The Gospel For All Nations / Matthew 29-39
It is so good to be back with you. If you have your Bibles, we are going to be in Matthew chapter 15. If you’re a guest with us, my name is Brad, and as I mentioned, I am just really delighted to handle the Word of God with you.
We are in a series moving through the Gospel of Matthew, taking bite-sized chunks throughout the book. Today, we are in chapter 15, covering verses 29 through 39. I want to extend a special welcome to those of you who might be new with us, and to those joining us this morning over at our Fig Garden campus. We are a multi-site church—one church in multiple locations—and we’re so grateful to be with you live here and via video with our friends at Fig Garden.
As we open to Matthew 15, let’s read the text together:
Matthew 15:29-39 (NASB)
Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them [those who were] lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, ‘I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.’ The disciples said to Him, ‘Where would we get so many loaves in [this] desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ And they said, ‘Seven, and a few small fish.’ And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples [gave them] to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.
Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.
The Clues Along the Way
That’s an interesting story that might sound a little familiar, but let me start by asking you a question: Have you ever watched a movie with a plot twist you didn’t see coming until the very end? And then, once your mind was blown, you went back and watched the movie a second time and realized they had been showing you the twist all along?
Back in 1999, M. Night Shyamalan came out with a movie called The Sixth Sense. Did any of you see that? That was one of those movies where at the end I just thought, What?! I had watched the whole movie wondering where it was going, and then at the very end, they show you the reality. Very seldom am I going to watch a movie twice—honestly, Elf is probably the only movie I regularly watch more than once. But I went back and watched The Sixth Sense again after seeing the ending, and there were so many clues along the way! Because you didn’t know the ending the first time, you missed the clues.
In some ways, the disciples in this passage are living in a story where they don’t yet fully understand the ending. Because they didn’t understand the end, they didn’t see the clues along the way. They missed all the little insights Jesus was giving them to help them understand what He was trying to accomplish.
Today, we have an incredible advantage. Through two thousand-plus years of the progress of revelation, we actually know the ending. We know that after Jesus conquers death on the cross, He gives the Great Commission to the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.
We know that the gospel was destined to move from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth.
Acts 1:8 (NASB)
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’
We know that in the movement of the early church, the gospel swept into Asia Minor. According to Acts 19, everyone living in Asia—modern-day Turkey—heard the word of the Lord. We know the gospel went into Macedonia, starting in Philippi, moving to Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth, until that entire region was transformed by the good news. We know the gospel reached Rome, where Paul boldly declared that he was not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
Romans 1:16 (NASB)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
We just got back this last week from a biblical studies tour where we traveled through Turkey, Greece, and Italy studying the movement of the gospel. There was one city in particular that highlights what we’re talking about today. There is an ancient city called Hierapolis, right next door to Laodicea and Colossae in the Lycus River Valley. When you tour ancient ruins, after a while every city starts to look familiar. You see an agora, you see a Roman theater, you see the bathhouses. But when you come to Hierapolis, there is a unique building called the Martyrium of St. Philip. It is an octagonal structure built to honor Philip the disciple, who brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people living in Hierapolis.
Why is that significant? Because that building couldn’t be constructed until the fourth century, after the Edict of Milan lifted the persecution of Christians under Constantine. Think about that: a disciple walked into a pagan city, influenced the people with the gospel to such a degree that four hundred years later, they remembered him and built a monument to honor his ministry.
We know how the story ends. We know the picture painted in heaven:
Revelation 5:9-10 (NASB)
And they sang a new song, saying, ’Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood [men] from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. ‘You have made them [to be] a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’
Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God.
That is the end of the story. So when Jesus says words we know by heart, they are clues leading us directly to that culmination.
John 3:16 (NASB)
’For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
The ultimate end is God, by His grace, gathering to Himself a people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. And because we know the end, we can look back at the ministry of Jesus and spot the clues that pointed toward it all along.
A Strategic Road Trip
When Jesus begins His ministry in Matthew 4, He travels throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, but large crowds follow Him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and “beyond the Jordan”—which you could translate as “the other side of the tracks.”
Matthew 4:23-25 (NASB)
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and [the] Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and [from] beyond the Jordan.
Right from the start, people were gathering around Jesus who didn’t look like Him, didn’t speak like Him, and came from completely different ethnic and religious backgrounds. Think of John 4, where Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well—a woman of questionable reputation. Jesus extends grace to her, and when the disciples return, they are utterly dumbfounded that He is even speaking to her. All throughout the Gospels, Jesus is constantly jumping ethnic fences, crossing cultural boundaries, and drawing people to Himself.
