Matthew 14

Matthew 14:1-12

Chapter 33 The Baptist Beheaded “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 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. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. 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. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.” (Matthew 14:1-12) What thoughts arise from this short narrative of the death of John the Baptist! The cruelty and implacable hatred of Herodias toward that faithful prophet, the savagery of Herod, his guests, and his family are as disgusting as they are inexcusable. Yet, by the order of divine providence, they were but the executioners of God’s appointed means of bringing one of his elect home to heaven. It is written, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalms 116:15). It matters not where they die, by what means they die, or when they die, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Here we are told about the death of one of his saints. John the Baptist was brutally beheaded by Herod. Why? He was beheaded for faithfully serving God and for being faithful to Herod as God’s messenger. The things we have before us in these twelve verses are written for our learning. May God the Holy Spirit, whose Word this is, write its lessons upon our hearts. Herod First, Herod stands before us as a glaring example of human depravity. He was the vile son of a vile man. Faith and godliness are never passed from father to son. Only God can give a man faith. And only God can make men righteous. But ungodliness and wickedness fathers do pass on to their sons generation after generation. The Herod mentioned in Matthew 14 was Herod the tetrarch, also known as Herod Antipas. He was the son of Herod the Great, a Gentile, a descendant of Esau. Herod the Great was infamous for his cold-blooded atrocities. He murdered the entire Jewish Sanhedrin because they dared challenge his authority. He murdered one of his wives on a whim. He murdered two of his sons for fear that they might take his throne. And he had all the male children in Bethlehem slaughtered in a vain attempt to destroy the Lord Jesus in his infancy. Herod the Great was a vile, detested man. His sons were just like him. After Herod’s death, the Roman government divided his province into three parts, giving three of Herod’s many sons authority. Archelaus was given the southern province of Judea and Samaria (Matthew 2:22). Philip was given the northern provinces of Trachonitis and Ituraea. And Herod Antipas was given the area that included Galilee and Porea. This Herod the tetrarch, Antipas, was a ruthless, shameless, henpecked, lustful man, given to every imaginable evil. He was no less beastly than his vile father, only less defiant and courageous. While visiting Rome with his half-brother Philip and his wife Herodias, Herod and Herodias became involved in a sordid, promiscuous affair. When Herod returned to his province, he was married to Herodias. In order to have her, he betrayed his brother and divorced his wife, and almost lost his kingdom. His enraged father-in-law, King Arêtes, would have killed him had not the Roman army intervened. Let us ever beware of our behavior in our homes. Our sons and daughters will most likely imitate us in our most unbecoming traits. Godliness does not breed godliness. But wickedness does breed wickedness. Shocking as it is to read of the brutality of Herod, Herodias, and her daughter, they stand before us as glaring examples of the depths of that depravity to which all Adam’s race has been reduced by the fall. That which one person is capable of doing, all are capable of doing. If you and I do not act out the depravity of our hearts as fully as these did, it is only because of God’s restraint. Robert Hawker wrote… “The seeds of every sin are in every heart, the same by the fall. Reader! do you believe this? Yes! if God the Holy Ghost hath convinced you of sin. And until this is feelingly known in the heart, never will the infinitely precious redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ be understood or valued. Oh! how precious to them that believe is Jesus! 1 Peter 2:7. Hence a child of God reads this account of Herod, therefrom to abhor himself, and to love Jesus! 1 Corinthians 4:7.” Herod’s Marriage Second, adultery is a crime against God and man. Herod’s adulterous marriage to his brother’s wife was a matter of public scandal and wickedness that had to be reproved. The gospel writers do not tell us how or where John and Herod were brought together. It is possible, if not likely, that Herod summoned John to come into his court that he might hear him preach, or see him perform some miracle. Kings and rulers often summon religious leaders. Being summoned to preach to the king, had John not rebuked him for his publicly known snub of God’s law and demanded repentance of him, had he not demanded that Herod bow to the throne of God, acknowledging his sin and seeking God’s mercy through Christ, the Lamb of God, he would not have been faithful to God or to Herod. Whatever the occasion, John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Although Herodias had been divorced from Philip for a number of years, in so far as Roman law was concerned, she was Herod’s wife. But John did not recognize Roman law when it contradicted God’s law. He refused to recognize the marriage. Though she was sleeping with Herod, Herodias was Philip’s wife. I would not be faithful to the Word of God and to you who read these lines if I did not reprove the same behavior today. I am compelled to clearly state some things taught in the Word of God about marriage. They are not popular; but they are clearly revealed in Holy Scripture. The Word of God does not change because men do not receive it and bow to it. Marriage is for life. The marriage bond can only be broken by three things: (1.) Death (Romans 7:1-4), (2.) Adultery/Fornication (Matthew 19:9), and (3.) Abandonment (1 Corinthians 7:15). I realize that some who read these lines have experienced things in the past that greatly disturb them. Some are divorced. Some are divorced and remarried. You may have brought yourself into such circumstances by your own, willful rebellion against God and are now greatly disturbed by what you have done. As a pastor, I am often asked, by believing men and women who are divorced and remarried, “What can I do?” My answer is (And I believe it to be the only reasonable and the only right answer.), “Forget the past. God has.” It is the responsibility and the privilege of other believers to also forget the past with regard to their brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what they