Matthew Chapter 14 Herod kills John the Baptist Jesus feeds 5000 Jesus walks on water Jesus heals all who touch him

Define Persecution and Faith Persecution – Hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs Faith – Reliance, loyalty, or complete trust in God Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we for and certain of what we do not see. Skip to verse 6 And with out faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Herod kills John the Baptist 1) At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2) and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him”. 3) Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Phillip’s wife, 4) for John has been saying to him: “It is lawful for you to have her”. 5) Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet. 6) On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7) that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8) Prompted by her mother, she said “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist”. 9) The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10) and had John beheaded in prison. 11) His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12)John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

Let’s Talk about That This story is proof that God does not guarantee a safe or easy life to those who follow him. In fact, Jesus has already told us of such persecution and that it will happen. Standing for truth is more important than life itself. Here we see that Herod was greatly influenced by people around him. He caved to peer pressure and not wanting to be embarrassed. First he wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, then had to kill him for the same reason. It’s easy to give in to the crowd and let ourselves be pressured in to doing wrong. It’s best to not get into situations where it will be too embarrassing to do what’s right. However, be determined to do what’s right, no matter how embarrassing or painful it may be.

Jesus feeds 5000 13) When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14) When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15)As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food”. 16) Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17)”We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18) “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19) And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20)They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21)The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Let’s Talk about That This miracle demonstrates Jesus’ capability. It was not just healing and teaching that he brought to the people, but provision. Jesus can use and multiply whatever we give him: talent, time or treasure. It also demonstrates how Jesus expects us to be his hands and feet. He told the disciples “you give the something to eat”. Jesus performed miracles as signs of his identity and other to teach important truths. But here it was because he had compassion on the people. He was and is a caring, loving and feeling person. He hurts with you when you are suffering. He has compassion on you. If you pay attention you will notice that Jesus withdrew quite frequently from his disciples and his followers. He needed alone time with the Father, like we all do. Time to rejuvenate and worship but here he with drew for grief. Notice he did not dwell but returned to his ministry that he came to do. He had to be about his Father’s business

Jesus Walks On Water 22) Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go to on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23)After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24) but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25) During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26) When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27) But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Jesus walks on water continued. 28) “Lord, if it is you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29) “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31) Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32) And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33) Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Notice Jesus doesn’t call himself the Son of God but disciples did. The recognized his power and authority and acknowledged it.

Let’s Talk About That Again we see Jesus distance himself. Solitude was an important priority for Jesus, he made sure to make time to spend with the Father. Spending time with God in prayer nurtures a vital relationship and equips us to meet life’s challenges and struggles. Developing this time alone with the Father will help us grow spiritually and become more like Christ. Peter was not testing Jesus (4:7), instead he was the only one in the boat to react in faith. His impulsive request led him to experience a rather unusual demonstration of God’s power. However, Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started to sink. He was too focused on the waves and wind around him to pay attention to the miracle that he had become apart of. His faith wavered when he realized what he was doing. To maintain our faith when we go through difficult situations we must keep our eyes on Jesus power rather than our inadequacies. It doesn’t mean that we fail when our faith falters. When we are apprehensive about the troubles around us and doubt Christ’s presence or ability to help we must remember that he is the only one who can help. Peter reached out to Christ when his faith faltered.

Jesus Heals All Who Touch Him 34)When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35) And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to tall the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36) and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Let’s Talk About That People recognized Jesus as a great healer, but not many understood who he really was. They came to Jesus for physical healing without understanding the spiritual healing. They prolonged their physical life but did they secure their spiritual life? People may seek Jesus to learn valuable lessons from his life or in hopes of finding relief from pain. But we miss Jesus’ whole message if we seek him only to heal our bodies and not our souls. Only when we understand the real Jesus Christ can we appreciate how he can truly change our lives. Jewish men wore tassels on the lower edges of their robes according to God’s command in Deuteronomy 22:12. By Jesus’ day elaborate versions of these tassels were seen as signs of holiness. There is no indication that Jesus’ tassels were anything more than typical. It was natural that people seeking healing should reach out and touch the edge of his cloak. But as one sick woman learned, healing came from faith and not from Jesus’ cloak. (9:19-22)