http://www.americanwisdomseries.comPresents
MATTHEWChapter 14
Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Drake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it? Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.
John 15:26
But when the
Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of
me:
John
16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit
of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not
speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for
he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
This
Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
published at http://www.theseason.org/
Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.
Now here is our revised study of:
The
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
MATTHEW
Chapter 14
"Results; Opposition of His Own Kindred."
"Mission of John the Baptist."
Matthew 14:1 "At the time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,"
The word "tetrarch" in the Greek transliterated means, "governor over a fourth part of the region;" however, the true sense of the word had lost some of its meaning, and by the time of Christ it denoted any prince not ruling over an entire kingdom. In other words, the country was split in many parts.
Herod by this time had heard of the healings, and many miracles that Jesus had done, and wanted to meet Him.
Matthew 14:2 "And 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."
Herod had a great deal of respect for John the Baptist, even though he took John's life. King Herod knew that John was a man of God, and when Herod heard of these mighty works of healing palsy, making the blind see, and feeding of the five thousand and other mighty works, Herod thought that John the Baptist had risen from the dead. When that thought came to Herod's mind, I'm sure he was very much afraid. Herod had heard some of that preaching, and it disturbed him.
Matthew 14:3 "For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife."
The "Herod the Great" that ruled during the time of Jesus birth, as recorded in Matthew 2:1, had five sons. After Herod the Great's death, the kingdom was split between the sons. The Herod [son] that is seeking for Jesus, and killed John the Baptist is "Herod Antipas", and he took his brother's [Harod Philip I] wife to live with, and call his own. This woman's name was "Herodias".
John the Baptist knew that this relationship of Herod Antipas, living in a marriage relationship with his brother Philip's wife was a sin, and John went to the palace and told him so to his face. Herod Antipas knew John well, and he knew that John was a righteous man. However John turned Herod Antipas' hatred towards him, and even more so was the evil eye of Herodias.
Matthew 14:4 "For John said unto him, "It is not lawful for thee to have her."
Matthew 14:5 "And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet."
John the Baptist was a prophet, and he was the last prophet before Messiah. He prophesied of the coming of the Messiah. The first time John's ministry was reported was when he was standing by the river Jordan saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Many did repent, and changed their ways.
The people that heard John loved him, and followed him. John's following had grown to quite a number, enough so much that king Herod Antipas feared an uprising, if he had put him to death.
Matthew 14:6 "But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod."
Herod Antipas' birthday celebration was a drunken bash; and at that celebration, Herodias' daughter, danced, and pleased Herod. In the name of the king, Antipas promised her that she should have one wish.
Editor's note: Does the author just assume the party was a drunken bash, or is it written some where and I missed it?
Matthew 14:7 "Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask."
Upon this king's oath, he was hoping she would say, the king, and then on the oath, he would have to keep the oath.
Matthew 14:8 "And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, "Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger."
The young girl went to her mother, Herodias to get advice, and her mother said, "Give me John the Baptist's head in a basket. John the Baptist called Herodias relationship to Antipas sin, and she hated John the Baptist for it.
Matthew 14:9 "And 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."
The king had his good old buddies hanging around the castle, and they heard and knew the oath promise that he had given the young dancer, and it was time to keep the oath. The filthy old king thought he was going to get one thing, and his evil thoughts backfired on him.
So it was that John the Baptist died at the hand of this maiden child, and by the request of her evil mother.
Matthew 14:10 "And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison."
Matthew 14:11 "And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother."
Here mother is my gift to you.
Matthew 14:12 "And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus."
Jesus Christ already knew. Remember it was John, while in prison that sent his followers to Jesus to inquire if this was the first Advent [coming of Christ] or if there was another Advent that will end all things.
We know today that in the first Advent, or coming of Jesus Christ, He came as the Son of man, to teach and heal, and to go to the cross at Calvary to shed His blood. His second Advent will be in this final generation, when at the seventh trumpet, Jesus will then come as King of kings, and Lord of lords. Are you waiting for that Advent, and watching for the signs of the times. Jesus will give those signs in Matthew 24.
Matthew 14:13 "When 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."
Why do you think that all these people sought after Christ? Do you think that they felt the moving of the Holy Spirit, or because of the healing miracles that He was performing? People will join a crowd and for many reasons.
Matthew 14:14 "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick."
This is one of the reasons that they followed Him. They knew He had the power to heal, and their belief moved Christ with compassion to them and He healed the sick.
The multitudes of today don't have the clarity of understanding to even know who Jesus is, yet He is moved to compassion. He is reaching out to all persons, regardless of their sin to repent, and turn from their wicked ways. Jesus will heal today as He did then, and He wants to heal those sinful hearts, and make them whole. God is the same every day, His love for His children is just as great today as it was when He first created them.
Matthew 14:15 "And 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."
To put this in modern day language, his disciples are telling Him that there is no McDonalds, or Hardees on the corner, to eat. They are telling Jesus to send the multitude away, or they will really have a problem. They are in a desert, a solitary wilderness and it is getting late, and the people will be getting hungry soon. The day ends at 6 P.M., and the evening started about 3: P.M.