have done, each esteeming his brother and his sister in Christ better than himself. Let every saved sinner rejoice to know that our sins are under the blood (all our sins: past, present, and future — before conversion and since conversion). If God has forgiven us, we are to reckon ourselves forgiven (Romans 6:11). If God has forgiven our brother or sister (and he has), we are to look upon them as, and treat them as forgiven, just like we are, and accepted, justified, and righteous in Christ. “Forgetting those things which are behind (with regard to ourselves and to one another), and reaching forth unto those things which are before, let us press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). John the Baptist Third, John the Baptist stands before us as a faithful servant of God. The first Baptist preacher in history was John the Baptist. And he was a faithful servant of God. He set the standard and laid down the example for all who would come after him to follow. His message was repentance toward God, calling upon all who heard him to “Behold the Lamb of God.” His ministry was a ministry of preaching. — Not counseling, but preaching. — Not education, but preaching. — Not building shelters for the homeless and hospitals for the sick, but preaching. If there is anything this generation needs to learn about the work of the ministry, it is this. Those who are called of God to the work of the ministry are called to preach, only to preach, and to preach the gospel of Christ, only to preach the gospel of Christ. Let all who are called like John, like him be faithful (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). He was faithful even unto death. He was neither a compromiser nor a diplomat. He was a faithful gospel preacher. He was no more reluctant to confront Herod and Herodias with the claims of God than he was the scribes and Pharisees. God’s servant is God’s servant everywhere. He does not consider the costs or the consequences of delivering God’s message. Being God’s servant, John the Baptist feared nothing and no one but God. We must never look for reward or recognition in this world. If ever there was a case of godliness and faithfulness unrecognized and unrewarded by men, it was that of John the Baptist. But John was content to serve his generation by the will of God without recognition, and in the face of constant ridicule and scorn. Let us follow his example. There is a day of judgment appointed by God. In that great day God will set the record straight (1 Corinthians 4:3). And that great day will more than make amends for all these lesser days (Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 4:17). John’s Message Fourth, John’s message to Herod exemplifies the necessity of repentance. John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. As such, his ministry was, in some ways, typical of the work of God the Holy Spirit in preparing the hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners to bow down to the claims of Christ Jesus and receive him as Lord and Master, and as Savior of their lives and of their souls. John the Baptist faithfully kept sinners’ feet to the fire, telling them that God demands and will settle for nothing less than all-out, unconditional surrender to the claims of Christ; and that only those who bow to the scepter of King Jesus can know him in the pardon of their sins, and what we call salvation. Herod knew that John the Baptist was a faithful prophet, “a just man and an holy.” As such, he respected him; but he was also afraid of him, “and observed him.” “He did many things” because of him, and “heard him gladly” (Mark 6:20). John’s message cost him his head. A. T. Robertson observed, “It cost him his head; but it is better to have a head like John the Baptist and lose it than to have an ordinary head and keep it!” His message to Herod was a sermon about the demands of a holy God. It is a sermon on the character of God. John stood before Herod as God’s mouthpiece.

Here is a preacher, called John the Baptist, facing the king of Judea with his ungodly wife, her ungodly daughter, and all the courtiers that stand about the court. When this old king hears from God through the lips of God’s preacher and God’s prophet that it is not lawful for him to have his brother’s wife, that sermon, that faithfulness, that truth, cost John the Baptist his head. But it cost Herod his immortal soul, because he refused to hear it and bow before the throne of God. John the Baptist linked the Old Testament with the New. Just as the Old Testament prophets from Genesis to Malachi demanded repentance toward God, from the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry, throughout the New Testament, and throughout this gospel age, repentance has been and is the demand of the gospel. Every prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ himself in his prophetic ministry, all the apostles, and every faithful gospel preacher through the ages declare that God is a holy God, that his demands have not been lessened, and that everywhere men are still called upon to repent toward God and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament God’s prophets constantly called the people they served to repent. When John the Baptist came as the forerunner of Christ, preparing the people’s hearts to receive the Christ, he called all who heard him to repentance. — “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). The first sermon the Lord Jesus ever preached on this earth was a call to repentance (Matthew 4:17). The message has not been changed. — “God commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). Repentance is God’s command. And back of God’s command is God himself. Repentance, turning to and coming to God by faith in Christ, is nothing less than the utter surrender of our lives to Christ the King. It is rebels throwing up the white flag of surrender, stacking arms before him by whom they have been conquered, willingly resigned to the will of the sovereign Christ. Repentance (faith in Christ) involves taking up your cross and following Christ. It is not an act performed, but a life surrendered (Luke 14:25-33). — “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). It was the preaching of repentance that cost John the Baptist his head. Like the rich young ruler, when Herod heard of John and his message, “he did many things and heard him gladly.” Yet, he lacked one thing. He lacked repentance. He refused to bow to Christ as God his Savior and King. But John knew exactly where his point of rebellion was, and deliberately, boldly, and unmistakably put his finger on the spot. Herod betrayed his brother Philip and took his wife.

