“Bring Them to Me!”

MATTHEW 14:1-36

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

3For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.

6But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. 10He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.

 13Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.

15When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” 17They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, 20and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.

22Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

34When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick; 36and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.

MATTHEW 14:1-12

“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

The leading prophet of history is murdered because of the passions of one minor potentate and his lust after his stepdaughter. This is an example of what happens when power goes unmitigated by ethics and no one is willing to challenge authority. John’s death was not only the fault (and whim) of Herod’s, it was the result of the silence of the leading Religious Authorities of the day. There was no counterbalance to political power so it ran rampant.

Religion has an important prophetic role in every society. When it forgets its role or cozies up too close to power, then authoritarians rule unchecked. Where were the prophets of Jesus’ time?

1. In jail

2. Tied up in inner religious squabbles

3. Focusing on their own power and not on the needs of the poor

4. Busy attacking the true prophets

Where should the religious have been?

1. Speaking on behalf of the poor

2. Moving out of the synagogues and into the streets

3. Moving beyond religious minutiae and into the demands of everyday life

The role of the prophetic is always to remind the culture about those who are in the most need and with the least voice.

MATTHEW 14:13-21

MATTHEW 14:13-14

When Jesus heard about John...

Jesus withdrew… Luke tells us that Jesus withdrew before every major decision of his life and we see here he withdrew after the painful experiences as well. In fact, it was after the painful experience of John’s incarceration and eventual martyrdom that Jesus enters the next — sacrificial — phase of his ministry.

 Jesus comes out of pain with increased intensity and direction. Is that what pain does in our life? Does pain and prayer refine our purpose? Do we walk away from testing times and tough circumstances strengthened in our direction and deepened in our commitment to God’s purposes?

They followed Him on foot...

Wherever Jesus went — even when it was out to the country to retreat in prayer — people followed him. He was wise, compassionate and offered peace to all who sought him. Would the same be said of us? Do people seek us because Christ’s compassion flows out of our daily life? The other day in juvenile detention I told the kids; “If you want to be employed forever, to always have deep, abiding friendships then spend your life unlocking the potential of others.” That’s what Jesus did and why people have sought his guidance throughout history.

 Let’s make our goal similar; to spend our entire lives unlocking the potential of others.

MATTHEW 14:15-18

“You give them something to eat!”

Here we find a contrast between how we often act as disciples and how Christ wants us to behave. The disciples and Jesus both see the masses of the impoverished followers seeking a shepherd. Jesus feels gut-wrenching compassion whereas the disciples want to send them away to get on with their retreat. Jesus knows the people’s hunger and wants them fed; the disciples see their numbers and are defeated by the sheer size of the crowd. Jesus sees what is impossible and calls on God in faithful expectation. In contrast, the disciples identify all the impossibilities and give up. Jesus’ prayer of faithful expectation leads to action; the disciple’s viewpoint leads to a sense of overwhelming cynicism.

 Which behavior resembles my own response to the hungry sheep of Christ? How does my church respond to the hunger around us? Just as he did two thousand years ago, Jesus continues to turn to us and say; “You feed them!” If I don’t hear this command it is because—like the disciples—I am not listening with faithful expectation. I am focusing on what a human cannot do instead of what God can do.

 Yet with Christ’s help these disciples eventually changed from doubtful cynics to faithful activists. Each of us must move from “I don’t have enough time, money or strength, to meet all the needs around me,” to the viewpoint of Jesus; “If you just start giving, God will bless your efforts.”

 To become more like Jesus—to develop an attitude of faithful expectation—we must:

· Hear the cries of the lost

· Respond with compassion

· Turn to God in faithful expectation

· Move from vertical prayer to horizontal action

Let us greet the day with the resounding cry of our glorious Savior, even if everyone else turns away in cynicism, let God hear our expectant response: “Bring them here to me.”

MATTHEW 14:19-21

19Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, 20and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.

“He blessed the food...”

Theologians will endlessly debate whether Jesus multiplied the bread and fish as the crowds gathered to eat or whether the crowds hid their food until a child shared his/her meager resources (embarrassing the crowd into sharing what they were hoarding). The debate simply splits hairs; either way the result is miraculous.

 What is most miraculous about this reading and its companion reading in John, Chapter 6, are these three aspects

1. Jesus organizes the group into small groups so they have to sit face to face and look at their neighbor instead of remain anonymous in a large crowd. If we want to change the makeup of society, increase compassion and decrease prejudice, poverty and racism then move people into small communities

2. Love for Jesus led a child to give in an exemplary manner. That child modeled faith. It didn’t matter what anyone else did, nor did it matter how little he had — he just gave it all to Christ.

