The Popularity of the King
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1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus. 13 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” 17 They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, 20 and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.
I. How Herod Handled Popularity (1-12)
I. How Herod Handled Popularity (1-12)
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.
A. He Feared His Own Actions (1-2)
A. He Feared His Own Actions (1-2)
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Fall of Herod (Matthew 14:1–12 Contd)
Herod the Great had many sons. When he died, he divided his territory into three, and, with the consent of the Romans, willed it to three of them. To Archelaus he left Judaea and Samaria; to Philip he left the northern territory of Trachonitis and Ituraea; to Herod Antipas—the Herod of this story—he left Galilee and Peraea.
Trying to sooth his own conscience?
B. He Feared People’s Opinions (3-5)
B. He Feared People’s Opinions (3-5)
3 For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Tragic Drama of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12)
On a visit to Rome, Herod Antipas seduced his brother’s wife and persuaded her to leave his brother and to marry him. In order to do so, he had to put away his own wife
C. He Trapped Himself by His Lust (6-9)
C. He Trapped Himself by His Lust (6-9)
6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Tragic Drama of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12)
The dances which these girls danced were suggestive and immoral.
D. He Was Willing to Commit a Crime (10-12)
D. He Was Willing to Commit a Crime (10-12)
10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.
S. Lewis Johnson — “It is not evil to break and evil oath. It is repentance to break an evil oath.”
9 Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.
31 Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’
6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. 11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
John MacArthur - for fear of a woman, for fear of a reputation, for fear of his peers, and for fear of his throne, he [Herod] damned his soul forever. John the Baptist lost his head but lives forever in the presence of God. Christ wants to reveal Himself to you, but if you are proudly holding onto your reputation, for fear of what others may think, for fear of the attitude and actions of those who may reject you, for fear of the loss of face or reputation, for intimidation by evil people, you have forfeited Christ and damn your soul. The day will come when you ask the questions and get no answers.
John MacArthur - for fear of a woman, for fear of a reputation, for fear of his peers, and for fear of his throne, he [Herod] damned his soul forever. John the Baptist lost his head but lives forever in the presence of God. Christ wants to reveal Himself to you, but if you are proudly holding onto your reputation, for fear of what others may think, for fear of the attitude and actions of those who may reject you, for fear of the loss of face or reputation, for intimidation by evil people, you have forfeited Christ and damn your soul. The day will come when you ask the questions and get no answers.
25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
II. How Jesus Handled Popularity (13-21)
II. How Jesus Handled Popularity (13-21)
13 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” 17 They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, 20 and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.
A. He Sought Seclusion (13)
A. He Sought Seclusion (13)
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Tragic Drama of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12)
On a visit to Rome, Herod Antipas seduced his brother’s wife and persuaded her to leave his brother and to marry him. In order to do so, he had to put away his own wife
13 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.
Matthew 14
He taught them to withdraw from needless danger. There is no virtue in a martyr complex. Sensibility says that you withdraw from needless danger.
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Tragic Drama of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12)
The dances which these girls danced were suggestive and immoral.
it is important to seek rest and solitude for refreshment and the restoration of strength for the task. The Lord needed that, and He knew they needed that, and He knows you need that, that place of solitude, quiet, solace, refreshment.
He demonstrated to them how important it is to spend time with those who labor with you. He took the Twelve; they needed time together, and there was a mutual stimulation there, a mutual strength. That was all part of discipling, to share His life with them, and they with each other.
B. He Was Lead by Compassion (14)
B. He Was Lead by Compassion (14)
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Fall of Herod (Matthew 14:1–12 Contd)
Herod the Great had many sons. When he died, he divided his territory into three, and, with the consent of the Romans, willed it to three of them. To Archelaus he left Judaea and Samaria; to Philip he left the northern territory of Trachonitis and Ituraea; to Herod Antipas—the Herod of this story—he left Galilee and Peraea.
14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
He taught them the lesson about compassion for those in need, and showed them the heart of God, which was a heart broken over the needs of men. Not just spiritual needs, but even physical needs reached the heart of God.
He then taught them that sacrificing rest and leisure to meet the needs of others demonstrates the caring heart of God. It was a great lesson, because it is easy to get to the place where you feel your priority right is the right to leisure. Our Lord demonstrates that the priority is to meet needs, and you sacrifice leisure for that.
C. He Used it to Teach (15-17)
C. He Used it to Teach (15-17)
15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” 17 They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
He taught them very clearly in this incident that while you're meeting physical needs, you're also teaching the truth of the Kingdom. You can't just have a 'social gospel.' It is not enough just to do that which men need physically, but while He was healing, He was teaching them the things of the Kingdom of God. He would take them at face value in terms of their physical need, but not without trying to turn them to an understanding of their spiritual need. When you reach out to meet someone's physical need, it is with a view to turning them to the spiritual dimension.
we should learn to trust the power of God to provide what seems impossible. I mean, they were saying, "We don't have it, and we can't get it," and He says, "That's right where I want you. Now you can learn that when you come to the point where you don't have it and you can't get it, trust Me to supply it."
