Matthew 14

John the Baptist Beheaded

1 At that time a
Herod/Herodians: The name of the Idumean family ruling Palestine from 37 b.c. to a.d. 95; the main rulers from this family mentioned in the NT are: Herod Antipas(4 b.c.-a.d. 39) son of Herod the Great; ruled one-fourth of his father's kingdom (Galilee and Perea); killed John the Baptist and mocked Jesus; Herod I (37 b.c.-4 b.c.) also known as Herod the Great; built the great temple in Jerusalem and massacred the male babies in Bethlehem; Herod Agrippa I (A.D. 3744) The grandson of Herod the Great; he beheaded James the apostle and imprisoned Peter; Herod Agrippa II (A.D. 52ca 95) The great-grandson of Herod the Great; he heard Paul's defense. Herodians were political supporters of Herod the Great and his family
Herod the tetrarch c heard the report about Jesus.
2 “This is John the Baptist!” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why supernatural powers are at work in him.” d

3 For Herod had arrested John, chained
Or bound
him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, f
4 since John had been telling him, “It’s not lawful g for you to have her!” 5Though he wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, since they regarded him as a prophet. h

6 But when Herod’s birthday celebration came, Herodias’s daughter danced before them
Lit danced in the middle
and pleased Herod.
7 So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 And prompted by her mother, she answered, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter!” 9Although the king regretted it, he commanded that it be granted because of his oaths and his guests. 10 So he sent orders and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 Then his disciples came, removed the corpse,
Other mss read body
buried it, and went and reported to Jesus.

Feeding 5,000

13 When Jesus heard about it, k He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns. 14As He stepped ashore,
Lit Coming out (of the boat)
He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick. m

15When evening came, the disciples n approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late.
Lit and the time (for the evening meal) has already passed
Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16“They don’t need to go away,Jesus told them. “You give them something to eat.

17“But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to Him.

18 “Bring them here to Me,He said. 19Then He commanded the crowds to sit down
Lit to recline
on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. q
20 Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces! r 21 Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.

Walking on the Water

22 Immediately s He
Other mss read Jesus
made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.
23After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. u 24 But the boat was already over a mile
Lit already many stadia; 1 stadion = 600 feet
from land,
Other mss read already in the middle of the sea
battered by the waves, because the wind was against them.
25Around three in the morning,
Lit fourth watch of the night = 3 to 6 a.m.
He came toward them walking on the sea. y
26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.z

28 “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter answered Him, “command me to come to You on the water.”

29 “Come!He said.And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind,
Other mss read saw the wind
he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?ab 32When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, “Truly You are the Son of God!” ac

Miraculous Healings

34 Once they crossed over, ad they came to land at Gennesaret. ae 35When the men of that place recognized Him, they alerted
Lit sent into
the whole vicinity and brought to Him all who were sick.
36They were begging Him that they might only touch the
tassel: Fringe put on the clothing of devout Jews to remind them to keep the law; Nm 15:37-41
tassel on His robe. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. ah
Copyright information for HCSB