Editor again: That sure makes me feel old. When I was in my 30s I could drive from my home near Harrisburg, PA clear to the northern border of my state, about 175 or 180 miles, and not pass a McDonalds and I had never heard of Hardees.
Matthew 14:16 "But Jesus said unto them, "They need not depart; give ye them to eat."
This is the biggest problem for the Christian in their following Christ. It is easy to use common sense and understand the things that man is able to do. But your faith is really brought forth, when you take the leap in faith to do the things that our Heavenly Father would have us do. It is important that you separate the natural from the supernatural, and be able to know the difference, for even the false-christ will have supernatural powers to win you over to him. Those that are looking for a Messiah, and do not know the difference between the two messiahs, will be deceived by the supernatural powers of the first messiah, the Antichrist.
A Christian must be able to understand, and expect the supernatural angel Satan, the devil, comes to earth five months prior to our Lord and Savior's coming. Make sure you know how to tell them apart so you don't get caught, by Christ, worshiping Satan thinking he is Christ.
Matthew 14:17 "And they say unto Him, "We have here but five loaves, and two fishes."
Jesus is going to do a supernatural thing when He will take five loaves of bread, and two fishes, and feed ten thousand people. There were five thousand men alone, as well as women and children and when He takes this food, and blesses it and it expands to feed this multitude of people, the human mind just cannot comprehend it as fact. The way that it is accepted, is by taking it by faith.
If this seems like quite an impossible task, think of those million Israelites that were fed for forty years, with out any loaves, but by just picking up the manna, or angels food of the ground every morning. These are both supernatural acts, and in this time of the end, ninety nine percent of the deceptions that take place, will be by supernatural acts, and if you are not ready for the acts of the false-christ, you will think that He is the true Christ.
You know that it is earthly impossible for an earthly human being to feed these people with these five loaves and two fishes, but it is not impossible for the supernatural.
Matthew 14:18 "He said, "Bring them hither to me."
Matthew 14:19 "And 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."
Christ had His disciples feed the multitude. Christ asked the blessing from the Father, and as He brake the bread and passed to the disciples, the expansion began to take place.
In a spiritual sense, Christ gives us the bread, and as we take it in, and ask God's blessings on our lives, it will expand as we pass that bread of life [God's Word] out. When you become part of a ministry that feeds that multitude, the bread of life is expanding. Some people say, God never blesses me, well what have you done to advance His ministry, or please the Father? Do you tell God that you love him, and pray for others to be saved? Have you told others of the love of God, that He loves them?
Matthew 14:20 "And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
After all the multitude had been fed, the extra fragments were collected by the disciples, and there were twelve baskets full left over. There will be a time later when He is talking about the bread, only it is not the bread that you eat, but of the doctrine of the scribes and Pharisees. Later when it refers to the crumbs of the bread, when the analogy is teaching, we had better be careful.
Matthew 14:21 "And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children."
Though we have used the figure of ten thousand people, this number could be quite a bit larger, however that fact doesn't matter, for it is the supernatural act that is important.
Matthew 14:22 "And 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."
This could have been the start of a new religion, with no work, and you just eat all you could; poof and it was there. The crowd was fed, and the message was completed, then Jesus turned to His disciples and compelled them to get into the ship, and go to the other side, and wait there for Him. He settled down the disciples, and they departed.
There is another lesson to be learned here. The first time Christ was in the ship with them, in a storm, He slept, and the disciples were scared out of their minds. This time, Jesus has given them a lesson of His supernatural powers, and He sends them into the sea alone, He is not with them. How will they hold up now, without His presence. Jesus is preparing them to stand by themselves in that time when He as departed in the supernatural, and they have to stand alone.
The disciples will shortly see Jesus in his transformed body, walking on the water. This is the same transformed body that they will see Jesus in, along with Elijah, and Moses, on the mount transfiguration, when He told them to keep their mouths shut. Then that body was not for the average person to know about, for the time had not come yet. They were to tell it only after Jesus had risen from the dead.
Matthew 14:23 "And 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."
Jesus did this quite often. I feel that He had conversed with His Father, and interceded for those he had healed that day. That the Holy Spirit would bring forth the same truth, that He is the bread of life, and they would come to the understanding of Christ in their life.
Many critics claim that this vision of Christ walking on the water was a mirage, that He was walking on the sand by the shore, and they were looking at a mirage. This simply could not be true, for the evening had come, and mirages don't exist in the cool of the evening. These higher critics area non-believers, who make their money by selling their own version of the Word of God.
Matthew 14:24 "But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary."
The ship was in the middle of the sea, and there was quite a storm around them. Again in a storm, there is no sun to cast a reflection.
Matthew 14:25 "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."
The fourth watch of the night is from 3 A.M. to 6 A.M. the sun is down, and still Christ has not appeared. It can't be a mirage. Jesus is now preparing them to rely on Him. Though He walked with His disciples on the shore, Christ is getting them ready to rely on Him spiritually after He has gone.
