What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
The Compassionate Christ: Lessons from Matthew 14
Matthew 14 reveals powerful lessons about compassion, provision, and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus during life's storms. We explore the feeding of the 5,000 and Peter walking on water as practical examples for our faith journey today.
• Jesus demonstrates perfect compassion by healing crowds despite his own need for solitude after John's death
• Five loaves and two fish become more than enough when surrendered to Jesus
• God multiplies our limited resources when we freely give them to others
• Peter walks on water successfully while focused on Jesus
• Taking our eyes off Jesus and looking at our circumstances causes us to sink
• Jesus immediately reaches out to save us when we cry for help
• Our ability to overcome challenges depends entirely on where we fix our gaze
• Times of prayer and solitude are essential for spiritual renewal
Join us next time as we continue our study with Matthew chapter 15.
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? All right, in today's Bible study we are going to be starting to Matthew 14. If you're ready, at that time Herod the Tetrarch heard the news about Jesus and he said to his servants this is John the Baptist. He himself has been raised from the dead and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him. For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip For John, had been saying to him it is not lawful for you to have her. Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowds because they regarded John as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. And after being prompted by her mother, she said give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter. And although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oath and his dinner guest. He sent word and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. John's disciples came and took away the body and buried it and they went and reported it to Jesus.
Speaker 1:Now, when Jesus heard about John, he withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by himself, and when the people heard about it, they followed him on foot from the cities. When he came ashore, he saw a large crowd and felt compassion for them and he healed their sick. Now, when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said this place is secluded and the hour is already past time to eat. Send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said to them they do not need to go, you give them something to eat. They said to him we have nothing here except five loaves and two fish and he said Bring them here to me. And, ordering the crowds to sit down on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish and he looked up towards heaven and he blessed the food and the breaking of the loaves. They took fish and he looked up towards heaven and he blessed the food and the breaking of the loaves. They gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the crowds and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over, the broken pieces 12 full baskets and there were about 5 000 men who ate, besides women and children.
Speaker 1:All right, let's stop here. In verse 21. All right, it says that when Jesus heard about John, he and his disciples withdrew from the people and they went to be alone. Now I remember that a couple of these disciples used to follow John, and Jesus knew John. What happens when you hear of a friend who dies or, worse, you hear that they were killed? For me, at least, I can understand their desire to want to be alone, you know, to reflect on John and just have some time for themselves.
Speaker 1:The Word tells us that Jesus was sought after by the people for his healing and that they sought him wherever he went, that he wasn't given much time to be alone. I can only imagine what it felt like to be in that boat, getting to shore, thinking that you're going to have time to sit down and rest and have some time for yourself, and then the very people that you just left show up. I know for myself, being the person that I am, I would have been frustrated. I just got away from these people. And here they are again. Can't they see that we're tired, that we've been working hard, that Jesus has been working hard? But what does Jesus do? He shows us the perfect heart. He has compassion for the people. He tends to their need.
Speaker 1:Now, many of us have heard the story of how Jesus fed the 5,000, and he did it with only five loaves and two fish. Now, when I started thinking about this story, I wanted the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach the disciples, you know, by testing him in this way. Because he tested the disciples and I wondered was it God proving that he makes whatever you have enough, that he multiplies what you have? Was it so they could have compassion? Was it all of it?
Speaker 1:When thinking about how the disciples must have felt seeing the crowds, I thought to myself that I bet these disciples were ready for the crowds to leave at this time. I mean, they went there to be alone and Jesus had just spent the whole time healing their sick and tending to their needs, and now that the day was over, they were ready for them to leave. And then they went there to be alone. Anyway, they were ready for them to leave and they went there to be alone. Anyway. They were ready for them to leave. But what does Jesus say? He says they don't have to go. You give them something to eat.
Speaker 1:Now. Jesus knew that one day there was going to be these men who were going to be in this situation, that he wasn't going to be with them forever, and it was going to be men like these that would be the one taking care of and facilitating for these people's needs. And when he asked them, how did they respond and I believe just much like anybody else would they stated the obvious. They said all we have is five loaves and two fish, which, in my opinion, when I start to think about this, is how did he who prepared the food Five loaves and two fish for the disciples and Jesus to eat? Someone really messed up the food order, because that's not enough for everybody to eat. But Jesus has asked them to give to the people what they had bought for themselves, and by this I can see that Jesus is teaching the disciples multiple lessons. But what I learned is that it's not about me, it's about them. And who do I refer as them? Anyone else that has a desire for my time, my resources and my strength, god freely given it to me, I should be ready and willing to freely give it to anyone in return, until they are satisfied. And you might think you only have enough for yourself, that you don't even have enough for yourself. But we see here God multiplies whatever you have and that it would be enough. It says here in verse 20, that they all ate and were satisfied. All right, let's continue in verse 22. That they all ate and were satisfied. All right, let's continue in verse 22.
