MAT 14

The Death of John the Baptist

Mk. 6:14-29; Lk. 9:7-9

1 At that time, Herod the tetrarch—the ruler of Galilee—heard the reports and growing reputation about Jesus and His mighty works,

2 and he said to his servants with superstitious fear, "This must be John the Baptist whom I beheaded! He has been raised from the dead and has come back to haunt me, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."

3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him with chains, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife whom Herod had unlawfully taken,

4 because John had been telling him repeatedly with bold courage, "It is not lawful according to God's Law for you to have her as your wife—you are living in adultery."

5 Although Herod wanted to kill John to silence him, he was afraid of the crowd and public opinion because they regarded John as a genuine prophet of God.

6 But when Herod's birthday celebration came, Herodias' daughter danced before Herod and his guests with sensual movements and pleased Herod greatly.

7 So he promised rashly under oath to give her whatever she asked for, making an open commitment before his guests.

8 Prompted and coached by her mother Herodias, she said with evil intent, "Give me here immediately on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

9 The king was deeply troubled by this request, but because of his oaths sworn publicly and his desire to save face before his dinner guests, he commanded that it be given to her.

10 He sent orders to the prison and had John beheaded there.

11 John's head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she carried it to her mother as a trophy of revenge.

12 Then John's disciples came sorrowfully, took the body, and buried it with respect. Then they went and told Jesus about what had happened.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Mk. 6:30-44; Lk. 9:10-17; Jn. 6:1-14

13 When Jesus heard the news of John's martyrdom, He withdrew from there by boat to a deserted place to be alone and grieve. But when the crowds heard about His location, they followed Him on foot from the surrounding towns.

14 When Jesus came ashore and saw the large crowd waiting for Him, He had compassion on them—He was moved with deep pity for their needs—and He healed their sick without reservation.

15 As evening approached and the day grew late, the disciples came to Him and said practically, "This is a remote place and it is already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the surrounding villages and buy food for themselves."

16 But Jesus told them, testing their faith, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat from your own resources."

17 They answered with dismay, "We have nothing here except five loaves of bread and two fish—wholly inadequate for such a crowd."

18 Jesus said with calm confidence, "Bring them here to Me."

19 He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass in an orderly manner in a relaxed manner. Taking the five loaves and two fish in His hands and looking up to heaven in dependence on the Father, He gave thanks and blessed the food. After breaking the loaves into pieces, He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples distributed them to the crowds continuously.

20 They all ate and were completely satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve full baskets of leftover broken pieces—more than they started with, demonstrating abundance.

21 Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

Mk. 6:45-52; Jn. 6:15-21

22 Immediately after this miracle, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat under compulsion and go ahead of Him to the other side of the sea, while He dismissed the crowds.

23 After sending the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray in solitude and communion with the Father. When evening came, He was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the boat was already a considerable distance from the shore—several miles out, being battered and tossed by the waves because the wind was against them, blowing contrary to their direction.

25 During the fourth watch of the night—between three and six o'clock in the morning, in the darkest hours—Jesus came to them, walking on the surface of the sea in defiance of natural law.

26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea in the dim light, they were terrified and filled with fear, and cried out, "It is a ghost—an apparition!" And they screamed in panic.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them to calm their fear: "Take courage and be confident! It is I—do not be afraid of Me."

28 Peter answered Him impulsively, "Lord, if it is really You and not a spirit, command me to come to You on the water."

29 Jesus said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat in faith, walked on the water, and came towards Jesus successfully.

30 But when he saw the strength of the wind and the threatening waves, he became afraid and took his eyes off Jesus. As he began to sink into the water, he cried out desperately, "Lord, save me!"

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught him and rescued him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt when you were doing well?"

32 When they climbed into the boat together, the wind died down immediately and there was calm.

33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him with reverence and awe, declaring with conviction, "Truly You are the Son of God—divine in nature and power!"

Healings at Gennesaret

Mk. 6:53-56

34 After crossing over the sea, they came to land at Gennesaret on the western shore.

35 When the men of that place recognised Jesus and knew who He was, they sent word throughout the surrounding region and brought to Him all who were sick with various diseases.

36 They begged Him earnestly to let them just touch the fringe of His garment, believing that even indirect contact would heal them, and all who touched it in faith were completely healed and restored.

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