We Christians living in this end generation must prepare ourselves to see supernatural acts like this again, and when theyt happen, be grounded enough to put the events of prophecy in true perspective, and not go head over heals over the first person to perform such deeds; because it will probably be Satan, since he comes to earth first. This hogwash that many churches are promoting, stating that the Antichrist will be an evil spirit entering into a man from old Babylon, is going to get a lot of people deceived. The Antichrist is a man alright, but he is a supernatural man. He is a man/archangel that can snap his fingers and lightning will come from heaven, and he'll be performing miracles that a human being of this earth will not be able to understand, and they will be deceived, and think he is Christ.
Therefore it is important the we absorb these lessons being taught by Jesus Christ. Christ did walk on the water, though in his transfigured body.
Editor again: I have no doubt that we'll also be able to walk on water after Christ returns and we too are in our celestial bodies.
Matthew 14:26 "And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a spirit;" and they cried out of fear."
Right in the middle of the storm, with the waves breaking over the ship in the high winds, the disciples looked out from the boat, and here they saw a man walking on the water. Their first response was that it was a spirit. They were scared.
Sometimes we get a little afraid of things that happen around us, that is a natural reaction. How do you think that Jesus disciples felt?
Matthew 14:27 "But staightway Jesus spake unto them, saying "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."
Jesus knew these old boys knees were knocking, and they were only thinking of their survival. This was not one of those spiritual highs that you remember. When you are afraid of something, it is easy to think of everything, but keeping focused on Christ.
Our lesson of these end times, is that you have to be able to think, even when the going gets tough, and strange events are happening all around you. It is not just a matter of knowing the supernatural powers, but you must be able to discern between the good and the bad. When the supernatural events start flowing, those not prepared for what the Antichrist will bring with him, will jump right into Satan's bed with him, and his religious system, thinking he is Christ.
Matthew 14:28 "And Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water."
Peter was on a spiritual high here, for he felt if Jesus could do it, so could he. Before you act as such, you would have to make sure you are right with the Lord. Jesus Christ here is in his supernatural body, and these disciples are still in their physical bodies.
This is another part of the lesson that Christ is teaching His disciples; To be a disciple of mine, you must be able to think on the supernatural level, to be able to understand from Jesus Christ's teachings of what is going to come upon you, and how you will be able to recognize them when they happen.
If you have the faith, the Lord will not hold you back.
Matthew 14:29 "And He said, "Come", and when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus."
This shows the faith that Peter had in Jesus. In the middle of the storm, with the high wind, and waves breaking around him, Peter scrambled over the side, and walked to Jesus. In his flesh body, Peter's faith in Christ allowed him to do the supernatural.
Matthew 14:30 "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, "Lord, save me."
The "wind" in the Scripture also refers to the spirit. When you take your eyes off Christ, and focus them on the spirits of this world, you will also start to slip under. You let your mind waver for just a minute, and you will also start to sink. Notice that Peter did not wait until He was totally gone, but called out immediately, "Lord, save me".
Never take your eyes off the way, which is the path that we are to follow in Christ. Each of Christ's teachings and Words were to prepare His disciples for the times that they would face, when He would be gone. These aren't idle words, about another story, but a lesson to grasp for whatever level of study you are on.
Matthew 14:31 "And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
When Peter called out, "Lord, save me", Christ was there with out stretched hands, to catch him and draw Peter to Himself. When you see yourself slipping, don't wait, call out immediately.
There is a time coming very shortly, as we see the labor pains of end-time prophecy fly by us at a rapid pace. We will see the appearance soon of Satan, and his angels as they are cast from heaven, as recorded in Revelation 12:7-9, and we will then have supernatural entities on this earth to deal with. Though Satan's evil spirits are here now, you will physical see them when Michael casts them from Heaven.
When that day comes to pass, your faith better be strong. The strength of your faith is the knowledge from God's Word that you have in your mind, which is your heart, and that is the seal of God that protects you from any harm of Satans deceptions. Satan and his fallen angels, which is the locust army of the tribulation time, is ordered by God to leave you along, in Revelation 9:4.
Live Link to- Locusts, locusts Everywhere
I hope that in that day of the Antichrist, your gospel armor will be on, and in place, and there will be no doubt to your faith.
Matthew 14:32 "And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased."
When Jesus Christ, and Peter came into the ship, the wind stopped. This is what you have to remember also in the supernatural sense, that Christ controls the times and events of every day, and the prophecies recorded in His Word will come to pass, you can count on it. Our job is not to interfere with those events, but to observe them, and remember them, and know where we are in the course of the dispensations of time.
Matthew 14:33 "Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, "Of a truth thou art the Son of God."
What is interesting here, is that these disciples had spent many hours hearing Jesus teach, and seeing miracle after miracle, and they took of five loaves of bread and two fishes, and fed thousands of people, with much left over, and yet it took this storm at sea, and the calming of the wind for them to see the truth. "Thou are the Son of God."
People are always looking for a sign, yet when they see them their knowledge lets the sign pass them by unnoticed. The Antichrist when he is on earth, will be able to perform miracles in the sight of human beings, flesh man. This will be a sign to you, that when you see those miracles, not tricks or magic, be aware of the time that your are in.
Matthew 14:34 "And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret."
This place was on the north side of the sea of Galilee, and Jesus came here for a reason.