It's the responsibility to feed you spiritually, to represent Christ week in and week out, to stand between Him and the world, as it were, and Him and the church, and to feed the church. I know two things: I don't have it and I can't get it, and that is why I depend on Him to provide it. People ask me all the time what the key to preaching is. The key to preaching is studying the Word of God with diligence and waiting on the Lord to put the meal together. You give Him all you've got. "Lord, I've exegeted the passage, read all the theology on it, figured out a few good illustrations; now will You do something with all this?" And you give Him your five little bread cakes and two fish and say, "Will you take this and feed the multitude?"
begin with your own, available resources. Even though it is little, trust God to make it much. As the song says, little becomes much when it is placed in the Master's hand. It's amazing when you think you have nothing and you wind up feeding thousands. God can use small things; He used the tear of a baby to move the heart of Pharaoh's daughter. He used a shepherd's stick to work mighty miracles in Egypt. He used a sling and a stone to conquer a nation. He used the little girl to lead Naaman to Elisha. He used a widow with a little meal to sustain a prophet. He used a little child to teach His disciples the meaning of humility and salvation. He used Balaam's donkey to preach His truth, and the jawbone of another donkey to slay 1,000 men. He can use a small thing for a great end. Jesus likes to have the weak; that way, when things happen, we know it's His power.
God wants to provide for people through you. When He took the little that He had and broke it, He gave it to the disciples. They stood between Him and the multitude. We stand between Him and the multitude, and God wants to feed the multitude through us. It is our availability, our heart of service. We stand between Christ and a needy world. This is a spiritual lesson for every generation; the hungry multitude is always present, and there is always a little band of disciples who haven't got it and can't get it. But there is always the compassionate Savior who wants to multiply it through us if we're available. This was a time to train the Twelve.
D. He Depended Upon His Father (18-19)
D. He Depended Upon His Father (18-19)
D. He Depended Upon His Father (18-19)
D. He Depended Upon His Father (18-19)
18 And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds,
15,000 people / 50 people per group = 300 groups. 12 disciples distributed to 25 groups per disciple.
He taught the disciples to learn to obey even if they didn't understand why. Can you imagine this group of guys organizing all these people into units of 50 and 100 to serve them food they know they don't have and can't buy? But they did it, and I imagine that when it was all done, they said, "Boy, we want to be sure that when the Lord tells us to do things that we don't understand to go ahead and do them anyway, because something wonderful might happen."
there is a great lesson here about doing things in an orderly fashion. God is a God of order; Paul tells that to the Corinthians when he encourages them to do things decently and in order. God is a God of great order, and He doesn't want any stampede for food. It is marvelous how the Lord Jesus sets everyone in garden bed by garden bed and has all the disciples moving among them. He is the God of order, with a place for order.
E. He Cared for All Their Needs (20-21)
E. He Cared for All Their Needs (20-21)
20 and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.
God also demonstrated His economy of stewardship. There was nothing left over except enough to fill twelve baskets full, which would have fed the disciples, leaving nothing. There was not a waste; God is a steward of His miraculous power, a steward of infinite treasure. How much more are we to be stewards of finite treasure? Don't waste.
He also taught them that God was generous; everyone got all they wanted, and were stuffed. They ate as much as they cared to eat. God is not a God who doles it out piece by piece, but a God of abundant supply. So in ministry, we should come to men's hearts with the heart of God, which is a heart of abundance.
He taught them that ministry is looking to provide for others, not yourself. He says, "Give Me what you've got, and we're going to give it to them." They didn't get anything to eat until they had fed everybody everything they wanted, and you can imagine them saying, "How long is this going to keep coming? What if they run out before we get ours?" But there was enough. They had to go around and collect it, but it was there in exactness. It is the lesson that we are called to provide for others, and God will be sure there is provision for us.
share with those who have not. I think the Lord didn't take a basket because He wanted them to learn to share with Him, and that's a great lesson. From all He gives us, we must give back to Him. Isn't that how it is? He has given us time; He wants a return. He has given us talent, spiritual gifts, money, possessions, and all of it has come from His creative hand. He asks that we share it with Him; that's what stewardship is. This is a great lesson.
Herod sought the adoration of his peers, Jesus sought to be alone with His Father.
Herod was lead by his selfish desires, Jesus was lead by compassion for others needs.
Herod was enslaved by his circumstances, Jesus used the circumstances as a way to teach his disciples.
Herod gave in to the will of his peers and his wife, Jesus called upon the sovereign will of His Father.
Herod took the greatest man to ever live from everyone, Jesus gave to everyone what they needed.
John MacArthur
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Fall of Herod (Matthew 14:1–12 Contd)
He was more frightened of a woman’s tantrums than of the moral law. He was more frightened of the criticism, and perhaps the amusement, of his guests than of the voice of conscience.
9 Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.
Jesus is the Perfect King. He does not suffer from the fear of man. He is not a self seeking politician, He is the assertive, compassionate, pure Man of God and God of Men. He is worthy of our devotion. He is worthy of our praise. Amen?
31 Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ 33 “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.
Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’
6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. 11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
The first lesson I see here is that He taught them to withdraw from needless danger. There is no virtue in a martyr complex. Sensibility says that you withdraw from needless danger.
Thirdly, He demonstrated to them how important it is to spend time with those who labor with you. He took the Twelve; they needed time together, and there was a mutual stimulation there, a mutual strength. That was all part of discipling, to share His life with them, and they with each other.
Fourthly, He taught them the lesson about compassion for those in need, and showed them the heart of God, which was a heart broken over the needs of men. Not just spiritual needs, but even physical needs reached the heart of God.
Fifthly,
A seventh lesson is that
Number eight, I think
Number nine,
An eleventh lesson is that
That's what He told them in chapter 10, when He said not to take two coats or staffs, or money in a bag. He said, "Just go and give yourself away, and charge no man anything and I will make sure your supply is met."
A twelfth lesson is to learn to
The thirteenth lesson is that
I think about that in terms of ministry.
That takes us to a fourteenth lesson, which is to
A final lesson is that G