Matthew 14:14

Matthew 14:14

In Matthew 14:14 the Bible says, "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." This verse reveals the attitude of Jesus towards the masses of humanity. You should measure your attitude towards others by the example that Jesus gave. As busy as Jesus was, He always had time to help others. It says that Jesus had compassion towards them. Because Jesus was on His way to the cross to die for the sins of the world, we know that the compassion of Jesus extended to the souls of people. Jesus loves us in every sense. He cares about our souls, and He cares about our physical lives. One day Jesus will remove all sickness forever in His kingdom to come. Make sure that you have a place in that kingdom.

The power of Jesus to heal any disease is a reminder to us that there is no situation without hope. There is always hope. Things can get better, because God can do anything. Even if God does not choose to heal you in this life, one day your soul will fly out of this world into the glorious liberty of the children of God, if you are a believer in Jesus. When Jesus takes you to heaven, you will be free from the sufferings and limitations of this life.

Matthew chapter 13 was a chapter of the great parables of Jesus. It was a chapter about His teachings. Matthew chapter 14 switches back to the things that Jesus did. Two of the most memorable of the things that He did are recorded in Matthew 14: the feeding of the 5,000 and the walking on water.

Matthew 14:15-21 records the feeding of the 5,000. It says, "And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give you them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves and two fish. He said, Bring them here to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children."

The miraculous feeding also teaches us that Jesus is compassionate towards everyone on the earth. He sympathizes with us and the daily requirements that we have. By this miracle Jesus reminds us that He will take care of us. God will provide. Remember that He said on the Sermon on the Mount, "But seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." God is the creator of life, and He is also the sustainer of life. Every time any creature finds food, it is God who provided it for them.

In the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus gives us an example of providing for others and helping others at a time when they are in need. Jesus used the means that He had at His disposal to feed the 5,000. He promises to supply our needs. Often He gives us over and above our needs, and one day we will be held responsible for what we have done with the resources that God has permitted to come to each of us. It says in Ephesians 4:28, "...let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, in order that he may have to give to him that needs." If God has given you the opportunity and the ability to acquire more than you need, one day you will be held accountable for what you did with the excess. If you have acquired things as a result of your labor, and have more than what you need, and have not shared with those less fortunate; then you have failed at fulfilling one of the purposes of God for your life. It is not God’s will that some should starve while others live in abundance and luxury. Give what and where you can to reduce the suffering in this world and you will be following Jesus’ example.

Matthew 14:22-23 says, "And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the even was come, he was there alone." There is a time to be involved in the hustle and bustle of life, living the life that God has given you and serving God by serving others. There is also a time to be alone so that you can think about God’s Word and so that you can talk to God. If Jesus did this, then certainly we need to do it. One of the dangers of our modern society with all of its entertainments, distractions, and responsibilities is that if we are not careful, we will become too busy to seek the Lord and spend time with Him. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warned against the common abuse of public prayer, and in His own life He showed the value and importance of personal and private prayer.

While Jesus was alone and praying, the disciples were attempting to cross the Sea of Galilee and a storm had come up. The Bible says in Matthew 14:24-33, "But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the forth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be you, bid me come to you on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him and said unto him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth you are the Son of God."

This incident where Jesus walked on the water is filled with a lot of symbolism about some of the things that take place in the life of a believer. We are saved by faith, and God also wants us to learn to live by faith. The disciples were caught in a storm. There will be storms for all of us: storms of trial and tribulation, storms of sorrow and grief, storms of loss and sickness, storms of disappointment and heartache.

The solution for the disciples to the predicament that they were in could be found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The solution to any storm that comes into your life can be found in Jesus. He is the master of the universe, and therefore, He is the master of the weather systems of this world. If you trust in Him, He will help you through any trouble. The important thing to remember is that your sufficiency is in Christ and not in yourself. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Make sure you start each day depending upon the Lord to meet each circumstance in your life.

