Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Part I

NOTE: Some might think that the ensuing dissertation by Jesus involves only the legalistic aspects of Jewish Law and customs. But Christ is making a spiritual point which implicates our real attitude toward God. Just as the Pharisees were guilty of violating God’s commandments with the traditions of man, that helped them circumvent their vows, we are also often guilty of the same trespass when we worship God in obedience to forms and traditions that have become substitutes for the genuine article. There is little difference between ourselves and the Pharisees when we repeat memorized prayers, or repetitious creeds; give redundant testimonies, or sing songs by rote, and go through actions that have become nothing more than subconscious reflexes brought on by years of practice, without our hearts really being involved in what we bring to the Living God as worship. Unfortunately, in some churches services have become so perfunctory that any emotional outbursts of praise and adoration to God are frowned upon.

Verses 1-2: Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus. They came from Jerusalem and asked Him: “Why do your followers not obey the traditions we have from our great teachers who lived long ago? Your followers don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

It is apparent now that the news about what Jesus was doing up in Galilee had reached Jerusalem to such a degree that the religious leaders felt it was time to take action. These first two verses are not so much a recording of the incident as they are a setup for what Jesus had to share that would challenge these Scribes and Pharisees on their interpretation of the law. It is a case of commandment verses custom. Jesus and His disciples are accused of breaking a tradition instituted by man, not one instructed by God.

Early church theologian Origen sees it this way. He says: “Pharisees and scribes came to Him from Jerusalem. They did not come because they were amazed at the power in Jesus that healed people even if they ‘only touched the edge of his cloak.’ Instead, they came with a faultfinding attitude and brought an accusation before the teacher. The accusation did not concern the transgression of a commandment of God but rather the transgression of one tradition of the Jewish elders. Probably the charge of the faultfinders itself displays the piety of the disciples of Jesus, because they offered no grounds at all for criticism by the Pharisees and scribes in regard to transgressing the commandments of God. The Pharisees and scribes would not have brought the charge of transgressing the commandment of the elders against the disciples of Jesus if, indeed, they were able to get a firm hold on the ones who were being accused and were able to show that they were transgressing a commandment of God.”¹

Jewish scholars tell us that among the Jews, traditions were based primarily upon what were called “verbal teachings,” that had been successively handed down from Moses through each generation to Rabbi Judah the Patriarch,² who compiled and categorized them it into what is called the Mishnah.³ Another revered Rabbi gives an even more exhaustive list of 39 recipients from Moses down to the years 352-427 AD.⁴ The next few centuries added the Gemara.⁵ The Mishnah plus the Gemara equals the Talmud.⁶ There are two versions of the Talmud – the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud. The Jerusalem Talmud was finally composed circa 200-250 AD, so we can see that all of these teachings in Jesus’ day were already being transmitted through the spoken word. Once these teachings were written down, there was no longer any need to pass them on verbally. For those interested in further study, the venerable Jewish Rabbi Moses Maimonides shares some of these traditions in one of his Tractates.⁷

According to Jewish history, Rabbi Ashi, who reestablished the Academy at Sura (Babylon), was the first editor of the Babylonian Talmud. The esteem in which these were held by the Jews is seen in the following example: “The associates in the name of Rabbi Yohanan said, ‘The words of the scribes are as relative in importance to the words of the Torah, and as dear as the words of Torah.’ As it says, ‘And your palate desires the words of the scribes as much as it does the best wine of the Torah.⁸”⁹ Another respected Rabbi added this comment: “The words of the scribes…are more dear than the words of the Torah.”¹⁰ And then another Rabbi boldly remarks: “I will prove to you that the words of the scribes are more dear than the words of the Torah.”¹¹ He goes on to explain that a Rabbi named Tarfon¹² would have only been guilty of neglect had he forgotten to recite the Shema – “Hear, Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one,” from the Torah. But when he violated the words of the scholars of Hillel,¹³ he was liable to be put to death. This shows that the words of the scribes are more important than the words of the Torah. This is what Jesus faced when He confronted them with what God said.

We find this conjecture became part of verbal tradition when a Rabbi admonished his son: “My son, be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah, for in the laws of the Torah there are positive and negative precepts; but, as to the laws of the Scribes, whoever transgresses any of the enactments of the Scribes incurs the penalty of death.”¹⁴ So no wonder Jesus received such strong rebukes when He stated that the Word of God He brought was superior to the words of the scribes that they brought.

It appears this was the crux of the discussion and argument in this part of Matthew. Such doctrines and sayings were also transmitted from father to son by word of mouth, and thus preserved among the people. Such traditions constitute a large part of Jewish verbal teachings and many legal doctrines seek to trace their origin from Moses on Mount Sinai, which Jews call “Sinaitic Commandments.” There are other traditions, however, which refer to national and historical events, rather than to difficulties in the Jewish law, written or verbal. It was intended to fill in the gaps left by the written law, because the scribes and Pharisees did not think it told the whole story.

Here Jesus indicts the Pharisees for breaking the divine commandments of God. It is clearly pointed out that tradition, when contrary to true message, is vain and useless. Nonetheless, some self-righteous people in different parts of the world continue to be involved in activities that offend God, but they excuse it by calling it tradition. But the Word of God calls for holiness and purity. In some places, when sinners take things that are not theirs it is called, stealing, but when hypocrites do the same thing it is called, misappropriation; the sinner lies, but the hypocrite merely bends the truth; the sinner gossips, but the hypocrite is simply getting the word out. But when we become a new creature in Christ Jesus, it breaks those traditions because old things pass away and all things become new.

Violating a commandment because of tradition is without justification and therefore sin. The bone of contention here between Jesus’ disciples and these Pharisees and scribes was the washing of the hands before eating. On the surface it may appear that the disciples had not learned basic hygiene. But there is more to it than that. It is most likely that the Pharisees were more upset with the manner in which the disciples were washing their hands. We are told, that for Jews washing one’s hands before eating fruit was not required. As a matter of fact, it was considered pretentious to do so. But before priests were to eat any bread, we are told: “The hands are ritually washed with a cup that contains between 2.5-3.0 oz for the eating of non-sacred food, for tithes, and for offerings; and for the eating of consecrated food, the hands are immersed into 74 gallons of water; this is because if his hands become impure, his entire body becomes impure and he must immerse his entire body. If a person immersed in a pool for the eating of non-sacred food, and intended to remain pure for non-sacred food, he is forbidden to eat food given as tithes.”¹⁵

In the first written version of the verbal tradition, one Rabbi says: “Once the hands have been washed, one says a blessing over the bread, and that is the beginning of the meal.”¹⁶ More everyday requirements are also found in Jewish writings such as: “Washing hands between courses in the meal is a matter of choice. If one desires, one may wash; if not, one need not. There is no obligation to wash before partaking of unconsecrated fruit, whether before eating or afterward. To the contrary, whoever washes his hands before partaking of fruit is considered among the haughty. Whenever bread is eaten with salt, it is necessary to wash one’s hands afterward, lest it contain Sodomite salt or salt that resembles Sodomite salt, and after eating, one inadvertently pass one’s hands over one’s eyes and blind them. This is the reason why we are obligated to wash after eating.”¹⁷ The same Rabbi goes on the explain: “If the hands were immersed in drawn water, whether in a container or a pool, the person’s hands are not purified. Instead, drawn water poured from a container must fall upon his hands. For hands may only be washed from containers and using human effort.”¹⁸

It really sounds as though over the many centuries of commentary, each generation of Rabbis tried to “out holy” one another. I remember growing up in a strict Pentecostal organization where all manner of jewelry was outlawed in favor of external holiness. Ministers found themselves in hot debates over whether the wedding ring belonged to the category of jewelry. As a result of hardliners many were turned away from the church because they would not comply with removing their wedding band. Can you imagine a woman who just received Christ as her Savior, going home and telling her husband that she was not going to wear her wedding ring anymore because now she was a real born again Christian? It appears that this was the modern equivalent of verbal tradition winning out over the written word.

So it seems that the real crime here on the part of Jesus’ disciples may have been that they were washing their hands in a basin instead of having water poured over them. But these Pharisees and scribes were tame compared to some Rabbis. One particular Rabbi proclaimed: “Whoever washes his hands before the meal must lift them up lest the water pass beyond the finger joint and then flow back and render the hands unclean.”¹⁹ It is clear from these instructions that there was less interest in actually getting the hands clean than there was in fulfilling the details of the ritual. Unfortunately, this same spirit crept into Christianity over the centuries with regard to Communion and Water Baptism. There is more interest in fulfilling the mandate than in gaining what these ordinances are really intended to do. In some cases, like these Rabbi’s here, unless the Eucharist and Christening are done in a certain prescribed way, then the person administering these sacraments is to blame for misleading and defiling either the communicant or the convert.

Then, another Rabbi chimes in: “Whoever eats bread without previously washing the hands is as impure as if he just had intercourse with a harlot.”²⁰ But a different Rabbi goes even further: “Whoever makes light of washing the hands before and after a meal will be eliminated from the world.”²¹ Not only that, but there is an added factor. If one violated these rules on the washing of hands before giving or eating food, they might be in danger of being possessed by an evil spirit that endangers the health of those that eat the food their unwashed hands have touched.²² This evil spirit named, Sibetha, came in the form of a foul odor.²³ As a matter of fact, one Rabbi got a reputation of being good at concocting medicines. It was said: “Whenever he discovered some new medicine he would fill a water jug with it and suspend it outside above the doorstep and proclaimed: Whosoever desires let him come and take of it. Some say, he knew from tradition a medicine for the Sibetha disease, and he would suspend a jugful of water and proclaim, Whosoever needs it let him come and wash his hands so that he may save his life from danger.”²⁴

So committed were some Jews to this ritual that when one Rabbi was in prison he had only enough water to wash his hands, but that would leave him with nothing to drink, so he stated to the prison guard: “What can I do? When someone disobeys the words of the Rabbis they deserve to die. Therefore, it is better for me to die than to transgress against the opinion of my colleagues.”²⁵ So we can see what kind of opposition Jesus was up against on even the most minor of points such as on how one washes their hands before eating.

