The clause the day is now over
normally means when people begin preparing for dinner, but still have to get the needed food, so the disciples wanted Jesus to send the crowds away to go buy food, so those who had been healed would not then suffer from starvation.
The crowds seemed so captivated by Jesus’ preaching that they made no provision for food or drink, as he continued to teach uninterruptedly. It is as if they felt something of heaven on earth. Now, however, reality kicks in. The disciples treat the crowd in a businesslike way: strictly just, but without compassion. Their dismissal of the people would leave them to fend for themselves.
The phrase the day is now over
would normally refer to the time when people started preparing for dinner, but still had to acquire the required food. Hence, the disciples encouraged Jesus to send the crowds away to go buy food, so they do not grow weak in this desolate place. The healing of the sick would, after all, be in vain if it were to immediately be undone by starvation.1
The crowds seemed to have been so captivated by Jesus’ preaching that they did not even think of making provision to eat or to drink. Jesus also simply continued to teach uninterrupted. It is as if the crowds experienced something of heaven on earth. Now, however, reality kicks in, and the disciples care for the crowd in their own way, but they do so in a businesslike manner—strictly just, very convenient, but without compassion. They dismiss the people without offering help, leaving them to fend for themselves.2
15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”