Matthew

Chapter 14

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Scripture

KJV

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

2And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.

4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.

9And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

11And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

12And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

13When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

16But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18He said, Bring them hither to me.

19And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

34And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

35And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;

36And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

Key VerseMatthew 14:27

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Overview

Herod Antipas executes John the Baptist after being manipulated by Herodias and her daughter at a birthday feast. When Jesus hears the news, He withdraws to a solitary place, but compassion moves Him to heal the sick and miraculously feed five thousand men (plus women and children) with five loaves and two fishes. Later that night, He walks on the water to His disciples' storm-tossed boat, and Peter briefly walks on the water before sinking in fear.

Key Themes

1

The Cost of Faithful Witness

John the Baptist's martyrdom illustrates the ultimate price that faithful proclamation of truth can exact, foreshadowing the suffering that awaits Jesus Himself.

2

Compassion and Provision

Jesus' feeding of the five thousand reveals a Messiah who is deeply moved by human need and whose resources are inexhaustible — He multiplies what little we bring.

3

Faith and Fear on the Water

Peter's attempt to walk on water shows that faith in Jesus can enable the impossible, but the moment we shift our focus to the storm, fear overwhelms us.

Study Questions

1.

What does the contrast between Herod's banquet of death and Jesus' feast of life in the wilderness reveal about two kinds of kingdoms?

2.

Why does Jesus insist that the disciples feed the crowd themselves before performing the miracle — what does this teach about partnership with God?

3.

What does it mean that Jesus 'went up into a mountain apart to pray' after the feeding miracle — why does He seek solitude?

4.

What enabled Peter to step out of the boat, and what caused him to sink — and how does this pattern show up in your own walk of faith?

5.

When the disciples worship Jesus saying 'Of a truth thou art the Son of God,' how has this chapter brought them to that confession?

Connection to Christ

Jesus reveals Himself as the bread of life who satisfies the deepest hunger of the multitudes, echoing God's provision of manna in the wilderness. Walking on the water, He demonstrates divine sovereignty over creation — 'It is I; be not afraid' echoes God's self-revelation to Moses. He is the compassionate Shepherd-King who feeds, rescues, and invites His followers to trust Him even in the storm.

Personal Reflection

Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Matthew 14. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?

Matthew

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