Matthew 14:35 "And 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;"
Matthew 14:36 "And besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole."
This is still possible today, if you have the faith. He will heal the heart instantly, and the healing of the body may come a little slower at times. God is always the same, and what He did then, He can also do today. It is not God, but man that changes.
Editor's note:: We are going to stop here in our "Book of Matthew Study" to review some commentary from chapter14 in an earlier study we published of Matthew. I don't believe you will find much difference in the general opinion of these two authors, but to read another person's perspective of events that took place may prove helpful in your understanding of the gospel of Matthew.Promised with an oath? Well now, here's an opportunity for old Satan to go work.
The Parable of Sower which contains the explicitly detailed yet simple explanation of the Parable of the Tares by Jesus Christ Himself, separates those few Christians who have eyes to see and ears to hear from the multitudes of Christians who do not. In fact, the Parable of the Tares itself separates the two churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna with whom Christ finds no fault at all, from the other five churches in Revelation chapters two and three that have at the least some major doctrinal problems to overcome (To see what they are missing read Rev. 2:9 & 3:9). To wit, the hour is getting late in this final generation of the fig tree and the time has come for our brothers and sisters to either to "wake up", as in open their eyes to the simplicity of our Father's Word and begin seeking His precious truth and pearls of wisdom instead of blindly following after the traditions of men, or face having the door to the wedding feast slammed in their faces when the true bridegroom comes (Mat. 25:10). A word to the wise virgin is sufficient.
That bring us to the 14th chapter of Matthew, whose name means "Gift of Yah", and in today's study we are going to see the inner workings of the subtle way in which Satan orchestrated the death of John of the Baptist, bringing to a close that great ministry which would have been counted as Elijah's had the people not rejected the King of kings and His dominion. It is important that we know how the enemy operates behind the scenes so that we are better prepared to be on guard against the cunning devices of the wicked one.
At that time, Herod Antipas (anti-pas, instead-of-father), the provincial ruler* and one of the three sons of Herod the Great who ruled during the time of Jesus' birth, heard reports of the mighty works and healings Jesus performed, and that caused quite a stir within his guilt ridden mind for what he had done to John the Baptist who he knew was a righteous man of God (Mk. 6:20).Matthew 14:1
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
* Note: Tetrarch technically means "the ruler of a fourth (tetra) part" of the country but by this time it was applied liberally to simply denote a regional or subordinate king or governor.
Do we see a little anxiety in old Herod here with his erroneous supposition that John has risen from the dead? Yes, we do, for it is written that Herod had a healthy respect for John the Baptist as a just and holy man of God and even that he "heard him gladly" when he preached. You might even say that John's preaching instilled a little "fear of God" in Herod![2] And 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.
One thing we know for sure is that John was no "reed shaken with the wind" (Mat. 11:7) which means he told it like it is and left no doubts concerning the Word of God when he spoke and taught. However, we discover that all was not so rosy with Herod's fondness and admiration once John brought the Word of God to the personal level where the "rubber meets the road" and confronted Herod with God's law denouncing his adulterous, even incestuous, relationship with his brother's wife.Mark 6:20
For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
Yes, there was one who had great "enmity" against John and wanted him killed for bearing the light of truth and that was the wicked Herodias, Herod's half brother Philip's wife who dumped him, i.e. dumped Philip, and ran off to marry Herod!Matthew 14:3
For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
Some insight as to her lustful character and motive (gold digging) might just be that which Dr. Smith records in his Bible Dictionary concerning Philip:
As the saying goes, "Follow the money trail!""He was excluded from all share in his father’s possessions in consequence of his mother’s treachery, and lived afterward in a private station."
Here is what John told Herod regarding taking his brother's wife!
It is against God's law to commit such an act! And I'm sure John told him there are consequences for trespassing God's law... lest you repent and cease from your sinful ways.Matthew 14:4
For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
The fact that Herod had both an healthy respect for John and a keen awareness that John had a large following of disciples who thought very highly of him, was cause enough to prevent Herod from killing John even though Herodias probably nagged her best nags to drive Herod to execute him. You "see", she hated John with a passion, an evil passion, and wanted to kill him so badly she could taste it![5] And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
So Herod is a bit of a stumbling block here in the plot to kill the last Old Testament prophet of God. Therefore Satan will use some other devices, like some human vices, to get the job done. And there is no better place than a wild celebration or party where the excess of "wine and spirits" are being poured out all over the place. Take heed!Mark 6:19
Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
I'll bet beautiful Salome, Herodias' twirling, whirling, dancing daughter (from her first marriage), was real looker! You "see", the big birthday bash included all of Herod's lords, high captains, and chief estates and it is written that she not only pleased Herod, she put on quite a show and pleased them all!Matthew 14:6
But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
Mark 6:21
And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;[22] And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
Oh yeah, baby! Big sugar-daddy
will give you anything your little old heart desires! Everybody
got that? Whatsoever this beautiful damsel asks of
me, up to half my kingdom, I promise with my sworn oath to give it her
without fail!
