Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 15:29-39

"And Jesus departed thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. And there came unto him great multitudes, having with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and they cast them down at this feet; and he healed them: insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and lame walking, and the blind seeing: and they glorified the God of Israel. And Jesus called unto him his disciples, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat: and I would not send them away fasting, lest haply they faint on the way. And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus said unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few small fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves and the fishes; and he gave thanks and brake, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children. And he sent away the multitudes, and entered into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan." — Matthew 15:29-39 (ASV)

Previously, the Gospel teaching was confirmed by the deliverance of the Gentiles from the power of the devil through Christ’s might; now He confirms it through the deliverance from spiritual sicknesses, in that He cured many men. The Evangelist does three things:

1. The place is related.
2. The bringing forth of the sick is related.
3. The deliverance is related.

The second point is where it says, And there came to him great multitudes, and so on; and the third is where it says, And he healed them. The place is first described in general: when he had passed, namely, from the region of the Gentiles, he came near the sea in Judea, which is sometimes called Gennesaret, and sometimes the Sea of Galilee.

By His returning to the Jews, it is signified that a remnant of Israel will be saved: Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant saved according to the election of God’s grace (Romans 11:5). Then the place is described in particular, saying: And going up into a mountain, he sat. By the mountain, the loftiness of the Word is signified: Thy justice is as the mountains of God (Psalms 35:7). Now Jesus did not stand, but sat, because unless He had descended, we would not have known Him, as it is written: Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend (Psalms 143:5). Again, by the mountain the height of heavenly glory is signified, as it is stated: Save thyself in the mountain, etc. (Genesis 19:17). This signifies that in that place there is true rest, and not here: We have not here a lasting city: but we seek one that is to come (Hebrews 13:14), meaning that we are waiting for the glory to come.

The bringing forth of the sick follows: And there came to him great multitudes, and so on. Here, three things are depicted:

1. The great size of the crowds.
2. The bringing forth of the sick.
3. The manner in which they were brought.

Regarding the first, it is said, Then came to him great multitudes; All the nations thou hast made shall come and adore before thee, O Lord (Psalms 85:9). They did not come to Him aimlessly, for they came having with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, and others. This signifies that those who are converted to the Lord ought to offer others to the Lord. This is what He says: having with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, the maimed.

The term ‘maimed’ (debiles in Latin) signifies a lack of strength. However, in Greek, a man is said to be maimed who has a crippled hand. For just as a man is said to be lame who is injured in his feet, so a man is said to be maimed who has a withered hand.

These men signify various kinds of spiritual sicknesses. The dumb signify those who are unable to praise God, about whom it is written: Dumb dogs not able to bark (Isaiah 56:10). Those are called lame who never walk firmly toward good, but quickly turn to evil: How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow him (1 Kings 18:21). The blind signify unbelievers, who are deprived of the light of faith: We have groped in the dark (Isaiah 59:9–10). The maimed signify those who have a weak heart: My strength is dried up like a potsherd (Psalms 21:16).

The phrase And many others shows their great faith, because they brought not only their own sick, but others also. Likewise, they show their devotion by their manner of acting. Sometimes they asked Him to lay His hand on them (as is said above in chapter 9); while at other times, they asked to touch the hem of His garment (as was said above in the same place, namely, in chapters 9 and 14). But now it sufficed to place the sick at His feet.

And by this, we are to understand mystically that we ought not to make the sinners whom we convert subservient to ourselves, as is found in 1 Corinthians 4:1: Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.

He continues concerning the healing. Here:

1. The healing is related.
2. The admiration is related.
3. The effect is related.

He says, therefore, And he healed them. He sent his word, and healed them: and delivered them from their destructions (Psalms 106:20). And in another place it is said: Who forgiveth all thy iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases (Psalms 102:3). The admiration follows: So that the multitudes marvelled seeing the dumb, etc. Here the effect is related. This was foretold in Isaiah 35:5: Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, etc.; and in Psalm 108:3 it is said: Wonderful are thy works.

But it is asked: Why does he not mention the maimed? It is because there was no opposite action to which it could correspond.

But observe that some men, after they had seen miracles, blasphemed (as is stated above in chapter 14); but these men were highly praising Him. Hence, they glorified the God of Israel.

And Jesus called together his disciples, and so on. Here it is shown that Christ’s doctrine is praiseworthy through His feeding of good men. Four aspects are related:

1. His reason for acting.
2. The food.
3. The arranging.
4. The feeding.

The second part is where it says, And the disciples say unto him, and so on; the third is where it says, And he commanded the multitude to sit down; and the fourth is where it says, And they did all eat, and had their fill.

It should be observed that this reason for acting is set forth after the previously mentioned events, because Their soul abhorred all manner of meat (Psalms 106:18). For this reason, it was fitting that before they were fed, they were healed; so it is also in spiritual matters. Augustine says: “To a sick palate bread is a punishment, but to one that is healthy it is pleasant.” And, therefore, the Lord feeds after healing.

And it should be noted that first, He called together the disciples to make them attentive, so that they might remember the miracle. Likewise, it was to give us an example that no matter how great a man is, he should concern himself with his inferiors: The greater thou art, the more humble thyself in all things .

Hence, He called together his disciples, and said: I have compassion on the multitudes, and so on. This was His reason for acting; thus, He shows that compassion is befitting the divinity. Mercy is a passion, because to be merciful is to have a compassionate heart that regards another’s unhappiness as its own. But mercy is most befitting to God: The Lord is compassionate and merciful (Psalms 102:8). And what a man regards as his own unhappiness, he ought to repel as his own. Hence, the Lord, insofar as He repels unhappiness, is said to be merciful.