Yet, the vast majority of Jesus’ earthly ministry geographically took place in a very Jewish, religious area. If you look at a map of Israel, you have the Hula Valley up north, the Upper Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, the Lower Jordan, and down at the bottom, the Dead Sea. Most of Jesus’ ministry was concentrated in the northwestern region of the Sea of Galilee—in towns like Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida.
Last week in Matthew 15:21, we saw Jesus do something very strange: He went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
Matthew 15:21 (NASB)
Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Why does that matter? That was a fifty-mile trek north into Gentile territory. You don’t end up in Tyre and Sidon by making a wrong turn. Jesus was purposely taking His disciples on a field trip into uncomfortable territory—a place where the people didn’t look like them, talk like them, or worship the God of Israel. And while He was there, a Canaanite woman—a pagan outsider—approached Him demonstrating genuine, humble faith. The religious leaders had an entitled faith, expecting Jesus to operate on their terms, but this outsider showed true faith.
After that fifty-mile journey, where does Jesus go next? The text says He returns to the Sea of Galilee. But when you track the geography, He doesn’t go back to the comfortable, religious side of the lake. He takes the back roads and enters the Decapolis.
Mark 7:31 (NASB)
Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis.
Decapolis means “ten cities.” These were Hellenistic, pagan cities. Jesus deliberately avoided the religious centers to strategically minister among the irreligious.
What took place in the Decapolis? Do you remember the parable of the prodigal son? The son basically tells his father, “I wish you were dead, give me my inheritance,” and takes off for the distant country. If you lived in Galilee, the “Vegas” of the ancient world was the Decapolis. He squanders his wealth on reckless living and ends up feeding pigs. You wouldn’t find a single pig in the religious areas of Galilee because pigs were unclean under Jewish law. But in the Decapolis, pigs were everywhere—even used for pagan sacrifices. As a Jewish person, you didn’t go to the Decapolis. You didn’t want to be around “those people.” You wanted to stay where it was safe and familiar.
Yet here is Jesus, sitting on a mountain in the Decapolis, and a massive crowd arrives bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and “many others.” He heals them all. These pagan outsiders marvel at what they see, and verse 31 tells us they glorified the God of Israel. Miracles in the Bible always authenticated the messenger and His message. These people had no shared theological framework, but their eyes were opened. They said, “I don’t know who this man is, but He just healed my son, so I’m glorifying His God!”
Miracles in the Desolate Places
In verse 32, Jesus turns to His disciples and says something powerful: “I feel compassion for the people.”
In Greek, that word is splanchnizomai. It refers to a visceral, gut-wrenching emotion—being moved so deeply in your core that you are compelled to act. Jesus feels deep compassion for this crowd of Gentiles because they have been with Him for three days with nothing to eat, and He refuses to send them away hungry.
That same word appears in chapter 14 at the feeding of the 5,000.
Matthew 14:14 (NASB)
When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
When Jesus saw the large crowd of religious Jews, He felt compassion and healed their sick. On the surface, the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 sound almost identical. Some critics have even claimed the Gospel writers accidentally repeated the same event twice. But Matthew and Mark both record both miracles.
They are similar, but they are not the same.
The feeding of the 5,000 took place in a Jewish region near Bethsaida; the feeding of the 4,000 took place in the Gentile region of the Decapolis. In the first miracle, the crowd sat on green grass (likely springtime); here, months later in the summer heat, they sit on dry ground. In the first miracle, twelve baskets were left over, reflecting the twelve tribes of Israel. In this miracle, seven large baskets are left over—seven being the number of completion and fullness, pointing to the Gentiles.
Romans 11:25 (NASB)
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery– so that you will not be wise in your own estimation– that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
For I do not want you, brothers, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Jesus is showing His disciples that the same compassion He has for people who look, talk, and worship like them is the exact same compassion He has for people who do not.
This made the disciples deeply uncomfortable. Going to Tyre and Sidon was hard enough; ministering in the Decapolis was worse. If you fast-forward to Matthew 16, Jesus takes them to Caesarea Philippi—a center for the vile worship of the pagan god Pan. Jesus consistently took His followers to the darkest, most uncomfortable places to show them that the gospel is the only power capable of transforming human hearts.
Do you remember the movie The Italian Job? There’s a scene where two guys are talking over their headsets, and one asks, “What about guard dogs?” The other replies, “No man, I don’t do dogs. I had a bad experience.”
If you had mentioned the Decapolis to the disciples, they would have said, “Look, we’ve had a bad experience there.” Earlier in Matthew, Jesus had visited this region and encountered the demon-possessed man living in the tombs—the man we called “Crazy Larry.” He was naked, screaming day and night, breaking chains like the Hulk, and terrifying the whole neighborhood. Jesus cast a legion of demons out of him and into a herd of pigs, which promptly drowned in the sea. The disciples remembered the Decapolis as a scary, chaotic, Gentile place full of “those people.”