Promised with an oath? Well now, here's an opportunity for old Satan to go to work. First of all, we know that Herod's not all that moral a guy, is he? Though it is not written, given the context of the event one could give supposition and imagine that Herod's eyes are buggin' out at the crowd-pleasing beauty before him and he is probably hoping she will blink her eyes and wiggle her whatever once more at him and say "Anything I want? Why... I want you, honey!" Then he would bound by the oath to oblige her, wouldn't he?Matthew 14:7
Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
However, this boast of an oath is going to backfire on him big time because Satan is going to take full advantage of the opportunity to have a righteous man of God killed! According to proverbs, it is not a wise thing for a king to partake of strong drink.
Surprise, surprise, Herod! You have just been had! Whenever there is an evil spirit of conspiracy present, you can see Satan's hand at work. Remember, the reason Herodias hated John so much was because he was a man of God who confronted her with the law concerning her adulterous affair. Now with murder in her heart, and as the mother/daughter relationship enters into this, Salome is persuaded by her mother to ask for John's head in a charger! What a nice obedient daughter to forego half the kingdom just to fulfill her mother's evil desires!Matthew 14:8
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
Oh, the king was sorry? Apparently he was not sorry enough to be man enough to let it be known that all his egotistical boasting in front of his lords and high captains to fulfill his oath concerning whatsoever Salome desired simply did not include killing people! And so John the Baptist, the great man of God sent to prepare the way for the advent of the Son of God, would lose his life. How sad indeed.[9] And 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.
What lovely people! What a marvelous present to give to your mother! However, we know that our Father permitted this to happen and we know also that John's brutal death bears witness and testimony against Herod, his murderous wife what's-her-name... Herodias, and her twirl-brained daughter Salome, all of whom shall be judged accordingly! I sure wouldn't want to be in their shoes at judgment![10] And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.[11] And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
What a sad day for the disciples of John who came and took the body of their beloved brother and teacher and buried it. Of course Jesus already knew what had happened to John and so it is that this whole sordid account is written that we might be instructed and edified "upon whom the end of the world are come (1 Cor. 10:11)".[12] And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
As far as John was concerned, he lived long enough to learn from Christ Himself that there would be a second advent, meaning that he, John, would not be counted as Elijah, and when Christ told his disciples to tell him he is blessed and to "not be offended" as if to say "hang in there", he knew that his days were numbered. The following is an excerpt from our study in Mat. 11:1 to 11:15 where Christ adds to the answer He has already given to John's question, "Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?"
Bingo! John now knows that he is not going to see the second advent at this time, but that there would be another time when "He shall come, with vengeance, even God with a recompense (Isa. 35:4)"! Again, John is in prison and probably knows or at least suspects that his days are numbered.What a great example this is to us today. I mean, there is the great prophet John the Baptist in prison for righteousness sake and he knows that he shall have to endure unto the end. Not to worry though, for John had great root and foundation in the Word of God, not wavering to and fro like a reed shaken in the wind. Therefore he would not be "offended", which is to apostatize, as in stumble and fall!"Matthew 11:6
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Our Father is so good in revealing knowledge and wisdom to his servants who love and serve Him. Now back to Matthew 14.offended = skandalizo, skan-dal-id'-zo, Greek 4624; ("scandalize"); from Greek 4625 (skandalon); to entrap, i.e. trip up (figurative stumble [transitive] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure) :- (make to) offend."
Why do you suppose all these people followed Christ into a desert place? It was not because they hungered and thirsted after His Word, but because of the miracles and healings He performed. There is a great lesson to be learned in this.Matthew 14:13
When 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.
Never think that Jesus Christ does not have compassion on the multitudes even though they do not have eyes to see nor ears to hear. He loves all of His children and reaches out to touch and heal them in His desire that all should come to repentance and believe in Him.[14] And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.
Next we will find when evening comes that this great multitude will still be in the wilderness, in the desert place, where there are no restaurants nor fast food chains to get something to eat. Just wait until you see how Messiah uses this to teach us!
Christ performs two miracles for the purpose of teaching His disciples (students), those of the brethren with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Next we are going to observe Jesus Christ perform two miracles for the purpose of teaching His disciples (students), those of the brethren with eyes to see and ears to hear who have been instructed in the kingdom of heaven (Mat. 13:52), concerning what they are to do in these last days.
Are you one of His disciples, meaning one who is disciplined
in His Word?
If so, then surely you know that
Christ did not bring forth miracles just to show people that He could perform
supernatural feats. He did however, use both
that which is natural along with that which is supernatural to teach
us things which are spiritual, things
which are not visible to flesh eyes but can
be easily understood by the things which are visible.
