When we read the basharah accounts on the demon possessed men at face value we may land up with contradictions and hence, without the Ruach understanding and looking at scriptures below the surface level we will not see the beautiful picture and harmony in scriptures.
Now lets look at the same account mentioned in different basharah's to see the harmony in scripture
Matthew's account: Matthew's account states there were 2 possessed with devils and the region stated here is Gergesenes from Strongs H1622 which is 'Girgashiy', one of the native tribes of Kenaan.
Mat 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Girgashiym, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
Mark's account: Mark's account states there was a man with an unclean spirit and the region stated there is Gadarenes
Mar 5:1 AND they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes
Mar 5:2 And when He came out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Luke's account: Luke's account states a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time and the region mentioned there is Gadarenes which is opposite Galil.
Luk 8:26 And they sailed to the country of the Gaḏarenes, which is opposite Galil.
Luk 8:27 And as He went out onto the land, He was met by a certain man, from the city, who had demons for a long time. And he wore no garments, and he was not living in a house but in the tombs.
Yahuchanan/John's basharah is silent on this incident and states that there is much else that Yahusha did and if everyone of them were written down, the world itself would not contain the written books.
Joh 21:25 Now there is much else that יהושע did. If every one of them were written down, I think that the world itself would not contain the written books. Amĕn.
The question is were there two demon possessed men or just one?
Firstly we must understand that Matthew was one of the 12 disciples of Yahusha whilst John Mark who wrote basharah of Mark and Luke were companions of emissary Shaul's journeys were not among the 12 disciples of Yahusha. Whilst John Mark was separated from Shaul due to the sharp argument between Shaul and Barnabah as Barnabah wanted John Mark to be a part of their journey in preaching the basharah to the GENTILES, Shaul refused as John Mark had left them in between to go back to Yerushalayim. Hence, Barnabah split ways with Shaul and took John Mark with him.
Remember the Ruach had separated Shaul and Baranabah to the work of the ministering to the Gentile (Yahudim in dispersion) and with John Mark returning to Yerushalayim where Kepha (Peter), Yaaqob (James) & Yahuchanan (John) were who were emissaries to the Yahudi's, Shaul may have thought John Mark was not fit for ministering the basharah to the Gentiles and was not clear in his calling.
Act 12:25 And Barnaḇah and Sha’ul returned from Yerushalayim, having completed the service, and having taken with them Yoḥanan who was also called Mark.
Act 13:5 And having come into Salamis, they proclaimed the word of Elohim in the congregations of the Yehuḏim. And they also had Yoḥanan as an attendant.
Act 13:13 And having put out from Paphos, Sha’ul and those with him came to Perge in Pamphulia. And Yoḥanan, having left them, returned to Yerushalayim.
Act 15:36 And after some days Sha’ul said to Barnaḇah, “Let us now go back and visit our brothers in every city where we proclaimed the Word of יהוה, and see how they are.”
Act 15:37 And Barnaḇah purposed to take with them Yoḥanan called Mark.
Act 15:38 But Sha’ul thought it not fit to take with them the one who withdrew from them in Pamphulia, and had not gone with them to the work.
Act 15:39 A sharp feeling therefore came to be, so that they parted from one another. And so Barnaḇah took Mark and sailed to Cyprus.
Act 15:40 And Sha’ul chose Sila and went off, being committed by the brothers to the favour of Elohim
Later Shaul realizes his mistake and while Barnabah is not mentioned after the split (probably he was martyred by then) , Shaul asks Timothy to bring Mark along with him because Mark was indeed preaching basharah to the Gentiles.
2Ti 4:11 Luke alone is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is of good use to me for service.
Nevertheless John Mark and Luke were later converts. Hence, Matthew being one of the 12 writes as an eye witness whilst the other 2 write what they have heard from the testimony of men (second witnesses) and of course by the Ruach jotted down what was only revealed to them.
The first time John Mark is named in Acts when Kepha (Peter) was miraculously released by the messenger from the prison and had come to his house where many were gathered to pray
Act 12:12 And having realised this, he went to the house of Miryam, the mother of Yoḥanan who was also called Mark, where many had gathered to pray.
