Matthew 14
Did you ever have one of those days? So much happens it takes days to recover and deal with all that happened. Matthew 14 shows us one of Jesus’ days.
Matthew 14 is a fascinating chapter full of drama. John the Baptist boldly confronted Herod Antipas who was the son of Herod the Great, the Herod who had ordered the execution of the male babies in Bethlehem. He confronted Herod because Herod had married his half-niece Herodius who had divorced Philip, the half brother of Herod. She had married first one half-uncle and then another. In so doing she had committed adultery and a form of incest. So John the Baptist publically condemned their marriage for which he was arrested and then beheaded.
When Jesus heard the news, he withdrew to a quiet place for prayer and reflection. Jesus was not a stranger to John, John the Baptist was his cousin. He must have spent time with John when they were children. Some have theorized that Jesus was first one of John’s disciples, before he began his public ministry. Jesus needed time to grieve for the loss of his cousin but he also had to deal with the explicit threat to his ministry that Herod represented. Herod had essentially said that if you rock the boat, you will be executed and so Jesus had to deal with this foreshadowing of his own coming arrest, torture and crucifixion. There was a lot on his mind.
Jesus went to be by himself and found himself in the midst of a crowd wanting to be healed. Jesus had compassion on them and then when it was evening, found the crowd hungry and needing food. He took five rolls and two small smoked fish and fed with that small amount of food, five thousand men plus the women and children who were with them.
After this, he went up a mountain to be by himself and pray and the disciples set out on the sea of Galilee. In the middle of the night, in a storm, Jesus appeared to them, walking on the water. After Peter tried to join Jesus in walking on the water, Jesus, holding on to Peter, got in the boat, the storm quieted down, they landed by Capernaum and Jesus healed the crowds who were there.
That’s quite a day.
I want to point out this morning four things faith does as revealed in Matthew 14. First, faith takes us safely through life’s darkest moments. Secondly, faith takes too little and turns it into more than enough. Thirdly, faith takes us to places we normally do not go. And fourthly, faith heals.
First, faith takes us safely through life’s darkest moments.
John the Baptist was brought safely through this trial in Matthew 14. Safely? you ask? Being in prison and having your head cut off is safe?
One of the bigger problems Christians have is that we somehow expect God to keep us from suffering. When we or someone we love is ill we cry out to God and ask why. When a child dies the parent cries out to God and asks why? When food is not well distributed and some people are overweight while others starve to death we cry out to God and ask why? When someone we know is raped we cry out to God and ask why?
There are many who choose to no longer believe in a loving God because of the presence of evil and suffering in their lives.
But where in Scripture does God ever promise we will not suffer?
The promise of God is that he will be present with us no matter what we endure and that when we die our physical death he will take us to be with him. Any promise we construct other than that is our manmade promise, not a promise of God.
We will suffer in this life. Jesus said we would be persecuted for our faith. But the promise of God is that he will be with us in whatever ordeal we face. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because of the work of Jesus on our behalf, death is our defeated enemy. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:55
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
Because we are Christians we are not to fear death. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
When John the Baptist sat in prison and the guards came to do what Herodius had demanded be done, he was safe in the arms of God. As his head was removed from his body, his soul was released to be with God. When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, he was reunited with his cousin who was revealed in all his fullness to be his Lord and Savior. At no point was he in danger. At all points he was safe with God.
Faith takes us safely through life’s darkest moments.
Secondly, faith takes too little and turns it into more than enough. There have been many attempts to explain away what Jesus did in feeding 5000+ from a small amount of food. Some have said that as the small boy gave the disciple Andrew his food, others pulled out what they had brought and shared what they had and in this way the crowd was fed. That’s a nice message and a wonderful illustration of the importance of generosity and sharing. There is only one problem, that is not what the Gospels say happened. This is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all four Gospels and it is clear that they considered this to be a miracle of multiplication, not sharing.
Jesus had been healing people all day and it was now after 3PM, time for people to go home for supper and lodging before it got dark. The disciples urged Jesus to tell the people to go home but Jesus told them to feed the people. There was dismay and disbelief at this request but they went out to see what food was available. Of all the disciples, only Andrew found any food. A young boy had five small barley rolls and two small smoked fish. It was a meal for a young boy, not a crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children. The disciples were out of options. Philip told Jesus that eight months wages would not be enough to buy enough bread just so everyone could have a bite, let alone a meal’s worth of bread..
There was simply not enough to go around.
Have you ever been in that situation? Have you ever looked at the list of bills and expenses and then into your bank account and despaired that there was simply not enough to go around? Have you ever looked at the amount of work that needed to be done, people to meet, errands to do and concluded that there was simply not enough time for all those things? Have you ever looked at the difficulty of learning a language or teaching a course and concluded there was simply not enough intelligence for these things? Have you ever looked at what God was calling you to and concluded there was simply not enough faith to do these things?
Then look at what happened in this situation when the disciples concluded there was simply not enough to go around. The disciples concluded there was no hope, nothing that could be done. But then Jesus did something.