Paul explains this teaching tool in Romans 1:20:
Again, invisible things are spiritual things which one cannot see with the naked eye.For example, you cannot place an "attitude" under a microscope and see it, nor can you measure love in the three dimensions of L x H x W, nor can you see words enter into one's forehead and lodge in the brain.However, we all know what a loaf of "bread" is and that we must physically eat bread in order to sustain life in the flesh. Well, Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is called the "bread of life" because He is that spiritual bread of which we must partake if we are to have life eternal. It is a simple analogy and not at all hard to understand.Romans 1:20
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
We learned from the Parable of the Sower that if you understand that parable, which means you have been instructed in the kingdom of heaven, then you must be as an householder, the head of a house, and bring forth out of your good treasure the knowledge and wisdom that you have found in the Word of God and then... shall we say, feed your household, i.e. your family. The question is, "Have you been instructed unto the kingdom of heaven?"John 6:33-35
For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.[34] Then said they unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Your knowledge and wisdom as a Christian householder are of little value if you do not share them with your brothers and sisters of the lost house of Israel, those widows and orphans who have gone into a spiritual wilderness, a desert place wherein there is no true bread to be found. Therefore Christ is going to use a miracle to show us, to give us a visual picture in our mind's eye, of that which we are to understand on a spiritual level concerning this late hour of the day.Matthew 13:52
Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
To that end, you may recall that Jesus Christ had departed into a desert place following the news of John the Baptist's death and a great multitude upon whom He had compassion to heal their sick followed after Him. Now it is "getting late in the day" and all the multitude are in the wilderness with nothing to eat and no place nearby to purchase food. What to do? What to do?
Here is what the disciples suggest:
Again, who is it that goes out into the wilderness, into a desert place? It is the blind and lost sheep of the House of Israel, the multitude of Christianity who are without understanding. Just look around you this very day and if you open your eyes you should be able to discern that our people are in a spiritual desert right now, even the valley of dry bones described in Ezekiel 37. You see, this is the time just before it gets really dark and the winds are let loose to blow upon the earth and we see there are virtually no "houses" around to feed the true bread of life to our people. That, my friend is what the famine of these end times is all about...Matthew 14:15
And 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.
The famine of the last days is a "spiritual famine" caused by the withholding of the true bread of life.Amos 8:11-12
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
It is therefore incumbent upon God's servants to bring forth the true bread of life from the altar of God and feed the multitudes. Most of the churches of land sure aren't teaching the words of the LORD. They are too busy following the traditions of men. In fact, we get letters and e-mails almost every day from people asking if we know of any churches in their area that teach the truth of His Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse. I sometimes will tell them, "You are the church". The church is not a building but rather the body of Christ. Why don't you start a Bible study?[12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Again, the 8th and last part of the Parable of the Sower is that if you understand the kingdom of heaven and His plan, then you are to bring forth and share that precious truth and those pearls of wisdom from His Word. So the question is, "If you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ, and you know you are in a desert place with the multitude, what are you going to do... send the people away?" No, give them some bread and meat to eat!
If you possess the knowledge of the parables and are instructed in the kingdom of heaven, then DO NOT send people off to the villages to find food for themselves! Many will end up at fast food joints eating spiritual junk food totally void of nutrition! If you are a truth seeking disciple of Jesus Christ, they need not depart because you can feed them! You can give them both bread and meat from His Word IF you have understanding and that which you possess goes through the process in verses 18 and 19 below. The fact is, if the multitude is to be sent away then as we shall see, it is up to Jesus Christ to do so, i.e. let Him do it. So until such time as the whole multitude is fed and Christ tells us the job is finished, let us continue to give them to eat as per instructed! "Give ye them to eat!"[16] But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
Oh, I see! You don't think you have what it takes to feed such a multitude? You cannot envision five loaves and two fishes feeding 12,000 people? Guess that would depend on whether or not it is the truth and meat from His Word or the traditions of men.[17] And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
You take that which you do have and make sure it is blessed and sanctified by the Word of God which means that it comes from Him, from His Word, for then it is blessed from above. You see, traditions of men are not blessed from above, but a little bit of pure truth, that rich spiritual bread of life, can go a long away and get the job done! A word to the wise![18] He said, Bring them hither to me.
There is much to learn and observe from this verse. First of all, Christ did not feed the multitude Himself. His disciples did! Furthermore, all the bread and fish were not given to just one disciple. They all shared in the feeding. And Christ showed them how to do it in an orderly fashion by having the multitudes sit down in ranks and in small groups, like in companies of fifty as described in Luke 9:14. God is not the author of confusion.[19] And 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.
Another thing we need to take careful note of is the Biblical numerics involved here. For instance, the number "5" denotes "grace" while the number "2" represents "witness", as in when two agree (See appendix 10 in the Companion Bible). Fishes are symbolic of Christianity and you "see", during this period of grace in these last days, even during this period of the fifth trump when the teaching and sealing of the "12 Tribes" in Rev. 7:4 and the "great multitude" in Rev. 7:9 takes place, there are only two Christian churches who agree together in what they teach (i.e. feed the people). In fact, they are the only two churches who understand the Parable of the Tares and therefore know who those are who claim to be of our brother Judah, i.e. the sons of Cain, but are liars and are of the synagogue of Satan. They are the "2" churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia, the only two out of the seven churches in Revelation chapters two and three, with whom Jesus Christ found no fault. Read Rev. 2:9 & 3:9 to learn what they both know and teach that the other churches do not.
So... Jesus Christ blessed the bread and the fishes that the disciples brought to Him as per His command, and it became more than sufficient to feed the entire multitude. However, not everyone was able to handle all that they were given and so there were "twelve baskets full of fragments" remaining when the feeding of the entire multitude was completed.