Later on we see John Mark back in emissary Shaul's journey. It's interesting to see that Mark was the relative of Barnabah, the emissary and Barnabah saw Mark's calling even though he had left for Yerushalayim whilst Shaul saw his calling later
Col 4:10 Aristarchos my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the relative of Barnaḇah about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him,
Phm 1:23 Epaphras, fellow prisoner of me in Messiah יהושע, greets you,
Phm 1:24 and Mark, Aristarchos, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.
This indicates that Mark the relative of Barnabah was with Shaul during his First Imprisonment in Rome, during which he wrote the four Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians).
1Pe 5:13 She who is in Baḇel, chosen together with you, greets you, also my son, Mark.
Kepha mentions Mark being with him which is an indication that Mark wrote the basharah as second witness, the one who heard about the witness of Yahusha from the eye witnesses.
Why am I stating these facts we will see a bit later. Before this let's read about Luke
Luk 1:1 FORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
Luk 1:2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
Luk 1:3 it seemed good to me as well, having followed up all these matters exactly from the beginning, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilos,
Luk 1:4 That you might know the certainty of those things, wherein you have been instructed.
Luke is writing to Theophilus a Greek name which means lover of god was probably a Roman official who had converted to being a Messianic. The way he is addressed as 'most excellent Theophilus' was an address made to Roman governor/authority
Act 23:26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sends greeting.
Tertullus in his accusation on Shaul mentions in his accustion
Act 24:3 we accept it always and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thanks.
Shaul addresses the Governor as 'most excellent'
Act 26:25 But he said, I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness
Looking at what Luke is writing, he mentions in Luk 1:2 that the account he witnesses was given to them who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the dabar of Yahusha.
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
And in verse 3 Luke says that he has followed up on all these matters exactly from the beginning to write this orderly account.
Luk 1:3 it seemed good to me as well, having followed up all these matters exactly from the beginning, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilos,
Hence, John Mark and Luke wrote accounts heard from eyewitness of what Yahusha did and the events surrounding Yahusha while Matthew writes being one of the 12 talmidim (disciples) of Yahusha.
Coming back to Matthews account where he mentions 2 demon possessed men met him, he doesn't mention as to what happened to the 2 demon possessed men later, but both Mark and Luke mention other details
Mat 8:28 And when He came to the other side, to the country of the Girgashites, two demon-possessed ones met Him, coming out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one was able to pass that way.
Mat 8:29 And see, they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, יהושע, Son of Elohim? Have You come here to torture us, before the appointed time?”
Mat 8:30 And at a distance from them there was a herd of many pigs feeding,
Mat 8:31 and the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
Mat 8:32 And He said to them, “Go.” And they, coming out, went into the herd of pigs. And see, the entire herd of pigs rushed down the steep place into the sea, and died in the water.
Mark's account: Mark mentions that he who had been demon possessed begged Yahusha that he might be with Him but Yahusha tells him to Go home to his friends and report to them what the Adon has done for him. The demon possessed man left and proclaimed in Dekapolis all that Yahusha had done for him and all marveled at his testimony.
Mar 5:18 And as He was entering into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.
Mar 5:19 And יהושע did not allow him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and report to them what the Master has done for you, and how He had compassion on you.”
Mar 5:20 And he left and began to proclaim in Dekapolis all that יהושע had done for him, and all marvelled.
Luke's account: Luke mentions that he who had been demon possessed begged Yahusha that he might be with Him but Yahusha tells him to Go home to his friends and report to them what Elohim has done for him and he went through all the city and testified about Yahusha.
Luk 8:38 And the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him to be with Him. But יהושע sent him away, saying,
Luk 8:39 “Go back to your house, and relate what Elohim has done for you.” And he went away proclaiming through all the city what יהושע did for him.
Matthew doesn't mention of the demon possessed man who was delivered as begging to follow Yahusha while Mark and Luke covers stating he did.
Mark gives us detail that there were 2,000 pigs whilst Matthew states 'herd of pigs' (Matt 8:30-31) and Luke states 'herd of many pigs' (Luke 8:32)
Mar 5:12 And all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the pigs, so that we enter into them.”
Mar 5:13 And He gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs – they were about two thousand – and the herd rushed down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
Though Matthew was one of the 12 disciples, he chose not to mention how many pigs were there, while John Mark may have heard from the mouth of eye witnesses how many pigs were there and mentions the count of those that were drowned. Luke's account was an investigation from the eye witnesses and ministers of the dabar and only mentions 'herd of many pigs'
Why did Matthew not pen down the details covered by Mark and Luke?
