Matthews account of feeding 5000 and also the 4000

I was just reading Matthew chapter 14 and 15 yesterday and I came across some questions. In chapter 14 Jesus tried to get some alone time after he found out John the Baptist was killed. The multitudes found him and Jesus was moved with compassion and began to minister to them. He told his disciples to feed the crowds because they were in a deserted place, but the disciples replied, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." The disciples knew that they did not have the resources to feed such a large crowd. Jesus multiplied the food and all 5000 were fed.
In chapter 15 they encounter a similar situation. Jesus commands his disciples to feed the crowds because they had been 3 days without anything to eat. Even after just experiencing the great miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 they reply, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" Jesus blesses the loaves and the fish, and all 4000 are fed.
I am not sure what to think about all of this. It is hard to believe that the disciples were that forgetful. I am not sure exactly how much time had passed between miracles, but I can't imagine that there was too much time between them. The miracles are only 47 verses apart in the same book by the same author.
Does anyone have any insight into this matter? Why do you think the disciples responded the second time they way they did? Why didn't Jesus rebuke them harshly for their "forgetfulness" and their lack of faith? Mark 6:30 and Mark 8:1 cover both of the miracles as well from a similar perspective. God bless and thank you for your responses!
-Stuart

Something I do many many times is personally rebuke the children of Israel and the Disciples for their stupidity. I say to myself, 'Why did they do that? Don't they realize who God can and has already done for them?'

Then God quickly reminds me of the lack of faith that I show. I am thankful that the Bible truthfully shows the flaws and faults of the Disciples because it convicts me of my flaws and faults. I am personally thankful that Jesus showed patience and grace to his Disciples. That is our wonderful savior!!

Hope this helps because I know exactly what you are saying. For crying out loud they should know better!!

Dear Keisman,

One thing that's helpful in studying these accounts in that Matthew emphasizes Jesus as King and Mark emphasizes Jesus the Servant. If you want to get into the heart issues of the disciples, Mark usually goes deeper than Matthew, for having the right heart in serving is one of the emphases of his gospel. When Mark recorded these two feedings of the multitudes, he had a particular emphasis on the heart of the servant, that is, heart attitudes that take away from being a true servant of God. In Mark 6:52 he identifies the root problem of the disciples: "For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened." Mark 6:53 all the way through 9:13 (and maybe more) have this theme of Jesus trying to soften the hearts of His disciples.

So we see three instances of a begging crowd (6:53-56, 7:31-37 and 8:22-26). The crowd was coming to Jesus with a sense of need; the disciples lost their sense of need. Jesus illustrated the poverty of spirit that a soft heart should have by these illustrations. I think another set of key verses are Mark 8:15-17. Their hearts were hard because they reasoned among themselves; they had stopped coming to Jesus for understanding.

This was a season when the disciples were very busy and active for the Lord. Yet they (like ourselves) can begin to take Jesus for granted and stop coming to Him like the deaf-mute or like the blind man needing a touch from the Lord. We get satisfied with listening to men without coming fresh to the Lord.

Luke pointed out after the twelve had gone out and done a bunch of stuff for the Lord, "when they had returned, told Him all that THEY had done" (Lk 9:10). We can get a subtle attitude of self-sufficiency without even realizing it. But the Lord graciously turns us right around by saying, "You give them something to eat." He pointed them back to the fact that they must come to Him. Everything we do in God's kingdom is done in dependence upon Him. We must come to Jesus with the little that we have that He break it and bless it. We cannot depend upon ourselves for anything. I think these are some of what God's heart is in Christian service.

Ken

This is very good insight. I have benefited greatly from your response. I just am still a little confused as to why the disciples didn't suggest to Jesus the second time, "Hey Jesus how about you do that awesome thing where you multiply food by prayer. You know the miracle you did just a little while ago." It puzzles me how they wouldn't suggest the solution that had worked for them before in that situation.

There may be another factor. The feeding of the 5000 took place in territory inhabited predominantly by Jews and 12 small, pic-nic size baskets were taken up. No doubt one for each disciple but also with the symbolic point that there remained provision for all the 12 tribes.

The feeding of the 4000 took place in the area of the Decapolis which was inhabited predominantly by Gentiles. The disciples may not have ever considered that the Lord would feed the Gentiles in such a way. After all, wasn't the work of the Messiah 'the children's bread'? The baskets taken up after this miracle were of a very different size to those of the earlier miracle. Showing perhaps the abundance of provision that Christ would make for the nations, as well as Israel.

the NKJV captures part of this in its translation[color=0000ff]“Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?” (Matt 16:9-10 NKJV)[/color] The older KJV just uses the same word.

The baskets which remained after the 5000 had fed were [url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?hr=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blueletterbible.org%2Fsearch.html&icon=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blueletterbible.org%2Fgifs%2Fsearch_tools.gif&bgcolor=FFFFFF&textcolor=000000&linkcolor=39398C&vlinkcolor=0000FF&strongs=2894&language=G&anything.x=51&anything.y=10]kophinos[/url] which were a pic-nic, personal lunch size. But the baskets which remained after the 4000 had fed were [url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?hr=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blueletterbible.org%2Fsearch.html&icon=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blueletterbible.org%2Fgifs%2Fsearch_tools.gif&bgcolor=FFFFFF&textcolor=000000&linkcolor=39398C&vlinkcolor=0000FF&strongs=4711&language=G&anything.x=59&anything.y=11]spuris[/url], more like donkey panniers.