Twelve is the number of time and of government, even governmental perfection in the kingdom, as in twelve tribes and twelve apostles.[20] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
It is obvious that there were more than 5,000 who were fed when you add the women and children. Conservatively speaking there would have easily been 12,000 people in all... and there were 12 baskets taken up... hmmm! The reason that makes sense is because this is the feeding that precedes the "storm" which we will read about next where Christ immediately constrains His disciples to get into a ship once the feeding of the whole multitude has ended and 12 baskets of fragments are gathered![21] And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
It is getting late in the day! A word to the wise!
A wise person would therefore pay close attention to Christ's instructions.
The feeding of the five loaves of bread and the two fishes to the 5,000 men besides women and children and the gathering of the 12 baskets full of fragments has now been accomplished by the disciples, those who are disciplined in the Word of God, those who know Him and love Him enough to receive His instructions and obey His commands (Jn. 14:15). And so it is that immediately (straightway) following their serving and gathering they were given further instructions from the Lord.
Here is what He told them to do:
To "constrain" is to "necessitate" meaning this is something you need to do for your own good. The picture we "see" here is Christ telling His disciples to "get into a ship" and "go (across the sea) before Him" unto the "other side". Now that may not seem like a very difficult thing to do except for one thing. In these last days, "the sea" is going to become quite stormy because there is going to be a "beast rise up out of the sea" (and even has) and cause the "sea and the waves to roar", making the trip for those who do not have Christ pretty rough and frightening if not impossible. A wise person would therefore pay close attention to Christ's instructions.Matthew 14:22
And 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.
By the way, here is the apostle John's vision of the One World Political System, aka the New World Order, rising up out of "the sea".
Of course one needs to know that "waters" are symbolic of peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. In other words, the multi-headed one world political/economic beast system rises up from among the people.Rev. 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
When we get to Matthew chapter 24 we will see that Christ spoke about this rising up of the nations alongside each other and that it would be the beginning of "sorrows", which means "labor pangs", those painful contractions which increase in strength and duration right up to the birth of a new age.Rev. 17:15
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
And fitting to the terminology of "sea and waves" in today's study, Dr. Luke describes the distress of nations as being with perplexity which means in a "quandary" where there is no way out, with the "sea and the waves roaring"! In other words, all this movement by the powers of the beast as it rises causes the sea (peoples) and the waves (actions upon the people) to roar!
If you follow the instructions of Christ and get on board the ship, call it the ark of covenant of these last days, then you won't have any problem going to the other side... as long as you stay focused on Him! A word to the wise.Luke 21:25
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring*;
* The deeper student might refer to Jude 13 concerning the "raging waves of the sea".
Let us return to Matthew 14 where Christ now sends the multitudes away and goes up into a mountain by Himself to talk to the Father, i.e. pray.
Christ was only alone there in the flesh. Nevertheless, He will soon come down from on high, i.e. come down from the mountain, and walk upon the sea. And as far as the time is concerned, it is now after dusk and "darkness" has come, so let's check up on the disciples and see how they are doing.Matthew 14:23
And 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.
Hey look, the ship is in the midst of the sea being tossed with waves and the wind is contrary, meaning it is striving against them "mightily" (vs. 30)! Perhaps we should make note of the fact that in Mark's account we find the disciples fighting back against the wind, "toiling in rowing (Mark 6:48)".[24] But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
tossed, basanizo, bas-an-id'-zo, Greek 928; from Greek 931 (basanos); to torture :- pain, toil, torment, toss, vex.
By the way, how's your boat doing these days? One thing is for sure, if you have watched the news or picked up a paper later then you should have no doubts about the fact that the waters are mighty turbulent out there!wind, anemos, an'-em-os, Greek 417; from the base of Greek 109 (aer); wind; (plural) by implication (the four) quarters (of the earth) :- wind.contrary, enantios, en-an-tee'-os, Greek 1727; from Greek 1725 (enanti); opposite; figurative antagonistic :- (over) against, contrary.
This fourth watch (3 AM - 6 AM) is the darkest part of the night, which occurs just before the dawn of a new day. The little ship, "Miss I Can Cut It", is out there in the midst of the sea rockin' and rollin' and now the disciples look and see someone "walking on the sea"! Hey, that'll get your attention!Matthew 14:25
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
One can certainly understand that this is something out of the ordinary, a supernatural occurrence for sure. Just try to imagine yourself in their place! Obviously they were pretty "shaken" up because they couldn't make who or what it was and so they thought it was a phantasma, which is the Greek word for spirit and from whence we get our word "phantom". In today's lingo we would simply say "They thought that they had seen a ghost." Nevertheless, they were "shaking (wavering) in their boots" and "they cried out for fear" meaning they were "terrified"! In other words they had a bad case of phantophobia![26] And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
There is a great lesson in all of this for us, which of course is why it is written! So let's continue and calmly observe the three things Jesus says straightway (immediately) to the boat full of hyper-disciples.spirit, phantasma, fan'-tas-mah, Greek 5326; from Greek 5324 (phantazo); (properly concrete) a (mere) show ("phantasm"), i.e. spectre :- spirit.cried out, krazo, krad'-zo, Greek 2896; a primary verb; properly to "croak" (as a raven) or scream, i.e. (genitive) to call aloud (shriek, exclaim, intreat) :- cry (out).
fear, phobos, fob'-os, Greek 5401; from a primary phebomai (to be put in fear); alarm or fright :- be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.