Speaker 1:Immediately afterwards he compelled the disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side while he sent the crowds away. After he had sent the crowds away, he went up into the mountains by himself to pray, and when evening had come he was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. They said it is a ghost and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying Take courage, it is, I Do not be afraid. Peter responded and said to them saying Take courage, it is, I do not be afraid. Peter responded and said to him Lord, if it is, you, command me to come to you on the water. And he said Come.
Speaker 1:Peter got out of the boat and he walked on the water and he came towards Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened and he began to sink and he cried out saying Lord, save me. Immediately Jesus reached out with his hand and took hold of him and he said to him you of little faith, why did you doubt? When they got into the boat, the wind stopped and those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying you are truly God's Son. And when they had crossed over, they came to the land of Jedesereth and when the men of that place recognized him, they sent word in all the surrounding regions and brought to him all who were sick and they pleaded with him that he might just touch the border of his cloak and all who touched it were cured. Might just touch the border of his cloak and all who touched it were cured. Wow, so many visual markers in this passage and things that we can reflect on. Jesus goes up into the mountains to be alone, to pray. He had spent himself for the people and he needed to be refilled. And it's the same for us. It teaches us that we are to spend ourselves selflessly, and the only way we can be refilled is by going to God in prayer, because that is our source of strength.
Speaker 1:Now it says the disciples were far from shore and that they were being buffeted by the waves. The wind was contrary, so they were going into the wind and I guess they weren't making great progress. But they were a long way from shore by this time and Jesus, he came to them walking on the water. Can you imagine what these men? Now? It says the fourth watch of the night. So the fourth watch of the night is between 3 am and 6 am. So it says the fourth watch of the night. So the fourth watch of the night is between 3 am and 6 am. So it's the last watch of the night. It's a Roman. By the Roman standards it's the last watch of the night and it's the hardest watch, because it's the watch that people are the most tired. It says it's this time of night that the disciples are rowing into the wind. The winds are buffeting, the waves are buffeting the boat, and here comes this person walking on the water.
Speaker 1:Now, knowing that they know Jesus, in my mind I would think well, why wouldn't you know it was Jesus? How was Jesus supposed to get to the other side? But that's because we have hindsight. We see things in reverse. But some of these men were very versed in being on the water and I can imagine, I can only imagine, what they thought when they saw a man walking on the water from the distance. I mean, what would be the first thing? You would think Me, I would have probably been out of the boat, swimming in the other direction. I can even imagine.
Speaker 1:But Jesus calls out to them, and Peter, he's so like a child, because isn't that what a child would do? If they see their parent doing something, they'd want to do it too, something that they didn't believe was possible. You know, they'd want to go to their parent and do what their parent is doing to Jesus. And he says, if that is, you call me to you so that I can come out on the water. And Jesus says come, and Peter gets out of the boat and he walks on water and he's got his eyes on Jesus and he's doing well. And he's got his eyes on Jesus and he's doing well.
Speaker 1:The moment he takes his eyes off of Jesus and he starts looking around at what's going on, immediately he starts to sink and fear overtakes him and he cries out save me. And Jesus is there. He picks him back up and he says why didn't you doubt you were walking on the water, everything was fine, your eyes were on me and you gave up. What happened? Isn't that a lesson for us? The moment we take our eyes off Jesus, we start looking at ourself or we start looking at our situation.
Speaker 1:How hard life gets and then fear takes over. It seems so easy in hindsight to say all I had to do was do this or you know, because it's over and we had the result. But when we don't have the result, we always question which way is it going to go? We see that Jesus allowed Paul to sink Because he took his eyes off of you. When we take our eyes and fear takes over, it is inevitable that we're going to sink, but the great thing about it is Jesus is always there with his hand out to save us, if we're willing to take it. I'm going to end this one here. We're going to pick back up in chapter 15 in the next podcast. Until then, god bless you guys. Bye.