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For the New Testament Bible Study Assignment, I will be using APA formatting style, and my
chosen passage is Matthew 15:32-39
The Analysis of Matthew
Madison L. Harris
School of Divinity ~ Religion, Liberty University Online
BIBL 110: New Testament Survey
Dr. Eunice Chung
June 20, 2024
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The Analysis of Matthew
The book of Matthew allows the people to read stories and hear directly from Jesus
Himself (McClendon, A. & Cartwright, J.). Specifically in Matthew 15:32-39, there is time to
hear from Jesus and witness the amazingness His work can do. Jesus was able to show the power
and almightiness that He can do to feed His followers and asked them to sit so that they could eat
(Matthew). Throughout Matthew, the reader is able to connect with Jesus in a more personal way
of being able to have more interaction.
Observation
I have read the passage in both a formal translation (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, or CSB) and a
functional translation (NIV, NLT, or NCV). Highlight the correct answer. You will find a copy
of the NASB, ESV, CSB, and NLT in Logos. YES
Identify the basic elements of the story you are studying
- Main Characters
- Jesus
- The Disciples
- Plot
- Jesus worried for the people that have been by His side for the last couple days
but feels bad because they have not eaten. The disciples asked where they would
get enough food to feed a crowd of that size? Jesus asked how much food did the
disciples have and they answered. Jesus then asked the group to sit, He took what
food they had, broke it to give to the disciples and they turned to give it to the
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followers. Afterwards Jesus sent the crowd away and got in a boat to head
towards Magadan. (Matthew)
- Story Structure
- The inciting incident would be Jesus not wanting to send the followers home
early. The rising action is Jesus asking the disciples how much food they have to
give. The climax would be Jesus taking the 7 loaves and a few small fish and
being able to split it for the crowd of people plus Him and the disciples. The
falling action would be Jesus sending the crowd home and him heading towards
Magadan. (Matthew)
- Questions asked in narrative
- “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”
- “How many loaves do you have?”
List basic observations about this passage using the “Key Questions” for observation.
- Who
- Jesus and the disciples
- What
- The miracle of Jesus taking seven loaves and a few fish and being able to break it
to feed the crowd, “compassion ministry” (Baxter)
- “The power of the King - His mighty power shown through miracles”
(Wilmington)
- Where
- The wilderness
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- When
- At the end of the third day of preaching and healing
- Why
- Jesus said that He did not want to leave them hungry
- How
- After asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had, He multiplied the
loaves and everyone was able to eat
Interpretation
Determine the author’s main point.
- I think that the author’s main point is to help the reader see first hand the miracles that
Jesus was able to do. The Gospel of Matthew allows the reader to hear and witness Jesus
directly which can be astonishing (McClendon, A., Cartwright, J.). I believe that allowing
others to be able to see just how mighty Jesus is can help bring in more followers. This
passage also ties in to the rest of the Gospel of Matthew by letting the reader connect
more with Jesus personably. I see Matthew wanting to include this passage as well to
show just how compassionate Jesus was as well for not wanting to leave the people
hungry that He had been preaching the last three days, before heading on to another city.
Explain the purpose of the questions asked in the story.
- In this particular passage of Matthew, there were only two different questions that were
asked. The first question asked by the disciples is pertaining to how they are going to be
able to feed such a large crowd. I believe this question to be pretty straight forward since
there were over 4,000 people there that were all starving after the last three days of Jesus
teaching. However, with them being in the presence of Jesus I also feel that the disciples
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should have known that He would not allow all these people to leave hungry because He
knew they would not make it if they were not fed before starting their journey back. I see
this as a little distrusting of Jesus that He would be able to perform a miracle that would
in fact feed all of the people that were there. The second question is just Jesus asking
what food they did have. I did not see any other meaning for this question other than He
simply wanted to know what supplies they had for Him to be able to multiply. I think that
this was simply a question and there was not any sort of different meaning behind it.
Based on the above answers, narrow down one principle from this passage.
- I believe the principle in this passage is that no matter how hard life can get or seem that
with Jesus, you will be able to accomplish anything.
Correlation
How does this passage fit within the metanarrative of the Bible?
- I believe that this passage falls within the creation metanarrative of the Bible. Because
this passage talks about how Jesus was able to create a miracle to feed 4,000 people from
7 loaves of bread and a few small fish. The reason I put it with the creation theme was
because Matthew showed this story of Jesus and the mightiness that He has helped to
create followers in His name and to keep creating hope that even when things are not
going to plan that Jesus will be there to help along the way. That is why I said creation
instead of the others.