(1.) "Be of good cheer". This means to have courage and take comfort.[27] But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying,Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
(2.) "It is I". Always look to Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the One we love and obey, the One who has ALL power and gives us comfort and peace of mind. In fact, in Luke 10:19 it is written that He has "given unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." The point is, trust in Christ and don't go around seeing and imagining phantasmas that aren't there!cheer, tharseo, thar-seh'-o, Greek 2293; from Greek 2294 (tharsos); to have courage :- be of good cheer (comfort). Compare Greek 2292 (tharrheo).
(3.) "Be not afraid". This we are instructed many times in the scriptures because the Spirit of God is NOT the spirit of fear which is faithlessness!
Trust in Him for He has given us the spirit of power (Be of good cheer) and love (It is I) and a sound mind (Be not afraid) whereby we do not go off half "krazo"!2 Tim. 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Uh oh! The big fisherman... ol' lovable, huggable Peter... already feeling a little bewildered (Mark 6:51) by his "crying out for fear" is now going to show everyone what great courage he really has, which of course will negate the former lack thereof... if he is successful. This ought to be good.Matthew 14:28
And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
Do you think that you could step out and take on the raging sea driven by the "anemos" from vs. 24 above?
Look, Peter did it, even if only for a short time. Remember what water is symbolic of... people and nations and tongues? You see, the Word of God will lift you above the waters and the roaring waves, but you must stay focused on Him, i.e. on His Word, and trust in His power![29] And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
If you let the "beast" intimidate you, you will surely begin to sink like a rock (actually "Peter" means rock). Here then is what happened to Peter whom I am sure is more than happy to open himself up and lay bare his experience to help his brothers and sisters learn and understand what we need to know in these last days to have peace of mind and the victory over the beasts of Rev. 13. Then too, never forget that this is the man to whom Christ said in Matthew 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
That's right! Peter was frightened big time! The four winds were a huffin' and puffin' and its forcefulness scared Peter. Again, if you take your focus off of the Word of God and look at the awesome strength of the beast and let him intimidate you, you are going to sink. It kind of reminds one of old Goliath who intimidated the whole army of Israel except one shepherd lad, David, who came to him in the name of the Lord.[30] But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
The word "doubt" means to be double minded or to "waver". Be steadfast and focused on the Word of God and do not let the awesomeness of the beast cause you to waver in your faith.boisterous = ischuros, is-khoo-ros', Greek 2478; from Greek 2479 (ischus); forcible (literal or figurative) :- boisterous, mighty (-ier), powerful, strong (-er, man), valiant.[31] And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
doubt, distazo, dis-tad'-zo, Greek 1365; from Greek 1364 (dis); properly to duplicate, i.e. (mental) to waver (in opinion) :- doubt.
When His Spirit enters into your ship and you show forth courage and love and maintain that spirit of a sound mind in these troubled days, others will "see" He is with you and they will glorify the Son of God. The sea and the waves are going to roar! It is part of the plan! Just always remember that there is calm and peace in your ship when Christ is with you.[32] And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
You know, it is written in Mark's account that once the wind ceased the disciples were quite amazed at their own behavior, as I'm sure many of us have been with ours (I'm still amazed at times). It should be mentioned however, that their behavior did not mean that they did not fully and whole heartedly believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. You see, Christ's disciples do not need a show of miracles to make them believe. Creation alone is evidence of that! What it has to do with is the lack of trusting and knowing that He has all power to save and to calm the sea and to give comfort to those who draw near to Him.[33] Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Remember this happened straightway after the miraculous feeding of the five loaves and two fishes to the multitudes.After that experience you would think it would be on your mind for some time to follow, wouldn't you? And not just the power of the miracle but the knowledge of His plan and purpose.Mark 6:51-52
And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.[52] For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
Nevertheless, in as much as today's lesson has to do with His power over the waters and our focus on His glory and strength, it is fitting that we read the great 29th Psalm which needs no commentary other than a reminder to say that His voice is His Word.
You can have that blessing of peace right now if you will listen to His Voice instead of following the traditions of men. And now the conclusion of the 14th chapter of Matthew. The ship and all its crew have arrived at Gennesaret which means "Sea of the Garden".Psalm 29:1-11
A Psalm of David.
Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.[2] Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
[3] The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
[4] The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
[5] The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
[6] He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
[7] The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
[8] The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
[9] The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
[10] The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
[11] The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
Matthew 14:34
And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
They were enthused about Christ's power to heal "all that were diseased".[35] And 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;
"Beseeching Him" is what shows their faith and those who have it know that just by touching His righteousness (His garment) they can be made completely whole.[36] And besought Him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Well, what a day in the life of a disciple! And to think some believe Christians lead dull and boring lives! Go figure!
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