So why is this story in our Bibles? It is here because Jesus was teaching His disciples a truth they were uncomfortable seeing—and the question for us is, are we still uncomfortable seeing it today?
1. The Gospel Is for the World, and God Does Not Discriminate
God does not divide humanity into “these people” and “those people,” insiders and outsiders, people like us and people not like us. Every human being is created in the image of God. Our diversity reflects the beauty and creativity of our Creator. When we retreat into homogenous bubbles, we miss out on the magnificent scope of God’s heart for all nations, tribes, and tongues.
Jesus was exposing the disciples’ prejudice. They were comfortable staying in Galilee with other Galileans. When Jesus crossed the border, they were uneasy. They didn’t yet understand that the cross breaks down every barrier.
Galatians 3:28 (NASB)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:14-16 (NASB)
For He Himself is our peace, who made both [groups into] one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, [which is] the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, [thus] establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
The division and ethnic hostility we see in our world today is nothing new. It is sin. It has always been sin. The answer will not come from a politician, a government policy, or an election. The only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which declares that we are made one in Him. In the shadow of the cross, racial and cultural hostility must fade away.
Our faith defines our identity; our ethnicity does not define our faith. If the church of Jesus Christ would model genuine unity across cultural lines—embracing one another in humility and reflecting the diversity of God’s kingdom—the watching world would look on and glorify God, just like the crowds did in Matthew 15:31.
Years ago, a dear friend of mine who pastors an intentionally multi-ethnic church in Memphis asked me a question. He asked, “Brad, do you think ethnic diversity in the local church is a gospel imperative?”
To my shame, I looked at him and said, “No. I think different churches just reach different groups of people, and God uses us all.”
I look back on that conversation and realize how blind I was. I was thinking just like the disciples: We reach our people, and they reach their people. I had to repent. That is not the heart of the gospel. About five years ago, our leadership recognized that we needed to intentionally pursue the biblical vision of diversity. We have come a long way, and we still have a long way to go, but today I would answer my friend’s question with an emphatic, “Yes! Absolutely!”
When we look around the church and see brothers and sisters of every background worshipping together, our hearts say, That looks like the gospel. That looks like Jesus.
2. We Are Called to Invite Others to See Jesus
Consider this: When Jesus arrived in the Decapolis in Matthew 15, an estimated 15,000 Gentile people gathered to meet Him. Where did they come from? How did they know who Jesus was?
To find the answer, we have to look back at the story of the delivered demoniac in Mark 5.
Mark 5:18-20 (NASB)
As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, ‘Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and [how] He had mercy on you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.
As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.
That man wanted a fresh start. Have you ever wanted to just pack up, move away, and start over because people knew too much of your messy past? He begged to get in the boat with Jesus, but Jesus told him to stay. Jesus essentially told him, “Bloom where you are planted. Go tell your friends and neighbors what mercy you’ve received. Your redeemed brokenness is going to put the glory of God on display.”
Because that one man stayed and shared his story, thousands of people were ready to receive Jesus when He returned.
God has placed you right where you are—in your specific family, your neighborhood, your workplace, and your circle of friends—so that you can point people to Jesus. But as you share your story, remember that Jesus is the hero. If you talk for thirty minutes about your life and never mention Jesus, you haven’t shared a testimony; you’ve shared a self-help speech. Without Jesus, we have no story.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NASB)
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
As the holidays approach, you are going to gather with family and friends—including the crazy uncles and difficult relatives. What a wonderful opportunity to share what Christ has done. A simple way to share your testimony is this progression:
- Who were you before you met Christ?
- How did you come to place your faith in Him?
- What is Jesus doing in your life today?
Keep the focus on the Savior who redeemed you.
Becoming People of the Gospel
As we close, let’s hold tightly to these two truths:
First, the gospel is for all nations, and God does not discriminate. The cross unites us and breaks down every wall.
Second, we are called to invite others to come and see Jesus. He is the hero of our story and the only hope for our world.
Next week, we begin our Christmas gatherings. Invite your neighbors, coworkers, and family. We are going to preach the gospel clearly, pointing everyone who walks through the doors to the Savior who loves them and gave His life for them.
Let’s pray together.
Father, thank You for the truth of Your Word. Thank You for the reminder—even through the geography of the Gospels—that Your grace reaches beyond our comfort zones. You led the disciples into uncomfortable places like Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis to show them that Your heart beats for all nations.
Lord, forgive us for the times we have been comfortable in our own bubbles. Break down our prejudices and make us a community that reflects the beauty and diversity of Your kingdom. Remind us that there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved except the name of Jesus. Make Him the hero of our lives, our stories, and our church.
We pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.