The 4 basharah's are like the 4 faces of the kerubim who are around Yahuah, an imagery seen by Ezekiel. Yahuah is said to be dwelling between the kerubim. In Ezekiel's account he mentions 4 living creatures in the likeness of man (referring to Yahusha himself), they had 4 faces and 4 wings. Each of them had a face of a man (Son of man), face of a lion (Lion of Yahudah), face of an ox (treading the grain) and face of an eagle (Yahuah brought Yasharal unto Himself on eagles wings)
Eze 1:4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Eze 1:5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
Eze 1:6 And everyone had four faces, and everyone had four wings.
Eze 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
Matthew being one of the 12, was a minister to the Yahudim while John Mark and Luke to the Gentiles. Matthew's account is on the focus on Yahusha and his miracles to convince the Yahudim that He is the Messiah going beyond the boundary to save the lost sheep of the house of Yasharal where he mentions the country of the Girgashites, where Kenaanites lived were driven out by Yahuah to accommodate His people
Mat 8:28 And when He came to the other side, to the country of the Girgashites (H1622), two demon-possessed ones met Him, coming out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one was able to pass that way.
Deu 7:1 “When יהוה your Elohim brings you into the land which you go to possess, He shall also clear away many nations before you: the Ḥittites and the Girgashites (H1622) and the Amorites and the Kenaʽanites and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites and the Yeḇusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you.
Jos 3:10 And Yehoshua said, “By this you shall know that the living Ěl is in your midst, and that He is certainly driving out from before you the Kenaʽanites and the Ḥittites and the Ḥiwwites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites (H1622) and the Amorites and the Yeḇusites:
Girgashites were the seed of Kenaan the son of Ham who was the son of Noah. They were one of the 7 nations greater than Yasharal whom Yahuah would drive out to accommodate His people. Hence, Matthew uses one of the city name in the Decapolis who were looked down upon by the Yahudim because of their abominations as pig herding and pig meat eating as Torah forbids it.
John Mark and Luke focus was Yahusha coming into region of Gadara which was part of the tribe of Gad, now a Gentile territory to deliver His people in that region through the witness of a man from tribe of Gad who was delivered from demon possession, who went into the entire Decapolis area setting the ground for Yahusha, who after this incident was asked to leave their territory. If you notice, Mark and Luke write it as 'county of the Gadarenes' not the city itself while Matthew mentions 'region of Gergashites' and not the city of Gerasa itself.
Mar 5:1 And they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gaḏarenes.
Mar 5:20 And he left and began to proclaim in Dekapolis all that יהושע had done for him, and all marveled.
Luk 8:26 And they sailed to the country of the Gaḏarenes, which is opposite Galil.
The inheritance of the tribe of Gad:
The sea of Galil was termed as 'Sea of Kinnerth'
Jos 13:24 And Mosheh gave to the tribe of Gaḏ, to the children of Gaḏ for their clans:
Jos 13:25 and their border was Yaʽzĕr, and all the cities of Gilʽaḏ, and half the land of the children of Ammon as far as Aroʽĕr, which is before Rabbah,
Jos 13:26 and from Ḥeshbon to Ramath Mitspeh and Betonim, and from Maḥanayim to the border of Deḇir,
Jos 13:27 and in the valley Bĕyth Haram, and Bĕyth Nimrah, and Sukkoth, and Tsaphon, the rest of the reign of Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon, the Yardĕn being its border, as far as the edge of the Sea of Kinnereth, beyond the Yardĕn eastward.
Jos 13:28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gaḏ for their clans, the cities and their villages.
Jos 13:29 And Mosheh gave to half the tribe of Menashsheh, and it was for half the tribe of the children of Menashsheh for their clans:
Jos 13:30 and their border was from Maḥanayim, all Bashan, all the reign of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, and all the small towns of Ya’ir which are in Bashan, sixty cities;
Jos 13:31 and the half of Gilʽaḏ, and Ashtaroth and Eḏreʽi, cities of the reign of Oḡ in Bashan, were for the children of Maḵir son of Menashsheh, to the half of the children of Maḵir for their clans.