Now a threefold motivation for having compassion for the multitudes is pointed out:

1. He points out their perseverance.
2. He points out their neediness.
3. He points out their imminent danger.

First, their perseverance is pointed out when He says, Because they continue with me now three days. From this, you can learn that those who persevere with Christ are refreshed with His bread, because He that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved (Matthew 24:13). By “three days” you may understand the confession of the Holy Trinity: Going into the whole world, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). Or three actions may be understood: namely, the confession of the heart, of the mouth, and of deeds. Likewise, three ages of the world may be understood: namely, the time of the natural law, the time of the Mosaic law, and the time of the law of grace and the time of glory at the end of the world: I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear (Psalms 16:15). Or by the three days may be understood the three days of Christ’s death. Hence, those may be said to wait for the Lord three days who conform themselves to Christ’s death: He will revive us after two days: on the third day he will raise us up (Hosea 6:3). Hence, as a result of Christ’s death, we hope for justification: We bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in our body (Galatians 6:17).

The second motivation mentioned is their neediness; hence, He says, They have not what to eat. But why did He wait three days? He should not be unjustly blamed, because they were fed for three days with the food that they had brought with them. The mystical meaning is that He has mercy on those who know their own misery: Knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked (Revelation 3:17).

The third motivation is their danger: I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. For they faint on the way who are not refreshed with the word of God: Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3); With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him .

And the disciples say unto him, and so on. Here the food is related. First, how He gave it is related; and second, how much was on hand. Thus, he says, Whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert? Here the disciples’ slowness of understanding and their forgetfulness are reproached, because, previously, the Lord had filled five thousand men with five loaves. Hence, they are reproached for their slowness of understanding and forgetfulness.

In a mystical sense, this signifies God’s grace and mercy, who reveals His mysteries to the unworthy, and through them He administers the sacraments: I cannot speak, for I am a child (Jeremiah 1:6). To whom the Lord said, “Say not: I am a child.” Also: I have more impediment and slowness of tongue, etc. (Exodus 4:10); and, I am no healer, and in my house there is no bread, nor clothing: make me not ruler of the people (Isaiah 3:7).

Then it is related how much food was on hand; hence, Jesus said to them: How many loaves have you? He did not ask as if He did not know, but so that the miracle might be shown. For this reason, He also brought to mind the few fish in the other miracle.

It is said that they had five loaves and two fish in that other miracle, in which the doctrine of the Law was signified; and those loaves were barley loaves. Here there are seven loaves, and they are not said to be barley loaves; this signifies the New Law informed by God’s sevenfold grace. Likewise, in the former miracle there were only two fish; in this miracle, however, there are many little fish. Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith (James 2:5)? And in Psalm 8:9 it is said: The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea, that is, the sea of this world.

And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground. Here the arranging is related. First, He arranges the multitude; second, He takes up the food; third, He gives thanks, breaks, and distributes the food. He says, therefore, And he commanded. In the other feeding of the multitude it is stated that He made them recline upon the grass. By the grass, temporal things are signified; hence, All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field (Isaiah 40:6). Hence, in the Old Law the foundation was upon temporal things; in the New Law the foundation is solely upon the stability of glory: The earth standeth for ever (Ecclesiastes 1:4). Or by the grass it is signified that we ought to sit upon temporal things. Hence, ownership of temporal things is not forbidden, but the love or affection for them: Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world (1 John 2:15).

And taking the seven loaves: this signifies that any spiritual thing administered to others was first in Christ; hence: Jesus began to do and to teach (Acts 1:1). All spiritual things were in Him. Hence: God doth not give the Spirit by measure (John 3:34). And giving thanks, he brake, and gave to his disciples: hence, He gave us an example so that we would give thanks: Giving thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Then He gives an example that all things do not belong to everyone, as it is stated in 1 Corinthians 16. Likewise, it is written: There are diversities of graces (1 Corinthians 12:4).

Afterward, the ordered distribution of the food follows, because he says, and He gave to his disciples, and the disciples gave to the people. He first gave to His disciples, who were mediators: I was the mediator and stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you his words (Deuteronomy 5:5). And: Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God (1 Corinthians 4:1).

Thereafter, he relates the fullness of the feeding from the abundance of the remains and from the number of those eating: And they that did eat. Someone might say that many men can partake from a small amount of bread, so that each man would have a little; but it was not so. On the contrary, they had their fill; hence, they ate until they were filled: They did eat, and were all filled (Psalms 77:29). Likewise, many loaves were left over, because they took up seven baskets.

But why was it that when there were fewer loaves, more leftover loaves remained (namely, when He filled five thousand with five loaves)? It can be said that the miracles were the same, or, furthermore, that the seven baskets of this miracle were of larger capacity than the twelve baskets of the former. Chrysostom says that He performed two different miracles, and He performed them in different ways, so that the disciples would remember them better. In the first miracle, there were as many baskets left over as Apostles. Here, however, there were the same number of baskets as the initial number of loaves of bread. This signifies that spiritual men ought to be refreshed with God’s sevenfold grace: For the sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The number of those eating follows: And they that did eat, were four thousand men. Previously, there were five thousand, because they were open to follow their five senses, or this was on account of the five books of Moses. Here, however, there are four thousand men on account of the four cardinal virtues or on account of the four Evangelists, Beside children and women.

But why are these excepted? It is because the imperfect and the weak are excluded from true doctrine: Until we all meet unto a perfect man (Ephesians 4:13).