Matthew 14, the Death of John & Feeding of the 5000

Jesus has just finished his collections of parables on living as a member of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now we have a number of incidents and events that describe the climax of Jesus's ministry.

Matt 14:1-11
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 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." Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her."

Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet. On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

Herod is trapped by his promises and his decadence.  And, of course, John pays the price for being the prophet who denounced Herod.

Matt 14:12-14
John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. 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.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

The death of John distresses Jesus.  He withdraws from the populous but continues to minister.

Matt 14:15-21
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."

Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the 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. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

This is a strange miracle.  It reflects the manna that the Israelites got in the wilderness.
(The feeding of 4000, not 5000, occurs in the next chapter, Matthew 15:32-38.)

Matt 14:22-33
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 

Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying,  "Truly you are the Son of God."

A strange incident.  Why did Jesus allow Peter to step out of the boat?  What is the point?  Of all the miracles in Matthew, this one sounds the most mythical to me; unlike other miracles it does not seem to have a particular purpose.

From the NIV footnotes, the phrase in verse 24 translated "considerable distance" is literally, in Greek, "many stadia".  (A stadia was apparently 600 foot lengths, under 200 yards, probably about an tenth of a mile?)

Matt 14:34-36
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Wherever he lands, people are ready to come out and greet Jesus.  At this stage in his ministry, Jesus is "viral"; he is popular and wields considerable influence with his teachings.  But the death of John the Baptist signals a change; soon Jesus will have numerous political opponents, the religious teachers who will be out to destroy him.