3. The blessed attitude of Jesus. The word used in, “he blessed the food,” is eulogeo [G2127]; it is the word we use for eulogy. It means to take what is given to you and turn it into a gift. To take your circumstances and use them to improve the lives of others. That was the miraculous attitude of Jesus Christ. It is the attitude he wants to pass on to us. Can you imagine the joy of being a blessing in all circumstances? Can you imagine passing the gift of that attitude on to everyone you know? That was the blessed attitude of Jesus Christ!

4. Christ’s viewpoint is the third miracle. Like eulogeo — a blessing in all circumstances — Christ’s attitude towards God resembled the faith of the child who gave Jesus everything. It wasn’t the Lord’s intent to question how much the child gave or how great the need around them. He bypassed the naysayers, blessed God for what was available and then just started giving. How far those resources stretched was in God’s hands.

These are the attitudes of the miraculous. Do they resemble my attitudes right now? Do I have that attitude even as I write this? Am I ready to be a blessing with whatever I have; wherever I am? Then, I am ready to witness the miraculous work of Jesus Christ!

“Take courage, it is I”

MATTHEW 14:22-33

MATTHEW 14:22-23

“He was there alone.”

Remember that this trip began because Jesus sought solitude following his cousin’s, John the Baptist, arrest. The crowds followed Jesus to the wilderness like children, they responded to Christ without reservation: “Wherever Jesus is; he will care for us.”

 Do we feel that way about Jesus too? Wherever we go, if he is there, we will grow. Would we bravely go anywhere — even if we went totally unprepared — confident that as long as Jesus was there we would have what we needed?

 Jesus himself did not turn away this crowd or act like they were an intrusion on his personal time. Wherever he was, whomever the day brought him, however great the need; God would be faithful. Is that my attitude? Would I be frustrated by the interruption or angry at the crowd’s intrusion into my time? So caught up in my own grief that I would turn others away? Or, would I say (as our Lord said in verse 18) “Bring them here to me.”

 Jesus sees the crowd — not as an intrusion but as God’s plan unfolding. He sees their needs — not as an unconquerable obstacle — but as a potential opportunity for God to reveal his glory. When all is over he even oversees the cleanup while sending his disciples away. Was it possible he was perturbed by their lack of faith? Jesus was not superhuman while on earth, he was like us in all ways, yet he was tireless. His stamina was not due to any physical anomaly but to a spiritual factor. Jesus tapped into the abundance of God through the Holy Spirit. That abundance was not solely available to Jesus; it is fully available to us! We just need to follow our Lord’s example. After sending away the crowds, Jesus “went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.”

 That is how Jesus opened his day (see Chapter 13:1) and that is how Jesus ended his day. That is what made Jesus such a conduit, so available and powerful for God. What is our source of power? What will help us see each day — even every interruption — as a miracle? What will enable us to translate emptiness into opportunity and hunger into fullness? Let’s do what Jesus did; let’s seek alone time with God.

MATTHEW 14:24-27

24But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

“For the wind was contrary”

The wind was “contrary [G1727 enantios],” this is a great term for us to learn. No matter which way the disciples set their sails and no matter how hard they worked; the wind blew the opposite way. The boat itself was “battered” [G928 basanizo], a word meaning tortured or torn apart. Why are those terms important to us? Matthew wants us to understand the circumstances in which Jesus miraculously appears in our lives. Look for our Lord when the wind is contrary and our vessels are tortured. Matthew—who witnessed this event—wants us to know that it is when we feel most torn apart that we can also be most expectant of our Lord’s miraculous appearance. In fact, Matthew tells us that Jesus doesn’t appear until the “fourth watch.” That is the darkest watch of the morning. That’s when Jesus is wonderfully present. The fourth watch of the darkest storm when our boats are most tortured. Expect Jesus then!

 Remember it was Jesus who sent them out into the night. Don’t be afraid to go where Jesus sends you. Don’t be afraid of venturing out into the storms. Don’t be afraid of those stormy times when you are most battered. Just when you think your life is at its absolute worst our Savior will be there to surprise you.

