Back to the Bible: Matthew 14:13-21
Hearing of John’s death, Jesus withdrew. He went to the far side of the sea by boat. Even there, crowds flocked to Him. But, instead of being frustrated, He looked on them with compassion and healed their sick.
At evening, the disciples said they needed to send the crowds away to get food. But, Jesus said the crowds didn’t have to leave; the disciples could give them food.
They explained that they only had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus took that, gave thanks, broke it off, handed it to the disciples, and they distributed it to the people.
This crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children, ate all they wanted and there were twelve baskets leftover.
Jesus then dismissed the crowds and told the disciples to take the boat to the other side. He went to pray alone. The boat was a long way off shore, but they were having a difficult time because of the wind and waves. But, in the late night (early morning, between 3 and 6), a figure came walking on the sea. They were terrified that it was a ghost, but Jesus told them it was alright, it was Him.
Peter responded that if it was Jesus, he wanted Him to command for Peter to come out on the water to Him. Jesus said, “Come.” Peter began to walk on the water toward Jesus! But, the wind frightened him and he began to sink, crying out to Jesus to save him. Jesus grabbed him, and said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” They got in the boat and the wind stopped. The disciples in the boat worshiped Him and said, “You are really the Son of God!”
When they made it back to land, some recognized Him, and the news spread rapidly. They brought all of their sick and just wanted to touch His garment’s hem. If they did, they were healed.
Lessons to Learn:
See Jesus. The point of these stories is to point us to His identity. He is the great provider. He has authority over the storms. He is the Great Physician. While these were incredible, they were pointing to something even greater. He is the Bread of Life– eternal life. He has conquered the fundamental causes of storms in our life, sin and death. He will heal us of our sin through forgiveness and discipleship.
In these miracles, He demonstrates that He is merciful and compassionate. We should trust Him even when our surrounding circumstances are out of our control. He is worthy of our worship. It is right for us to bring anyone we can to Him, because He has the power to heal in the most meaningful way.
Tune in to 100.7 WGOL Sunday at 8:30am for our Back to the Bible Radio Program. Reach out with your questions, comments, or requests for personal Bible study at backtothebiblepodcast.com or at info@backtothebiblepodcast.com.