Early church preacher Chrysostom offers this view: “Now consider with me how they are convicted even by the very act of asking the question. For they do not say, ‘Why do they transgress the law of Moses?’ Instead they say, ‘Why do they transgress the tradition of the elders?’ From this it is clear that the priests were instituting many new practices, even though Moses with great fear and with dreadful words had commanded that one should neither add nor take away anything. For he says, ‘Do not add to this word that I am commanding you today, and do not take away from it.’ But this did not at all stop them from instituting new practices. The issue here provides an example: eating with unwashed hands, which they thought unlawful. They focused inordinately on the outward rites of washing cups and things made of bronze and the rules for washing themselves. By this time, they should have been released from needless observances. God’s timing had moved forward to that point. But just at that point they bound people up with many more observances. Why did they turn things upside down? Because they were afraid that someone might take away their power. They wanted others to be more afraid of them. They themselves had become the lawgivers. The issue of transgressing the traditions of the elders had gotten so inverted that they were insisting that their own commandments be kept even if God’s commandment was violated. They exercised so much obsessive control that the issue finally became a matter of formal legal accusation. But the indictment would instead fall against them in two ways. They themselves were instituting new practices and were devising punishments in regard to their own observances while placing no value on those instituted by God.”²⁶

When we look at the various denominations of the Christian church today we can see a variety of rites, rituals, ordinances, customs and traditions that influence the way the Gospel is preached, sinners are invited to receive forgiveness, praise and worship is conducted, water baptism is administered, foot washing is observed, etc., etc. What is most enlightening, is how many of them are not found in the Scriptures, but can be traced back to interpretations of scripture by preachers and scholars. But one of the most frightening factors is how God’s punishment is declared by one denomination on another when they do not adhere to the man-made customs and traditions they practice.

UPDATE FOR ALL STUDENTS AND READERS

We just finished the very dramatic Chapter 14 of Matthew’s Gospel. We saw where the wicked king Herod was forced to arrest John the Baptizer because his wife was upset over what the preacher was saying. It seems that in one or more of his sermons John the Baptizer had denounced Herod for illegally taken his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias, to be his wife. Philip and Herodias already had a daughter named Salome.

But Herodias wasn’t finished, she didn’t want John the Baptizer merely arrested and then let go after a certain period of time. No! She wanted him dead! But how? Then she hatched a plan. She had her beautiful young daughter, Salome, to dance on Herod’s birthday. It was a custom for a king to be generous on his birthday. So she instructed her daughter that when Herod asked what it was he could give her for such an enticing dance, she was to say, “I want John the Baptizer’s head served on a platter.”

With reluctance, Herod did just that. And when Jesus heard about it, because John the Baptizer was a relative through his mother, Mary; and because John the Baptizer had been ordained by God to be the messenger announcing Jesus’ coming and ministry, He took it personally. This prompted Jesus to seek solitude where He could grieve, but when He arrived at his destination, a large crowd was there to greet Him. So instead of sending them away to wait another day, He began to teach them and heal their sick.

By the end of the day everybody was hungry, so Jesus asked His disciples to feed them. But they had no food. Then Jesus asked them to see what they could find. They came back with a little boy’s lunch consisting of five small flatbreads and two sardines. So Jesus took this little meal, blessed it, gave some to each of His disciples and told them to distribute it. What a miracle! There was enough food to feed 5,000 men plus women and children! Not only that but when they took up the scraps it filled twelve baskets!

When it was all over, Jesus told His disciples to go by boat across the lake to the other side and He would join them later. While on the crossing, the disciples ran into a wind storm. It got worse as the night wore on. Then, right in the middle of the night, a figure appeared walking on the water. At first, they were frightened, but when Jesus identified Himself it calmed their fears. However, Peter wanted to make sure. So he asked the figure on the water to invite him over to where He was. Jesus did so, and Peter got out of the boat, and sure enough, he started walking on the water toward Jesus.

But the wind was still blowing pretty hard and the water was not calm and smooth and Peter became afraid as he stepped over one whitecap after another. As soon as he took his eyes off Jesus, Peter began to sink into the stormy waves. But Jesus reached out and pulled him back up, and together they walked to the boat. As soon as they got in, the wind stopped, the waves ceased, and they sailed on to their destination.

The disciples were astounded. They looked at each other, then turning to Jesus they bowed before Him and said, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” They then kept on sailing until they arrived at their destination. But as soon as they embarked from  the boat and came on shore, people there recognized Jesus and soon the word spread. So people started bringing their family and friends to be healed, merely by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment.

What a wonderful story! But instead of Jesus setting up His ministry headquarters there, He would soon be greeted by skeptics and doubters. They were not out to learn more about the anointed prophet from Galilee but to find fault with Him and His disciples. We will encounter them in the next chapter. I hope and pray you will continue to walk along with me as we travel this path in Matthew’s Gospel, telling the greatest story every told.

I want to thank you and congratulate you on your love for God’s Word. And I ask Him to bless you for taking the time to study it so that you can know more about His Son Jesus. God bless you.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Part V

Verse 34: After they finished crossing the lake, they arrived at the shore of Gennesaret.

According to Jewish historian Josephus, Gennesaret, meaning in Hebrew,”garden of the prince,” was a fertile district on the northwestern shore of the lake, situated between the cities of Capernaum to the north, and Tiberias to the south which gave the lake its name. It is 13 miles long, and 8 miles wide, with a maximum depth of 141 feet. It would later become known among Christians as the “Sea of Galilee.” The area of Gennesaret is about halfway between Capernaum and Magdala where Mary (known as Magdalene) came from.

It is that part of the Promised Land originally given to the tribe of Naphtali. In one Jewish commentary we read: “And Moses the prophet of the Lord blessed the tribe of Naphtali, and said: Naphtali favors and delights in the fish of the sea which falls within his portion; and he will be nourished with blessings in the fruits of the valley of Gennesaret which has been given him from the Lord; he will inherit the water of Sopheni, and the sea of Tebaria (Tiberias).”

To this we find what is written in a Jerusalem Fragment attached to a Jewish commentary: “And Moses the prophet of the Lord blessed the tribe of Naphtali, and said: Naphtali shall be satisfied with favor, and be filled with blessings from the Lord; he will have possession to the west of the sea of Gennesaret, and to the south.”¹ It certainly was one of the choice portions of Canaan that went to Naphtali. The Jews spoke of it as being a very fruitful place, which gave rise to this story: “Rabbah ben Bar Hannah said: When we went to visit Rabbi Johanan to eat the fruit of Gennesaret, when there were a hundred of us we used to take him ten pieces each, and when there were ten of us we used each to take him a hundred each, and a hundred could not be gotten into a basket holding three-fourths of a bushel, and he would eat them all and then swear that he had not eaten a thing.”²

This fruit was so good and tasty that Rabbi Abin son of Rabbi Adda quoted Rabbi Issac as saying: “Why is there no fruit of Gennesaret available in Jerusalem? So that the Festival pilgrims would not say. ‘If we were to ascend to Jerusalem merely to eat the fruits of Gennesaret it would suffice us.’ In that case, the object of the pilgrimage would not meet its original purpose.”³ As a matter of fact, we are told that Gennesaret was often referred to as being, “At the end of the valley of fatness, crushed by wine,”⁴ because its fruit was so sweet.⁵

We also find an interesting story in the Old Testament about this area, that occurred when Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land to conqueror it.⁶ Even the great Jewish historian Josephus has much to say about this area:

“The land also that lies next to this lake has the same name of Gennesaret; its climate is wonderful as well as its beauty; its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow on it, and the inhabitants accordingly plant all sorts of trees there; for the temperature so well mixed, that it agrees very well with those several sorts, particularly walnuts, which require the coldest air, flourish there in vast plenty; there are palm trees also, which grow best in hot air; fig trees also and olives grow near them, which yet require an air that is more temperate. One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together; it is a happy contention of the seasons, as if every one of them laid claim to this land; for it not only nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruit beyond men’s expectation, but preserves them a great while; it supplies men with the principal fruits, with grapes and figs continually, during ten months of the year and the rest of the fruits as they become ripe together through the whole year; for besides the good temperature of the air, it is also watered from a most fertile fountain. The length of this land extends itself along the banks of this lake that bears the same name for about four miles, and is two and a half miles wide. And this is the nature of that place.”⁷

Knowing all this, we can see two things that may have brought Jesus to Gennesaret at this point of time in His ministry. First, He had just finished several long, tiring weeks of ministry and needed some rest. So what better place to visit and taste its wonderful fruit than Gennesaret? Also, this was the area where a woman who was desperately in need of healing was waiting for just one touch of His garment, a meeting that was already assigned to Him before the world began.

Verse 35: Some of the men living there spotted Jesus and recognized Him. So they sent the word around to other people throughout that area that Jesus had come. The people then brought all their sick relatives to Him.

It appears, the men living in Gennesaret had more faith in Christ’s abilities than what His own disciples showed.⁸ The disciples conveyed concern in the presence of Christ while the men of Gennesaret displayed confidence. The disciples called for Jesus to help them, the men of Gennesaret called others to be helped by Christ. Isn’t it odd, that over the years there have some atheists and agnostics who have read more of the Bible than many believers. While these skeptics are looking in the Scriptures for something to criticize, it seems that these believers have little interest in looking for something to confirm. Here, for example, is an article about a well-known British atheist and skeptic, Dr. Malcolm Muggeridge:

Last December Malcolm Muggeridge — iconoclast, womanizer, and professional cynic — stunned his native England by converting to Christianity. Muggeridge took Holy Communion in a small steepled chapel in Hurst Green, Sussex, and when the service was over he said, “It’s a particularly joyful sort of day. It’s rather like when you fall in love with a woman and ask her to marry you. You know there are no more questions to be asked.”

What does a journalist do when he runs out of questions? That’s what Muggeridge’s friends at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said condescending toward his new faith, whispering to each other. But Muggeridge would have answered: “He becomes an atheist.” It is atheism which refuses to grapple with the ultimate questions of where man came from, what he is doing here, and where he is headed. Muggeridge says, “It is one of the fantasies of the 20th century that believers are believable people, sentimental people, and that you have to be a materialist and a scientist and a humanist to have a skeptical mind. But of course, exactly the opposite is true.”⁹

The early church preacher Chrysostom had this to say: “For neither did they approach Him as before, dragging Him into their houses and seeking a touch from His hand and directions from Him in words. But now in a far higher pattern, and with greater self-denial and with a more abundant faith, they tried to win themselves a cure. By now the woman who had the issue of blood had taught them all to be constrained in seeking wisdom. And the Evangelist, also implying that at long intervals Jesus visited the various neighborhoods, said, ‘When the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick.’ Far from abolishing their faith, this interval of miracles had made it even greater and preserved it vigorously.”¹⁰

Verse 36: They begged Jesus to let them only touch the edge of His cloak to be healed. And all the sick people who touched His cloak were healed.

The concept of touching the hem of Jesus robe might be traceable to what we find in the pattern for Aaron’s robe.¹¹ The seamstresses were to use blue, purple, and red yarn to make cloth images of pomegranates. Then these pomegranates were hung around the bottom edge of the robe with gold bells in between each one. Aaron was only to wear this robe when he was doing his priestly duties. That way, as he moved around inside the Most Holy Place, the bells would ring upon his going in and his coming out. This was intended to keep him from dying while on duty without anyone knowing. As a result, it began to be believed that there was power in the hem to keep Aaron alive. So we can see that anyone who might touch that hem could receive some of that power to make them whole from sickness.