The faithful Baptist told Herod that relationship with his brother Philip’s wife openly displayed his hatred and defiance of God. He said to the king (and said it publicly), “It is not lawful for thee to have her.” Herod was willing to do many things. And he was happy to listen to good preaching, even the good preaching of a faithful man, so long as it cost him nothing. But when John stuck his finger in that reprobate king’s heart, and told him that God demands surrender, before he would bow, that old rebel had John the Baptist beheaded and his head brought to him on a charger! Repentance (faith in Christ) is the willful, deliberate surrender of my life to the sovereign Christ. The Lord Jesus says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:34-35). Repentance is loosing your life to Christ. Have you repented? Have you willingly put your life into the hands of the Son of God? Have you utterly turned yourself over to his rule as your Lord? Have you renounced all hope of life and salvation in yourself, trusting Christ alone as your Savior? If you have, your repentance toward God and faith in Christ are the fruit of his mighty and gracious work in you and for you (Acts 5:31). Your repentance (faith) is his gift and his operation (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:29; Colossians 2:12). And he who began his work of grace in you will continue it and complete it (Philippians 1:6). Conscience Fifth, Herod shows us that the conscience of a man is a powerful thing. It had been more than a year since Herod had John beheaded and his head brought to Salome in a charger. But his conscience never let him forget John or his words. When he heard about the Lord Jesus, he thought John the Baptist had come back from the dead to get revenge (Matthew 14:1-2). God has given us all a conscience. Your conscience will always either accuse you or excuse you (Romans 2:15). God gives some over to a reprobate mind and a seared conscience, judicially hardening their hearts because of their willful rebellion and unbelief (Romans 1:28). Someone said, “The conscience is the voice of God in a man’s soul.” I do not know whether that is true or not; but I do know that God has put a conscience in every person which either accuses or excuses him in all his actions. Conscience is that voice inside us that we simply cannot silence. We can muffle the voice. We can sear the conscience. But we cannot silence it. Conscience is that faculty of the mind, which God has put in us all, by which we judge the moral character of human conduct, our own and others. It is an inborn sense of right and wrong. The conscience is the law of God written on the heart (Romans 2:14-15). All men have a sense of right and wrong which, to a greater or lesser degree, reflects the law of God written upon the heart in creation. You cannot find a society anywhere in history which has not demonstrated this fact, no matter how barbaric. Even today, perverse as things are, men cannot escape this fact. The conscience of a man often produces a sense of guilt, legal fear, which many mistake for Holy Spirit conviction (John 8:9). The conviction of sin is more than a sense of guilt and just condemnation (John 16:8-11). The conviction of sin arises from the revelation of Christ in the heart (Zechariah 12:10), and is accompanied by a conviction of righteousness and of judgment. Holy Spirit conviction is that gracious work of God the Holy Spirit by which he effectually applies the gospel to the hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners, causing them to see that Christ alone is and must be the object of faith. He convinces all who are called by his effectual grace “of sin, because they believe not on” Christ. He convinces them that righteousness has been established by the obedience of the God-man. – “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father.” And he convinces them that justice has been satisfied by the sin-atoning blood of Christ. – “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” It was their conscience that caused Adam and Eve to hide from God after the fall. It was their conscience that made them know their nakedness and filled them with shame. And the fact that they could, to some degree, appease their consciences with fig leaf garments, made by their own hands, shows that the conscience of fallen man is, like every faculty of human nature, utterly perverted and depraved. Knowing these things, we must not trust our consciences. The conscience cannot be trusted any more than the thoughts of the depraved mind or the emotions of the depraved heart can be trusted. Let us ever be careful not to violate our consciences, not for anyone. But do not trust your conscience. He who trusts his own conscience, like he who trusts his own heart, trusts both a fool and a devil. Our guide in all things must be the Word of God alone! — Not our feelings! — Not our desires! — Not the opinions of others! — The Word of God alone! The total depravity of our nature has made us perverse in all our faculties, so perverse that even the conscience of fallen man is corrupt. A Good ConscienceThe Scriptures tell us plainly that the conscience of fallen man is “an evil conscience”, from which we must be cleansed by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:22). The consciences of lost religious men are “defiled” (Titus 1:15), so defiled that they may, in a sense, have a good conscience” while performing abominable things (John 16:2; Acts 23:1; Acts 26:9; Romans 9:1). The Apostle Paul, writing by divine inspiration, tells us that when he was persecuting the church, wishing himself accursed from Christ, his conscience was bearing him witness. He was fully convinced that he was doing the right thing. Some are so hardened by free will, works religion or by ungodly behavior, often by both, that they live with a “seared” conscience (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Some men and women, and even children have consciences which are so cauterized and hardened that they are past feeling. They have no regard for the rightness or wrongness of what they say