1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. 4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
Herod Antipas was the Rome-appointed ruler of Galilee and of Perea, a region on the east side of the Jordan River. Herod wanted to kill John the Baptist because John rebuked Herod for his unlawful marriage to the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. Leviticus 20:21 says, And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless. Herod arrested John and put him in prison. At the opening of Matthew 14, Herod is looking back to what happened after he arrested John. We read that Herod had heard about Jesus and His miracles. He did not doubt or question the validity of Jesus’ miracles. But because of Herod’s bad conscience, he thought that Jesus must be John the Baptist risen from the dead. Herod had had John put to death.
We have no record of John the Baptist’s having rebuked the leaders of other nations outside Israel. Herod, however, was the ruler over a region which rightly belonged to Israel and which was thus under God’s covenant of Law with Israel. Herod’s sin was a stain on the land and its people. John was bold and personal in confronting Herod. The verb used is a past continuous form: John was saying (probably repeatedly) to Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have her.” Because of this, Herod had it in his heart to kill John, but he was afraid to kill him because he knew that the Jewish people considered John to be a prophet.
6But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 9And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
Mark tells us (Mark 6:21) that Herod’s great men, the high captains, and the leading men of Galilee were present at Herod’s birthday dinner. Herod’s niece, the daughter of his brother’s wife that he had married, danced for Herod and his dinner guests. The girl’s dancing pleased Herod, and he rashly promised her that he would give her anything, up to half of his kingdom (Mark 6:23). But he wasn’t expecting that the girl’s mother would have her ask for the head of John the Baptist. Now Herod had to choose between doing something that would be unpopular with the people he governed or losing face with his dinner guests. Verse 14 says, “the king was sorry.” In this verse Matthew specifically refers to Herod as “the king.” Herod had the authority to say “no” to the girl and to his guests. But in his sin, he chose to do evil and had John the Baptist killed.
In the coming verses of this chapter we will read of Jesus’ feeding more than 5000 people with just five small loaves of bread and two fish. Then we will read of His walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee and calming a storm. Could not Jesus have stopped Herod from having John the Baptist beheaded? Certainly. But was it the Father’s will that Jesus stop Herod? In John 8:29, Jesus said concerning the Father, “I do always those things that please him.” Why would it not be the Father’s will for Jesus to stop Herod from murdering John? The unjust death of Jesus’ forerunner John indicated that the world’s murder of Jesus Himself was near.
12And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 13When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
The disciples of John came and got his body and buried it. In their sorrow they did what we should do in our times of sorrow when we really don’t understand why things are the way they are: they went and told Jesus. He is our Refuge. Surely Jesus recognized that the unjust death of His forerunner John meant that His own death was near. He knew that He had been rejected by the Jewish leaders (12:24). Yet, even in such a time, even though it was Jesus’ desire to be alone, He was moved with compassion for the great multitude of people that knew where He was going and who were waiting for Him when He got there (Mark 6:33). Jesus healed their sick.
15And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18He said, Bring them hither to me. 19And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Crowds of people had often followed Jesus. Yet we have no record of His having given them a physical meal before. Why now? After the blasphemous words of the Pharisees against Jesus in 12:24, Jesus turned from natural, earthly ties to those who truly believed in Him. He said, “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (12:50). At the end of chapter 13 He declared the futility of expecting a faith response from one’s own natural community. He said, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house” (13:57). Now Jesus’ forerunner John has been murdered. At this point He turns from offering Himself to Israel as the Messiah King and turns to preparing His disciples for His departure. Jesus told His disciples that they were to give food to this great multitude of people.
Of course, the disciples quickly recognized that their own resources were inadequate to do what Jesus had asked. They had only five bread rolls and two fish. But Jesus taught them that day the steps which they were to take in the future for effective ministry: (1) Bring what you have to Him; (2) He will bless it; (3) He will give it back to you; and (4) You will give what He has blessed to others. The disciples did this and all 5000 men and their families were fed. There were even twelve baskets of food left over, exactly one basket for each of the twelve disciples, probably a lesson to them about the abundant way that God provides.
This miracle is recorded in all four Gospels. Yet, on the occasion of such an important miracle, John records that the bread that Jesus used was barley bread (John 6:9). We know from Revelation 6:6 that barley bread is a less expensive bread; it’s not of the fine quality of wheat bread. On such an important occasion, when Jesus would work a miracle to be recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus didn’t use the finest bread. He used what the disciples had. And He blessed it, and the hunger of thousands of people was satisfied. This was probably another lesson for the disciples – and for us. We don’t have to have what the world considers to be the best or the finest resources. We just have to bring to Jesus what we have.
