Matthew 14 reminds me of default settings. When under stress, we tend revert to our natural inclination without any conscious thought. In today’s chapter we see examples form many types of people; maybe you will recognize yourself. The chapter begins with the background of the beheading of John the Baptist. “Herod had arrested John and… put him in prison”. Apparently John continued to preach against Herod taking his brother’s wife. He wanted to kill John, “but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet”. This was the son of “Herod the Great” and he was not so great. This Herod was manipulated by his wife and “had John beheaded in the prison”. After John’s disciples buried the body, “they went and told Jesus”. We see His humanity at hearing the news, “He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place”, but His fame was already great and, “the crowds followed Him on foot”. When He landed a large crowd was waiting there. We see the default setting of Christ here, “He had compassion on them and healed their sick”. His first reaction is always compassion. It was getting late and the disciples told Jesus to send them away to “go to the villages and buy themselves some food”. The disciples generally reacted with realism and logic, but Jesus told them “give them something to eat”.
The disciples did a quick inventory and noted, “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish”, but we see the sufficiency of God in action. Jesus said, “Bring them here to Me… looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples” to give out to the people. Jesus is resetting their understanding. First they brought Him everything, then He blessed, He broke, and He gave it. This is a picture of how God provides. The blessing was spread by each person to the person closest to them. Those that hungered ate, but no one was force-fed. In His presence “They all ate and were satisfied” and had an abundance. “The number of those who ate was about five thousand men”. It is the power of God’s Holy Spirit that overrides the nature of man.
Next we read that Jesus sent the disciples to the other side and dismissed the crowd while “He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray”. Even Jesus needed time alone with the Father. Very quickly we see that without Jesus these fishermen were hapless even doing what they know. They were in the boat, “a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it”. What do you do when the wind is against you? Some people just keep rowing, some give up and some just go with the flow. Did anyone on board call on Jesus? Maybe so because the next thing we read is, “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him… they were terrified… and cried out in fear”. It is a frightening thing when Jesus shows up the first time you call, but He always brings peace, “Don’t be afraid”. The story would not be complete without the apostle Peter. His default was set to “leap before you look”, taking action before thinking through the results. “Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus” until he saw the wind and began sinking. He called out, “Lord, save me!” The Lord of compassion brought Peter back into the boat and calmed the storm. All those on the boat “worshipped Him, saying ‘Truly You are the Son of God’”. Friend, it is time for a reset in your life? Will you live in fear, or live by faith?