or do. They have no conscience of anything. “Under a cloak of sanctity they commit the most shocking impieties” (John Gill). If a person works at it, if he holds down the truth of God (Romans 1:18) long enough and persistently enough, he can cauterize his conscience. You can so sear your conscience, so harden yourself, that your conscience will excuse your wickedness. Still, everyone wants to have a good conscience, a quiet, peaceful conscience. What would you not give to have a good conscience? — A conscience which would let you sleep at night? — A conscience that would enable you draw near to God with full assurance? — A conscience which would give you ease, real ease and peace of heart and mind in the prospect of death, judgment, and eternity? All the religion and religious practices, ceremonies, and sacrifices in the world cannot obtain a good conscience. All the gifts and works of charity and philanthropy imaginable cannot buy a good conscience. Good works of moral reformation and religious devotion, no matter how earnest and sincere, can never earn you a good conscience. Our consciences demand what we cannot give. Your conscience and mine demands and can only be satisfied with perfection. The conscience echoes God’s holy law. Echoing the law, the conscience demands the same thing God’s law demands. The conscience demands perfection. It demands and will only accept perfect atonement for sin. It demands and will only accept perfect righteousness. That perfect atonement and perfect righteousness is found only in Christ’s obedience and death as our Substitute (Hebrews 10:1-22). Horatius Bonar was exactly right when he wrote, “In another’s righteousness we stand, and by another’s righteousness we are justified. All accusations against us, founded upon our unrighteousness, we answer by pointing to the perfection of the righteousness which covers us from head to foot, in virtue of which we are unassailable by law as well as shielded from wrath. Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin; Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within. Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee, Can rid me of this dark unrest, and set my spirit free.” The only way for a sinner to have a peaceful conscience before God is by faith in Christ (Hebrews 9:14). Pastor Mark Daniel wrote… “Peter speaks of some who have a guilt-free conscience, not only before men, but toward God Himself! How is that? It’s not that they have no reason to have a bad conscience. No, quite the contrary. They view everything they do as offensive to God! But, with just one recollection, all the black stains of sin are completely cleared from their conscience - by the resurrection of Jesus Christ! That single glorious act is all the proof they need that their sins are gone, completely hidden from the all-seeing eye of God, under the blood of their successful Savior. Now, that’s a good conscience!” Go Tell Jesus Sixth, John’s disciples show us by their example where we must go and what we must do in times of trouble, sorrow, heartache, and need. We read in Matthew 14:12, “His disciples came and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.” Notice the words with which Matthew was inspired to describe this. — “His disciples came and took up the body, and buried it.” They took up the body, not the man, but the body, and buried it. They buried it in hope of the resurrection. Then, with heavy, heavy hearts, they “went and told Jesus” (Hebrews 4:16). Elisha Hoffman wrote of visiting with one of God’s troubled saints, a visit that inspired him to write one of our great hymns. — “There was a woman to whom God had permitted many visitations of sorrow and affliction. Coming to her home one day, I found her much discouraged. She unburdened her heart, concluding with the question, ‘Brother Hoffman, what shall I do?’ I quoted from the Word, then added, ‘You cannot do better than to take all of your sorrows to Jesus. You must tell Jesus.’ For a moment she seemed lost in meditation. Then her eyes lighted as she exclaimed, ‘Yes, I must tell Jesus.’ As I left her home I had a vision of that joy-illuminated face. And I heard all along my pathway the echo, ‘I must tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus.’” Hoffman wrote this great hymn when he got home. I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone; In my distress He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own. I must tell Jesus all of my troubles; He is a kind, compassionate friend; If I but ask Him, He will deliver, make of my troubles quickly an end. Tempted and tried, I need a great Savior; One Who can help my burdens to bear; I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus; He all my cares and sorrows will share. O how the world to evil allures me! O how my heart is tempted to sin! I must tell Jesus, and He will help me over the world the victory to win. I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! I cannot bear my burdens alone; I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

Matthew 14:13-21

Chapter 34 “They Need Not Depart” “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. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 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. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me.

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. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.” (Matthew 14:13-21) The miracle of the loaves and fish being so bountifully multiplied that five thousand men, besides women and children, were fed by them, so well fed that they were fully satisfied, is one of our Lords most remarkable miracles. No other miracle is mentioned so often as this one. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were all inspired to record it. Evidently, the Holy Spirit intends for us to give it special attention. The Holy Spirit inspired all the gospel writers to record these stories of our Lord’s dealings with men upon the earth so that we might read them often, study them carefully, and learn from them continually. His miracles have not yet been fathomed.