Early church Bishop Poitiers offers this on the subject of people seeking just to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe: “Many things came in the way that, after the gathering of five thousand men who were filled to satisfaction, dampened our effort to give a proper account. Our understanding on this point, however, remains the same. The time of the law was over, and five thousand men were brought into the church from Israel. The believing people now hastened from the law, saved through their faith. They offered to God the remaining persons among them who were feeble and ill. These offered persons wanted to touch the hem of his garment to be made whole through faith. As from the hem of the entire garment, the whole power of the Holy Spirit came forth from our Lord Jesus Christ. This power was given to the apostles, who were also going out as it were from the same body, and it afforded healing to those who wished to touch the garment.”¹²

This is certainly one spiritual way of looking at it, but there were other things at work throughout all of Galilee and Judea. Even though it was quite a walk from Capernaum to Jerusalem, there were many who walked that way for the purposes of trade, visiting, and of course, the festivals in Jerusalem. So I’m sure it did not take long before the word got around about this self-appointed prophet from Nazareth who was spreading a new concept of salvation among the Jewish people in Galilee. And since He had not been endorsed or commissioned by the Sanhedrin, they were certainly curious as to what He was up to, especially any talk about Him being the awaited Messiah. So in the next chapter, we will see their reaction to this man who could forgive sins, raise the dead, heal lepers, feed thousands with a small lunch, and people could be healed simply by touching the hem of His garment.

LEARN TO SMILE AT YOUR ENEMY

In one of Greek writer Aristophanes’ plays, we find this line: “The wise can often profit by the lessons of an enemy.”¹ In other words, if you are smart you will gain knowledge from the difficulties that you face. The character in the play goes on to explain that you can learn things from an enemy you cannot acquire from a friend. After all, it’s our enemies that teach us to be cautious, to develop ways to protect ourselves so we are not so vulnerable into being fooled or misled.

While it is inadvisable to go out and deliberately make enemies, it is also naïve to think that we don’t have them. So instead of letting things in life that threaten our well-being, peace of mind, sense of security, and purpose for living cause us to be fearful and unwilling to go forward, use them to develop the necessary talent and abilities to survive victoriously.

That’s why on a spiritual level, the apostle James wrote to his friends: “My brothers and sisters, be very happy when you are tested in different ways. You know that such testing of your faith produces endurance. Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t feel so helpless.”²

WHO SAYS, GOD DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE

As I drove along a very straight but narrow highway in Serbia, Yugoslavia, in the passenger seat sat the legally blind bishop, and in the back seat sat a paraplegic pastor with his wife. Several days before, the regional communist party chief summoned me to his office. He wanted to know why I was there and what I was going to do. I did not hide anything and told the truth. I told him that I was a preacher and had been invited there to speak to several congregations. He graciously gave me permission to preach as long as I did not say anything against the communist party.

As my passengers and I chatted we came up behind a tanker truck and seeing no oncoming traffic I pulled out into the passing lane. Just as the right front end of my car came alongside the left rear wheels of the tanker, the driver suddenly moved over into the passing lane. I threw on my brakes and pulled to the left to avoid a collision. However, because the road was so narrow, I ran out of room because there was no shoulder, and just as his tires were about to hit my vehicle, my left front wheel dropped over the edge of a 15-foot down-slope lined with trees along a stream at the bottom. My car could have easily rolled over, but just as we started down the incline, it was as if an invisible pair of hands took hold of mine on the steering wheel and guided us safely to a level spot between the road, the ditch, and the trees.

When my car came to a stop, we all started to breathe again and began praising the Lord for His protection. I was able to drive along the stream until I could pull back up on the road and continue our journey to where I was scheduled to preach that night. Although we were in somewhat of a shock, we talked more about how God saved us from an accident than we did about the truck driver pulling over and causing us to leave the road in such a desolate place.

The little barn that had been converted into a church was packed with over 100 people. Their passionate praises in song touched my heart. I spoke through an interpreter, and at the close of my sermon, I gave the altar call. Several stood up to receive Christ as their Savior. But when one particular lady stood up, the whole congregation broke into tears and started magnifying God with praise. I didn’t know who she was or why the congregation responded so emotionally to her responding to the invitation to be born again.

After the service, the bishop came to me with a look of elation. He said excitedly, “The woman, who stood up tonight to be born again, is the wife of the communist party chief you saw in order to get permission to preach!” We rejoiced in the Lord as I wondered what her husband would say when she went home and told him what happened. That the preacher he allowed to speak was the one God used to bring her to Christ.

On our trip back to the town where we were staying, I noticed that on both sides of the road there were 30ft high trees planted about 15 feet apart running along the stream. That caused me to wonder how it was that I missed those trees after we went off the road. As we approached the spot where it happened I suddenly noticed why. On this 30 plus mile stretch of highway, the place where my car came to rest was the only location on either side of the road where a gap of thirty feet between the trees existed.

It then became clear to me; Satan did not want us to make it to that church for this woman to receive salvation. However, our God was in full control. I learned then, that sometimes God allows a storm to catch us, just like the disciples, so that Jesus can come and rescue us, and show us His power and supremacy over the devil. That miracle gave me even more strengthened faith to never doubt Him in any situation.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Part IV

Verse 22: “Then Jesus immediately made His disciples get into a boat. He told them to sail to the other side of the lake. He said He would come later after saying goodbye to the crowd.

This is not the first time Jesus sought solitude so He could pray alone.¹ But because of the ensuing events, I’m convinced that He had more on His mind than just praying. He was about to show His disciples something they had never seen before to convince them that He truly was the Son of God, the Messiah. If there was anything that persuaded people in those days that an individual possessed divine qualities, it was their power over nature.

For instance, among the Greeks, Zeus was believed to be the presiding deity of the universe, ruler of the skies and the earth, and was regarded as the god of all natural phenomena in the sky; the personification of the laws of nature; the ruler of the state; and finally, the father of gods and men. By using his shield, called the Aegis, Zeus could create all natural phenomena related to the air and the sky, such as rainstorms, windstorms, and intense darkness. At his command, mighty thunders would flash and lightnings would roll, wreaking havoc; or the skies would open to rejuvenate the earth with life-giving water. However, Jesus’ disciples were about to see someone greater than Zeus.

Early church Bishop Hilary offers this insight: “The spiritual significance of this must be discerned, comparing the order or nature with the coming revelation. The historical event of His being alone in the evening anticipates a future event: His solitude at the time of the Passion when everyone else had fled in fear.”² In other words, Jesus did not panic in the storm because He already knew while things were quiet that God was in control. Oh, how fitting are the words by Horatio Spafford in the second verse of his song that goes: “Though Satan should buffet though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed His own blood for my soul. It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul.”

Verse 23a: Then after saying goodbye to the people, Jesus went up into the hillside by Himself to pray.

This must not have surprised the people left on the shore with Jesus, to see Him head for the hills for solitary prayer. After all, that’s how Moses spoke with God on the slopes of Mt. Horeb in Sinai. Yet, many Rabbi’s didn’t think it was proper to imitate Moses. We read where one Rabbi says: “A man should not stand on a high place when he prays, but he should pray in a lowly place, as it says, ‘Out of the depths have I called Thee, O Lord.’³”⁴ This was no doubt the continuation of the teachings found in another earlier Jewish document.⁵

Here, even one of their esteemed Rabbis commented: “One should not stand in a place more than three to six inches high and pray. Similarly, he should not pray while standing on a bed, bench, or chair. A raised platform that has a surface area of six feet by six feet which is the minimum size of a house, is considered like an attic. Therefore, one is permitted to pray there. Similarly, if it is surrounded by walls, even if it is not six feet by six feet, one may pray there, since its height is not noticeable, because it constitutes an area unto itself.”⁶ By such thinking, people were trying their best to impress God. But for Jesus, that was man’s verbal tradition, not a law from His Father in heaven.

Early church preacher Chrysostom gives us his thoughts on this incident: “For what purpose does He go up into the hills on the mountain? To teach us that solitude and seclusion are good when we are to pray to God. With this in view, you see, we find Him continually withdrawing into the wilderness. There He often spends the whole night in prayer. This teaches us earnestly to seek such quietness in our prayers as the time and place may afford. For the wilderness is the mother of silence; it is a calm and a harbor, delivering us from all turmoils.”⁷

Oh how true! So often, the only time we earnestly pray and call out for God’s guidance is when we are suddenly in trouble and facing overwhelming odds. Jesus did not wait until He was in the middle of the problem to lift up His eyes and pray, He did so knowing that it was important to solidify His contact with the Father before things happened. If we do not pray before we go out to do His will, we may not be able to pray when suddenly caught in a storm we cannot control.

Verses 23b-24: He stayed there all alone until late in the evening, and by this time the boat with the disciples was a long way from shore, and was having trouble making progress because the strong headwinds and high waves were beating against it.

No doubt, what was about to take place out on the lake, and what would occur once He arrived at the boat’s location was already on Jesus’ mind. He was not reacting to an occasion, He was responding to an opportunity. But Jesus did not start walking before the disciples had been given an chance to use their wits and talent to overcome the obstacles now against their reaching the other shore. Listen to what Augustine has to say about this: “When all good advice fails and the rudder is useless and the spread of the sails presents more of a danger than an advantage, when all human help and strength have been abandoned, the only recourse left for the sailors is to cry out to God. Therefore, will He who helps those who were sailing to reach port safely abandon His church and prevent it from arriving in peace and tranquility?”⁸ Of course, the answer is “No!”

Chrysostom put these lines in his sermon: “This was all for their training, that they might not look for some easy hope of preservation from any earthly source. He then allows them to be tossed by the storm all night! This had the purpose of awakening their stony hearts in a most complete way. This is how Jesus dealt with the nature of their fear, which the rough weather and the timing had produced. He cast them directly into a situation in which they would have a greater longing for Him and a continual remembrance of Him.”⁹ No wonder when we look back on Church history we see many storms that believers have gone through, yet they persevered because they knew Jesus would never forsake them.

Verse 25: Between three and six o’clock in the early morning, Jesus’ followers were still in the boat as Jesus came walking toward them on the water.

