Matthew

Matthew 15:29-31

The needy are brought to Jesus, the broken are made whole, and God is glorified.

Matthew 15:29-31 (WEB)

29 Jesus departed from there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.

30 Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them,

31 so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.

Central Idea

The needy are brought to Jesus, the broken are made whole, and God is glorified.

Authorial Intent

Matthew shows Jesus seated on the mountain as great crowds bring the broken to his feet, so that his healing authority evokes amazement and praise to the God of Israel.

Historical Context

The setting follows Jesus' movement from the region of Tyre and Sidon back toward the Sea of Galilee. Matthew does not explicitly identify the crowd's ethnicity, but the preceding Gentile-territory episode and the phrase 'the God of Israel' signal a widening horizon in which Israel's Messiah is recognized as the source of mercy and worship.

Chapter: Matthew 15

Tradition, the Heart, Gentile Faith, and the Compassionate Bread of the Messiah

Jesus exposes empty tradition and true heart defilement, then displays kingdom mercy that reaches humble faith, restores the broken, and provides abundantly from compassionate authority.