Jesus took the five barley rolls and two small fish, blessed them and told the disciples to distribute what was in the baskets he gave them to all the people. How did this miracle happen? Was the basket empty and then when a piece of bread was taken out, another appeared? When the disciples took the baskets were they empty or maybe contained only a small piece of bread and fish and then as they took the basket to the people the baskets suddenly were full? We don’t know, but however it was done, to the utter amazement of the disciples, food kept appearing and all 5,000 men plus women and children had enough to eat and just to make the point, there were twelve baskets full of bread and fish left over. Each disciple returned with his basket after having fed the crowd and it was still full of food.
Faith turned too little into more than enough.
This was the experience of the widow of Zarepath. During the drought announced by the prophet Elijah to Ahab and Jezebel, her jar of flour and jug of oil never emptied in the three and a half years of the drought. Faith turned too little into more than enough.
This was the experience of the disciples who fled with fear and terror in their hearts when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Pentecost, the disciples became bold in speaking their faith. They faced the same people who had orchestrated the death of Jesus and responded to threats made on them with boldness. Faith turned too little boldness into more than enough.
This was the experience of the Corinthians. Paul writes that not many of them were wise by human standards, not many were influential, not many were of noble birth. But, Paul continues, God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He uses the weak things of this world to shame the strong. Faith takes too little education, intelligence, or nobility and turns it into more than enough.
This was the case of the Good Samaritan. In this parable of Jesus, several people passed by the man who was robbed and beaten because they were too busy, did not have enough time. The Samaritan was also a busy man, a businessman, but he had time to stop and help the man who needed assistance. Faith takes too little time and turns it into more than enough.
You may say that you don’t have enough faith to do what God has called you to do. But Jesus said you only need faith the size of a mustard seed to do the most impossible tasks. Faith takes too little and turns it into more than enough.
This was the experience of the father of the boy who was possessed by an evil spirit. Jesus told him everything was possible to one who believed and the father replied, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Faith took too little and turned it into more than enough.
Whatever it is you seem to lack, money, time, talent, intelligence, we learn in Matthew 14 that faith takes too little and turns it into more than enough. Don’t be intimidated by what you seem to lack. Don’t turn back from what God has called you to do because you don’t think you have what it takes to obey God’s calling. If God has called you, he will take what you have, little as it may seem, and turn it into more than enough.
Faith takes us safely thorugh life’s darkest moments. Faith takes too little and turns it into more than enough. Thirdly, Faith takes us to places we normally would not go.
After Jesus healed the sick and fed the crowd, he went up the mountain to be alone and to pray, grieve, consider his own fate, all the things he needed to do but was not able to do because the crowd came and interrupted him.
The crowd was enthusiastic. The disciples were bubbling over with excitement. If Jesus who healed and fed over 5,000 people with a small boy’s lunch wasn’t the promised Messiah, then no one ever would be. In John the detail is added that Jesus perceived that the crowd wanted to make him king. The crowd was so excited they were ready to crown Jesus there and then and follow him as he led them to overthrow the Roman occupiers and reestablish the kingdom of David.
The crowd was excited but Jesus dealt with them. Jesus made the disciples go into the boat to sail over to Capernaum where he said he would meet them. Matthew says he made them go.. He didn’t ask them to go or suggest they go, he made them go. The disciples were elated over what Jesus had done and were undoubtedly caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd. But Jesus made the disciples go into the boat and dismissed the crowd.
Not all of the disciples were fishermen, but enough were that they were competent to take a boat out into the Sea of Galilee. Many times they had fished at night so going out at night was not abnormal for them. A storm came up on the sea and the disciples had to take down the sails and row to keep going. They battled the storm for most of the night and then in the early hours of the morning, before dawn, they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water.
Remember where the disciples have been emotionally. They were in a state of euphoria, seeing Jesus heal and feed the crowd. Then Jesus forced them into the boat to go to Capernaum. What did they talk about in the boat when Jesus left them? Can you imagine that they talked about anything but what Jesus had just done? They set off by sail. It was soon dark or dark already when they set out and then a storm came up on the sea. Discussion about what Jesus had done shifted to what to do in the storm. The fishermen took over. The sail was pulled down and they began to row while others bailed water out of the boat. This struggle continued for four, six, eight hours and then, in the midst of their fatigue, they saw Jesus coming towards them. Was Jesus going up and down with the waves? Was he walking a level pathway through the waves?
The disciples were understandably terrified. This was completely out of the realm of their expectations and they were exhausted from having rowed all night, battling the storm. Jesus called to them out of the storm and told them not to fear.
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
And then what is most amazing to me is the response of Peter. “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
What made Peter say and do what he did? Why not say, “I believe it is you. I am not afraid. You are the Son of the living God.” That would be dramatic and a great demonstration of his faith.
But Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And he stepped out of the boat and began to walk on water. Let’s put aside, for the moment, that Peter began to doubt and fear and had to be rescued by Jesus. Peter actually walked on the water. He put his foot down and did not sink. He put a second foot down and this one did not sink either. He stood up and began walking. He was walking on water!
