CHAP. 14.
“At that time” connects with what had gone before. It is a wonderful chapter. For we have a picture of what will be after the church is gone. In chap. 13. we had in the mysteries of the kingdom a picture of what is now, while the Lord is in heaven.
But here in chap. 14. we get a picture of what is to be in the future. There is the wicked king Herod, and there will be a wicked king in the land hereafter. In connection with him there will be apostate Christendom represented by the wicked woman of Rev. 17; 18. We see also a wicked woman here in our chapter. In Rev. 11 there are two witnesses killed, and the wicked woman who rides the beast is held responsible for it (Rev. 17.6). So here we have God's faithful witness slain, and Herodias urges it, as Jezebel urged on the weak Ahab. Then you get in Rev. 12, a remnant of people that flee unto the wilderness, and are miraculously fed for three and a half years, the last half of the week. Here you get five thousand fed in the wilderness. Then you get them on the sea, toiling in rowing, making very little progress, and they had only got half way across, which evidently sets forth the great tribulation of the future. There are some specially marked out in Daniel, and Peter seems to represent them.
“For the elect's sake those days shall be shortened,” said the Lord, and “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? This does not mean that there will be no faith, but that things will be so bad that even saints of God will despair of deliverance. It was when Peter was beginning to sink that the Lord stretched forth His hand and caught him. They then worship Him, and day breaks. Is it not a wonderful picture?
Having now seen the dispensational side of it, let us look into some of the particulars. Herod's conscience was at work. It was Herodias who had got him to put John into prison. Herod's father was an Edomite, a descendant of Esau, and the most bitter persecution often comes from those who are connected with the people of God.
I don't think you could get a more striking fact, as witness of the honesty of the writer of this Gospel, than, after such a cluster of miracles that proved the mighty power of this wonderful King, we are told that His immediate forerunner was allowed to languish in prison, and afterward to be beheaded. We know the Lord could have delivered the Baptist, as He did Peter afterward, but it was all permitted of Him in divine wisdom. John was a faithful witness, and Herod feared him, but John did not fear Herod, though Herod was the king. John was straightforward and outspoken, Herodias was the granddaughter of Herod's father; there was the prohibition of consanguinity in the Levitical law. Herod was civilly affected by Herodias, as Ahab was by Jezebel, and you hardly wonder but that it is intended that she should be representative of the wicked woman in the Revelation, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. God has shown us how He will deal with, her. He will put into the hearts of “the beast” and the ten kings to destroy her. Herod feared the multitude. Messiah is of quick understanding in the fear of Jehovah, and He is the One who will destroy the “wicked one”. Herod did not think of God; he thought of his own respectability. For his oath's sake he would not reject her. Only think, a moment's sinful gratification, in seeing the dancing—immodest dancing—of that girl; it appealed to the man's lust, and he is so carried away by it he makes this rash vow! Ahasuerus only promised half his kingdom, Herod pledges himself to whatsoever she should ask. This is the convenient season—convenient to Herodias—to get rid of God's faithful witness. The charger was a large deep dish, only think of it! It is an awful picture of a woman so hardened. Sin is not only degrading but hardening. What a spectacle these two women present!
His disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus (verse 12). What an example for us to tell Jesus all our circumstances of grief and sorrow! “When Jesus heard, he departed thence,” etc. There He was in all His ability to meet their need, and to respond to faith. Here He is—do not let us hinder Him by our unbelief. The multitude itself how little to be relied on! They followed round the north end of the lake. The applause of the multitude is most unreliable. There is a hindrance to faith, according to John 5; how can ye believe “which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from the only God.”
If there were a great multitude there would be sure to be many needing healing. This was the first time they had known a multitude fed. It is remarkable that this is the only miracle related by one each of the four Evangelists. Psa. 132:15 seems to refer to this, “I will abundantly bless her provision, I will satisfy her poor with bread.” The distribution to the disciples disappears from the better text in John 6:11, but is recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke.
