14:15- 33 Jesus makes bread and walks on water.
Notes
Transcript
Last week Jesus was redrawing to sped sometime alone in a desolate place… To pray, to process what had happened, being rejected, and John’s death. To spend time in prayer with his father.
As we read in verse 13; it does not go that way, because crowds hear that Jesus is sailing, and they walk after the boat. They are after Jesus… Are we am I… They follow the boat on foot, to a desolate place, to be with Jesus. (Do I do or want or long for that?)
(What a contrast to last week, and the people in Nazareth, they did not believe in Jesus. But the crowed, walked and walked and followed the boat to get to Jesus). Are we more like the crowd or the people of Nazareth? Following or rejecting Jesus.
And as Jesus gets out of the boat (did he take a nap, we don’t know). He sees a great crowd. Jesus was trying to get away from the crowd, how does Jesus react? Thanks everyone for coming but you can all go home. I came here to pray alone, pleas leave. Don’t you know that I came here to get away from you?
No, that is not what happened, Jesus had compassion on the people and healed the sick.
A God of compassion…What does that mean? Jesus takes time to heal a lot of time, as we see in the next verse. Jesus sees their needs, and responds to them. Do I do you, have faith in a God of compassion? That God can meet us in our need, and help us restore us? Save us? Not jut in theory, but it is seen in the way we live and pray?
Jesus heals the sick, we have read how Jesus healed the sick many times, that Jesus is lord over the body and can heal and restore it. Is that seen in our way of life?
From verse 14 to 15 time seems to have passed and it is now evening, Jesus have been healing and talking/teaching the people. The disciples bring up a good point to Jesus, since there is no place for the people to get food, Jesus you should send them away to the villages so they can buy food. Because there is no food here or not much. 5000-20000. Range.
16 But Jesus then, testing the disciples said: No, they can stay, you give them food! (recall the disciples had said they had understood, Jesus’ teaching verse 52 chapter 13. Therefore, Jesus asks the them to provide food).
In 17 Well, that sounds good Jesus but we only have 5 bred and 2 fish. The did not fully understand Jesus.
– Jesus responds “bring the food to me”. Then Jesus ordered the crowd to sin down. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said a blessing.
Then the text said: then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Jesus words come true the disciples did give the crowd food. Okay but how did it happen, what did it look like? Sadie has asked me many times, a very good question. How do you think it happened? Like in a practical way… how did Jesus do it how did the bread appear? How does bread and fish multiply, by breaking it?
In the old testament every morning manna would be on the ground. Here Jesus says a prayer, but it does not seem like bred then fall from the sky, to feed 5000 + people. How then well I am not sure. Could it be that when Jesus breaks a the bred and gives a part, it just keeps being able to break the bread and… or what it when the disciple’s give it to the people the bred filled the baskets until all was full. And there was left overs 12 baskets of broken pieces. Jesus and the disciples had feed 5000+ children and woman. That is a lot of people. Jesus healing the sick, and providing food for the people that was seeking him out. Showing compassion for them… How are we at doing that? Showing compassion?
What did the disciples think? They don’t fall down and worship Jesus, and Jesus sends them away Immediately. What did they talk about on the boat? And what about the people? Did they even know? Did they see what Jesus did?
And what is it that Matthew wants us to see? Jesus is Lord of the body, and able to provide for the needs of people, he can ask his father and the bred will last, like the widow’s oil, and provide what is needed. The sign points to Jesus as the creator and healer. Jesus can pray and have bread for all the people that was there. Jesus is who Matthew said he is Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the savior, the provider, of healing and our physical and spiritual needs.
Then after Jesus dismissed the crowds, (how dose Jesus even do that, how does he make them go away? He healed them and feed them…) Then Jesus goes up the mountain by himself, to pray…. And Jesus is there alone at evening time. Jesus is praying, for a good while, 5-7 hours? That is a bit more that a short quiet time. There is such a huge difference/contrast in Jesus praying on the mountain, in peace, and what is happening to the boat with the disciples, the boat is beaten/tortured by the waves (Story about Copenhagen av av). The boat is also far from land, because the wind is against it…
Right now, as I am writing, my feet are cold, I have half of my running cloth on because it is windy and raining outside. I hope to report Sunday that I did get out, to enjoy even the rain and wind, and exercise my body. But I don’t like boats I don’t like wind, and if I was in that boat, I would have rater walked… Top Gun story crazy flinging – vs sailing in great waves and the boat tilting. No thanks. But that is just me what does Jesus do?