In the Old and New Testament Scriptures God never spoke anyone full. Jesus could have just looked out on the crowd and said, “All of you be full!” And everyone would have been full. But God doesn’t do things that way. He doesn’t speak people full; He feeds them. When Israel was in the desert, God gave them a new kind of food called “manna” (Exodus 16:14-15). Later He sent a raven to take food to the prophet Elijah (I Kings 17:2-6). Then God fed Elijah and a widow in Sidon by not letting her meal or oil run out (I Kings 17:14-16). God always has a way. Surely in all our needs God will feed us, too. He makes a way that our real needs may be satisfied. The people that Jesus fed that day with the five barley loaves and two fish recognized that He had done a miracle (John 6:14).
22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
Verse 22 says that Jesus constrained His disciples to get into the ship and start the return journey on the Sea of Galilee while He stayed behind to dismiss the crowds. Thus, the disciples were certainly in His will in making this journey. Yet, by nightfall they found themselves facing a strong headwind and being steadily slammed by threatening waves. Jesus had gone to a mountain to commune with His Father in prayer, but He could see the disciples struggling out on the sea (Mark 6:48). Yet, He did not go to help them until the fourth watch of the night. Mark 13:35 speaks of these four periods of time: evening, midnight, the cockcrowing, and morning. Jesus waited until the early morning, probably sometime between 3 and 6 a.m. to go to the disciples. And He went to them by walking on the water of the Sea.
Why? Why did He send the disciples out into a storm? Why the wait? Why did He go to them in that way? Again, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His nearing departure. He knows that they will face storms of opposition after His death, resurrection, and ascension. Surely He walked on the water to show them that He had dominion over the waves that were then threatening and over the opposition that would later threaten their lives. He is the LORD, the One addressed in Psalm 93:3-4: The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Jesus gave the disciples the word of comfort that they most needed and that we most need when we’re facing trouble. He said, “...it is I; be not afraid.” When Peter answered, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water,” surely he was not questioning whether or not it was really Jesus. Otherwise, he would not have been willing to obey some other voice telling him to get out of the boat. Peter knew that it was Jesus. He was really saying, “Can you and will you make me to walk on the water like you are doing?” Peter’s request might seem trivial to us, like a burst of desire for a thrill. But Jesus did not rebuke Peter for his request. Whether Peter understood it or not, his asking to walk on the water was a request to be given dominion over the waves that were threatening the lives of those in the ship.
As Jesus’ disciples today, we need this dominion, too. God may not prevent storms of opposition from hitting us on every side. God may not stop the Herods of today from arresting us or putting us to death like John the Baptist. After all, God allowed our Lord Jesus Himself to be unjustly judged and crucified. But through it all, we can walk on the water. As we look to our Lord Jesus, He will give us spiritual dominion over the forces that wish to destroy us.
30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Peter was walking on the water, but the wind was still blowing. Peter was an experienced fisherman who spent his days working on that lake. He knew the lake and he was used to the storms. He knew that the threat of the wind was real. As long as Peter looked at Jesus instead of at the effect of the wind, he could keep going. But when he looked at the impact of the wind instead of looking at Jesus, he began to sink. When Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out His hand and brought him up. Peter’s faith was great enough to get him out of the boat but not yet great enough to keep his eyes off the storm.
The people in verse 33 are “they that were in the ship.” They are not referred to as disciples, so it may be that there were others in the ship with the disciples. Jesus had fed the 5000 just a short time before the boat started across the lake. John records that those people had said, “This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world” (John 6:14). They meant that Jesus was the prophet like Moses that is spoken of in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. John also records that the 5000 wanted to make Jesus king (John 6:15). It is likely that many in the crowd had concluded that Jesus was the King who is called the Son of God in Psalm 2. It seems sure that the crew in the ship were aware of these things. When the crew saw the storm winds cease as Jesus got into the boat, they said, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
34And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; 36and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Much had happened since Jesus went (verse 13) by boat to the desert place. He had ministered to the 5000. Then He had prayed on the mountain until somewhere between 3 and 6 in the morning. Then He’d walked on the water through the storm to His disciples. Probably neither He nor the disciples had slept much all night. Now as soon as He stepped out of the boat in Gennesaret, another crowd of people began bringing their sick to Him from the surrounding region. Yet, Jesus did not leave them. Perhaps the people had heard about the woman with an issue of blood who had been healed when she touched the fringe of Jesus’s garment (Matthew 9:20-22). These sick people came with that faith, too, and all who touched were made completely well.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.