
Mark 8:17–18 (NASB95) 17And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?
18Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember,
Matthew 16:12 (NASB95) 12Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
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7. The Life of Christ (35) Peter’s Testimony of Christ
Matthew 16:13–20 (NASB95)
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
19“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
20Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ (Messiah).
This page starts the story of Peter’s Testimony or witness of Christ. Matthew 16: Read and explain these verses.
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8. Peter’s Testimony of Christ Matthew 16:13–20
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Peter’s Testimony of Christ Matthew 16:13–20
The region of Caesarea Philippi is a Gentile area about 30 miles north of Galilee and going outside of Israel into Gentile territory would allow Jesus to escape the large crowds and deal with the twelve disciples without the constant distractions. See following two maps on next two pages.
He takes this opportunity to provide further teaching to the twelve, specifically asking them questions about who people thought He actually was.
The disciples answer by explaining that there were a number of opinions concerning who Jesus actually was:
Some thought He was John the Baptist, risen from the dead. Matt. 14:2
Others thought He was Elijah, who was to be the forerunner of a Messiah that had not come yet. Matt. 16:14
“Jeremiah or one of the prophets” indicates that there was some significant superstitions that John the Baptist or one of the other prophets had been raised from the dead. Matt. 16:14, Mk. 6:14-16
Look at maps, read and explain these points and read the Bible verses.
John the Baptist Matthew 14:2 (NASB95) 2and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah Matthew 16:14 (NASB95) 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
John the Baptist, Elijah and a prophet Mark 6:14–16 (NASB95) 14And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.”
15But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
16But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”
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9. Caesarea Philippi The Life of Christ (31)
Point out where Caesarea Philippi is on the map. This is about 30 miles north of Galilee.
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10. Caesarea Philippi The Life of Christ (31)
Point out where Caesarea Philippi is on the map. This is about 30 miles north of Galilee.
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11. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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Peter’s Testimony of Christ
Jesus then asks who the disciples think He is.
Peter serves as spokesman for the whole group and answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Verse 16
The word Christ (anointed one) is relatively rare in the Gospels and is the Greek term equivalent to the Hebrew term “Messiah”.
While it might appear that Peter’s answer indicated that He thought Jesus was God in the flesh, it is evident from Peter’s behavior that He did not believe that Jesus was God.
When people talked about the Christ or the Messiah, they tended to think in political terms and thought about Jesus as a king who would deliver them from Roman power and set up God’s kingdom.
Practically every activity of Jesus was designed to lead His disciples and others to the realization that He was God in the flesh.
Jesus now takes this time to test them on this important issue.
To their credit, the disciples show they have a better understanding of Jesus than the populace at large; however, their understanding was still not complete.
Read and explain the points and read the scripture. Matt. 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The term Messiah is used only 6 times in the Gospels, Only in two of the Gospels, Matthew 4 times and John 2 times.
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12. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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Jesus informs Peter that the understanding he had was not given to him by man but was something that the Father had revealed by means of the Holy Spirit.
“Blessed” describes the person who is favored by God; it refers to the joy or happiness one has when He recognizes that God is on his side. Matt. 16:17
Matthew 16:18 (NASB95)
18I also say to you that you are Peter (Petros), and upon this rock (petra) I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
In verse 18 Christ uses a play on words:
The name Peter comes from the Greek word Pe,troj (Petros), which refers to a small rock, stone, or pebble.
The term translated rock verse 18, is not the same word but is pe,tra (petra), which refers to a very large rock, bedrock that would support a house.
That Peter is not the bedrock is evident from the different words; Jesus would not build upon a small rock or stone but on bedrock if He expected His church to stand.
Read and explain these points. Blessed is the name of our Church, blessed in Greek is Makarios. Matthew 16:17 (NASB95)
17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
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13. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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In verse 18 Christ uses a play on words: cont.
The Aramaic wordכֵּיפָא (keypha’) is the word for rock. The Greek Khfa/j (Kephas) transliterates the Aramaic and Pe,troj (Petros) is the closest Greek word.
That is why Peter is sometimes called by his real name, Simon Barjona (Simon, son of Jona), sometimes by the Greek form of his nickname, Peter, and sometimes by the Aramaic transliteration of his nickname Cephas.
John 1:42 (NASB95)
42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
Read and explain these points and John 1:42 Peter=Simon Barjona=Cephas.