We see in this incident that not only can Christ take you through the storm, but He can also give you mastery over it. Not only did Christ walk on the water, but Peter also walked on the water as long as Peter had confidence in the power of God through Jesus. Paul expressed in Romans 8:35 and 37 the idea of having Jesus to rely upon for any difficulty. Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Unlike Jesus, Peter began to sink after his first few steps on the water. The reason for his sinking was obvious. As soon as his faith in Jesus became replaced by fear of the storm, Peter began to sink. When Peter looked at Jesus, he had confidence in Jesus and Peter was able to walk on the water. But as soon as Peter took his eyes off Jesus and considered again the raging of the storm, Peter could no longer walk on the water. There are some things that God only does in response to our faith and our confidence in Him. That principle was expressed when Jesus visited Nazareth and the Bible says, "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

When you look at your circumstances, you will have anxiety and fear. When you look to Jesus, you will have confidence and security. One of the reasons that God allows trials in our lives is so that we may have an opportunity to exercise our faith and to see what God can do. In the above passage of scripture Peter failed, but he learned from his failure, and eventually his faith grew. He said in First Peter 1:7, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

When Peter began to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me." The Bible says that immediately Jesus took hold of Peter. God hears His children’s cries and God always takes good care of His children. Even though Peter was not focused enough to keep his eyes on Jesus, at the critical moment Jesus Himself did reach out and take hold of Peter. That is God’s grace, doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves and helping us up when we have failed.

When Peter cried out, "Lord, save me", he did so knowing that his only hope was in Jesus. He was at the end of himself. There was nothing that he could do to save himself except to ask for Jesus to save him. This is symbolic of salvation as well as of the Christian life. Anyone who has ever had their soul saved by Jesus must have called out to Jesus in the same way that Peter did here. The only hope for salvation for anyone is in the forgiveness of sins that is in Jesus Christ. Romans 10:13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

When Jesus first appeared to the disciples on the water, He said to them, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." The disciples were afraid because of the storm, but they did not have to be afraid. It is not God’s will that any of His followers suffer from fear. Fear is a universal human emotion. But fear can destroy the ability of a human to live life the way that it was meant to be lived. Fear is one of the great destructive enemies of the human race, and humans can fear almost anything. There is an endless list of the things that people fear.

The remedy that God has for fear is faith. Jesus said to Peter in verse 31, "O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?" If we looked at the situation from a human standpoint, we could say that the disciples had every reason to fear. They were in the middle of a storm in the Sea of Galilee, which is a very large lake. Some of the disciples were experienced fishermen, and they wisely knew what one of these storms could do. They knew that from a seaman’s viewpoint, they were in trouble.

But if we look at the situation from a spiritual standpoint, we are surprised to see the disciples so fearful. They had already seen so many miracles. In fact, just the day before the disciples were present at the feeding of the 5,000. In Matthew chapter 8, they saw Jesus calm another storm on the Sea of Galilee just by speaking to the wind. But before we are too harsh on the disciples, we must admit that we have been just like them at times. We sometimes fear our circumstances even though we should know that God will take care of us. When we take our eyes off of Jesus, and begin to focus mainly on the stormy trials around us, we also are in danger of sinking into a sea of despair and fear.

When the disciples first saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought they saw a ghost, and they cried out for fear. Superstitious fears interfered with faith. False ideas are the enemy of faith. We can conquer our fears with faith. Do not allow false ideas about spiritual matters to reduce your faith. Make sure that the things that you believe about spiritual matters are firmly founded upon Biblical teachings. If you do not, you will become an easier target for fear and doubt to overcome your faith when one of the storms of life comes your way.

Jesus said to the disciples, "Be of good cheer." This means: be courageous, be confident, be bold. The Lord wants His followers to be filled with the best of emotions, and He wants us to be the happiest of all the people on the earth. Jesus said, "I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly." He not only wants to save our souls, but He also wants to save our lives from the fears and sorrows of life. Faith is God’s means for you to overcome the negative emotions of human life. First John 5:4 says, "...this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith."

It is good to be cheerful. It is good to be positive. We should always make an effort to look on the good side of things. Jesus was positive, He wanted His disciples to be positive, and He wants us to be positive. You cannot have faith and be negative at the same time. Believers should be the most positive people on earth, no matter what their circumstances. Always remember these words from Jesus, "Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid."

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