Matt 14.1-36 will tell us that the people considered John a prophet, and will have several more miracles
v 1… At that time Herod the Tetrarch (Herod the Great’s son) heard the news about Yeshua
v 2… and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead (he said this out of a guilty conscience); and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
v 3… For Herod had seized John and bound him, and put him in prison (in the castle at Machaerus) on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Phillip (she was the daughter of Aristobulus, a son of Herod the Great and brother to Phillip).
v 4… For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her (she was his sister-in-law and niece).
v 5… And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude (the general public in Israel), because they regarded him as a prophet (So what is a prophet? The first person called a prophet was Abraham in Gen 20.7. The Hebrew word for prophet is “navi” and it comes from the root “nava” meaning to “gush forth.” It may be associated with being a conduit in bringing God’s powerful truths in the Scripture for the benefit others. Aaron was a prophet but Moses did most of the talking, but Aaron did bring the first miracle. It can also mean to foretell the future. There is a difference between the office of a prophet and the gift of prophecy which we should desire-1 Cor 14.1; John 7.38).
v 6… But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias (history seems to indicate her name was Salome, who is the daughter of her previous husband and that is why she is called the daughter of Herodias) danced before them (in the midst of them, in the middle of the hall) and pleased Herod.
v 7… Thereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
v 8… And having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
v 9…And although he was grieved (he knew it was wrong), the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests (he didn’t want his guests to think he was not a man of his word).
v 10…And he sent (an executioner) and had John beheaded (this was possibly done standing up-Mishnah, Sanhedrin 7.3).
v 11… And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl; and she brought it to her mother.
v 12… And his (John’s) talmidim came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Yeshua.
v 13… Now when Yeshua heard it, he withdrew from there in a boat, to a lonely place (he wanted to get away from Herod, not because he was afraid but because it was not his time. The Shem Tov Matthew version say that he withdrew into the wilderness of Judea which makes sense because it was where John and Yeshua began their ministries) by himself; and when the multitudes heard of this, they followed him on foot from the cities (Capernaum, Nazareth, Tiberius and other places).
v 14… And when he came out, he saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick (they had no shepherd).
v 15… And when it was evening, the talmidim came to him, saying, “The place is desolate, and the time is already past (to eat lunch, which was around 12 pm); so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
v 16… But Yeshua said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”
v 17…And they said to him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
v 18…And he said, “Bring them to me.”
v 19…And ordering the multitudes to recline on the grass, he took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up toward heaven, he blessed (God like this, “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”) and breaking the loaves he gave them to the talmidim, and the talmidim gave to the multitudes (which is a picture of Yeshua giving the teachers the “bread of life” which is the word, and they in turn give that truth to others),
v 20… and they all ate, and were satisfied. And they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets (alludes to: twelve talmidim, twelve the number of teaching and symbolic of the twelve tribes who will remain and be “left over” even through the Messianic Kingdom. Messiah brings the “bread” of the word of God to the whole house of Israel).
v 21… And there were about five thousand men who ate, aside from women and children (Yeshua repeats the miracle that Elisha performed in 2 Kings 4.42-44).
v 22… And immediately he made the talmidim get into a boat, and go ahead of him to the other side (of the sea of Galilee), while he sent the multitudes away (before they started thinking he was the Messiah who would overthrow Rome and set him up as an earthly king of some sort).
v 23… And after he sent the multitudes away, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray; and when it was evening, he was there alone.
v 24…But the boat was already many stadia away from land (three or four miles-John 6.19), battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.
v 25… And in the fourth watch (it was 4000 years from creation when this happened, the “sun” created on the fourth day) of the night he came to them, walking upon the sea (this is to show that Messiah has dominion over the spirit world and the domain of Satan/Leviathan and humanity-Isa 57.20; Job 26.12-13. There is an allusion to this when Elisha made the axe-head float with the “branch” in 2 Kings 6.1-7).
v 26…And when the talmidim saw him walking on the sea (apparently he could be seen at night), they were frightened, saying, “It is a ghost (a spirit, demon in human form)!” And they cried out in fear.
v 27… But immediately Yeshua spoke to them saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
v 28… And Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
v 29… And he said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Yeshua.
v 30… But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink (water can be a picture of the unconverted nations or the spirit realm. Sinking into the sea can be seen as a deterioration of a person’s spiritual life. Peter was “a rock” and he “sunk” spiritually not only here, but on several occasions-Matt 16.21-23; Matt 26.69-75; Gal 2.11-15), he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
v 31… And immediately Yeshua (the branch) stretched out his hand and took hold of him (similar to the miracle of the axe-head), and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt (fluctuate)?”
v 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped.
v 33… And those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, “You are certainly God’s son (idiom for “king” but in Yeshua’s case it means more than that. He is the very essence of the unseen God, a divine person).
v 34… And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret (the same as “Chinnereth”-Num 34.11)
v 35… And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent to all the surrounding district and brought him all who were ill,
v 36…and they began to entreat him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment (the “tzitzit” were on the corners in obedience to Num 15.37-41, or the”kanaf” of his garment. These allude to authority and the commandments. This is in fulfillment of a prophecy in Mal 4.2 that says that the sun, or Messiah, of righteousness will rise with healing on its wings or kanaf, corners-where the tzitzit, or fringes, are); and as many as touched it were cured (Mark 5.28; Mark 6.56. Saul’s “kanaf” with the tzitzit were cut off by David showing that Saul’s authority as king will be cut off-1 Sam 24.4-5. Saul also tore Samuel’s robe or kanaf and Samuel told Saul that the Lord has torn the kingdom away from him-1 Sam 15.27-28).
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