His words and his ways have not yet been comprehended. Like the cloud that Elijah’s servant saw (1 Kings 18:44), these gospel stories seem to get bigger and bigger every time we look at them. Like the widow’s barrel of meal, there is an inexhaustible fullness of spiritual instruction in this Holy Book. I read a lot of books. Most of them can be comprehended with one or two careful readings. But the more I read the Word of God, the more I am lost in the richness, fullness, and freshness of it. I have said all that because I want you to realize that when I have finished this study, there will be much more that needs to be said. I will have only scratched the surface of this deep, deep mine. Having scratched around the surface of this rich mine, I have found four, choice nuggets of gold that I want to show you. Christ’s Compassion First, this passage gives us a display of our Savior’s deep, deep compassion for man. — “Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14). This great feature in our Lord’s character can never be remembered too often, esteemed too highly, or declared too frequently. The movement of his heart toward the sick and needy before him shows us how tender and affectionate our Savior was and is. How often we read of our Savior’s compassion toward men! His heart was moved with compassion toward those whom he beheld as “sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), the two blind men he saw as he left Jericho (Matthew 20:34), the leper who worshipped him (Mark 1:40-41), and the widow of Nain who was going to bury her son (Luke 7:13). Truly, he is the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33). These words are not given to fill up space. They are written in the Book of God because the Lord God intends for us to understand that he who is our God is a God full of compassion! God the Holy Spirit intends for us to know and be assured of the tenderness of Christ’s love to his own. His are the mercies and compassions of a man who is himself God. The tender mercies of the eternal flow to chosen sinners through the God-man Christ Jesus! The mercies and compassions of our God and Savior are the mercies and compassions of God, for he is “over all, God blessed for ever.” But they are no less the mercies and compassions of the Man Christ Jesus, for, “verily, He took not on him the nature of Angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” In Christ, the God-man, our Savior, there is both an infinite fulness of mercy and a tenderness of feeling (the tenderness of perfect manhood) toward his redeemed. Being full of compassion, he forgives our iniquity and destroys us not, turns away his anger, and stirs not up all his wrath (Psalms 78:38). When our Lord saw the sick, “he was moved with compassion toward them, and healed them.” When he saw these thousands of people out in a desert place, ready to faint for hunger, he was moved with compassion for them and fed them. The word, “compassion,” is very expressive. It means, as Spurgeon put it, “His whole being was stirred to its lowest depth, and therefore he proceeded at once to work miracles of mercy among them.” He knew that many in the crowd had no faith in him and no love for him. They followed him because of curiosity, because the crowds went after him, or because they wanted to see a miracle. Yet, our Master pitied them. All were fed. All were relieved. All were filled. Let no one ever question the gracious character of our God and Savior (Exodus 34:6). He “delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18). Let all who profess to be followers of Christ follow him in his example of mercy and compassion (John 13:25; Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1; James 1:27). Christ’s Omnipotence Second, we have before us an undeniable proof of our Savior’s omnipotence as the mighty God. It was promised by Isaiah that the Messiah would be both a man born of a woman (Isaiah 7:14) and “the Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6). Here is a display of his omnipotence as the mighty God. — With five loaves and two small fish, the Lord Jesus fed 5,000 men, beside women and children. That means he fed at least 20,000, maybe 25,000 people with five pieces of bread and two pieces of fish! The task was manifestly impossible for anyone other than God himself, who alone has creative power, who alone “giveth food to all flesh” (Psalms 136:5). Let every believer treasure up in his heart these blessed facts. Our Savior, who is full of compassion toward us, is himself “the Mighty God,” the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and nothing is too hard for him! Faith Third, this miracle is intended to give us a lesson about faith (Matthew 14:15-18). The disciples wanted to “send the multitude away.” They were ready to limit the Holy One. By their actions they were saying, like Israel of old, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?” They measured the Lord Jesus’ ability by their own ability, or inability. They looked upon the Son of God as Naaman did the Jordan River, with Syrian eyes! Let us learn from their mistake and be warned. When we think of God, we must put down Hagar and raise up Sarah, silence human reason and act according to God-given faith.

