[And He Walks With Me] Matthew 14

1-12        The following parenthetical is a sort of flashback. Herod the tetrarch refers to Herod Antipas. Officially, Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea as an independent client (i.e., vassal) state of the Roman Empire. Although not as brutal and inept as his brother, Herod Archelaus (see note on Matt 2:22-23), Antipas was nevertheless plagued by scandal. After divorcing his first wife, Phasa’el, he married Herodias, the former wife of his brother Herod Philip. This sort of intrigue was generally frowned upon by Jews, and it prompted criticism from John the Baptist. However, John’s popularity made it difficult for Antipas to have John executed because it would have upset the crowd. Above all else, the Romans expected their regional agents to maintain peace and order, and Antipas recognized that executing John would have lit the powder keg of unrest that was first-century Palestine. His brother was deposed for less.

        Herod the tetrarch was known to be more temperate and wise than his brother Archelaus, but like many kings before him, he was still subject to manipulation, particularly by women. When Herodias’s daughter (i.e., Antipas’ step-daughter) danced before them, he was pleased and made a rash vow to give her whatever she asked. Then, when Herodias prompted the girl to demand John’s head, Antipas was obligated to oblige or lose face.

13        Jesus withdrew… to a remote place to be alone. Parallel accounts of this are found in  Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; and John 6:1-15. In their versions, Mark and Luke indicate that Jesus was hoping to to spent some time with just his apostles. Luke adds that this happened after the apostles returned from their first independent deployment, suggesting that the excursion was meant to be a chance for Jesus to rest after their excursion and debrief them more fully. Matthew’s account merely builds upon the revelation that John the Baptist was killed, suggesting Jesus and his friends needed a chance to process their grief. Whatever prompted the retreat, however, it would be an opportunity for Jesus to prepare the disciples for the next phase of ministry. Indeed, Jesus repeatedly withdrew into solitude before each transition, in which he would eschew the crowd to focus on the disciples’ development and saying and doing things that would cement their belief that he was the messiah. This phase of ministry will culminate in Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16.

14        Once again, Jesus’ plan was interrupted, co-opted by a large crowd. Instead of growing irritated and avoiding them, however, Jesus had compassion on them, and healed their sick. How we respond to the interruptions of life is absolutely crucial. We can see them as either distractions from what we are supposed to be doing or opportunities for ministry. Jesus repeatedly took the latter approach, suggesting that we should do the same.

15-16        After a long day of ministry, the disciples needed a break. They urged Jesus to send the crowds away, but this was really about themselves. Jesus, however, pushed them beyond their natural limits by urging the disciples to feed the crowd. Often, it is when we are functioning beyond our natural limits that we find the most important lessons about faith and ministry.

17-19        The difference in perspective between the disciples and Jesus is striking. They observed that they had only… five loaves and two fish here, focusing on what they did not have and the obvious obstacle to accomplishing what Jesus was asking them to do. To be fair, this was a significant issue. The buns were approximately the size of a modern bun. Especially in the region surrounding Galilee, a loaf or two of bread and a dried or pickled fish made an ideal sack lunch for a day trip for one person. By evening, however, the crowd was out of food, and the disciples also were running short. Under normal circumstances, five loaves and two fish would not have fed the disciples, let alone the sizable crowd.^[200] In contrast, Jesus took the loaves and fish and blessed them. That is, he focused on and was thankful for what they had, and he trusted the Father to take care of the rest.

19-21        The mechanics of how this miracle worked are not provided. We do not, therefore, know if the bread multiplied as Jesus broke it or in the disciples’ baskets as they delivered. We do not know if the crowd’s appetites were supernaturally suppressed so that many were not hungry. We know only three things. First, we know the effect of the miracle: everyone ate and was satisfied. That is, those who were hungry had enough to eat. Those who were not hungry were equally content. When we keep coming back to Jesus for more, we will be satisfied. Second, we know the magnitude of the miracle: they picked up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces. That is, they had more leftovers than they began with. Jesus does not just provide what we need. He provides lavishly. Third, we know the scope of the miracle: those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. To our modern sensibility, it is striking that Matthew included only the number of men. Yet, counting people in this way was typical for first-century Jews, who lived in a male-dominated society. Women and children literally did not count. To the original readers, then, it was more striking that Matthew mentioned that there were also women and children present. Indeed, none of the other gospel writers mention women and children at all because that was the normal way to count people. Yet, Matthew included this acknowledgement as a blatant challenge to the status quo. Even without accounting for the women and children, this miracle was significant. By including them, however, Matthew made it even bigger. Do not be afraid to trust God for big, hairy, audacious things that are clearly far beyond your capacity.