Remember, Jesus had been on the other shore all day teaching, and the possibility that He took a nap before venturing out on the waves would not be out of the question. The KJV states that it was the “fourth watch” of the night. In the early era of Israel, we find where a night was divided into three parts: 6 PM to 10 PM; 10 PM to 2 AM; and 2 AM to 6 AM.¹⁰ Then the day was equally divided in three parts: 6 AM to 10 AM; 10 AM to 2 PM; 2 PM to 6 PM. Jewish historians tell us that the night’s three watches were called: “ashmurah” or “ashmorot.” The first one is mentioned in Lamentations 2:19, the middle one in Judges 7:19,¹¹ the last one in Exodus 14:24 and 1 Samuel 11:11. But later on, the subdivision of nights and days were divided into twelve equal divisions of variable duration, and probably adopted in the Exile from the Babylonians.¹²

Also, from the New Testament text it appears that this division of the night into four night-watches had been adopted by Greeks and Romans which they called, “vigiliæ.”¹³ Luke tells us about four squads of soldiers that were stationed to guard Peter in prison.¹⁴ That would be four soldiers for each of the night watches. Some Rabbis retained the three watches in the night,¹⁵ but Matthew used the Greek and Roman calculation: The first was from 6 PM to 9 PM, the second from 9 PM to 12 PM (midnight), the third from 12 AM (midnight) till 3 AM, and the fourth from 3 AM to 6 AM. Therefore, here in the text was the fourth watch between 3:00 – 6:00 AM.

One early church scholar’s impression of this incident comes from the bishop of Aquleia who says: “Who was able to walk on the sea if not the Creator of the universe? He, indeed, about whom the Holy Spirit had spoken long ago through blessed Job: ‘Who alone stretched out the heavens and walked on the sea as well as the earth.’¹⁶ Solomon spoke about Him in the person of Wisdom: ‘I dwelt in the highest places and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. I orbited the heavenly sphere alone and walked on the waves of the sea.’¹⁷⁶ David likewise declared in his psalm: ‘God, your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters.’¹⁸ So too Habakkuk noted, ‘The raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice.’¹⁹⁸ What is more evident than this testimony, what is more clear? It points to Him walking on the water as well as on the ground. This is God’s only begotten Son, who long ago according to the will of the Father stretched out the heavens and at the time of Moses in a pillar of cloud showed the people a way to follow.”²⁰

Verse 26: When they saw Jesus walking on the water, it frightened them. “It’s a ghost!” they shouted in fear.

By being able to see Jesus from a distance, it must have been a clear windy night with a bright enough moon to reflect off the water. The sudden appearance of a stranger you may not know was not that foreign to Jewish teachers. However, they also taught that one should be cautious. They tell this story to prove their point: “And it happened when Joshua was near Jericho, that he looked up and behold there stood a man in front of him, . . . and Joshua fell face down on the ground. Now how could he do such a thing, seeing that Rabbi Joshua ben Levi has said that it is forbidden for a man to greet another by night, for fear that he is a demon? — It was different there, because he said to him, ‘I am captain of the host of the Lord’. But perhaps, was he lying? — We take it for granted that they do not utter the name of heaven in vain. He said to him: This evening you neglected the regular afternoon sacrifice, and now you have neglected the study of the Torah. Joshua replied: In regard to which of them have you come? He answered, ‘I have come now.’ Straightway, Joshua tarried that night in the midst of the valley.”²¹ So as in Joshua’s case, what this apparition said would go a long way in determining if the disciples thought He was a ghost or a demon.

Chrysostom had this to say about the disciples mistaking Jesus for a ghost: “This is the way He constantly deals with our fears. He does not hesitate to allow worse things to happen, even more alarming than those before. They were troubled here not only by the storm but also by the distance from the land. Note that He did not too easily remove the darkness. He did not come quickly to their rescue. He was training them by the continuance of these fears and instructing them to be ready to endure.”²²

Verse 27: But Jesus quickly comforted them. He said, “Don’t worry! It is I! Don’t be afraid.”

It is interesting to note the sequence in which these words of Jesus fall. First, in His assurance, “Don’t worry” This occurrence is similar to a story told by Jewish sailors and related to a Rabbi. The sailors told that while they were sailing a large wave lifted them up so high that, “we saw the resting place of the smallest star.” Then they heard one of the giant waves call out to the other, “Go and see the power of the master [by whose command] I must not pass the sand [of the shore even as much as] the breadth of a thread; as it is written: ‘Don’t you fear? says the Lord; will you not tremble at my presence?²³ I’m the One who placed sand as a shore for the sea, and made it an everlasting ordinance which it cannot exceed.’”²⁴ In other words, God knows what we don’t know. He knows how long the peril will last and when things will end.

Secondly, in identifying Himself as, “It is I.” This may have originally been Jesus saying in Aramaic, “This is, I AM.” That’s the name of Yahweh. That was the name given to Moses by God. No wonder after His miracle of calming the storm the disciples would realize He was the Son of God. And thirdly, to encourage them He said, “Don’t be afraid.” This makes Jesus so in character with His heavenly Father who told Israel, “Don’t worry—I am with you. Don’t be afraid—I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will support you with my right hand that brings victory.”²⁵

In this I see the divine succession of assurances that Christ brings to all those caught in the storms of life. First He wants us to know that all is not lost; that our experience has not become a failure so that we see no sense in going on. Secondly, He reinforces the fact that He is not just a friend or neighbor or family member here to help us out, He is the Son of God with power and authority over all forces, be they natural or supernatural. And thirdly, that we need not try and find a place to hide; to become a recluse and never want to come out again. This is what gave Peter the courage to walk on water. If faith worked for Peter, then faith can work for us.

Augustine sees a future fulfillment in what Jesus did here on the Sea of Galilee. He writes: “The fourth watch of the night marks the end of the night. One watch consists of three hours. This means that at the end of the world the Lord will come to the rescue, and He will be seen walking on the water. Although this ship is tossed by the storms of temptation, it sees the glorified Lord walking upon all the billows of the sea—that is, upon all the powers of this world. For through the voice of His Passion He gave an example of humility according to the flesh. Those waves of the sea to which He willingly submitted for our sake were stilled, in accordance with the prophecy: ‘I came to the height of the sea, and the storm swallowed me up.‘²⁶”²⁷

Verse 28-29a: Peter replied, “Lord, if that is really You, tell me to come to You on the water.” So Jesus said, “Come, Peter.”

Even after concluding that the figure on the water was Jesus, Peter was still not satisfied. He wanted the Son of Man he knew to do something that would remove all doubt; something that only the Son of God could accomplish. Jesus was not the least bit bothered by Peter’s request. Furthermore, this effort on Peter’s part was not to show others how great he was in getting an answer from the Messiah, but how awesome Jesus was as the Messiah with His answer.

Theologian Jerome believes that while Peter may have had enough faith to get out of the boat and walk over to Jesus on the water, he was unwilling to do so until Jesus gave the word for him to come.²⁸ And a fellow church theologian of Jerome gave this commentary: “What is signified by the fact that Peter dared to come to Him upon the water? Peter indeed has the principal role in the church. And what is the meaning of those other words: ‘Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water,’ if not, Lord, if you are truthful and never lie at all, let your church be glorified also in this world, for prophecy declared this about you? Let it walk upon the water, and it shall come to you, to whom it was said, ‘The rich among the people shall entreat your favor.’²⁹”³⁰

Both Peter and our Lord show us here that there is nothing wrong with asking God to give His assurance that what is being said or what we see happening is from Him. Use your imagination and look at the other disciples encouraging Peter to step out of the boat and walk closer the figure they see on the water and make sure that it is Jesus. During my ministry I’ve received correspondence from people who informed me that they believed it was God’s will for me to come and minister to their congregation or to send them some financial support for their efforts. In each case I’ve responded by telling them that I plan to talk with the Lord myself and if He approves of what is being asked then I will certainly follow through. Remember, don’t put your faith in the one who claims to speak on behalf of God, but put your faith in God to let you know it is also His will.

Verse 29b-30: Then Peter left the boat and started walking on the water toward Jesus. But while Peter was walking on the water, he noticed how the wind was making waves. He was afraid and began sinking into the water. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

If Peter did not really believe that Jesus was in fact the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, he would have never left the boat. Peter may have been impulsive, but he wasn’t that gullible. As long as he kept his eyes focused on Jesus he had little trouble traversing the distance between himself and his Lord. But then he allowed himself to be distracted. So in his panic Peter felt much like the Psalmist who said, “God, save me from all my troubles! The rising water has reached my neck. I have nothing to stand on I am sinking down, down into the mud. I am in deep water, and the waves are about to cover me.”³¹

Here our Lord is repeating what His Father had done before. The Psalmist tells us: “God gave the command, and a strong wind began to blow. The waves became higher and higher. The waves lifted them high into the sky and dropped them into the deep sea. The storm was so dangerous that the men lost their courage. They were stumbling and falling on deck like someone who is intoxicated. Their skill as sailors was of no use. They were in trouble, so they called to the LORD for help, and He saved them from their troubles. He stopped the storm and calmed the waves.”³²

And the prophet Jeremiah could certainly commiserate with Peter since he went through a similar fright, “Water came up over my head. I said to myself, ‘I am finished.’ LORD, I called your name…You heard my voice. You didn’t close your ears. You didn’t refuse to rescue me. You came to me on the day that I called out to you. You said to me, ‘Don’t be afraid.’”³³ But in Peter’s case, the Master was disappointed in Peter’s faith. Instead of continuing to look at Jesus, Peter got his eyes on the waves.

How true this is when we face similar circumstances. There is a chorus to a song we sang in church years ago that goes like this:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.³⁴

Verse 31: Jesus immediately reached out and caught Peter by the hand. He said, “Your faith is insufficient. What caused you to doubt?”

Here we see that the Lord did not walk off and let Peter drown because his faith was not strong enough for him to finish. Instead, He reached down and took him by the hand and led him safely back to the boat. Jesus’ heavenly Father did something similar with Moses, “He was by Moses’ side and led him with His wonderful hand. He divided the water, so that the people could walk through the sea.”³⁵ It is important to notice that neither the Father nor the Son removed the threat, but they both walked with the person in the middle of the threat. So often we pray for God to get rid of what is terrifying us, instead of simply reaching out and taking hold of His outstretched hand to guide us through it to the other side. That’s why the word “overcome” is used so much by John in his writings.³⁶

In one of his sermons, Augustine made this point: “While human praise does not tempt the Lord, people are often ruffled and nearly enthralled by human praise and honors given by the church. Peter was afraid on the sea, terrified by the great force of the storm. Indeed, who does not fear that voice: ‘Those who say you are happy are placing you in error and alter the path for your feet?’³⁷ And since the soul struggles against the desire for human praise, it is good for it to turn to prayer and petition amid such danger, lest the one who is charmed by praise be overcome by criticism and reproach. Let Peter, about to sink in the waves, cry out and say, ‘Lord, save me!’”³⁸

Verses 32-33: After Peter and Jesus were in the boat, the wind stopped. Then the followers in the boat bowed before Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God.”

Here we see the divinity of Jesus revealed in an awe-inspiring way. Therefore, His claim to be the Son of God was confirmed because He evinced the same power His heavenly Father displayed in Israel’s past. Did not the Red Sea part at the command of God the Father?³⁹ One Jewish commentator envisions this division of the sea as representing the separation of Justice and Mercy.⁴⁰ In other words, justice had been served by their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, now they began walking in God’s mercy.

And did we not read earlier where the patriarch Job say of God: “He alone made the skies, and He walks on the ocean waves?”⁴¹ And the Psalmist exclaim: “You walked through the water and crossed the deep sea, but you left no footprints?”⁴² So now His Son does the same, so why not accept Him as the Messiah. We learn from the early Jewish group called, “Essenes,” that the term “Son of God” was much discussed even amonst themselves, so the term used here by Matthew was not out of place nor previously unheard of.⁴³

What had started out as a lonely trip across the Sea of Galilee and developed into a scary time when the storm hit, had now turned out to be one of the greatest moments of the disciples’ lives. Isn’t that often the case? That’s why in the midst of the storm it would behoove everyone to start thinking about how the outcome might end up being one of their choicest experiences. Keep in mind, there can be no “Peace, be still!” unless there is a storm. There can be no rescue, until there is danger of harm.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Part III

Verse 13: When Jesus heard what happened to John the Baptizer, He sailed off in a boat. He went alone to a place where no one lived. But the people heard that Jesus had departed. So they left their towns and followed Him. They went by land to the same place He went.

Upon hearing of John the Baptizer’s execution, Jesus took the loss very personally. After all, they were not only relatives in the flesh, brothers in the spirit but also part of the prophesied team that God put together to announce His coming kingdom. However, our Lord’s search for solitude was not successful. Nevertheless, instead of ordering the crowd that greeted Him upon docking at His chosen destination for His getaway, He embraced them. This is certainly a model for behavior to all believers. When you are grieving over some loss, find a way to channel your grief into giving to others who are also carrying a burden.

Dr. Paul Tournier (1898 – 1986) was a Swiss physician and author who acquired world renown for his work in pastoral counseling. He was still living in Switzerland while I was working there. He wrote many fabulous books such as “Guilt and Grace;” “The Meaning of Persons;” “The Person Reborn;” and “To Understand Each Other.” His ideas had a significant impact on those of us who read them when it came to dealing with others, especially when going through troubles and trials and having the burden and ministry of helping others at the same time. Dr. Tournier noticed that in today’s healing process our modern world separates the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual when dealing with healing. Tournier believed this was not wise. We are dealing with an individual created in the image of God, chosen by God, and existed in the mind of God, before the creation of the world.¹

Dr. Tournier called his ministry: “The Medicine of the Whole Person.” Dr. Tournier lived what he taught. He points out, that the word “salvation” in the New Testament is actually translated from the Greek word “to make whole.” That’s why the healing that Jesus brought cured everything – physical, mental, and spiritual. The partitioning we do today was never part of God’s process. But, one point Tournier made clear was this: When we need encouragement and motivation, the best therapy is to encourage and motivate others to keep going. In his book, “To Understand Each Other,” Tournier writes, “It is quite clear that between love and understanding there is a very close link…He who loves understands, and he who understands loves. One who feels understood feels loved, and one who feels loved feels sure of being understood.” This is exactly what Jesus did on this occasion.

Early church theologian Jerome sees our Lord’s actions this way: “When Jesus heard this, He withdrew to a lonely place apart, but not, as some people think, for fear of death…He withdrew in order to give us an example of avoiding the foolhardiness of those who betrayed Him because not everyone perseveres amid torments with the same constancy they had when they offered themselves to be tortured. For this reason in another place He gave this admonition: ‘When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.’² It was also fitting that the Evangelist did not say ‘he fled to a lonely place’ but ‘he withdrew,’ so that he avoided His persecutors rather than feared them.”³

Verse 14: When Jesus got out of the boat, He saw a large crowd of people. He felt compassion for them, and He healed the ones who were sick.

We do not know when Jesus arrived at this place, but even if it was late in the morning, or by noon, Matthew tells us that His teaching continued the rest of the day into the late afternoon. It would have been understandable if when Jesus saw the crowd that converged on the place where He was going, to tell His disciples to let the crowd know that He was in mourning for a relative and good friend, and did not want to be bothered at this time. But when one of His own disciples had earlier wanted to leave and go home and take care of his ailing father, Jesus said let the dead bury the dead. So our Lord let His compassion for those who were struggling with their faith and those who were desperate in treating their disease to be ministered to first and took care of them before tending to Himself. As Dr. Tournier said, some of the best tonic for a person, when they feel down due to grief or disappointment, is to find others who are in greater need and minister to them. This will help ease their own pain.

Verse 15: Late that afternoon, the followers came to Jesus and said, “No one lives around here. And it is already late. Send the people away so they can go into the nearby towns and buy food for themselves.”

The healing and teaching formula imparted here often becomes a dilemma for many believers. First, a petition was made to Christ by the disciples concerning a need. Jesus, in turn, told them to do their best in alleviating the need. The disciples replied that the amount of food found to take care of the problem was insufficient to handle the situation. They did not seem to understand that Jesus was giving them a great opportunity to exercise their faith in Him as a provider.

Not only was it late in the day, but according to Jewish custom it very near meal time that was to be completed before sunset. The Jews had a list of mealtimes. The Rabbis taught: “The first hour [of the day]⁴ is the mealtime for gladiators;⁵ the second, for robbers;⁶ the third, for heirs;⁷ the fourth, for laborers,⁸ the fifth, for all [other] people. But that is not so, for Rabbi Papa said: The fourth [hour] is the mealtime for all people? – Rather the fourth hour is the mealtime for all [other] people, the fifth for [agricultural] laborers, and the sixth for scholars.”⁹ Since this would put the last breakfast at 12 noon, many scholars believe this schedule repeated itself in the afternoon. So that puts the time for supper in this story at 6 PM.

Another thing to notice here is that the people did not come to Jesus and say, stop teaching so we can go get something to eat, no it was our Lord’s own disciples who wanted Him to let them go. In fact, they begged Jesus to send the people away. This means that Jesus was holding them against their will, but, they were so spellbound by His teaching that the time passed quickly and meal time was upon them before they knew it. Also, take a look at the fact the disciples did not come to Jesus and ask, “What can we do.” No, they had already made up their minds that there was nothing they could do. Now, one more thing should be taken into consideration in order to better understand the disciple’s insistence that Jesus send the crowd off to buy their own food, and that is in what happened next.

Verse 16-18: Jesus replied, “The people don’t need to go away. You give them some food to eat.” The followers answered, “But we have only five flatbreads and two sardines.” Jesus said, “Bring the flatbreads and the sardines to me.”

Could it be that the disciples wanted Jesus to send the crowd away so they could eat what they brought with them and not feel obligated to share what little they had with the crowd? The answer would be, “No.” When we combine the recordings of this incident in the other Gospels we find out that Jesus had this planned all along, and that apparently the disciples didn’t think to bring anything along, so it was the small picnic lunch of a little boy that saved the day.¹⁰ Nothing took our Master by surprise. Not this feeding, not the storm on the sea, not His torture and death on the cross nor His resurrection from the grave. That should give all of us more blessed assurance by knowing that as long as He is with us, He will always be there to help us find the answer to what we are facing because nothing that happens to us is any surprise to Him.

So the Lord commanded that they bring to Him what they could find. They obeyed, and every need was met. The whole point of this miracle was to teach the disciples that what seems inadequate to man in order to meet the need, only needs the Master’s touch. So instead of going through all this nonsense of complaining that one doesn’t have enough to give, take it to Him first and then there will be enough to distribute to those who need help.

In this incident with Jesus and His disciples, we see a repeat of a similar event that occurred to Elisha, his servant, and his student prophets. In Scripture, we read: “A man from the town of Shalishah came and brought bread from the first harvest to the man of God. This man brought 20 loaves of barley bread and fresh grain in his sack. Then Elisha said, ‘Give this food to the people so that they can eat.’ Elisha’s servant said, ‘What? There are 100 men here. How can I feed all these men with this food?’ But Elisha said, ‘Give the food to the people to eat. The Lord says, “They will eat and there will still be food left over.’” Then Elisha’s servant put the food in front of the group of prophets. The group of prophets had enough to eat, and they even had food left over. This happened just as the Lord had said.”¹¹ In the case of Jesus, the number of men being fed is multiplied by 50, while the food supply is reduced by more than half. But by the touch of His hand, the same results are realized.

Jesus expressed the same attitude His heavenly Father had in replying to Moses in a similar situation, “‘LORD‘, Moses said, ‘There are 600,000 soldiers here, and you say, “I will give them enough meat to eat for a whole month!” If we were to kill all the sheep and cattle, that would still not be enough to feed this many people for a month. And if we caught all the fish in the sea, it would not be enough for them!’ But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Don’t limit my power! You will see that I can do what I say I can do.’”¹²

Here we have a repeat of what happened earlier when Moses questioned God’s lack of action down in Egypt by saying: “I went to Pharaoh and said what you told me to say. But since that time he has made the people suffer, and you have done nothing to help them!”¹³ As a result, even though God said to Moses on this occasion you’ll see what I can do, one Jewish commentator states: “As part of Moses’ punishment for having questioned God’s ability, he will not be around to see how the thirty-one kings of Canaan and their armies will be defeated when the Israelites will take over their lands.”¹⁴

Verses 19: Then He told the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five flatbreads and the two sardines. He looked up toward heaven and thanked God for the food. Then He broke the flatbreads into pieces, which He gave to His followers, and they, in turn, gave the food to the people.

There are at least six other places where Jesus is reported to have prayed with his eyes open toward heaven.¹⁵ According to scholars, “Jews generally do so today; Christians often pray with them closed. There is no command on the subject in the Bible. In an age when people are easily distracted, closing one’s eyes may help one to concentrate on God. On the other hand, those who choose to keep their eyes open have the Messiah as their model. The phrase, ‘toward heaven,’ can also carry the secondary meaning, ‘toward God’.”¹⁶

We don’t know exactly what Jesus said as He blessed the bread, but there are Jewish prayers said before eating and after eating. One blessing said before eating a meal goes: “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”¹⁷ Of course, with Jesus being the Son of God, He may have had His own version of saying Grace before breaking the bread.

Two early church writers give their impression of what happened here. Jerome tells us: “Jesus looked up to heaven that He might teach them to keep their eyes focused there. He then took in hand five loaves of bread and two fish; He broke the loaves and gave the food to the disciples. By the breaking of the bread, He makes it into a seedbed of food—for if the bread had been left intact and not pulled apart and broken into pieces, they would have been unable to feed the great crowds of men, women and children. The law with the prophets is therefore pulled apart and broken into pieces. Mysteries are made manifest, so that what did not feed the multitude of people in its original whole and unbroken state now feeds them in its divided state.”¹⁸

Then Chrysostom preaches: “In this miracle Jesus was teaching them humility, temperance, charity, to be of like mind toward one another and to share all things in common. He did so in His choice of location, by providing nothing more than loaves and fishes, by setting the same food before all and having them share it in common and by affording no one more than another.”¹⁹ And so it is today. When a preacher stands up behind the pulpit, the spiritual meal he has prepared is the same for one and all. And no matter how little he had time to prepare, if he allows our Lord to bless it and break it, it will prove enough for any size crowd.

Verse 20: Everyone ate until they were full. When they finished eating, the followers filled twelve baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten.

There are differing views among the early church writers as it relates to what purpose these twelve baskets of food served. Bishop Hilary of Poitiers says: “Thus, by the word of God coming from the teaching of the law and the prophets, the multitude was satisfied; and an abundance of divine power, reserved for the Gentiles from the ministry of the eternal food, was left over for the twelve apostles.”²⁰ Chrysostom indicates that these twelve baskets were symbolic of the twelve disciples, and that just as Jesus took the bread and fish and multiplied it to feed the multitude, they were to take what He gave them and do the same after He sent them out into the world.²¹

Then Cyril of Alexandria believes that Jesus did this, “So that we might learn that when we are in charge of the table and are preparing to break the loaves, we ought to bring them to God with hands upraised and bring down upon them the blessing from above, he became for us the beginning and pattern and way.”²² Then, historian Eusebius gives his opinion on how in this miracle the unseen appears through that which is seen. He writes: “The miracle of the bread revealed the one through whom the soil when planted with seed, multiplies. What was done invisibly, once brought to light, proclaimed who it is that always works invisibly. It was not only at that time that Jesus with five loaves does many great things. In the world, He was not idle or inactive but was always at work feeding everyone and taking nothing for Himself. Because He was unknown, therefore, He came feeding, eating and feeding, so that through those things that are seen, He who was unseen might appear.”²³

Verse 21: There were about 5,000 men there who ate. There were also women and children who ate.

This is where some have overlooked the need for multiplication. This miracle has become known as the “Feeding of the 5,000.” But the text tells us, that was just the number of men, and that women and children were also present. This suggests that the number who were actually there may have been as high as 12,000 when we add wives and children. Perhaps that sum is reflected in the number of baskets of scraps left over. The distribution of Spiritual food works on the same principle as the food Jesus gave on this occasion. Christ gives to His ministers, they, in turn, give it to the people; who then share with their neighbors. Thus, the Word is multiplied.

There is also a distinct difference between the type of basket used here to gather the leftovers than ones used when later on Christ would feed 4,000.²⁴ Here there are twelve baskets, in the feeding of the 4,000 there would be seven baskets. The type of basket used here is the type carried on the backs of travelers to hold such provisions. The baskets used later in the feeding of the 4,000 were of the same type in which Paul was let down over the wall in Damascus.

To use today’s containers as an example, the basket here for the 5,000 might be compared to a picnic basket, while the one used in the feeding of the 4,000 was the size of a clothes hamper. Apparently these baskets were not very sturdy. The Jews tell us: “When Rabbi Judah went to the school house, he use to take a pitcher on his shoulders to sit on, saying, ‘Great is labor, for it honors the worker.’ Rabbi Simeon used to carry a basket upon his shoulders, saying likewise.”²⁵ Had Rabbi Simeon’s basket been strong enough, he too would have used it as a stool while studying. This would also make them easier to carry in bulk. The food used in this instance of 5,000 consisted of 5 flatbreads and 2 fish; the amount used in the feeding of the 4,000 was 7 flatbreads along with several fish. Jesus made note of this Himself.²⁶

The underlying factor here is that Jesus wanted the disciples to see how exponentially things are multiplied in the kingdom: No matter what you bring to Him He can make out of it whatever is needed to meet the demand. This is not only true of the food in each of these cases, but true of anything we need to feed those hungry for the Word of God in our world. In my own case, I have tried everything I can do to advance my knowledge and understanding of God’s Word, and I will not stop until I have accessed every opportunity to gain even better understanding so that when I bring it to Him to bless before I go out to divide it and feed the congregation, His blessing makes it possible to feed the crowd whether it be large or small. In the disciples case, it wasn’t that there was more food to be collected before they brought it to Jesus, but I’m sure they searched until they found all there was. So the disciples may have been worried about the size of the crowd, but Jesus was only concerned that they bring Him what they had and He would make it work.

Two addition items need to be addressed here. First, did Jesus multiply the bread and fish after He blessed it or was it multiplied as it was being shared because He blessed it? Scholars are somewhat divided on this. The fact that there is no mention that the disciples had to keep coming back to Jesus for a new supply suggests that He gave each one of them a portion of the original amount, and as they passed it out, it was like the widow’s oil in the case of Elijah.²⁷ The manner in which it was distributed may be likened to the way ushers take up an offering, only, in this case, a piece of bread was given to the first person in the row who broke off a piece and passed the rest on. Luke said they sat in groups of 50.²⁸

The second thing to reckon is the size of the crowd, Matthew says there were about 5,000 men, besides the women and children. If each man there was married, and each couple had a minimum of two children, the crowd would have numbered 20,000. However, there is no reason to believe that all the men were married, nor all the women. Plus, the number of children would then also be reduced. So to count the crowd size at approximately 10,000-12,000 would be reasonable. In any case, that would still be a huge number to feed on five flatbreads and two sardines. Scholars don’t believe the people stuffed themselves, but that according to Jewish custom you finished your meal only after feeling satisfied.

Early church theologian Hilary makes this point: “The same number of those eating proved to be the number of those who believed. As noted in the book of Acts, out of the countless people of Israel five thousand men believed.²⁹ Once the people had been satisfied, when they took up the loaves that had been broken into pieces with the fish, there was enough left over to match the number of believers and apostles to be filled with heavenly grace. Thus, both the amount suited the number and the number the amount. Within its bounds, the calculation was keyed to the proper effect and depended on the guidance of divine power.”³⁰

So out of this feeding of the multitude, there are various lessons we as believers can learn. First, don’t give up just because you don’t already have what you think it will take to do the job. Check with Jesus before you make up your mind that the mission is impossible by bringing Him what you do have. And when you go to Him, surrender what you have into His hands so He can bless it. Second, take what Jesus makes out of what you’ve got and start feeding those who come, you’ll be surprised how He can make it multiply, not only to be enough for the immediate need but have plenty left over for what is yet to come.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Part II

Verse 8: Herodias rehearsed with her daughter what to ask for as a prize. So she repeated it to King Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptizer here on this platter.”

Because of his inability to stand for what was right, Herod blundered into a plot. This sensual dance was not done because Salome had the talent or desire just to get applause, but by the ulterior motive planted in her mind by her mother to request the head of John the Baptist as a prize. They knew it would be easy to get Herod distracted by her seductive movements so he would not see the scurrilous design behind the whole scheme. Herodias had to get Herod in the right mood in order to persuade him go against his conscience, even though it would cause him great grief.

This is how Satan plans; this is how opponents of the Christian way plot; this is how those who hate the success of Christianity propose to cause embarrassment by making its leaders ineffective. So never allow yourself to be persuaded to participate in anything, no matter how good or innocent it looks or how entertaining that may trap you into going against your commitment and obedience to Christ and His Word. On this occasion, it was a birthday party that gave the opportunity for a sinister plan to be carried out.

We know that during the time Joseph was in Egyptian confinement, it was another birthday that resulted in retribution, “Three days later it was Pharaoh’s birthday. He gave a party for all his servants. At the party, Pharaoh allowed the wine server and the baker to leave the prison. He freed the wine server and gave him his job back, and once again the wine server put a cup of wine in Pharaoh’s hand. But Pharaoh hanged the baker, and everything happened the way Joseph said it would. But the wine server did not remember to help Joseph. He said nothing about him to Pharaoh”.¹ Some Jewish scholars say: “The Torah’s emphasizing ‘he forgot him,’ leads us to believe that the cup-bearer made a conscious effort to blot out from his memory anything connected to his year of incarceration”.² In fact, this is how one Jewish translator rendered verse 23: “But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, no, he forgot him.”³

Apparently it was common for potentates to offer unimaginable gifts to those who pleased them, such as we read about Esther, “Then the king asked, ‘What is bothering you Queen Esther? What do you want to ask me? I will give you anything you ask for, even half my kingdom‘”.⁴ We also know that one of the kings of Judah suffered ignominy and death because of such bad parental advice, “Ahaziah also lived the way Ahab’s family lived because his mother encouraged him to do wrong things.”⁵

Asking for a prophet’s demise was not new. Even in Elijah’s day we read, “Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah and said, ‘I swear that by this time tomorrow, you will be just as dead as those prophets. If I don’t succeed, may the gods do the same or worse to me.‘”⁶ Jezebel was not sorry for her threats and paid terribly for her mockery of Elijah. But Herod was distraught by Salome’s request because it forced him to keep his word. King Darius felt the same heartbreak when it looked as though Daniel would suffer a similar fate in the lion’s den, “The king became very sad and upset when he heard this. He decided to save Daniel. He worked until sunset trying to think of a way to save him”.⁷

But in those days, an oath was a sacred vow and no one of strong character ever wanted to break such a promise. But sometimes, making a vow without thinking it through can be very costly and even humiliating. Take Jephthah, for instance, who lived during the time of the Judges. We read: “Jephthah made a promise to the LORD. He said, ‘If you will let me defeat the Ammonites, I will give you the first thing that comes out of my house when I come back from the victory. I will give it to the Lord as a burnt offering’…When Jephthah saw that his daughter was the first thing to come out of his house, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. Then he said, ‘Oh, my daughter! You have ruined me! You have made me very sad! I made a promise to the LORD, and I cannot change it!’”⁸ It also happened to king Saul. We are told: “Saul made a big mistake that day. He made this oath: ‘If any man eats food before evening comes before I finish defeating my enemies, he will be under a curse.’ He made the soldiers promise not to eat. So none of them ate anything.”⁹

But Saul’s son Jonathan didn’t get the word. So we read: “Because of the fighting, the people went into some woods. Then they saw a honeycomb on the ground. The Israelites went up to the honeycomb, but they didn’t eat any of it. They were afraid to break the promise. But Jonathan didn’t know about the oath. He didn’t hear his father make the soldiers promise not to eat. Jonathan had a stick in his hand, so he dipped the end of the stick into the honeycomb and pulled out some honey. He ate the honey and began to feel much better.”¹⁰ But Jonathan only survived because of his courageous fighting and the petition for mercy on his behalf by his fellow warriors.

Solomon had sage advice for those making vows or promises, “Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about what you say to Him. Don’t let your feelings cause you to speak too soon.”¹¹ According to church tradition there is a story that circulated about Salome, the daughter of Herodias: “Once, as she walked over a river which was frozen in the winter season, the ice broke, and she fell in, and the pieces of ice cut off her head; the law of retaliation, was righteously executed on her.”¹² Most scholars, however, consider this either fiction or wishful thinking. Now, Matthew records Herod’s regret on making such a silly promise.

Verses 9-10: King Herod was very sad. But he had promised to give the daughter anything she wanted. And the people eating with Herod had heard his promise. So he ordered what she asked to be done. He sent men to the prison, where they cut off John’s head.

This whole story can be seen as a prime example of man’s uninhibited power over others, regardless of their rank or position. One might expect a holy man such as John the Baptist to enjoy immunity from Herod’s power by way of God’s superior might. But you can be assured that John’s death was right on schedule according to God’s timetable. In this case, triumph was realized in tragedy. What would have happened had John the Baptist continued in his ministry for years and years? What if Jesus had lived to a ripe old age and never died on the cross? These things did not come to pass by chance or bad luck, they were planned from before the world was created.

There’s another way to think about this. If someone knew that by killing you they would forever end your existence as an influence and witness against what they were doing, it would well satisfy their rage by cutting your life short. But if they found out that after they killed you, they were really giving you an early release from pain and sorrow to peacefully await the resurrection, after which you would then live for eternity with the God you love, it might make them less enthusiastic about putting you out of your misery. By this, their attempt would end in frustration when they discovered that by letting you live they may prolong a nuisance but end up with more time to persecute you and make you miserable. They would see that by putting God’s children to death they only usher them into eternal life and add to their own misery and shame because now you can’t be touched again. On top of that, a day of retribution is coming when these evil deeds will be repaid in full by the Almighty God.

But Herod was not doing something that had never been done before. In Jeremiah, we find the prophet asking, “‘Why do you argue with me? You have all turned against me.’ Listen to this message from the LORD. ‘I punished you people of Judah, but it did not help. You did not come back when you were punished. With your swords, you killed the prophets who came to you. Like a dangerous lion, you killed the prophets.”¹³

According to scholars, the men Herod sent to execute John the Baptizer were not standard guards or soldiers, they were “executioners.” This was their craft and anyone seeing them coming knew exactly what their end was. Although we do not have the details, John the Baptizer may have responded to the arrival of the executioners much like this story in Roman history: “During the Civil War, a slave hid away his master, who had been forbidden to stay there, and, having put on his rings and dressed himself in his clothes, presented himself to those searching for his master, and, saying that he asked for nothing better than that they should carry out their orders, immediately offered his neck for their swords.”¹⁴

The Jews were accustomed to such executions. We read one story where Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel and Rabbi Ishmael were both condemned to die. One wanted to be first as a sign of respect for the other. Finally, the executioners said: “Throw the tiles. So they threw the tiles and the lot fell to Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel (to die first). Whereupon the executioner took his sword and cut off Rabban Simeon’s head.”¹⁵ To those for whom there is no hope of eternity with God, such actions are a mystery. But to the children of God, their desire to see the One who redeemed them will not make them reluctant to be martyrs and leave this miserable world.

Verse 11: And the men brought John’s head on a tray and gave it to the girl. Then she took the head to her mother, Herodias.

I wonder how Herodias felt looking into the face of John the Baptizer? Was it worth doing such a dastardly deed just to get back at him for speaking out against her unlawful marriage to Herod Antipas? Some people will go to great lengths to get even with someone they feel insulted them. The only problem is, no one can insult you unless you let them. In her case, it wasn’t so much what John the Baptizer said, as it was how low and miserable she felt because of the truth. But John the Baptizer had served the cause and completed his mission, so it was time for him to rest until the resurrection would bring him back to life forever. The fact that John the Baptizer’s followers took the time, after burying him, to find Jesus and tell Him the bad news, shows what respect they had inherited from their prophet for Jesus the Messiah.

It is very obvious that Salome wanted nothing to do with this platter on which John the Baptizer’s head lay oozing blood, so she took it straight to her mother. In the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, there is a portrait of Herodias with the head of St. John the Baptist, painted by Italian artist Francesco del Cairo (1625). The explanation reads: “Herodias was enraged with John the Baptist for preaching against her marriage to Herod, the brother of her first husband. According to the New Testament, she instructed her daughter Salome to ask Herod for the Baptist’s head as a reward for her dancing. A text by Saint Jerome recounts that when Herodias received the severed head, she pierced the Baptist’s tongue with a needle. In this painting, Cairo made the macabre subject even more disturbing through dramatic lighting and the vivid realism with which he portrayed Herodias swooning in ecstasy as she mutilates the tongue that spoke against her.”

The great preacher Chrysostom shares his homiletical treatment of this incident. He writes: “Her [Salome’s] reproach is twofold: first, that she danced, then that she pleased him [Herod] and so pleased him as to obtain even murder for her reward. Do you see how savage he was, how senseless, how foolish? He puts himself under the obligation of an oath while to her he gives full power over her request. But when Herod saw the evil actually ensuing, ‘he was sorry,’ it is said. Yet in the first instance, he had put him [John the Baptizer] in prison. Why then is he sorry? Such is the nature of virtue. Even among the wicked admiration and praises are its due. But alas for her madness! When she also ought to admire, yes, to bow down to him for trying to redress her wrong, she rather even helps to arrange the plot, lays a snare and asks a diabolical favor. But he was afraid ‘for the oath’s sake,’ it is said, ‘and those that sat with him at dinner.’ Why did he not fear that which is far more fearful? Surely if Herod was afraid of having witnesses to perjury, much more should he fear having so many witnesses of a murder so lawless.”¹⁶ Then Matthew tells us:

Verse 12: John’s followers came and got his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what happened.

This must have been a sad day for the remaining disciples of John the Baptizer. We are told that the supposed skeleton of John the Baptizer was found not too long ago during an excavation of a Bulgarian church ruins. However, the report stated: “The remains include six human bones: a knucklebone from the right hand, a tooth, part of a cranium, a rib, and an ulna, or forearm bone.” I doubt very seriously if Herodias gave back the head of John the Baptizer for a proper burial, so there would be no reason for parts of the skull to be found alongside the other bones. In fact, she may have even had it embalmed and mounted it as a trophy. And after all, Matthew was specific in saying that John’s followers came and got his body. There is no mention of his head.

But what she may not have known was the very One who John the Baptizer was born to announce would soon be on His way, and His own death and resurrection would guarantee that His friend and cousin would rise from the grave to be received in glory, while she and her henchmen would one day stand trial before God as both Jesus and John the Baptizer look on. But such judgment would not be for divine revenge, but because all must one day give an account of their deeds before the great Judge.¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Part I

Verse 1: About that time, Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard what the people were saying about Jesus.

Jewish writers tell us that this Herod Antipas was the youngest son of Herod the Great by his Samaritan wife, Malthace. The exact date of his birth can not be exactly ascertained, but according to one Jewish historian he was born in 21 BC and died in 39 AD. He was governor of Galilee and reigned form 4 BC to 39 AD when he was banished to Gaul (now France).¹ where he died in exile that same year. Antipas, like most of the other members of his royal family, was educated at Rome, and kept in close touch with the imperial court there.

Little is known of his mode of life or of his activity before his accession to power, though his later acts do not lead to the supposition that he had been superior in virtue to his half-brothers, or, indeed, to most of the aristocratic youths brought up near the palace. From two inscriptions—one from the Greek island of Kos, and the other from the Greek island of Delos, about an half hour boat trip from Mykonos, near the center of the Cyclades archipelago, makes it apparent that he traveled extensively, though it can not be determined at what period of his life.

We are also told that he married the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia, whom he then divorced in order to marry Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Philip, the son of Herod the Great and Mariamne, who was still living. Philip wanted to take revenge on his brother Herod because of the affront which Herod offered his daughter, so he declared war against him, but was vanquished after a short military engagement. This defeat, Josephus assures us, the Jews considered as a punishment for the death of John the Baptist.

Having gone to Rome to solicit the title of king, he was accused by king Agrippa of carrying on a correspondence with Artabanus king of Parthia, against the Romans, and was banished by the emperor Caius to Lyons, and then to Spain, where he and Herodias died in exile. This Herod had a dismissive attitude toward Jesus, thinking that He was merely the reincarnation of John the Baptizer with whom he was more familiar. But this is not the end of the story. Matthew gives us some background as to why he and his brother Philip were at odds with each other.

Theodore of Heraclea, who believed in the literal translation of the biblical texts, points out that both Herod and those around him considered the possibility that John the Baptizer had risen from the dead. Yet a few years later the very person thought to be John the Baptizer had Himself been raised from the dead and it was dismissed as a rumor started by Jesus’ disciples. What really caused Herod to fear was that now John the Baptizer may be immune to dying and could, therefore, be even more outspoken against what Herod had done.²

Verse 2: So he said to his servants, “This man is really John the Baptizer. He must have risen from death, and that is why He can do these miracles.”

There is no reason to believe that Herod believed in reincarnation or that he really thought that Jesus was John the Baptizer returned from the dead. Today we use the same type of language when we refer to someone who does things similar to those done by a highly recognized person of history. For instance, I’ve heard it said a number of times after one of today’s magicians performs an amazing trick, “He must be Houdini!” So Herod’s statement was more said in jest than in out of respect.

Verse 3: Before this time, Herod had arrested John the Baptizer. He had him chained and put in prison. He arrested John the Baptizer because of Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother.

Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus and Bernice, and granddaughter of Herod the Great. Needless to say, they were less than the elegant royal family that most people would hope for. John the Baptizer was not timid about telling Herod that his marriage to his sister-in-law was not scriptural. This may have meant a quick trip to jail, except for the fact the John the Baptizer was very popular with the people, and Herod didn’t want to upset them. According to Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus, John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod in the strong castle of Machaerus, which he describes as situated high on a hill approximately 7 miles east of the Jordan River, not far from where the river discharges itself into the Dead Sea.³ When we see this fortress, it does not remind us of a typical prison with cells and barred windows. But there was a section in this fortress that did serve as a place of incarceration so that anyone imprisoned there could be easily tried and dispensed with at Herod’s convenience.

Drawing of what Machaerus looked like in those days.

Verse 4: John the Baptizer had told him, “It is not right for you to be married to Herodias.”

