Okay, this might get confusing in this story everyone is named Herod or Herodias. Herod the tetrarch is the son of Herod the baby killer. Herod the tetrarch started to hear about Jesus and his work. So he said to his servants, John the Baptist has shown some mighty works like raising the dead. Herod had arrested John the Baptist, and jailed him for his brother’s wife sake. Because John said it was unlawful for Herod the tetrarch to marry her. Herod the tetrarch was afraid to kill John because the people knew John to be a prophet, and Herod didn’t want an uprising.
On Herod’s birthday, Herodia’s daughter (also named Herodias but better known as Salome) she pleased Herod so much with her special dance that he told her that she could have anything she wanted. Her mom told her what to ask for, the head of John the Baptist on a platter. I might have asked for a pearl or something because people really seemed to value those back then. Herod was sorry to say the least, but he had sworn an oath, so he sent to the prison and told them to behead John the Baptist. He gave it to his niece, and she brought it to her mother. Gross. That’s just icky.
So John’s disciples, came and buried the body and told Jesus what had happened. Jesus left by ship to a separate desert and when the people heard, they followed him on foot out of the cities. Jesus saw the huge group of people and felt a great compassion for them, so he healed their sick. That night, his disciples came to him asking him to send away the big crowd of people, so they could go to the village and buy food.
Jesus said, they don’t have to go, give them what you have to eat. Okay it literally reads “Give ye them to eat” Which in my mind is sacrfifice yourself for them to eat. But I don’t think JC is a cannibal so I’m choosing to read it at share your food folks. Well, they only have five loaves of bread and two fish. Bring them me, JC instructs them. Then he told the crowd to sit down, and looking up to heaven he blessed the food, and he broke the food up and gave it to the disciples and send them out to feed the crowd. And everyone had their fill, and there were enough fragments to fill twelve baskets. There were about five thousand men plus women and children who all ate as much as they wanted.
Right away Jesus gathers his disciples back on the boat to go to the other side, while he sends the crowd away. Then he went up to the mountain to pray and he stayed alone up there until the evening. By this time the boat was getting tossed around on the sea, because they was a vexing wind. So late that night Jesus walks out on the water to them. Dude, he just walked on water! I mean he just walked out to the boat, through the waves. I am so impressed! But it totally scared the disciples, because event thought they had seen him heal the sick, raise the dead, and calm the seas, they had never seen this trick! Jesus told them to be not to be afraid.
Peter immediately asks if he can walk on the water too, because at this point Jesus was totally sharing his powers. Jesus told him to come on over, and Peter started walking on water too. But Pete was afraid of the big loud winds and he grew fearful and started to sink. He cried Lord save me! Jesus stretched out and caught him with a sigh, ye of little faith, why did you doubt?
When they came to the boat, the wind quieted, and all that were in the ship worshipped JC saying it’s true you are the son of god!
Then they crossed to the land of Gennsaret, once the people started to here about JC they brought him their sick. And who ever touched Jesus or his clothes were made perfectly whole. That had to be a little uncomfortable for JC with I bet they thronged him.
I haven’t enjoyed a chapter of Mathew this much for a long time, this might be my favorite chapter, I mean awesome stuff this chapter, there is the gruesome story of how John the Baptist lost his head, and to balance it we get the miracle of the food, the miracle of walking on water, people are healed, and JC being a little nicer to folks again. And you know what, it sucks that John the Baptist was confused about the rules of what actually constitutes incest, because if he hadn’t told Herod that he shouldn’t marry his brother’s widow, he could have kept his head. And by the way Herod’s bother’s name was Herod Philip. Just to make things more confusing.
That's a pretty awesome chapter! I love the John the Baptist story.
ReplyDeleteIn Matthew Jesus is more sharing. It was cool of him to invite Petie out on the water. My JC does it all by himself, not nearly as friendly.