Walking on water is among the items on my list of impossible things to do. This includes flying in the air like a bird without any mechanical device or parasail attached to me. This includes going back in time to see how the world looked three hundred years ago. This includes my being bass guitarist for Paul Simon.
But Jesus said, “Come,” and Peter did what was impossible to do. Faith took Peter to a place he normally did not go.
To where is God calling you to come? Where do you normally not go?
God called Gideon from where he was timidly trying to thresh wheat inside a winepress to lead Israel out from under the oppression of the Midianites.
God called Ruth to follow Naomi away from her land and her people into a strange land.
God called Philip to go on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip was used by God to bring salvation to the Ethiopian eunuch and then miraculously was transported away.
According to church tradition, God called Matthew to go to Ethiopia and Thomas to go to India. Throughout the history of the church, men and women have heard God call, “Come,” and left their home country and family to go out into the world to share the good news of Jesus.
Throughout the history of the church, men and women have shared their faith with their neighbors, friends and family.
God has called many to his service. “Come, “ teach a Sunday School class. Start a Bible Study in your home. Talk with your neighbor about me. Stand up in church to share what has been taking place in your relationship with me.
When God calls you to come, you end up going places you normally do not go.
To any of these things to which God has called you, you may be too frightened to obey. Jesus may say, “Come, “ but you are too afraid to step over the side of the boat and into the water.
When you are feeling afraid of going where God has called you to go, remember it is OK to fail. Peter started off walking on water and then had to be rescued. When we obey God’s call and go in places we normally do not go, Jesus is the safety net that helps us when we struggle.
Don’t turn away from an opportunity God gives you because it is not something you have ever done before or something you normally do not do. If God calls you, step out of the boat into the adventure he is providing you.
Faith takes you to places you normally would not go.
Faith takes us safely through life’s darkest moments. Faith takes too little and turns it into more than enough. Faith takes us to places we normally would not go. Fourthly, faith heals.
When Jesus came to get away to grieve, reflect and pray, the crowds came to be healed. After Jesus got in the boat with the disciples and they landed at Capernaum, the crowds came to him and everyone who touched his robe was healed.
The subject of healing in the church is sometimes controversial because of the abuse of those who seek to profit from this ministry. But you cannot escape the key role the gift of healing has had in the church over the ages.
At the beginning of his public ministry, Matthew tells us in chapter 4, verse 23:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.
Jesus healed the centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, a woman subject to bleeding for twelve years, a ruler’s daughter, a man with a shriveled hand, a man born blind and mute, a Caananite woman’s daughter, a boy with seizures, Bartimaeus who was born blind, a paralytic, a woman who was crippled for eighteen years, ten lepers, the chief priest’s servant whose ear Peter cut off with a sword when Jesus was being arrested. Then there is the widow’s son raised from the dead in the middle of a funeral procession and Lazarus who had been dead and in the grave for four days.
When the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus for proof that he was the Messiah, this is what Jesus told them:
“Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
But that was just Jesus. So let’s look at his disciples. Matthew records this in chapter 10:
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
And he sent them out with these instructions:
7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.
Some time after this Jesus appointed seventy-two and sent them out with these instructions:
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’
And then we get to the book of Acts where after Pentecost, the disciples kick into high gear.
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. …. people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.
Philip went to Samaria where:
With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
Paul
In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
The early church fathers, Augustine and others, reported healing as a part of their ministry. Luther and Calvin reported healing as part of the experience of their ministry.
Healing was an integral part of the ministry of Jesus and those who followed him. You can’t escape the fact that this is to be an integral part of church ministry.
However, because of the dramatic effect of healing, it is a dangerous and often misused and abused part of Christian ministry. The crowds wanted to make Jesus king because of what they experienced and that is the danger for all involved in healing today. Among those going out in the name of Jesus in healing ministries, there are fakers and men and women who have let their ministry go to their heads.
Healing carries with it certain dangers, but just because someone abuses what God has called us to do does not mean we are not supposed to obey God’s call.
When the Kingdom of God comes in full, when Jesus returns, there will be no sickness and no death. Until then, the effects of sin still prevail. We get sick and we die. But sometimes God chooses to break the power of death and disease and heal us here and now. The Kingdom of God will not be thwarted. The Kingdom of God continues to break through into this world. So we step out in obedience to the example and teaching of Jesus and his followers and pray for healing.
Faith takes us safely through life’s darkest moments. Faith takes too little and turns it into more than enough. Faith takes us to places we normally would not go. Faith heals.
This morning I want to offer the chance for you to come forward so we can pray with you. It may be you are fearful about death and want prayer for an experience of the perfect love which casts out all fear. It may be that you need prayer for a situation where you need God to turn too little into more than enough. It may be that you need prayer because God is calling you to go where you normally would not go. Or it may be that you need prayer for physical or emotional healing.
We would like to pray with you. While Mike and Jenny lead us in singing, come forward where we will wait to pray with you to have faith in the ways God wants you to have faith.
