Dr Paul Allen

The Gentiles Ask to See Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 15:29 –39 “The crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel ” (v. 31). Because Jesus ’ feeding of the four thousand (Matt. 15:32–39) is so similar to His feeding of the five thousand (14:13–21), many liberal commentators say that Matthew has confused and repeated two different accounts of the same event. Even worse, they might suggest that the second, if not both, of these stories are made up altogether. Such theories call the research and writing abilities of the first evangelist into question, and even make him an author of lies. However, the evidence compels us to take these stories at face value ­— descriptions of two different, miraculous feedings. The five thousand were clearly Jews because the group followed Jesus from Nazareth and other surrounding towns (Matt. 13:53–14:21). On the other hand, the four tho

Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish, in the Sea of Galilee, by Raphael (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 8:28–34 “Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus , and when theysaw him, they begged him to leave their region” (v. 34). Most, if not all, of the disciples have thus far not been privy to much of  God ’s great revelation about Jesus. They were not there when Joseph was told that his adopted Son would be of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18–25). Likewise, they were probably not present at His baptism, the occasion on which the Father declared Jesus His “beloved Son” (3:13–17). Having been absent when these things happened, it is understandable that these disciples are not yet fully aware of Christ ’s divinity and have been left to wonder about the identity of this Nazarene (8:23–27). Some of the disciples’ questions begin to be answered in today’s passage. After landing on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee , the small band of men find themselves in “the country of the G

From The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1923. via http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_middle_east.html Category:Historical maps by William R. Shepherd (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 4:23–25 “Great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis , and from Jerusalem and Judea , and from beyond the Jordan ” (v. 25). In this passage, Matthew summarizes Jesus ’ public ministry in Galilee, an area encompassing 2,800 square miles. Covering this region is no small under-taking, because Jesus, if He moves rapidly and visits two cities a day, will need more than three months to visit every town and village! Jesus is met with much acclaim during the time He spends preaching and teaching in Galilee. Matthew tells us that “great crowds” from the Decapolis and from beyond the Jordan follow the Christ, along with many citizens from Jerusalem and Judea (4:24–25). The Decapolis is a group of about ten cities included within the Roman province of Syria in Jesus’ d

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 8:28–34 “Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region” ( v. 34 ). Most, if not all, of the disciples have thus far not been privy to much of God ’s great revelation about Jesus. They were not there when Joseph was told that his adopted Son would be of the Holy Spirit ( Matt. 1:18–25 ). Likewise, they were probably not present at His baptism, the occasion on which the Father declared Jesus His “beloved Son” ( 3:13–17 ). Having been absent when these things happened, it is understandable that these disciples are not yet fully aware of Christ ’s divinity and have been left to wonder about the identity of this Nazarene ( 8:23–27 ). Some of the disciples’ questions begin to be answered in today’s passage. After landing on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee , the small band of men find themselves in “the country of the Gadarenes ,” a region controlled by t

The Gentiles Ask to See Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 15:29-39 "The crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel " ( v. 31 ). Because Jesus' feeding of the four thousand ( Matt. 15:32-39 ) is so similar to His feeding of the five thousand ( 14:13-21 ), many liberal commentators say that Matthew has confused and repeated two different accounts of the same event. Even worse, they might suggest that the second, if not both, of these stories are made up altogether. Such theories call the research and writing abilities of the first evangelist into question, and even make him an author of lies. However, the evidence compels us to take these stories at face value ­- descriptions of two different, miraculous feedings. The five thousand were clearly Jews because the group followed Jesus from Nazareth and other surrounding towns ( Matt. 13:53-14:21 ). On the othe

Umm Qais/Gadara, decumanus Deutsch: Umm Qais/Gadara, decumanus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Panorama looking north from ruins of Roman city of Gerada, at Umm Qais, Jordan. Prominent within this photo are the Sea of Galilee (with Tiberias, Israel, visible) and, across the valley of the Yarmouk, the southern end of the Golan Heights. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 8:28-34 "Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region" ( v. 34 ). Most, if not all, of the disciples have thus far not been privy to much of God 's great revelation about Jesus. They were not there when Joseph was told that his adopted Son would be of the Holy Spirit ( Matt. 1:18-25 ). Likewise, they were probably not present at His baptism, the occasion on which the Father declared Jesus His "beloved Son" ( 3:13-17 ). Having been absent when these things happened, it is understandable that these disciples are not yet fully aware of Chr