How does this passage reflect other truths found in the scriptures?
- I can see a little bit of the story of Noah and the ark parallel. When Noah was told to
build the ark, he was told to have enough supplies to last the flood. But, God was able to
bring fortune and fruit to the land after the flood. This was because Noah was able to
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have faith and keep faith in the Lord even when times became difficult. I find this similar
to the passage of Matthew because with faith in Jesus and that He is able to provide for
His people, they were able to be nourished. The Lord was and will always be able to
provide.
How does this passage reflect the person and work of Jesus Christ?
- I think that this is a great passage to show the person that Jesus Christ is through His
work. Everything we know about Jesus is that He was sent to save us, that He is
compassionate for everyone and wants to take care of His people. This passage in
Matthew is showing just that, Jesus being able to work the miracle of feeding 4,000 plus
people from seven loaves of bread and a few fish. This is a great way to show the lengths
Jesus was willing to go to make sure that His people were not sent on their own way
starving.
Application
What points of application can be made using the Four Questions for Application?
- The question of duty
- Regarding the question of duty, I think that it is up to us to make sure that we are
carrying out what God asks us to do. He is helpful to us in so many ways and
being able to trust in Him in the least we can do. I think that no matter how hard
times can get, remember that He is with us every step of the way and know that
He wants the best for us. This passage shows that Jesus wants the people to be
taken care of. Our duty is simply to believe and trust in the Lord.
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- The question of character
- I think the character that we should model is similar to the disciples. Even though
they had some doubt as to how they were going to be able to feed as many people
that were there, they knew that He would not let the people leave hungry. I think
the character of making sure that the others were fed after Jesus started to
multiply the food is what people should see, taking care of others. It shows that
you are able to put others first, similar to how Jesus wanted to make sure that the
people who had been with Him the last 3 days were fed before journeying home.
- The question of goals
- Looking at this passage of Matthew, I believe that the pursuit for the goal of
helping the people around us while leading with the Lord by our side is what we
should be aiming for. Similarly to how Jesus and the disciples had the goal to feed
all of the people before sending them on their journey home, I feel that we should
try and help the people around us as much as possible. While we might not be
able to create miracles like Jesus was by feeding that many people, but doing
what you are able to do while helping is better than nothing.
- The question of discernment
- I believe that regarding discernment we have the option to make choices with the
thought of God and how He would want us to handle the scenarios at hand, or
how we carry ourselves around people that may not know God compared to the
people who do know Him and not wavering. I think that we should be able to act
the same no matter who we are around because it is our true selves. Being able to
believe in Him no matter the circumstances of who you are around or what is
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happening is the key to staying on the right path and bringing others along the
way.
Conclusion
In the process of going through things that are possibly not what you think would happen
throughout your life, being able to trust in the Lord and knowing that He will be with you every
step of the way. Also remembering to keep training and growing your relationship with the Lord
so that trusting in Him and being able to get others to believe in Him is easier and like second
nature. Reading the Gospel of Matthew allows the reader to have a more personal connection
with the Lord so that the relationship may flourish.
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References
Baxter, T. (2023, January 11). Lord of Compassion: Matthew 15:32-39. GoServ Global.
https://goservglobal.org/2023/01/11/lord-of-compassion-matthew-1532-39/
Cartwright, J., & Hulshof, C. (n.d.). Everyday Bible Study. Home - Logos Bible Study.
https://app.logos.com/books/LLS%3AWS_9DFA994C75E94D8CAD2E5C5F91B85731?t
xtPosition=res%2FLLS%3AWS_9DFA994C75E94D8CAD2E5C5F91B85731%2F2021-
0-01T16%3A07%3A03Z%2F6481
Kingsbury, J. D. (1995). The Rhetoric of Comprehension in the Gospel of Matthew. New
Testament Studies, 41(3), 358–377. doi:10.1017/S0028688500021536
Matthew. (n.d.). Matthew 15:32-39. Matthew 15:32-39 NIV - - Bible Gateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2B15%3A32-
39&version=NI
V
McClendon, A., & Cartwright, J. (n.d.). Approaching the New Testament. Home - Logos Bible
Study. https://app.logos.com/books/LLS%3APPRCHNGNWSTDNTS/references/page.v
Thompson, W. G. (1974). An Historical Perspective in the Gospel of Matthew. Journal of
Biblical
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Literature, 93(2), 243–262. https://doi.org/10.2307/3263095
Wilmington, H. (2018). A Biblical Study of Matthew. In New Testament Biographies (pp. 1–6).
essay, Liberty University. Retrieved 2024, from https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/
viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=nt_biographies.
