15:29–31 In Matthew’s account the scene shifts immediately from the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon (cf. 15:21) to the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee (the Markan parallel says “the region of the Decapolis,” 7:31). It is not certain how much time Jesus spent in non-Jewish territory, although there may have been about six months between the feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14 (v. 19 says they sat “on the grass,” thus indicating early spring) and the feeding of the four thousand in Matthew 15 (v. 35 says they sat “on the ground,” epi tēn gēn, which suggests later in the summer, when the grass would be scorched). A comparison of Matthew and Mark indicates that the latter records the healing of a deaf mute, while the former gives a summary of Jesus’ healing ministry among the Gentiles. …