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Here is one of Christ’s most prominent sayings, “Take courage.” He uses it to heal the sick and possessed in Matthew 9:2 & 22, and in Mark 10:49. Then again in John 16, he commissions the disciples with the same word for courage:

John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

 In John, we see the whole point of the water-walking miracle: “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” In order to understand this word in its fullness we have to look at the Old Testament. This phrase comes from the Hebrew definition of Shalowm [OT7965] Peace. To Christ, here is what peace means:

Daniel 10:19

He said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”  

“Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!”

 Is that what we mean when we wish people peace? Are we telling them to “take courage and be courageous?” It wasn’t a term meant for quiet solitude on a beach retreating from chaos. Peace was a term used to get ready for an important mission. It was the word the Lord used to send Gideon into battle:

Judges 6:22-24

22When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” 23The LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” 24Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it; “The LORD is Peace.” To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

 “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” That is the type of peace the Lord offers us. Peace in adversity, strength in trial, inner calm in the midst of an outer storm. We must understand that the Lord gives us his peace to send us out into service and not in out of difficulty. Therein lies the heart of the Gospel, “Go out. Go out in service. Go towards the storm and I will give you courage in the chaos.”

 Too often we expect Jesus will give us peace by freeing us from chaos when, in fact, Jesus wants us to take his peace into the chaos and become servants.

This is a major difference between many Eastern philosophies and the Way of Jesus, instead of finding peace by leaving chaos behind. We take peace to the chaos.

MATTHEW 14:28-31

“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

You have to love Peter. His successes are always no more than a sentence away from his failures, but his failures take place at the fringes where others wouldn’t even dare be found.

 Peter begins with; “Lord, if it is you…” Didn’t Jesus just say; “It is I; do not be afraid.” Yet, Peter dares to venture out of the boat when the rest of the disciples are just thankful to be clinging to it. How many of us would be willing to go that far? For most of us our failure is that we never leave the boat. Forget about sinking while trying to walk on the top of the water!

 Peter actually does walk on the water a few steps, but then something goes wrong and he begins to sink. What happened? He took his eyes off Jesus. He must have started thinking either, “I can’t do this,” or, “look what I’m doing.” Either way, he begins to gulp water.

 If we count on the world, the world won’t help us achieve the miraculous. By ourselves, we’ll never achieve the miraculous. Only when our eyes are on Jesus can we do the miraculous in a stormy world. What Peter then does correctly is cry out to Jesus when he starts to flail; “Lord, save me!”

 Do we have the sense to call out his name when we are sinking?

 Jesus responds “immediately,” without hesitation. He lifts Peter up regardless of his failure. Jesus admonishes Peter for his lack of focus not for his inability to do the miraculous: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

 To doubt [G1365b distazo] means to be of two minds, to be between decisions even more than to be indecisive. Most of our stress is between decisions. Once we commit ourselves to a determined course we can deal with the issues that arise. Our commitment will overcome the doubt. Peter doesn’t know whether to go forward or backward. He doesn’t know what to cling to, his own ability or the Lord’s. He cannot hold on to both and neither can we. Doubt is one of a follower’s worst enemies, as James would say:

James 1:5-8

5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

 Faith is not certainty of knowledge; it is certainty of spirit. It is a choice to believe—no matter what… Choose faith for we are called to the miraculous; we are called to stand in the storm.

MATTHEW 14:32-33

32When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

“You are certainly God’s Son!”

Jesus had fed the thousand’s, healed the crippled, cleansed the lepers but the disciples didn’t validate his messianic claim until he saved theirbacon from the fire (or boat from the water). So often, we hear the testimonies of others and see the change in someone else’s life but we won’t believe in Jesus until he comes to us in the storm.

 It would be so much better if we didn’t have to wait for a crisis to occur before we call out like Peter: “Lord, save me!”

 Still, the Lord understands the depth of our doubtful nature and waits eagerly for our cry. However, there is no reason to wait. Why wait one more minute to experience the eternal joy that is available to us today? Let this be the day, let this be the hour, “Lord, save me!”

MATTHEW 14:34-36

Might just touch the fringe of His cloak

These cloaks were the dirtiest part of a person’s clothing. Jesus had only one cloak in his life and he wore it everywhere, in all circumstances. The roads were not paved and Jesus would have traveled mostly upon trails, his cloak dragging continually in the dirt or mud.

These people weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty by touching the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. Miracles come for those who aren’t afraid to “get their hands dirty.”

Would we shy back in revulsion at the thought of touching the ragged, dirty edge of the Lord’s cloak? Or would we reach through our sensibilities to touch him — no matter what?

That choice mitigates the miraculous in our lives.