Jos 13:32 These Mosheh gave as an inheritance in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ beyond the Yardĕn, by Yeriḥo eastward
Deu 3:16 “And to the Re’uḇĕnites and the Gaḏites I gave from Gilʽaḏ as far as the wadi Arnon, the middle of the wadi as the border, as far as the wadi Yabboq, the border of the children of Ammon,
Deu 3:17 and the desert plain, with the Yardĕn as the border, from Kinnereth as far as the Sea of the Araḇah, the Salt Sea, below the slopes of Pisgah on the east.
Gad held land from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee to almost the Northern tip of the Dead Sea. Some of their major cities included; Lo-Debar, Jabesh-Gilead, Peneul, Mahanaim which was a Levitical City (Josh. 21:7) and also the place where Yaaqob once was and had a vision.
Decapolis in Greek means 'ten cities' where deca means 10 and polis means cities. Decapolis was a region and not a city itself, but a territory of cities, one of which was Gadara known today as Umm Qais. The Decapolis was a group of ten cities (Abila, Damascus, Dion, Gerasa, Gadara, Hippos, Pella, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis)
Have you considered that Torah forbids not only eating pig meat but also nourishing them? So what were pigs doing in this area? The mingling of the seed of Yasharal on the east side of the sea of Kinnereth/Galil with pagans was evident. Yahusha came for His lost sheep who were Torahless. In the parable of the Lost Son, we see the lost son amongst pigs and eating pigs food until he comes to his senses and comes back to his fathers house. The prodigal son parable is figurative of the lost sheep of the house of Yasharal among pagan nations and peoples, and are Torahless.
We need to still solve the mystery whether there were two demon possessed men or just one?
Matthew being an eye witness to the account mentions 2 demon possessed men, but its evident that one of them was prominent, as in him was the legion of devils and since Mark and Luke were second witnesses of this account, the eye witnesses of the account remembered the most prominent one out of the two who told Yahusha that he wants to follow him, while the other one though delivered was less prominent.
A simple analogy to this could be as follows:
Say when you get back home, your wife tells you that your son told her that Nick your friend came to see you whilst me & you were away at work. And when you go into your bedroom your son says Nick and his son Willy came to see us. Will you say your wife lied to you? No, she didn't, coz your son only gave her information related to your friend Nick and she narrated it just as is based on her being the second witness. While your son who is also friend of Willy, Nick's son gave you the additional information being the actual eye witness.
Similarly, Mark and Luke based on their investigation and being a second witness only witnessed of the most prominent demon possessed man as told to them by the eye witness. But Matthew was there and was the first witness so he tells us there were two demon possessed men.
The storm in the sea of Galil:
Yahusha was in Kephar Nahum and healed a servant of a Centurion by His word
Mat 8:5 And when יהושע had entered Kephar Naḥum, a captain came to Him, appealing to Him,
Mat 8:6 saying, “Master, my servant is lying in the house paralysed, grievously tortured.”
And he asked his disciples that they go along with him to the other side of Sea of Galil/Kinnereth
Mat 8:18 And when יהושע saw large crowds about Him, He gave a command to go off to the other side.
Mat 8:23 And when He entered into a ship, His taught ones followed Him.
Mat 8:24 And see, a great gale arose on the sea, so that the ship was covered by the waves. But He was sleeping.
Mat 8:25 And His taught ones came to Him and woke Him up, saying, “Master, save us! We are perishing!”
Mat 8:26 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little belief?” Then, having risen, He rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.
Mat 8:27 And the men marvelled, saying, “What is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
While many translations translate the word here as boat, it is evident this couldn't be a small boat. How can one be sleeping in a small boat and be asleep when the waves and water coming into it. It has to be a ship, just as Yonah was asleep when the storm came in the ship.
The Greek word used for boat is ploiarion G4142 oat, little (small) ship but the translators who copied over from Hebrew correctly translated it as ship as the Greek word there is G4143 ploion which means a sailer, that is, vessel: - ship (-ping).
The Hebrew translations uses the word Oniyah H591
Jon 1:3 But Yonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of יהוה, and went down to Yapho, and found a ship/H591 oniyah going to Tarshish. And he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of יהוה.
No storm could stop Yahusha going to the other side to save His people. He crossed over to save His people.
Healing a deaf man & feeding of the four thousand:
Mar 7:31 And again, going out from the borders of Tsor and Tsiḏon, He came to the Sea of Galil, through the midst of the borders of Dekapolis.
Mar 7:32 And they brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they begged Him to lay His hand upon him.
