In response to Jesus' teachings, the people of Nazareth question where He gets His power to do miracles and because they know His family and where He is from they refuse to believe in Him. Then John is beheaded and Jesus retreats to find some time alone, only to be followed by a crowd of people. He heals their sick and eventually at the end of the day He feeds some 15 to 20 thousand people. They are ready to make Him king but He sends them home and spends some time alone. The disciples are in a boat on the sea of Galilee and a storm threatens their lives so Jesus comes walking on the water to save them. Peter in his exuberance calls for Jesus to have him come to meet Him on the water. Peter begins but seeing the waves begins to sink and drown. Jesus hears his cry for help and grabs him and they safely climb into the boat. The wind stops and they exclaim "You really are the Son of God!"
SHOW NOTES
Matthew 14 (NLT)The Death of John the Baptist
14 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus, 2 he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”
Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod and was ruler over Galilee. Herod had been a cruel ruler who loved to build. He had improved the Second Temple by working on it for 46 years. Antipas had inherited his father’s brutality.
3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.”
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” according to Shakespeare. Herodias is watching for an opportunity to get rid of John the Baptist for shaming her publicly.
5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.
This verse affirms the powerful influence John the Baptist had exerted. Some believed he was the Messiah (John 1:19-20).
6 But at a birthday party for Herod (Antipas), Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” 9 Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.
There seems to be no limit to our sinfulness or brokenness give the right environment. Herodias has revenge on her heart and it flowers into the execution of the hated Baptist. Was she aware that this was a possibility for her? Were the Turks aware that their prejudice against the Armenians would lead to genocide? Were the nazi’s aware that their prejudice against the Jews and Slavs would lead to the Holocaust? Do murderers know that their thinking is leading to a death dealing action?
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone.
Jesus wanted to grieve the loss of his cousin in solitude but it was not to be.
But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
The compassion of Jesus is his highest motivation. He has the heart of God.
15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”Jesus has already repeatedly performed mass healings. Why was this not a prelude to the possibility of a mass feeding by Jesus in the disciple’s minds? Their imagination seems dulled and mundane. 17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. 18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!
This miracle is to reveal the compassion of God in everyday ordinary events in our lives. In a parallel account we have this detail added.
John 6:14-15 NLT When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”
15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.
It was not time for Jesus to be a material king. He had come as the cornerstone of the Kingdom of Heaven. He had come to love and serve people not rule over them. He would have experienced again the temptation of Satan to give him all the kingdoms of this world.
Jesus Walks on Water
22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
This action by Jesus was to discourage the movement to make him king and to give him time recoup from the energy it had taken to provide the food for 5000 men and to resist the temptation to chose the easy route in his ministry.
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
Satan has power over the forces of nature. It is not far-fetched to think he had engineered this impending catastrophe. Physical danger usually overpowers our emotional bonds. They are terrified. They are ready to believe the worst.
27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” These words are almost identical to Jesus response to the disciples after his resurrection. With Jesus’ recognized presence fear disappears. 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
Impetuous Peter moves from fear to the desire for admiration.
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
Jesus is not stingy with his love and care and power. He knows the motives of Peter but shares his power with him.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
This would have happened when Peter looked back to make sure the other disciples were aware of his precociousness.
31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Jesus grabbed him. Jesus is a strong man in many ways and he often has to grab us to rescue us from our self-made folly.
32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
Is this conclusion reached because of both the feeding of 5000 and calming the storm? Perhaps for fishermen the calming of the storm was more impressive,
34 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. 36 They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.
This is one of the ten instances of Jesus performing mass healings. Jesus was a phenomenon. Everyone would have known about someone who could feed 5000 men and heal everyone who was brought to him.
Footnotes
14:1 Greek Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod and was ruler over Galilee.
14:25 Greek In the fourth watch of the night.
14:27 Or The ‘I am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.
14:30 Some manuscripts do not include strong.
Ian Hartley, November 2024.
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