This section closes with a third story about Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles, the feeding of the four thousand (8:1–9). On the Gentile, east side of the Sea of Galilee—perhaps in the vicinity of the healing of the demoniac (5:1–20)—Jesus attracts a large crowd that remains with him for three days. The Greek word describing the presence of the crowd (8:2) connotes its special attachment to Jesus; ironically, Gentiles receive Jesus with a devotion that Jews do not. The “compassion” (8:2) Jesus feels for the persevering crowd is (according to the Greek word used) deep and powerful. Jesus does not want to dismiss the vulnerable multitude in the desolate region, and the disciples…