Faith believes without evidence, and even contrary to evidence, that “things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Two sentences in these verses are bursting with spiritual instruction. Hear these two words from the lips of the Son of God, and ask for grace to trust him. “Jesus said unto them, They need not depart.” — What a blessed word of grace and assurance! If there was no necessity for these hungry souls to depart from Christ for food, there can never be a reason for you and me to depart from him. There is no need for the bride of Christ to wander from beneath his banner of love. Mary may sit at Jesus’ feet always! “They need not depart.” That means that there is never an excuse for compromising the gospel. There is never a reason for disobedience to Christ. There is never a cause for neglecting Christ, his worship, and his service. Whatever we need, our Savior is ready to give to us or do for us (Hebrews 4:16; Proverbs 3:5-6). Then, in Matthew 14:18, “He said, Bring them hither to me.” Bring all that you are and all that you have to Christ. He will remove the curse, add his blessing, and make our paltry loaves and fishes instruments of great usefulness and spiritual benefit to chosen sinners in his kingdom. Little is much in the Master’s hands! It has always been God’s delight and glory to use that which men consider useless. — He used a baby’s cry to move the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter. — He used a shepherd’s crook to work miracles in Egypt. — He used a boy and a slingshot to bring down Goliath. — He used a poverty-stricken widow to feed his prophet. — He used a little girl to lead Naaman to Elisha. — He used Balaam’s ass to teach him obedience. — He used the jawbone of an ass to slay a thousand Philistines. — He used a little child to teach his disciples humility. — He used a boy’s lunch to feed twenty some thousand people. — And he uses men, who are in themselves useless sinners, to call out his own elect (1 Corinthians 1:26-29; 2 Corinthians 4:7). The Gospel Fourth, this miracle serves as a beautiful and clear allegory of the gospel of God’s grace. We must never attempt to make allegories where the Holy Spirit does not make them. We must never try to make the Scriptures say what they obviously do not say. But just as Paul used Sarah and Hagar as an allegory to teach the distinction between law and grace (Galatians 4), so the Holy Spirit has given us these recorded miracles of Christ to teach us spiritual, gospel truths. This hungry multitude in a desert place is a good representation of lost mankind in this world. All the sons of Adam are an assembly of perishing souls, lost, helpless, starving, and upon the verge of eternal ruin, without the gospel of Christ. There is but a breath between them and everlasting ruin. Their only hope of salvation is the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:15-16). The loaves and fishes, so readily despised as being inadequate to meet the needs of so many, might well be looked upon as representing the preaching of the gospel, Jesus Christ and him crucified, which God has ordained for the saving of his elect (1 Corinthians 1:21-23; John 6:33). Like the loaves and fish in this passage, the preaching of the cross of Christ meets all the spiritual needs of sinners in this world. The disciples’ passing out the loaves and fishes to the crowd shows us the sphere of human instrumentality. I cannot make loaves and fish; but I can bring my lunch to the Master. I cannot multiply the loaves and fish; but I can pass them out. I cannot save anyone or do anything to help anyone get saved; but I can preach the gospel to eternity bound sinners. And what I can do, and have the opportunity and means to do, I am responsible to do. And the same is true of you. Bring your lunch to Christ and watch him work! C. H. Spurgeon’s comments on Matthew 14:17-18 ought to be of great encouragement in this regard. “And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes” (Matthew 14:17). — “See how they overhaul their provisions, and they report, ‘We have here but five loaves.’ With what a gloomy ‘but’ they show how lean is the larder! Those two sardines make the stock seem positively ridiculous. It is a good thing for us to know how very poor we are, and how far from being able to meet the wants of the people around us. It is for our good to be made to confess this in so many words to our Lord. Truly, he who writes this comment has often felt as if he had neither loaf nor fish, and yet for some forty years and more he has been a full-handed waiter at the King’s great banquets.” “He said, Bring them hither to me” (Matthew 14:18). — “He will have us yield up what we have: we are to make no reserve. We must hand all over to Jesus: ‘Bring them hither to me.’ He will accept what we bring: this is implied in the command to bring it. He will make a little go a long way: that which gets to Jesus will reach the needy by the surest route. The shortest way to procure provender for perishing souls is to go to Jesus about them.” The satisfaction of all the crowd and the baskets full leftover, appear to me to be a beautiful representation of the fulness of grace to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. He freely gives all to all who trust him. All who come to him have all they want and need. Finding all in him, we find satisfaction for our souls. Drinking the water that he gives, we never thirst again. Yet, the storehouse of grace is never diminished. In our Father’s house there is “bread enough and to spare!”