This is a precious gospel subject. Of course the One Who produces the grape could produce the wine at Cana, and the One Who produces the corn can produce the food, and does so here in a quicker way. It is the same One—the great Provider—whom Paul spoke of in Acts 14:17: “In that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” He is the bountiful Provider of Psa. 145 (the only Psalm which is entitled David's psalm of praise) “Who satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (vers. 16).
Verse 19: He “blessed” (Matthew Mark, Luke), He “gave thanks” (John). The word is not quite the same as “gave thanks” but is allied to it. It is the same One Who gave the manna of old Who is feeding them now. The multitude, in John's Gospel, wanted to disparage the Lord, and said, Moses fed many more than five thousand. But it was His Father Who gave them the true Bread. There is the “living Bread” in the same chapter and the “Bread of God,” the “Bread that giveth life unto the world” —the world-wide aspect of the gospel.
The Lord would have them at ease in His presence. He would have them recline. John tells us there was “much grass” in the place, and Mark speaks of “the green grass.”
In the presence of the Lord there is never any lack. It is an awful thing for men professing to be teachers of the Word, to despise a miracle, and seek to get rid of it in the terrible way they do. Are not we ourselves witnesses of miracles, and is not our conversion the greatest miracle of all?
How blessed to know there was so much more at the end of the meal than at the beginning. But how sad to doubt Him!
Lev. 10 gives us the failure of the priesthood; Num. 10 the failure of the leader. After showing in chapters 9, 10 that God would be their Guide and all were to be in subjection to His will when the cloud started, now in verse 31 Moses says to Hobab “Thou knowest... and thou mayest be to us instead a eyes.” It is indeed sad, and Jehovah resents it.
The multitude sent away (ver. 22) would seem to refer to the mass of the Jews in the future day, and those in the ship to the remnant. To be in darkness is not the path of a Christian. “He that followeth me,” said our Lord, “shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The place of a Christian is that he is in the light. “If we walk in the light” —which is where we are now brought—our responsibility henceforth is to walk according to the light. “Ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light... proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:8-10). But the godly Jewish remnant of a day to come will pass through this awful experience of having no light. Isa. 1:10 will be true of them. But it will be a necessary and appropriate experience for them to pass through the time of Jacob's trouble. Conscience needs to be plowed up, and they will mourn, every family apart, even husbands and wives apart (Zech. 12:12-14). The case of Joseph and his brethren may illustrate this, and is instructive. Joseph's treatment of his brethren had the desired effect, and brought home to them their brother's anguish when they sold him Judah was the spokesman then, and it is in Judah that the spirit of grace and supplication will be poured out. The ten tribes will not go through “the great tribulation” of Jacob's trouble in the land of Palestine, as will the two tribes, but will be brought “into the wilderness of the peoples.” The rebels all purged out, then shall the house of Israel enter the land, and the two sticks shall be joined together, and so “all Israel” —the nation, shall be saved-not indeed every soul of Israel's race. The great mass will accept the anti-christ, or east of Rev. 13, and “the smoke of their torment riseth up forever and ever who worship the beast and his image.” Compare Ezek. 20; 36; 37; Rev. 13; 14
The elements seemed all against them, and it was very trying. It was the fourth watch of the night, and they had been through all the other watches. But if He constrains them to enter into a ship He will take them through. They do the Lord's bidding, there is no hesitancy; but there must have been exercise. If they went in the only ship, how was He to join them? All this besides the tempest. The lake was only seven miles across, so it shows what a storm it was, and how little progress they were making that they got only half-way over, but His way is in the sea. Egyptian hieroglyphics represent impossibility by walking on the sea. Man cannot do it, rough or smooth. We need to remember this especially in Peter's case. Jesus rejoins them, and so He will hereafter. He will come at the fitting moment for the deliverance of His people out of all their troubles in the age to come. Here “they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” One thing the Scripture shows us its that though we have not to do with angels, they have to do with us. They are innumerable, but “are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” And if a Christian seeks to enter into his heavenly inheritance he will have to wrestle with the wicked spirits in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). It is a matter of faith; they are there though we don't see them.
