The Weekend Word

Matthew 14:1-21

The Death of John the Baptist

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus,

• Remember, Jesus is ministering in the boonies and word does not travel fast.

² and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”

• Herod must be paranoid – he now sees the things John the B spoke of coming to life in Jesus.
• Our sin makes us paranoid.
• I killed God’s man, John the B and now god has raised him back up to get me.

³ For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

• No matter what John said about sin, it didn’t matter to Herod until it got personal.
• Aren’t we like that? Conviction makes you look over your shoulder.

⁴ because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

• Today we cannot get people in the church to say adultery is wrong – let alone the kind that involves your brother’s wife.
• John the B was trying to call Herod to repentance.

⁵ And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.

• I found it interesting that the people still recognized a prophet — after no prophet for 400 yrs. Think back 400 years to 1616 – what is in our collective memory?
• And that Herod was sensitive to the thoughts of the people.

⁶ But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod,

• This is not some formal proper British tea party.
• The booze ran freely and the daughter was probably a pole dancer.

⁷ so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

• Was it a fool’s promise? Is Herod an idiot?
• I am sure he is drunk, lustful and out of control.

⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”

• This is a spiteful woman.
• Don’t mess with me and my affairs … literally.

⁹ And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.

• Oath my eye – he was prideful and uncaring.

¹⁰ He sent and had John beheaded in the prison,

• He made John shorter by a head.

¹¹ and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

• The king’s promise fulfilled to the letter.

¹² And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

• I wonder. When they came to pick up the body, did they also claim the head?
• And they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

• To get a moment to handle the situation of what just happened to his cousin.
• He removes himself for some time to be by himself.
• But… the crowds heard and followed him.

¹⁴ When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

• Even in his time of grief, Jesus has great compassion for those in need.
• So he hangs out his messiah shingle and heals the sick … and remember, at an earlier time he links healings with the forgiveness of sin.

¹⁵ Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

• An all day healing session
• Why would anyone send someone away from Jesus?

¹⁶ But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

• Jesus didn’t just hang around – he ate and drank with sinners – these are my people.
• Table fellowship. This is where we see true worship. God comes on the scene, in our churches to give to us – in this case, Jesus came to give us a 2^nd birth – not we come to church to give God something.

¹⁷ They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”

• They need more Joel Osteen thinking
• The Power of I Am.

¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.”

• What does Jesus say to us? What you have, bring it to me and I will cover you.
• The problem – going back to the manna – Jesus provides out of nothing.

¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

• Notice Jesus didn’t ask for power to do this – he didn’t ask the Father to do it.
• He just raised his eyes and blessed what was to happen.

²⁰ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.

• They were all satisfied – These are the ones who hunger and thirst and they commune with Jesus and they are satisfied.
• Relief for their sin and burdens.
• When Jesus eats with his people, he is communing with them
• Here you have church.
• Note that they picked up more than they started with.

²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

• 5,000 men + Women + Children = perhaps 10,000