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14. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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The statement “upon this rock I shall build my church” in Matt. 16:18, has been used by the Catholics as validation (proof) of their doctrine (teaching) that Peter was the first Pope.
As a reaction to this some Protestant Christians try to take this verse to mean that when Jesus says upon this rock He is referring to Himself.
However, since Jesus is clearly the building in this analogy, it does not make sense that He is the foundation, the bedrock on which the Church is built.
Since Peter is not the bedrock but simply a pebble or stone, one must figure out what the bedrock is upon which Jesus will build.
Read and explain these points.
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15. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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The answer is found in Peter’s confession, the recognition that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Jewish Messiah, the very Son of God. In Matt. 16:16
Matthew 16:16 (NASB95)
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This belief forms the foundation for the salvation of individuals, which are people that will form His Church.
Read and explain these points. The foundation is believers that will form His Church.
Ephesians 2:20 (NASB95)
20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
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16. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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It is true that God used the apostles and prophets as part of the foundation (Eph. 2:20) but without faith in Christ, there are no believers with which to build.
Ephesians 2:20 (NASB95)
20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
Additionally, Peter is not the only “rock” Jesus used in the foundation, the other apostles, who similarly believed that Jesus was the Messiah are also part of that foundation.
All these facts indicate that the traditional Roman Catholic view is incorrect; additionally, the pope is an office made by men and not by God, the term is not found in the Bible.
Read and explain these points.
Ephesians 2:19 (NASB95)
19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
Ephesians 2:20 (NASB95)
20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
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17. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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What Catholics believe about the pope is wrong to begin with; they believe that the pope is God’s representative on earth and cannot make mistakes.
The text says nothing about the infallibility (not making mistakes, being perfect) of Peter or his successors.
Peter immediately proves that he made big mistakes when he tries to tell Jesus that He is wrong; Jesus responds by calling him Satan. Matt. 16:22-23
After Peter’s death, his successor would have had authority over any other living apostle, which certainly would have included John and Paul (and maybe others).
In Acts 8:14 Peter is sent out by the other apostles; the verb sent out means to send someone out with the authority of someone else.
In Acts 11:1-18 Peter is called on the carpet by the Jerusalem church and has to explain himself to those assembled.
In Gal 2:11-14 he is rebuked by Paul for his very clear failure (fear and hypocrisy) for allowing Jewish legalists to influence him and others.
Read and explain these points. Matthew 16:22–23 (NASB95)
22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
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18. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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Matthew 16:22–23 (NASB95)
22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Acts 8:14 (NASB95)
14Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John,
Acts 11:1–18 (NASB95) Lookup these verses and read them.
Galatians 2:11–14 (NASB95)
11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
13The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
14But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas (Peter) in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
Read and explain these verses that they show Peter was not infallible (makes mistakes and if not perfect), but the pope in the Catholic church is supposed to be infallible, perfect. The only person that has been on planet earth that was perfect was Jesus Christ. Peter is not the boss of the other apostles as seen in these verses.
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19. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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Here the word church (Matt. 16:18) refers to all believers in the Church Age; it is the first of only two times that the Church is mentioned in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
Matt. 16:18 concludes with a promise of final victory for the Church in the Angelic Conflict, which Satan will be unable to defeat.
Matthew 16:18 (NASB95)
18I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Read and explain these points. The promise of the final victory for the Church in the Angelic Conflict is “and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
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20. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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Matthew 16:19 (NASB95)
19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
Matt. 16:19 refers to the role of the apostles as those that provided access to the kingdom (they understood the truth and had the key for getting in—faith in Messiah); it is their work and writings that point people to the truth about Jesus and open the door for faith in Him.
The matter of binding and loosing refers to the principle of authority and the fact that God will stand behind authorities in the Church and will validate their decisions.
Read and explain these points.
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21. Peter’s Testimony of Christ
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It (binding and loosing) deals with what they (Apostles) will write later about how believers should behave; Peter and the other apostles will provide authoritative teachings about what is permitted and what is forbidden and God will back up their teachings
This verse (Matthew 16:19) has also been used to create the image of Peter as the gatekeeper to the pearly gates of heaven; however, there is no person in view here, the text does not say whoever you bind or whoever you loose.
What is clear is that the teachings of the apostles are teachings sent by God the Holy Spirit and reflect the views of Heaven in the first place.
2 Peter 1:20–21 (NASB95)
20But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
21for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Read and explain these points and read 2Peter 1:20-21
Matthew 16:19 (NASB95)
19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
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