Matthew 14
This chapter gives another step in the rejection of the Lord, and then an outline picture of what follows the rejection of the Lord as King.
Matthew 14:1-12. Herod, hearing of Jesus’ fame, recalls what he had done to John the Baptist, and concludes that John was raised from the dead, therefore mighty works displayed themselves in him. His conscience seems to be troubling him; conscience will trouble every unsaved one. In the lake of fire it will be their worm that dieth not — they will never forget their sins. The spirit tells the heartless wickedness of those ruling over Israel at this time. Herod put John in prison because he bore a faithful testimony against his sin in having his brother’s wife. “It is not lawful for thee to have her,” and Herod desired to kill him. He was held back from doing it by his fear of the people, for all held John to be a prophet. But Herod’s birthday comes round, and with it the revelings in sin that the world calls a good time, and God is forgotten. Herodias’ daughter dances to please the king and with an oath he promises to give her whatever she asks. The wicked mother sets her on to ask the head of the faithful servant of God. The king is grieved but his false honor is at stake before his court, so John’s head is brought in and given to this wicked woman.
God has permitted it for the fulfillment of His purposes, and John exchanges an earthly prison for a heavenly paradise. The changes of dispensations, which he could not understand here, will be understood in a brighter scene. His disciples came and took the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. We may think of what all this was to the Lord. It is not only a faithful servant removed; it is God’s testimony rejected and a precursor of His own sufferings, though personally far above John, and this place of testimony the Lord Himself took in grace as “the faithful witness” (Psa. 40:9-10). He therefore retires into a desert place. How He must have felt His position! What sufferings were His in this way also, for He never became hardened to things. He felt the growing evils and knew what it all led on to. His love for Israel; His separation from evil; His constancy in His Father’s presence made Him feel everything keenly.
Matthew 14:13-14. But He does not allow Israel’s state to hinder His goodness from flowing out to the needy. The people have followed Him on foot out of the cities and brought their sick; and as He goes forth and looks on them, His heart is moved with compassion, and He heals their sick. (Psa. 103:3).
Matthew 14:15-18. How different with the disciples! They see the multitude, and in their helplessness to meet their need, they want Him to send them away, but He answers, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat.” They express their weakness, “We have here but five loaves and two fishes.” And He said, “Bring them hither to Me.” Have we not often been guilty of such ways, when we should have taken up the case of the needy ones and reckoned on His fullness to meet the need? “Send the multitude away.” Away where? Away from Jesus! Can disciples give advice like this? Perfect servant! Patient and gracious Master! Make us more like Thee. Slow we are to count on His power and goodness, though we have proved it so often.
Matthew 14:19-21. “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, besides women and children.” Here the power and goodness of the Lord shine out in perfection. He is indeed seen as the Messiah who feeds His poor with bread. (Psa. 132:15). What plain proof of Emmanuel’s presence on earth.
Matthew 14:22-23. Following the rejection of the Lord as King, the Lord took His place on high as the great High Priest. Here we have it pictured: His disciples are constrained to get into a ship to go before Him to the other side, while he sent the multitude away. Then He goes up into a mountain to pray, and there He is alone. His disciples appear to be left alone to bear their troubles that follow, being attached to a rejected King, but in reality they benefit by His heavenly position (Heb. 7:25). He is absent from them; and so it is “the night” to the believer, while man has his day in the world. On high, He prays for His own, outwardly separated from them, but in reality spiritually nearer to them than ever. What a picture this is of the present time externally; but we know another Comforter has come, making good to us now, in a spiritual way, the presence of the Lord. (John 14:18,21,23).
Matthew 14:24-31. The remnant of the Jews will also pass through trouble, and in the midst of this, the Lord comes to them, walking on the sea. They see Him, and are troubled, but He calms their fears, saying, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Peter, taking courage, says, “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.” This seems to bring out the path of faith; he had the Word for his path, and the Lord before him as his object; thus he walked, sustained by the Lord’s power, till he took his eyes off the Lord; then he saw the wind boisterous (yet it is as easy to walk on rough as on smooth water), and he was afraid and, beginning to sink, he cried, saying, “Lord save me.” We are well reminded of our foolishness here; the Lord is enough. If we keep the eye on Him, all is well; but nature might take credit, and Peter might have boasted of his attainment as he might have called it. But now he cannot; his failure is manifest; he walked only by the strength of Jesus. And now that he has failed, will the Lord let him sink? No, that faithful Savior is just the same, and immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, “O, thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt:” We may fail, and fear in the path of faith, but the Lord will not fail at our cry of need and His strong hand will hold us up, though we are humbled rightly by our unbelief. May we learn to keep our eye fixed on the Lord.
Peter began to sink, just enough to make him get back in dependence on the Lord, and to make him feel his nothingness. How he would enjoy the care of the Lord on his way back to the ship, upheld by Jesus, but when in the ship he could not boast of his faith above the rest, yet after all he had proved the goodness of the Lord, and His faithfulness to him in a way those in the ship did not know. What comfort to Peter to lean on the Savior’s arm all the way back to the ship. Blessed journey! When we have proved what a resource He is for us.
Matthew 14:32-33. Here He is come into the ship. Israel’s troubles are over when He comes back to them, and they worship Him as Son of God.
Matthew 14:34-36, go further still. It is a foreshadowing of the Lord when He is joyfully received in the very world that once rejected Him; as one has said, “It is the blessing and healing of a distressed and groaning world, consequent on His return in acknowledged power and glory.”