22-33        It is interesting to compare Matthew’s account of Jesus’ walking on water with the accounts in Mark 6:48-52 and John 6:16-21. (Luke does not record this miracle at all.) Neither Mark nor John include the part where Jesus commanded Peter to get out of the boat. Instead, Mark focused on how the wind ceased when Jesus got into the boat, but the disciples still failed to connect the dots to recognize his deity because their hearts were hardened. John focused on how they at once arrived at the shore where they were heading. When studying a passage with parallel accounts, it is important to notice the commonalities and the differences. Commonalities are universally important components, but the differences can also provide powerful insights into the passage’s author, audience, context, and intended emphasis. In this case, Matthew was an eyewitness, while Mark and Luke were not. He was writing to Jews who were locked into the boat of Mosaic law and rabbinical tradition. He wrote to people who were being excluded from their families for adopting the Christian faith, a burden which could be overwhelming. He explained how Jesus reached out his hand and calmed the storm for the struggling Christian. And he emphasized that worship was the proper response to Jesus’ continued faithfulness in the storm.

22        Ordering the disciples [to] get into the boat and go ahead of him seems strange, but in all likelihood, they assumed he would dismiss the crowd, pray on the mountain into the night, and follow on land later or perhaps the following morning.

23        Jesus made a habit at crucial junctures of his ministry of retreating by himself to pray. In the previous chapters, he had gathered his disciples and taught them the basics of following him. In the coming chapters, he would increasingly avoid the crowds to focus on his disciples and, in the process, do things that could only be explained if he was the Messiah. This would culminate in Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16, which was a sort of climax in Matthew’s gospel account.

25-26        To understand why the disciples were terrified and reacted by thinking Jesus to be a ghost, one must understand a couple of contextual elements. First, it is important to recognize that there was no electricity or spotlights. There were no doubt lights from towns on the hillsides surrounding the lake, and probably a small lamp on the boat, but on the Sea of Galilee itself, it was dark. The only light came from the moon, stars, or perhaps lightning. This would have given Jesus a ghostly appearance indeed! Second, see note on Matthew 8:23-25 to learn how common it was for sudden, severe storms could erupt on the Sea of Galilee. For this reason, it is likely that there was little traffic on the lake because professional fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John would avoid the lake at such times. They were therefore not expecting to see anyone on the lake, let alone someone walking on the sea. Finally, there were many things about the first-century world that could not be explained in a scientific manner. With no other explanation, it was assumed that spirits and ghosts played an important part in the process. No doubt, the disciples assumed the ghostly figure walking toward them on the dark, empty lake was some sort of spiritual force coming to cause them harm!

27        The Greek phrase rendered by most English translations It is I is significant. Ego eimi (ἐγώ εἰμι·) could be rendered “I am,” which is an allusion to Exodus 3:14, where God identified himself to Moses. In the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Old Testament which was commonly used by Jews in the first century, I AM WHO I AM is ego eimi (ἐγώ εἰμι). Thus, for Jesus to walk on water and say this immediately grabbed the attention of his disciples. Did Jesus just claim to be God?

28-29        It is not difficult to understand the apostles’ skepticism. People did not walk on water, and as far as they knew, Jesus was an ordinary man who just happened to be able to do miracles. Imagine Peter’s surprise, however, when the ghostly figure standing on the waves beckoned him to come. No doubt, he was tempted to dismiss the invitation: he was just joking. Yet, there was something compelling about Jesus’ invitation, and at once, Peter gulped down his fear and stepped out of the boat.

29-31        It is easy to chide Peter as the apostle whose mouth got him in trouble yet again, but the truth is that Peter walked farther on water than you or I. Matthew wrote Peter was beginning to sink, not that he actually did sink. And his reaction – Lord, save me! – led to his salvation when Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and did exactly that. Jesus said Peter had little faith, but what did that say of the other disciples still sitting in the boat? Beginning to sink while you are walking on water is not nearly as problematic as never getting out of the boat.

32        The miracle of walking on water is now compounded by the sudden calming of the storm coinciding with the moment Peter and Jesus got into the boat. Matthew does not mention that they arrived immediately at their destination (see John 6:21). Neither does he focus on their hardness of heart, which made them slow to fully believe. Rather, he observes that they worshiped him as the Son of God. The contrast between Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts, especially, are striking. The one has the disciples worshiping Jesus as the Son of God while the other describes them as hard of heart. It is difficult to reconcile these emphases, but it is possible to at once worship Jesus and still not grasp all the ramifications of his deity.

34-36        Gennesaret probably refers to a small plain on the NW short of the Sea of Galilee, near the city of Tiberias (i.e., Herod Antipas’ capital) and Magdala (i.e., the hometown of Mary Magdalene). As the only easily tillable soil in the area, it was heavily populated and known for its walnuts, figs, olives, and palm trees.

        The fact that the people of Gennesaret touched the end of his robe does not indicate that they saw Jesus as a talisman that they needed to touch to be healed. Rather, it indicates their great faith: “they understand that his power is so great that only this derivative contact with him is necessary to bring healing.”^[201] These people, then, should be seen in the same light as the woman who was bleeding for twelve years (see 9:20-22). In Matthew 9:22, Jesus commended her, Your faith has saved you. So also, the extraordinary faith of these men and women saved them. We must endeavor to have such simple, unreserved faith in Jesus!

[200] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 14:15-21

[201] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 14:34-36