Verse 27: “Straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” What grace!
Peter would not venture without the Lord's word; and if he had that he could do it in faith. What is really fancy is very often called faith. It is not faith unless we have the word of God for it. It was only a little word that Jesus said, “Come!” but Peter could and did act on it. And it seems as if he got pretty close to the Lord. There is wonderful encouragement for us here. He can enable His saints to do that which is impossible for flesh and blood. We can put the two together, “With God all things are possible” and “All things are possible to him that believeth.”
Peter had had a previous experience of the Lord in Luke 5. It was the last thing he wanted that the Lord should depart! but he had seen a little bit of His glory, and felt how unfit he was for it. Then also he had acted on the word of the Lord. And he was the one who, when some did depart, said, “Lord, to whom shall we go?”
In one way we see a picture of ourselves here. We have been called out of the world to meet the Lord, and the path is a path of faith. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” If Peter had walked by sight he would not have taken one step. And We are converted to wait for the Son from heaven, as the Thessalonians were, to go forth to meet Him. The failure was in that Peter took his eye off the Lord. Those lines are very sweet:
“But on Thine outstretched arm rely,
And fix on Thee a steady eye
Until all storms be o'er.”
The wind had done its work. When Jesus got into the ship it ceased. He holds the winds in His fists, and the waters in the hollow of His hand. There is no cause for fear.
The Lord sometimes said to the disciples as He did to Peter, “Ye of little faith!” Great faith counts wholly on the Lord. It is very beautiful when the Lord says “great faith.” He said it to the Syro-phcenician woman, but of the centurion “So great faith.” He saw the glory of His person Who said “Light be,” and “Light was.” Here was the prayer, “Lord save Me.” Well, every saint of God gets brought to his wits' end. You find that in Psa. 107 “They are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses.”
“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,” etc. Here was the immediate response of the Lord. He stretched forth His hand. When we look up to the starry heavens, and think what that hand has done, “meted out heaven with the span,” —the hand of Omnipotence! How safe are those whom He holds! How satisfied we should be to be in that hand! And none shall pluck us out therefrom.
“If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not,” but He does upbraid for unbelief. Hosea said, “Israel shall say, My God, I know Thee.”
I suppose as far as the dispensational figure is concerned, when the Lord returns to Israel, and those who, since the captivity have had “Lo Ammi” written on them, will, under the blessing of the new covenant, be His people and He their God, then blessing will go out to all the world. Take Isa. 60 It shows us there that things will be put right in the world when Israel has its place. The N.T. shows us the whole creation groans and waits for Our manifestation (Rom. 8). We are unknown now. When He is manifested we shall be also, and all creation groans till then. But
“He'll bid the whole creation smile
And hush its groan.”
“When He shall appear then shall we also appear with Him in glory.” What a change will be then even for this scene! And the miracles which the Lord performed are samples; they are called in Heb. 6 “The powers of the world to come.” What the Lord did in a limited area will then be world-wide. The Spirit will be poured out on all flesh. That is quoted in Acts 2 from Joel to show those there that they ought not to have been surprised; it does not say it was fulfilled. The Spirit has been given, and He is still here. We are enjoined “to be filled with the Spirit,” a very different thing to asking for Him to be poured out. They were right to wait for it before He came at Pentecost, but now He is here.
Verse 35: The people here, are those who in chap. 8, asked the Lord to depart. They had got wiser now-they did not want Him to depart. He is Called in Haggai, “The desire of all nations.” People are conscious that things are not what they ought to be, and they want some one to put things right. In that way they desire Him, though it may not be intelligently.
Verse 36: This is the character of the healing. When the Lord touched, it was a touch of power. Here it was the touch of faith, and the Lord always responds to faith.
“Made perfectly whole” —not half a cure. All will feel the power of His beneficent sway, even to the ends of the earth. The Lord, in the day of the kingdom, ever goes beyond our highest expectation.