Mar 7:33 And taking him away from the crowd, He put His fingers in his ears, and having spit, He touched his tongue.
Mar 7:34 And looking up to the heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
Mar 7:35 And immediately his ears were opened, and the binding of his tongue was loosed, and he was speaking plainly.
While Yahusha was driven away after the deliverance of the two demon possessed men. The most prominent one who was sent to his home would have made many converts as Yahusha comes back here for a second time and heals a deaf man as the people now there accept Him and publish about Him in the entire region.
Mar 7:36 And He ordered them, that they should say it to no one, but the more He ordered them, the more they published it.
Mar 7:37 And they were immeasurably astonished, saying, “He has done all well. He makes even the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.”
It was in this place when the people were with him for 3 days, Yahusha feeds them with seven loaves & few fishes and they picked up seven large baskets of broken pieces.
Mar 8:1 In those days, the crowd being very great and not having any to eat, יהושע called His taught ones near and said to them,
Mar 8:2 “I have compassion on the crowd, for they have now been with Me three days and do not have food to eat.
Mar 8:3 “And if I dismiss them unfed to their home, they shall faint on the way, for some of them have come from far.”
Mar 8:4 And His taught ones answered Him, “How shall anyone be able to feed these people with bread here in the desert?”
Mar 8:5 And He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
Mar 8:6 And He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, He broke them and gave them to His taught ones to set before them. And they set them before the crowd.
Mar 8:7 And they had a few small fishes. And having blessed, He said to set them also before them.
Mar 8:8 And they ate and were satisfied, and they picked up seven large baskets of broken pieces.
Mar 8:9 And those eating were about four thousand, and He dismissed them.
Mar 8:10 And immediately entering into the ship with His taught ones, He came to the parts of Dalmanutha/Magdala
Mat 15:37 And all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces – seven large baskets, filled.
Mat 15:38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Mat 15:39 And dismissing the crowd, He went into the boat, and came to the borders of Maḡdala.
Magdala was to the west of the sea of Galil/Kinnereth where Matthew records as Magdala and Mark records it as Dalmanutha
Luk 8:40 And it came to be, when יהושע returned, that the crowd gladly received Him, for they were all looking for Him.
Luke doesn't record the name of the place but states 'when Yahusha returned' which is clear that he came back to the west side of sea of Galil.
What is the significance of feeding the 4,000 with 7 loaves & few small fish?
Many people point our errors in scripture stating that in one place its written Yahusha fed 5000 with five loaves and 2 fish and the left overs were carried in 12 baskets.
Luk 9:10 And the emissaries, when they had returned, related to Him all that they had done. And He took them and they withdrew by themselves to a city called Bĕyth Tsaiḏa.
Luk 9:14 For there were about five thousand men. And He said to His taught ones, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”
Luk 9:15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.
Luk 9:16 And taking the five loaves and the two fishes, having looked up to the heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the taught ones to set before the crowd.
Luk 9:17 So they all ate and were satisfied, and twelve baskets of the broken pieces were picked up by them.
These were similar like accounts but 2 different miracles done by Yahusha and have a deep spiritual significance.
Beyth Tsaida:
Beyth Tsaida was the city where Kepha, Andri and Phillip lived. Et-Tel, the mound identified as ancient Bethsaida, is located on a basaltic spur north of the Sea of Galilee, near the inflow of the Yarden River into the Sea of Galilee and was a Jewish village.
Joh 1:43 On the following day יהושע wished to go to Galil, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
Joh 1:44 And Philip was from Bĕyth Tsaiḏa, the city of Andri and Kĕpha.
It was here Yahusha fed the 5000 men (women and children not counted) with five loaves and 2 fish multiplied and left pieces were carried in 12 baskets. The five loaves are spiritually significant of 5 books of Torah and the two fish are significant of the two fold witness in Torah and prophets. The twelve baskets where the left overs were carried were significant of the 12 tribes of Yasharal. The 5000 is 5 x 1000 where 1000 is completeness of the number 5 which are the 5 books of Torah fed by the Torah of life Himself i.e. Yahusha.
These two instances were separate instances. We see further evidence when Yahusha got back to Magdala/Dalmanutha he was confronted by the Pharisees who were asking him for a sign.
Just after this Yahusha told his disciples to be careful of the leaven of the scribes and the Pharisees and his disciples thought its because they had taken no bread and just had one loaf. And here Yahusha rebukes them by reminding them of the 2 different feeding of the people.
