John the Baptist is Beheaded

Verses 1-12

John the Baptist was a faithful and bold preacher of the truth. He was not one who compromised on truth. We need more figures like John the Baptist in the pulpits of this nation. In the passage, we read about one of God’s faithful martyrs. For his bold rebuke of King Herod, John was placed in prison. It appears from the Bible text that Herod was in a sinful relationship with Herodias who was his brother’s wife. Herod feared the crowd’s reaction if he had John killed. There may have been an uprising or something worse as the crowd considered John the Baptist to be a prophet. So rather than killing John he put him in prison.

When Herod’s birthday came the daughter of Herodias danced to entertain him. The first-century historian Josephus identified Herodias’s daughter as Salome (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.136). No doubt encouraged by her mother she wanted John to be killed. However, Herod did not want to incite a rebellion, but he gave a promise to Herodias’s daughter that she could have whatever she wanted. Reluctantly King Herod had John the Baptist beheaded in the prison. He kept his promise to the daughter of Herodias and gave her John’s head on a charger just as she had asked for.

The disciples of John were allowed to have his body for a proper burial. The location of his burial is not disclosed to us. The short life of John the Baptist teaches us to be faithful to God’s truth and to not seek pleasure in the things of the world. As Christians we may suffer for the truth. The world may reject and mock us, but we serve a faithful God who rewards his saints in glory. Conscience can even make kings and rulers miserable, especially when they reject divine wisdom and truth. A clear conscience before God is worth more than anything this world can offer. The saints of the Lord may be mocked, rejected, and hated but their witness will remain long in the minds of the ungodly. The faithful testimony of God’s people will survive them. It will live long after our departure from this world. Psalm 116:15, says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

Jesus feeds the five thousand.

Verses 13-21

The story of Jesus feeding the five thousand is one of the most remarkable and well-known miracles of his ministry. All the four gospels mention how Jesus fed five thousand people with just five loaves and two fishes. It is clear by how often this miracle is mentioned that Scripture intended that we pay close attention to this great work of our Lord. This miracle of Jesus is proof of his divine power and attributes. To feed five thousand people with so little food would be impossible for a mere man to do, this was a work of God. By performing this miracle Jesus gave conclusive proof that he was God indeed, the second person of the divine Godhead.

In Matthew 15: 29-39 we read about Jesus feeding four thousand. When Jesus fed the four thousand and the five thousand we are reading about two separate accounts. In the feeding of the four thousand Jesus used seven loaves and a few fish. In the feeding of the five thousand Jesus used five loaves and two fishes. The two accounts are similar in that Jesus preforms a miracle to feed those who were following him. The main difference is the number of loaves and fish used in each account; which tell us that the accounts are two separate events in the ministry of Christ.

Jesus Walks on the Sea

Verses 22-33

At the start of this section of Scripture, we read about a time when our Lord went to be alone to pray. Time spent alone with God is very important for the Christian. There are many benefits of time alone with God. This allows us to cut off all distractions and come before the Lord with our worship, prayers, and burdens. Another benefit is that it allows us to focus completely on God and to read and study the Word of God in a more profound way. Private time with God is fundamental for our spiritual growth and well-being.

The main focus of the passage is the miracle of Christ walking on the sea. Again, Jesus performs a miracle to show his divine nature. The water beneath his feet did not change into a harder substance to allow him to walk on the water. Our Lord actually walked on the water. What this teaches us is that Jesus has dominion over every created thing. There will be many who will say it is a physical impossibility for a man to walk on water. If Jesus was just another man, then they would be right. However, Jesus was not merely a man. He is the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead, and thus was and is able to do things that no other man can do. This is a great encouragement for the child of God. Dear Christian soul remember that we serve a God that is in control of all things. He may allow for us to go through the storms of life, and He may allow his people to be tried for a season, tossed in the waters of life. Never forget that our Lord will never leave us to face the battle alone. The Lord is mightier than the events of this world. He will give us the grace and mercy to overcome the storms and waves of life.

The second element of the passage is Peter’s faith or lack thereof. We see Simon Peter coming out of the ship and walking on the water just like Jesus did. This is further proof of our Lord’s divine nature. He enabled Peter a mere man to walk on the water. Also notice from the text how much trouble there was by unbelief. It was the fourth watch, which means this event took place between 3am and 6am. At first, the disciples did not know it was Christ walking on the water. They cried out of fear. Jesus heard their cry and calmed their fears by telling them to “be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.” When Peter understood that it was the Lord he walked on the water toward Jesus. However, when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the boisterous wind he began to sink. This happens to the Christian also. When we take our eyes off Christ the things of the world and the waves and storms of life cause us to sink. We sink into troubled waters when our gaze is not fixed on Christ. The weakness of our flesh gets the better of us. We forget the promises of God. We start to doubt and allow fear to control us. We start to look inward instead of above. We think of nothing but the situation we find ourselves in.

Many Christian people take the first steps but stumble because they lack faith in God. They dwell on their doubts instead of trusting in God. They call out to God and say, “Lord, save me.” And yes, the Lord does save them, but “thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt.” O Christian soul, you have trusted Christ as Lord and Saviour. You have trusted God to save your soul from hell. You have trusted God to forgive and pardon all your sins, but you will not trust him in the lesser things of life. Be of good cheer for your Lord and Saviour is worthy of our trust in the storms of life. If he is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24) then he is more than able to bring you through the storms of life. Has your hope vanished because fear has overtaken your faith? O’ child of God, O’ thou of little faith, not fear. Trust in God and you will see for yourself that your faith will be restored, and troubles will melt away. John Flavel once said, “The soul is the life of the body, faith is the life of the soul. Christ is the life of faith.”

In the last three verses of Matthew fourteen, we see the compassion and gentleness of Christ. We read about the many people who were brought to Christ for healing. As we have already read in previous verses Christ honours true faith in Him. Here we see again that all who had true faith in Christ to heal them were made perfectly whole. Doubting does not prove we have no faith, but only that we have little faith. There is much reason given in this chapter to cause us to trust and serve God. We can have confidence in our God to give us the grace and strength to face trials. If we fall, He will raise us up. If we trust in Him our faith will grow and deepen. May our prayer be, “Lord, help my unbelief, and strengthen my faith in thee.”