Matthew 14:22-36

Chapter 35 Deity Demonstrated “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. 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. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” “And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 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; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.” (Matthew 14:22-36) Many who claim to be Christians and claim to worship God deny the deity of Christ. That is to say, they deny that Jesus Christ is himself God. Many others, who claim to believe that Jesus Christ is God, ascribe to him attributes of weakness, helplessness, frustration, and failure, which of course are a denial of his true deity as much as the open denial of his eternal Godhead. The religion of such people, the religion of the liberal, or the Arian who denies Christ’s deity, and the religion of the freewill, works religionist, whose doctrine denies Christ’s deity, is nothing but a religion of moralisms and philosophy. Such religion is of no more benefit to a man’s soul than the teachings of Plato or the ancient, pagan religions of the Gentile world. Trinitarians We are Trinitarians. We worship one, holy, sovereign God in three separate, but equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We do so because the Lord God has revealed himself from the beginning as One God subsisting of a plurality of divine Persons (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 John 5:7). Not only are we Trinitarians, we fully believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the man who walked this earth for thirty-three years and died by Roman crucifixion just outside Jerusalem more than two thousand years ago, is himself “over all God, blessed forever” (Romans 9:5). That man is “God manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). We believe that he is God because the Word of God declares that he is God, because he claimed to be God, because both angels and men worshipped him as God while he was upon the earth, and because our entire salvation stands and falls with his absolute deity. If Jesus Christ were not God, his righteousness, his atonement, his resurrection, his intercession, all that he has done could profit us nothing. To deny Christ’s deity is to deny his honesty and integrity as a man, for he claimed to be God and received worship from men as God. The Jews took up stones to kill him because he, being a man, made himself equal with God! All he had to do to stop their wrath was to say, “Wait a minute, you misunderstood me. I did not mean to imply that I am God!” Having said all that, I am fully aware that it is not possible to prove Christ’s eternal power and Godhead to an unbeliever. I can no more prove the deity of Christ than I can prove the existence of God. Such proof cannot be given because God never made any attempt to prove his Being. The only way God can be proved is by faith. If you believe God, you know God. If you do not believe God, you cannot know him; and you hope that he is just a myth. However, the Lord God has given us numerous demonstrations of his Being. He has given us such demonstrations of his Being, that no sane man can honestly deny that God is, and such demonstrations, that every believer simply laughs at those who do deny him. Even so, we have in the New Testament numerous demonstrations of the deity of Christ. They are given not to prove that Christ is God, but to reassure and strengthen the faith of all who know him, trust him, worship him, and love him as God our Savior. In the passage before us every thing is moving in one direction. The events before us come to a climax in Matthew 14:33, when the disciples “came and worshipped (the Lord Jesus) saying, Of a truth thou are the Son of God.” The Father had declared this at his baptism (Matthew 3:17). And the demons in Gadara confessed it in Matthew 8:29. But this is the first time the twelve apostles unequivocally declared of Christ, “Thou art the Son of God.” They made this declaration because our Lord Jesus had so powerfully demonstrated his deity that they simply could not refrain from worshipping him as their God. In Matthew 14:22-36 we are given six demonstrations of the fact that the man Christ Jesus is himself God. Divine Authority “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. 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” (Matthew 14:22-23). — Here we have a clear demonstration of our Savior’s divine authority. First, “Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship.” Then, “he sent the multitudes away.” He made the disciples take a ship across the Sea of Galilee that they did not wish to take. Then, he sent the multitudes away who wanted to take him by force and make him a king (John 6:14-15). Thus he demonstrated his authority as God over all things. He has authority over the lives and destinies of all men, including their final judgment (John 5:22). He has authority over all the supernatural world, including Satan and the fallen angels (Mark 1:27). He has sovereign authority over all the holy angels, whom he could have summoned at anytime to his aid (Matthew 26:53). Our Lord Jesus taught “as one having authority” (Matthew 7:29). He sent out his apostles with his authority over unclean spirits, to cast out demons and heal the sick (Matthew 10:1). It is his authority that inspires his church “to preach the gospel to every creature” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus Christ, because he is God, has control and authority over everything in heaven, earth, and hell. He commands and controls all men. He commands and controls all angels. He commands and controls all demons. He commands and controls all the elements of nature (Isaiah 45:7). Yet, this great God is so much one with us in our nature that as a man he walked before God in perfect faith and was a man of prayer (v.23). The gospel writers frequently remind us of those private seasons when our Redeemer “went up into a mountain apart to pray.” Those sweet incidents are held before us as strong endearments of character. But were intensely private times. We are seldom given even the slightest indication about what was spoken from his holy heart to the Father in prayer. Our Master practiced what he teaches us to practice. He entered into his closet, shut the door, and prayed to his Father in secret (Matthew 6:6).

No effort should be made to describe the Master’s times of private prayer. No mortal on earth knows (and none should guess) what words were uttered, or what groans were sighed by the Lord Jesus in his Mediator-character before the Father in those hallowed seasons. We are told about the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). We read about his agony in the garden (Luke 22:41-45). And we are given details of his intercessory prayer in John 17. But here we must simply pause to adore him as our Mediator in prayer.