Mar 8:14 And they had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.
Mar 8:15 And He was warning them, saying, “Mind! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herodes.”
Mar 8:16 And they were reasoning with one another, saying, “Because we have no bread.”
Mar 8:17 And יהושע, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?
Mar 8:18 “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?
Mar 8:19 “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets filled with broken pieces did you pick up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”
Mar 8:20 “And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets filled with broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said, “Seven.”
Mar 8:21 And He said to them, “How do you not understand?”
And the key verse is verse 18 and verse 21, marked in bold above. The disciples didn't understand the significance of the 2 miracles. While we have seen and understood the feeding of the 5,000 with 5 loaves lets understand the feeding of the 4000 with 7 loaves and left overs carried in 7 baskets.
The number 4 in scripture is H702 arbah which is significant spiritually of the 4 directions north, south, east and west where Yasharal was driven to the four corners of the earth, now gathered in Mashiyach. The number 1000 stands for completeness, indicating the entire remnant of the dispersed among the Gentiles will be brought back. The 7 loaves by which they were fed and the 7 baskets of fragments left over which were carried is significant of bringing the Gentiles (lost sheep of the house of Yasharal) into his Shemittah cycle of 7 where number 7 speaks of the rest in Mashiyach. 6 years of sowing and 7th year a Shabbath year where everyone eats of what grows of itself and 7 x 7 + 1 is a jubilee which is a year of release where lands on lease or sold goes back to the owner of the land, servants/slaves are set free to go back to their family.
What is interesting to see from this account is with the 7 loaves Yahusha multipled and 7 baskets of fragments were carried and out of the left overs Yahusha's disciples carried only 1 loaf. This cannot be coincidence, can it? While we don't know in both the accounts what was done with the left overs, this one loaf of left over is significant of multiplying 7 x 7 = 49 and +1 which they carried which speak of the jubilee.
Mar 8:14 And they had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the ship.
In one of my studies I touched based on the 120 jubilee years based on Gen 6:3 where 120 years is not a literal life span of man post the flood as we seen even the fathers post the flood lived more than 120 years.
Gen 6: 3 And יהוה said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever for he is flesh/ bashar gone astray/shagag, and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
You may read the study here:
https://dsouzashodan72.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-120-years-span.html
The message to the 7 assemblies, Yahusha among the 7 lampstands, 7 days of creation, 7th day rest etc. was all woven in scripture with a promise made to Abraham that in His SEED i.e. Mashiyach will the Gentiles be blessed
Gen 22:17 that I shall certainly bless you, and I shall certainly increase your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore, and let your seed possess the gate of their enemies.
Gen 22:18 “And in your seed all the GENTILES of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Gal 3:16 But the promises were spoken to Aḇraham, and to his Seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Messiah.
The Gentiles are woven into bringing them back into His rest as seen in the Shemittah cycle. And the multiple of the Shemittah cycles make a jubilee (7 x 7 +1 =50). And thus they are woven back into the 12 tribes as 120 jubilee years is 12 tribes x 10 their complete number.
Lev 25:8 ‘And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years. And the time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.
Lev 25:9 ‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn to pass through on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement cause a ram’s horn to pass through all your land.
Lev 25:10 ‘And you shall set the fiftieth year apart, and proclaim release throughout all the land to all its inhabitants, it is a Jubilee for you. And each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you return to his clan.
Lev 25:11 ‘The fiftieth year is a Jubilee to you. Do not sow, nor reap what grows of its own, nor gather from its unpruned vine.
The 120 years is accounted from Adam where each day doesn't stand for a 1000 years but the 6000 years (120 x 50) to a release of the erring flesh (bashar shagam) as stated in Gen 6:3.
Lastly the feeding of the 4000 in the Decapolis brought forth seven baskets of left overs showing that Yahuah calls the Gentiles who are Yasharal in dispersion back into the inheritance when He drove out 7 nations to give them their inheritance i.e Kenanites, Hittites, Hiwwites, Prizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Yebusites, seven nations stronger than them.
Jos 3:10 And Yehoshua said, “By this you shall know that the living Ěl is in your midst, and that He is certainly driving out from before you the Kenaʽanites and the Ḥittites and the Ḥiwwites and the Perizzites and Girgashites and the Amorites and the Yeḇusites:
