Matthew 14 - Jesus Is Still Talking To Us!

SF Stagecoach, NV

Dear Brothers, Sisters, Prodigals and Unsaved,

            Our Lessons in Matthew will always contain topics such as; Life, Healings, Miracles, Deliverance and more.  Today we'll learn; what His Word is telling us about the;  John Being Beheaded, How Jesus Fed the 5,000 and How and Why Jesus Walked on the Water.

So hang in there, - Abba [God], does not want His children to have lack of knowledge. That's why the Jesus through the Word tells us what it's like in Heaven and will be on earth, so we can preach; live a Godly life and overcome on the world - enemy.

Verse  NOTE: ALL meanings are from Strong's Concordance.

14:1-12    John Being Captured And Beheaded:

à      [Matthew 14:1-2 NKJV] 1 "At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."

    Jesus was being very polite - so should we be.  He introduced John to his servants [Disciples].  Notice Jesus introduced John as being risen from the dead so John had spiritual powers at work within him.

Ø     [Luke 1:17 NKJV] "He [John] will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
    Elijah as an Old Testament prophet that performed many miracles, as did Elisha who requested and received Elijah's power. Yet, I don't remember John the Baptist as having performed any miracles. So then, how did John the Baptist have Elijah's "spirit and power"?  Yet, I don't remember John using any of the powers of Elijah, as Elisha did.  But, HIS POWER was to touch the hearts of the people to repent [forgiven so evil had no hold on them] and be baptized was awesome!  John also preached the Kingdom of God was coming through the Messiah.
    My Key Bible says "...and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."  John was already taking away the followers of the twerp [satan] and I'm sure he was not a happy camper about that.

Ø     [John 3:5-6 NKJV] 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
    John the Baptist received the Holy Spirit when he was still in his mother's womb.

Ø     [Luke 1:13, 15 NKJV] 13 "But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ... 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb."

à      [Matthew 14:3-5 NKJV] 3 "For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put [him] in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

    Elijah was an Old Testament prophet that performed many miracles, as did Elisha who requested and received double Elijah's power. Yet, I don't remember John the Baptist as having performed any miracles. So then, how did John the Baptist have Elijah's "spirit and power"?  

à      [Matthew 14:6-11 NKJV] 6 "But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter." 9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded [it] to be given to [her]. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought [it] to her mother."

    All for a dance and the hatred of a queen - John was beheaded.
    Herod might have feared John, but once you make a promise, even the Word says you're accountable to keep it.  Although you do have the option to REPENT for your spoken words.  Unfortunately Herod was not a Christian, nor had he any relationship with Jesus.  

à      [Matthew 14:12 NKJV] "Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus."

    Bless; disciples and other caring Christians who treat you as a brother, sister, mother or father.  It's those who have compassion to help others, when they can't do it themselves - like letting their family know a loved one is in Heaven.  Taking a neighbor shopping, babysitting, doctor, etc.  This is the GOLDEN RULE:

Ø     [Matthew 7:12 NKJV] "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 

14:13-21  Five Thousand Fed and Healed by Jesus' Compassion:

          à      [Matthew 14:13-14 NKJV] 13 "When Jesus heard [it], He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick."

    Jesus was the Son of God, but He was also in a human body and could only do so much in a day.  Think about it, that's why He trained His disciples [and they us], to continue His work after His death.  Jesus did say,...

Ø     [John 14:12-13 NKJV] 12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
    Here we have the promise "AS you believe, so shall you receive"  Just be sure to ask in Jesus' Name.  Because our purpose for still being here - is to do His works and Greater.  Why Greater?  Because of the 7.7 Billion people on earth today.  Back in Jesus' day, His home town only had 70 people, in 2012 it was 70,000.  So, if you are still on earth - it's your job to represent Jesus and do what He did!
    Jesus' biggest ministry was to SET THE CAPTIVES FREE, teach them the truth, about Heaven and Abba [God], then whatever bondage; sickness, demon possession, physical handicaps, etc.  Then supplying their DELIVERANCE FROM manifesting the LOVE OF ABBA.

Ø     [John 5:19 NKJV] "Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner."

à      [Matthew 14:15-18 NKJV] 15 "When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." 16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." 18 He said, "Bring them here to Me."

    We have a God who MULTIPLYS what we have, when we need it.  Feeding, 1 - 5,000 is nothing for Him, especially when He has a little to work with.  Jesus' Works, Glorified Abba.
    So if you are having a party, or pot luck at Church, pray for Abba [God] to give you more than enough to feed everyone. That will Glorify God and bring a miracle through your belief.

à      [Matthew 14:19-21 NKJV] 19 "Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up[leftovers of] twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children."
    Notice, Jesus had everyone settle down first, so no hungry Mob occurred.  THEN took the bread and fish - looking up to Heaven, blessed it and distributing the bread and fish to the people.  They ate until full, then gathered up the leftovers [note: they didn't waste any, but saved it for others to eat.
    Feeding 1,000 people, is no small matter, especially when you don't have an actual head count.  Counting people in the Bible, were usually just the men.  Women and children are noted in other passages but rarely numbered.  Yet as in all cases, they ate until full, with many leftovers, no matter the count.  Once Jesus looked up to Abba and blessed the food.

Ø     [John 6:12 NKJV] "So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."
    As the old saying goes, waste not, want not.  There is always someone who can eat your leftovers, or you can help someone by giving away things you no longer need or want.  Most cities have Senior Centers and/or Food Distribution Centers to help the less fortunate.
    Abba is not a God, who wants you to loose anything.  In fact, the Holy Spirit [HS], if you ask will tell you were you left an item you're looking for. - PTL!

Ø     [John 14:26 NKJV] "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
    If the HS if our helper, He will tell you what you forgot, in all things both in Word and deed.
    You have no idea, as you get older, how you misplace things.  I'm constantly asking the HS to tell me where I left something...and He always shows me, within an hour or so.

14:22-36  Jesus Walks On Water:

Ø     [Matthew 14:22-24 NKJV] 22 "Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary."
    I can understand why the Disciples were concerned for their safety.  Once, I was in choppy waters and it was pitch black - my dad could not find our cabin on shore.  At least on the Lake of Galilee, you can see the mountains on both sides of you - I wouldn't want to swim it - but at least there are no sharks in it, if you had to.
    Since this is the first time Jesus was not with them, they might have been fishermen, but would Jesus get to them in time?  I'll bet, Jesus' was rejuvenating Himself after healing and feeding the multitudes earlier.  A little quiet time with Abba was just what He needed.
    Can you hear Abba telling Jesus, Son you better get going, your Disciples are getting nervous?

à      [Matthew 14:25-27 NKJV] 25 "Now in the fourth watch [3:00-6:00 am] of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
    That's all they needed to hear.  "Don't Worry, Be Happy, I'm Coming."  I don't happen to believe in ghosts, but I know there are evil spirits like our guardian angels that can manifest in the natural.  Jesus is such a good Lord, He's always concerned if something is frightening us.  For me, a scripture will usually pop into my head for me to say.
    Did their fear come from the weather?  Not having Jesus with them?  Or "Good Lord, now what?  Now they would be OK, because their FAITH was in Jesus - and they were assured everything would be alright.

à      [Matthew 14:28-32 NKJV] 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out [His] hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
    You may not believe me, but this is one of my favorites scriptures.  Why?  Because the VERY FIRST THING JESUS DID immediately, was to stretch His hand out and pulled Peter into the boat.  Then Jesus told Peter why he started sinking!  He believed what he saw,  or he took his eyes off of Jesus - either one can get you in trouble. 
    To the Godhead, circumstances DO NOT MATTER.  Remember, "Greater is He, that is IN YOU, than he that's in the world." [1 John 4:4]  The Disciples are no better [in the flesh] than we are/were, IF you work for Abba, the enemy attacks you.  Always remember, you have the AUTHORITY and POWER to overcome anything he throws at you!
    Jesus in another scripture spoke PEACE and STILLNESS to the storms [also works with trials in our life].  We should do the same thing.  Jesus is our example.  In this case, it says as soon as Jesus/Peter got into the boat, the winds calmed.

Ø     [Matthew 18:18-19 NKJV] 18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
   IF any two of you were to BIND/COMMAND any evil spirit to stop what it's doing - it will stop.  You might want to tell it to never return too.  What you say, is what you get!  Personally, I tell them to go into the pit and stay there, until Jesus releases you.  I taught on this Authority before.

Ø     [Isaiah 54:17 NKJV] "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue [which] rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness [is] from Me," Says the LORD."
    First off, there is NO WEAPON on this earth, that someone could use against you.  This is a well known Scripture, but your heritage is not as well known.
    That includes anyone using their tongue to condemn you.  Why?  Because IT'S YOUR Born-Again HERITIGE and the LORD will handle it for you!  HIS PROMISE.

à      [Matthew 14:34-36 NKJV] 34 "When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched [it] were made perfectly well."
    At this point, except for Jesus' own city, everyone in the surrounding areas came to Jesus for DELIVERANCE of whatever they needed, Spirit, Soul or Body.  AND THESE ALL RECEIVED, by touching His garment.
    Word got around fast about the woman with the issue of blood.  You may not have His garment - if you do, let me know because I don't.  But I AM in the BODY OF CHRIST and with ABBA - anything is POSSIBLE!

    My prayer 4 U:  Father, in Jesus' Name I'm asking You to reveal, to Your Children, how to think from Heaven's perspective, so they can release Heavenly solutions in thier lives and help others, help them NOT TO LEAD with their head, but with the heart of JESUS!  -  In Jesus' Name - AMEN! and AMEN!

Blessing to ALL,

Sandy - The Lord's Servant

PS:  I'm sorry, when I type and layout the blog in MS Word, then copy to the blog it does not line-up the same.  Why?  It's either Google Chrome [blog] or the enemy.  In either case, I bind this problem from happening again. - In Jesus Name.