The Lord Jesus always went somewhere to pray when he was tempted, when His disciples were in trouble, and when he was about to engage in some work as Jehovah’s righteous Servant. And he tells us, by his Spirit, to follow his example (Hebrews 4:16). Divine Omniscience “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:24-25). — Here we see our Savior’s omniscience. (Psalms 139:1-6) “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. (2) Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (3) Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. (4) For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. (5) Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. (6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” Try to imagine what was going through the minds of these men. They were in a terrible mess because the Lord made them get into the ship. He sent them right into the eye of a terrible storm! Truly, these disciples are to be admired for their obedience. But you can imagine the terror and confusion they must have felt. The Master was not with them this time! — But, really, he was. They just didn’t know it! In the time of their great need, “Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” He knew where they were. He knew the trouble they were in. Yet, he waited a long time to come to them, because he knew infinitely better than they what they needed. When the storm arose and they were alone in the sea, these disciples forgot all they had seen and heard before. All they could think of was the storm. All they could see was danger. All they could see was fear. How much like them we are! The ship tossed about with the waves and contrary winds remind us of our own situation in the world. In fact, in Isaiah 54:11-14 our Lord addresses us as a people in exactly this situation and speaks comfort to our hearts. — “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted…In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.” Our Savior’s name is Jehovah-jireh. He sees us. He knows our needs. And he will provide. Commenting on Matthew 14:25, C. H. Spurgeon wrote… “Jesus is sure to come. The night wears on and the darkness thickens, the fourth watch of the night draws near, but where is he? Faith says, ‘He must come.’ Though he should stay away till almost break of day, he must come. Unbelief asks, ‘How can he come?’ Ah, he will answer for himself: he can make his own way. ‘Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.’ He comes in the teeth of the wind, and on the face of the wave. Never fear that he will fail to reach the storm-tossed barque: his love will find out the way. Whether it be to a single disciple, or to the church as a whole, Jesus will appear in his own chosen hour, and his time is sure to be the most timely.” Divine Protection “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (Matthew 14:26-27). — Here we see a clear display of our Savior’s divine care and protection. Being God full of compassion, he understood their frailty and came to them, “Walking on the sea.” He did not come “walking on the sea” to teach them how to do it; but to teach them and us, that since he is God over all, we can and should trust him absolutely. Remember, he has absolute power and control over all things. He can and will do whatever is needed to protect us. We will never find ourselves a place where we are beyond his eye and or beyond his reach. There is no storm from which he cannot save us! Though the disciples were in the midst of a terrible storm, they were in the place of obedience to their Lord and Master. And the place of obedience to Christ is the place of safety (Proverbs 3:5-6; Acts 27:25). Divine Faithfulness “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:28-31). — There is nothing more admirable about our great God than his everlasting faithfulness, and nothing more comforting (Lamentations 3:24-26). And here Matthew gives us a beautiful picture of our Redeemer’s divine faithfulness. With great ease, being strong in faith, Peter stepped out onto the stormy sea. He walked upon the water as confidently as we might walk on concrete. Yes, faith may be, and is, very strong, when the Almighty Giver of faith calls it forth. But, when he suspends (as it were) his omnipotent grace, when he takes away his support (even for a brief moment, and even after allowing us to do great things in his name), our faith is utter weakness! How we need to learn this lesson! No sooner had Peter, looking to Christ, stepped out of his boat, walking on the water to go to the Savior, than he found himself looking at the storm, seized with fear, and sinking in unbelief! Yet, in great faithfulness the Lord Jesus “stretched forth his hand” of omnipotent mercy and caught his sinking disciple, and gently rebuked him for his unbelief. How merciful, how gracious our blessed Savior is to us, weak, unstable, unbelieving believers! Often, he leaves us to ourselves for brief moments, as he did Peter, and lets us begin to sink, to teach us that he alone is our Keeper. Yet, he ever stretches out his hand to save his fallen ones. He never leaves us to reap the fruit of our own weakness and unbelief. When sinking in deep waters, he seems only to consider our trouble, not our fault, and graciously delivers us. May he teach us and give us grace to follow his example (Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1). Divine Omnipotence “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matthew 14:32-33). — “When they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.” It always does, once the Savior makes himself known (Isaiah 43:1-5). And the fact that the wind ceased when our Master came into the ship shows us his great omnipotence. Beholding this display of his omnipotence, “They worshipped him saying, of a truth thou are the Son of God!” These disciples, who had been rescued by their Lord’s coming to them across the stormy sea, and calming the sea as he stepped into their little ship, were overwhelmingly convinced of his absolute omnipotence as the eternal God. (Psalms 139:7-18) “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; (10) Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (11) If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. (12) Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (13) For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. (14) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (15) My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (16) Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. (17) How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (18) If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” Divine Goodness Then, in Matthew 14:34-36 we are given a marvelous demonstration of Christ’s Divine Goodness and Grace. — “And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 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; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.” What an endearing picture this is of our Savior. Truly, this is he of whom the prophets spoke (Isaiah 35:4-6; Luke 4:17-18). He delights in mercy. — “Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalms 86:15). He who bore our sins and carried our sorrows soothes the sorrows of needy souls. Though now enthroned on high, he is yet touched with the feeling of our infirmity and moved with compassion toward his needy people. — “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted: he knoweth how to succour them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). And it is still true, “As many as touch him are made perfectly whole!”