Overview of Book of Matthew Chapters 14-28
Saturday, January 16
Read Matthew 14
Think About It:
Herod the Great founded the dynasty ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was not a true Jew by birth, but was an Edomite, a descendant of Esau. Herod Antipas was his son. His title was “tetrarch,” which means “ruler over the fourth part of the kingdom.” He ruled from 4 BC to 39 AD, and his character was deceptive and selfish. He loved luxury and was very ambitious to become a great ruler.
It was John the Baptist who called out Herod Antipas for his great sin of taking the wife of his brother Phillip, named Herodias. She had great influence over her husband. It was during Herod Antipas’s birthday celebration that she was able to trick her husband into finally killing John the Baptist. Herod Antipas heard of the great fame of Jesus. He said to his advisers, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work within him.”
What was our Lord’s response to the news of John’s murder? He quietly withdrew from the area and went to a “lonely place” to pray to His Father. Jesus did not want to deliberately provoke trouble with Herod, He lived according to a divine timetable, and a confrontation with Herod Antipas was not to happen.
Jesus and His disciples desperately needed rest, yet the needs of the multitudes touched His heart. The word translated “moved with compassion” literally means “to have one’s inner being (viscera) stirred.” It is stronger than sympathy. The word is used 12 times in the gospels, and 8 of these references are to Jesus Christ.
The miracle of the feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all four gospels. It was definitely a miracle. It takes little imagination to picture the plight of the disciples. Here were more than 5000 hungry people, and they had nothing to feed them! Certainly the disciples knew that Jesus was powerful enough to meet the need, yet they did not turn to Him for help. Instead, they took an inventory of their own Food Supply (a lad had 5 barley loaves and 2 fish) and their limited treasury. When they considered the time was evening and the place was desolate, they came to the conclusion that nothing could be done to solve the problem. Their counsel to the Lord was, “send them away!”
Not only did the Lord feed the 5000 men, including their wives and children, but there was 12 large baskets of food left over. Have you ever wondered why there was 12 large baskets? Was it because Jesus was the Bread of Life for the 12 tribes of Israel?
The people wanted to make Jesus king. That is why Jesus quickly dismissed the crowd and sent the disciples to the boat. Did Jesus know the storm was coming? Of course He did. They were safer in the storm in God’s will than on the land with the crowds out of God’s will.
As we read our Bibles, we discover that there are two kinds of storms: storms of correction, when God disciplines us, and storms of perfection, when God helps us to grow. Jonah was in a storm because he disobeyed God and had to be corrected. The disciples were in a storm because they obeyed Christ and had to be perfected. Jesus had tested them in a storm before, when He was in the boat with them (Matthew 8:23-27). Now He tested them by being out of the boat to perfect their faith in Him.
Many Christians have the mistaken idea that obedience to God’s will produces “smooth sailing.” But that is not true. “In the world you shall have tribulation,” (John 16:33). When we find ourselves in the storm because we obeyed the Lord, we must remember that He brought us here and He can care for us.
When they crossed over to the other side, the people of the area had such faith in Jesus that many were healed. They believed all they needed to do was touch the hem of His garment, and they were made perfectly well.
- How is your faith?
- What have you learned from the storms in your life?
- Did they come because of correction or perfection?
Family Time:
- Why was John in prison?
- Why was he beheaded?
- We often see that Jesus would slip away to be alone with the Father. How often do you slip away to be alone with God?
- Did Jesus’ compassion ever wear out? Who and how many did He heal?
- Have you lost compassion? Is your motivation to operate by the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that you can show off how God is using you or so that you can move with life-changing compassion as Jesus did.