John the Baptizer’s criticism of Herod was based on solid biblical grounds: “You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife. That would be like having sexual relations with your brother.”⁴ What was true in John the Baptizer’s day is true today. People in high places just do not want to hear the truth, especially when it conflicts with their lifestyle and adopted moral standards. One German commentator writes this about Herod’s debauched character: “Durch Sinnlichkeit und Unsittlichkeit war der Grund zum Sturze gelegt worden, Habsucht und Herrischgier hatten den morschen Bau im Nu zusammenstürzen gemacht.”⁵ [Translated it reads: “By sensuality and immorality the ground for falling was laid, greed and avid arrogance caused the rotten construction to collapse in on itself in a hurry.”]⁶

That is exactly what brought down the Roman Empire and it will be the cause of many governments collapsing, even in our day. In other words, Herod had disdain for anything that went against his corrupt secular worldview. So when John the Baptizer confronted him with the truth, he ended up silencing the messenger so he wouldn’t have to listen to the message. However, at first, Herod was willing to compromise when his own political future was at stake.

Archbishop Chrysologus in the early church gives his impression of what happened here between John the Baptizer and King Herod. He writes: “John upset Herod by his moral admonitions, not by any formal accusation. He wanted to correct, not to suppress. Herod, however, preferred to suppress rather than be reconciled. To those who are held captive, the freedom of the one innocent of wrongdoing becomes hateful. Virtue is undesirable to those who are immoral; holiness is abhorrent to those who are godless; chastity is an enemy to those who are impure; integrity is a hardship for those who are corrupt; discretion runs counter to those who are self-indulgent; mercy is intolerable to those who are cruel, as is loving-kindness to those who are pitiless and justice to those who are unjust.”⁷

To put it another way, the reaction of people who are upset with those who reveal their flaws by telling them the truth about their actions, and those who by way of holy living put them to shame because of their immoral lives, are like those who have allergies to medicines that are meant to heal and cure. Instead of it combating the symptoms, it brings new symptoms with it. And unrepentant sin is always the cause for such negative reactions to honesty and integrity. So instead of seeking a remedy, they lash out at those who try to bring healing.

Verse 5: Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the people. They believed that John the Baptizer was a prophet.

We find out from Jewish historian Josephus that the people were right. He tells us: “Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod’s army came from God and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist.”⁸ Josephus also provides a summary of what John the Baptizer was preaching: “He commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing with water would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order for the remission of some sins only, but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness.”⁹ Sounds like Josephus may himself have become a believer of John the Baptizer’s message.

Early church scholar Chrysologus says this about Herod’s fear of the people: “That person readily turns away from justice who, in matters at issue, fears not God but people. Such fear can restrain the power to sin but is unable to remove the will to sin. Hence, those whom it has restrained from crime, it makes them all the more eager to return to crime. It is only the fear of God that can set minds straight, repel criminal actions, preserve innocence and give steadfast power. But let us focus on the passionate intensity of the blessed John the Baptizer.”¹⁰ How true, that in times of persecution and tribulation the believer’s eyes should not be focused on the cause for such abuse and mistreatment, but on the courage and faithfulness of those who endure to the end.

Verse 6a: On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for him and his group.

The gyrations on the part of Salome on this occasion are portrayed through the translation of the Greek word orcheomai, which means, “to put into rapid motion,” into English with the common word “danced.” But there is more to it than that. Elsewhere in the Bible it speaks of dancing in regards to religion, and expression of joyful worship; a leaping, jumping exercise of happiness. But here it suggests a seductive form of dancing because we see Herod’s response. Having seen motion pictures, documentaries and speaking with people from that region of the world, the conclusion I have drawn is that this oriental dance is what we call today the belly dance performed in Middle Eastern countries.

When dancers execute such artistic art they not only receive applause but are often given a prize. But there’s more. In this case it was the daughter of Herodias, a princess in Herod’s court, who lowered herself to do this dance of an erotic entertainer. Celebrating birthdays was not a Jewish priority. No doubt that is why the birth of Jesus was not celebrated by the disciples and His followers because it was considered a pagan custom. A Greek historian tells us about the Persians: “Of all the days they choose to honor most it is the one on which they were born, each one: on this they think it right to set out a feast more liberal than on other days.”¹¹

Not only that, but the same historian tells us of a similar occasion where another king was enamored with his brother’s wife, and ended up making a promise to her, that he later regretted. It seems that Xerxes fell in love with the wife of his brother Masistes. So he came up with the idea of having his own son marry his brother’s daughter, hoping that would bring down Masistes’ resistance to his being around them. But instead, he then began to lust for his new daughter-in-law whose name was Artaÿnte. That’s when the intrigue really begins.

As the historian tells it: “Amestris, the wife of Xerxes, wove a large cape with a beautiful design and a sight worthy to be seen, and she gave it to Xerxes. He was greatly pleased and put it on and went to see his daughter -in-law Artaÿnte; and she was pleased with it too. So she asked him what she should get in return for all the favors which she had granted him, he said, whatever she asked: and she, since it was destined that she might perish miserably with her whole family because of their affair, said to Xerxes: ‘Will you really give me whatever I ask for?’ and he, supposing that she would ask for anything other than what she did, promised and swore to it. Then after his oath, she boldly asked for the cape; and Xerxes tried every means of persuasion, not being willing to give it to her, and that for no other reason but only because he feared his wife Amestris, lest by her, who even before this had some inkling of the truth, he would be discovered in the act; and he offered her cities and gold in any quantity, and an army which no one else should command except herself. Since, however, he did not persuade her, he gave her the cape; and she being overjoyed by the gift wore it and prided herself wearing it.”¹² So you can imagine what Xerxes’ wife, Amestris, thought when she saw her daughter-in-law wearing the beautiful cape she had given to her husband.

This story sounds eerily familiar to the one about Herod who married his brother’s wife and had lust for her daughter, Salome.¹³ So with Herod celebrating his birthday, you can imagine what the Jews thought of his actions. According to Jewish verbal tradition, three days before any Gentile festival it was forbidden for any Jew to do business with them – to borrow money from them, or lend money to them, or to pay them or be repaid by them. And among the many festivals listed was birthdays.¹⁴ Such was Herod’s birthday party, that even one Roman poet spoke of it in irony: “When the days of Herod the Jew are here, and the lamps, wreathed with violets, set in the greasy window, vomit oily vapor, and the tuna fishtail swims, encircling the red bowl, when the white jug brims with wine, and you move your lips silently, grown pale at the Sabbath of the circumcised?”¹⁵

Scholars tell us that this satire spoke of the time that Herod reigned over the Jews in Syria during the time of Caesar Augustus; therefore the Herodians kept Herod’s birthday, as also the Sabbath, on which day they set up candles in the windows lighted, and encircled with violets because many of them thought him to be the Messiah. Matthew goes on to tell us:

Verse 6b-7: Herod was very pleased with her. So he swore that he would give her anything she wanted.

The Jews, as well as other cultures, took such oaths seriously. So much so, that according to their verbal traditions a person making such a pledge: “cannot change his mind after the ruling.”¹⁶ This was especially true if the oath was made, for instance, on the Temple, or on one’s head. We see this in Jewish writings where is says: “They swore by the Torah that they would not do so,” and “I swear on your life.”¹⁷ Often times, such oaths were either said in haste¹⁸ or while drunk, so that later they were granted with remorse.

Early church historian and theologian, Jerome, makes note of the fact that this birthday celebration took place when Herod was torn between trying to quiet John the Baptizer by embarrassing him for telling the truth, and fearful that if he did so his subjects might rise up against him because of mistreating a prophet of God.¹⁹ So he sought consolation in what Jews considered a pagan activity, that being celebrating one’s birthday where there was no doubt plenty of wine to be imbibed. Instead of Herod getting his mind on God and seeking forgiveness, he got his mind of godlessness and sought solace in the pleasures of the flesh. Needless to say, we see where it led to his making a decision that would prompt him into doing the exact wrong he was reluctant to do, by harming John the Baptizer.

What a lesson for anyone who fails to confront their sin and ask God for forgiveness, thinking that it will somehow take care of itself, only to find out that like an untreated sore it can lead to gangrene and then amputation. What would you think of someone who decided to treat their cancer with fine dining rather than chemotherapy because their urge to eat overwhelmed their desire to live? Unfortunately, such gross sinning can become a plague and infect many who otherwise would not live such a lifestyle. Only the blood of Jesus has the power to cure such spiritual unhealthiness because even John the Baptizer’s blood did not have that effect.

UPDATE ON OUR STUDY OF JESUS

We have finished the very interesting and informative Chapter 13 in the Gospel of Matthew, where we saw Jesus use multiple parables in trying His best to get both His disciples and those who opposed Him to see the truth about the Kingdom of God and what it meant to those who desired everlasting life with God.

He told how the citizens of Kingdom of God would be scattered throughout the world, some in almost impossible places like seed falling on a road; some in difficult places where there is strong opposition; and some in good places where it will grow and produced a good harvest.

But Jesus said, beware!  The devil will try to infiltrate the Kingdom of God with those who look like real believers, but in fact, they are imitations of the real thing.  But don’t panic, at harvest time God will send His messengers to separate the weeds from the true wheat that He planted.

And Jesus told His followers not to become discouraged when those He planted were small in their influence, in the beginning, like a mustard seed, but they would grow large enough to have a real impact on the communities and nations where they were planted. However, when His disciples came to Him and asked for an explanation, Jesus realized that they still did not understand the whole concept of the Kingdom of Heaven.

So He told another parable about a man who discovered a valuable pearl in the marketplace, so he hurried home, sold all that he had to raise the money to go back and purchase that distinct pearl.  He was trying to let them know that by listening to Him and His teaching, they had been shown this pearl of great price. So whatever they knew or believed before about God, His plan of salvation, and a future life in His presence, to sell it all in exchange for what He was telling them.

Then Jesus proceeded to explain how they should proceed as they went out as fishers of men for the Kingdom of God.  He told them that as they cast the net of the Gospel, many would be brought in as they responded to the Good News.  But there would be some who were not worth keeping, just like inedible fish caught in a fisherman’s net. So they were not to spend time on those who were considered unusable and concentrate on those who were good for the cause.

After all this, Jesus decided to visit His hometown of Nazareth.  But instead of receiving a hero’s welcome from his friends and previous neighbors, they questioned His role as a prophet and the expected Messiah.  They remembered Him as a boy, and His mother, brothers, and sisters still lived there.  They were not the elite of the community, they were all children of a lowly carpenter who lived here before he passed away. So they accused Him of bragging. As a result, they did not see any of the miracles that Jesus had performed in other places.

Tomorrow we will begin the exciting Chapter 14.  So let’s continue this journey through the Gospel of Matthew to look at some more exciting things about Jesus, the Son of God. And may the Lord richly bless you for your dedication and love for His Word.