In the early morning Jesus come walking on the water. What? He does what? (Let’s just imagining that we have never heard the story before). This is not possible right? Or is it… Well Jesus does it, - instead of moving the water Jesus walks on it… and the it gets better… because what happened? The disciples are terrified, say it is a ghost, and we might say that does not make sense, but when we studied the book of Job we talked about water and what myths came from the chaos that water can be… Evil things and chaos came from the water, so in the minds of the disciples it might not be so unlikely, I mean alost as likely as Jesus walking on the water. But what I meant was that it is not only Jesus that walks on water Peter also does. But before that happens again Jesus shows compassion he said “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” – Words we need to hold on to and you might be needing today, don’t be afraid. I am here. (Speculation – Jesus way of making a preictal joke). It this another test for the disciples?
I am not sure that Peter is full of faith or thinks it is a ghost, but he responds, Lord if is you command me to come to you on the water. (What I would not do that, what if it was the ghost/ or they were just seeing things? And walking on the water no thanks). At that point I think I would be better just not to say much, until Jesus was done with what ever he was doing. But Peter is not like that, Jesus said come. – And Peter this time in great faith gets out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. – Crazy…. Peter also walked on water… So, in verse 29 all is well, very strange but well… But then Peter “wakes up” or sees wind – you can’t see the wild but only its affects. Peter gets afraid, and starts sinking… then he doses the right thing he cried out to Jesus, Lord save me.
Jesus, immediately reached out him and took hold of him, and the same time Jesus said O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Not, that we should argue with Jesus, but if I was Peter I would have said but I did walk most of the way to you on the water).
One of the crazy parts is that they are still out on the water… 32 said and when they got in to the boat, so they are walking back to the boat between verse 31-32… in wind and with the waves…
But as they get in to the boat, the wind stopped, all is calm, - Jesus is the lord of wind and the waves the lord of creation, making it possible to walk on water but also to make the wind stop.
I am so glad we are studying Matthew; I am learning so much, I hope you are enjoying it also, getting to know God better. Verse 33 I just don’t recall this verse, I know I read it many times, but I don’t remember, it is the confession of the disciples that Jesus is God, they worship, Jesus: “And said you are the son of God.” The worship shows that they think Jesus is God. (Any Jew worshiping anything ells than God was blaspheming).
What about you, today you heard about Jesus having compassion, healing, making food, walking on water are you going to respond like the disciples or the people from Nazareth, I am offended by Jesus, or No Jesus you are lord God… I will follow you.
For you as a follower of Christ, this is so good, Jesus has compassion on you, he calls us to not be afraid, He has power over the wind and the waves, he can control it all. Jesus is Lord of creation. Want a wonderful savior we serve. (Gospel prestation)
For you hearing this for the first time, or you are considering how to respond to Jesus and who he is… We are about half way the Matthews gospel, and the disciples are now worshiping Jesus. It will take some more time for us to see the hole picture, the disciples and everyone is going to think all had failed, as Jesus is killed. – But Jesus would tell them, many times it would happen, and that he would raise from the death, and he did. Jesus died so we could have our sins forgiven and be reconciled to God, and rose to give us the right standing with God. All of this is a free gift of God, where God shows how he loved you, and other people, responding like Peter Jesus you are Lord, you are son of God, I worship you. Is great and right response, not all will do that some til what to continue to be their own Gods, and stand in judgment of God. The end of them is clear, Jesus have said it many times, that they will not be in a good place, but removed to a place, of trash heap burning, worms, maggots, not a nice place.
Life with Jesus might be hard, but it is different at lived for God, - and will lead to joy, in Christ as we worship serve and enjoy Him as the disciples did at that moment on the boat.
On poupous I have not made many applications from the text, for some of you todays text was very familiar you know it well. And have heard many sermons on the to stories. I am in this sermon series – trying to paint a picture of who God is, and showing us how great and awesome Jesus is, to stir up our affections for him. And that in the power of the Holy Spirt we will live out, what we believe about Jesus to gods glory. (If we over apply we might miss the big point that Matthew is telling us that Jesus is the Christ).
A pastor/teacher pointed out that, if you know the stories of the old testament you can see how Jesus does the same things, healing, making food, raising the dead, the prophets – hit the water and the water separated like God did for Moses. We will see Jesus many of the same signs