Having experienced strong rejection from the common people and from the nation's political leaders, Jesus withdrew to train His disciples further. In view of the coming conflict they needed stronger faith in Him. Jesus cultivated their faith with two miracles.
Matthew's record of this miracle, which all four Gospels contain, stresses Jesus' power to create, His compassion, and the disciples' responsibility to minister to multitudes as Jesus' representatives. It also previews the kingdom banquet.
14:13-14 Since verses 3-12 are an excursus, the opening words of this pericope must refer to Herod's response to Jesus' ministry. When Jesus heard that, He withdrew from Herod's animosity and his territory (cf. 12:15). Evidently Jesus believed Herod Antipas would oppose Him as he had opposed His forerunner.
However, Jesus could not escape the crowds that followed Him wherever He went. The lonely place where Jesus retreated was evidently near Bethsaida Julias on Galilee's northeast shore (Luke 9:10). Jesus travelled there from Capernaum by boat, but the crowds beat Him there on foot having learned where He was going. They walked east along the northern coast of Galilee. Matthew again noted the great compassion of the King (cf. 9:36).
14:15-17 In view of the context (v. 23) and the meaning of "evening"(Gr. opsios), the time must have been late afternoon. There were several small towns within walking distance of this region where the people could have bought their own suppers.
Jesus directions (v. 16) turned the disciples' attention to their own resources. By urging them to consider these Jesus was leading them to recognize their personal inadequacy and to appeal to Him as the only adequate resource (cf. John 2:1-11). There is nothing in the text or context that suggests the number of the loaves and fishes had symbolic significance, though many of the commentators have thought so.
14:18-21 Jesus' acts of looking heavenward, thanking God, and then breaking the loaves were normal for the head of any Jewish household.589Jesus then performed the miracle, namely creating enough bread and fish to feed the assembled throng. With 5,000 men present, the total size of the crowd may have been 10,000 to 20,000. Everyone had enough to eat and felt satisfied (v. 20). Jesus' provision was so abundant that there were 12 large wicker baskets of scraps left over, even after many thousands had eaten all they wanted. Evidently each of the 12 disciples had a large basket (Gr. kophinos) and circulated among the crowd until his basket was full (cf. John 6:12-13).
"This sign was very important to three groups--the disciples, the believing remnant, and the wonder-watching unbelievers. >From now on the miracles are primarily for the benefit of the disciples in that they are designed to instruct them. But in addition they confirm the faith of those who believe and the unbelief of the unbelieving masses. That they are for the disciples' training is seen in the fact that the rejection of the Lord is evident. The cities in which He had performed most of His mighty works had already indicated their apathy and opposition. He had left the masses so that He could be apart with the disciples."590
Jesus' training of the disciples is evident in His questioning them and His using them as His agents.
"The significance of this miracle was intended primarily for the disciples. Jesus was illustrating the kind of ministry they would have after His departure. They would be involved in feeding people, but with spiritual food. The source for their feeding would be the Lord Himself. When their supply ran out, as with the bread and fish, they would need to return to the Lord for more. He would supply them, but the feeding would be done through them."591
The Jews had a tradition that when Messiah came He would feed the people with bread from heaven as Moses had done (Deut. 18:15).592Elisha also had miraculously fed 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44). This miracle proved Jesus' ability to provide for Israel as her King. It probably reminded the spiritually perceptive in the crowd of the messianic banquet that the Old Testament predicted Messiah would provide (Ps. 132:15; cf. Matt. 6:11).
Jesus proceeded to do a second miracle to deepen His disciples' faith in Him even more.
14:22 As soon as the people had finished eating, Jesus "immediately compelled"(Gr. eutheos enagkasen) His disciples to enter a boat and to depart for the other side of the lake. There appear to have been several reasons for His unusual action. First, this miracle appears to have refueled the enthusiasm of some in the crowd to draft Jesus and to force Him to lead the nation (cf. John 6:15). Perhaps Jesus wanted to spare His disciples from this attractive temptation.593Second, Jesus wanted to get away to pray (v. 23). Third, He wanted to prepare to get some rest (Mark 6:31-32). Fourth, He had an important lesson to teach them.
Evidently Jesus sent the disciples up the eastern Galilee coast toward Bethsaida Julias with orders to wait for Him but not beyond a certain time (John 6:17).594He planned to travel north by foot. They proceeded west across the lake by boat when He did not appear by the prearranged deadline.
14:23-24 After dismissing the crowd, Jesus walked up the mountainside (NIV) to pray. There are no real mountains in this part of the Galilee coastline, but there are hills that slope down to the lake. He evidently stayed there longer than He had led the disciples to conclude that He would. Perhaps He prayed about the crowd's attempts to make Him king (John 6:15) among other things.
The word "evening,"as the Jews used it, covers a period from late afternoon to shortly after sunset (cf. v. 15). Obviously it was now late in that evening period. By this time the boat the disciples were in was out toward the middle of the lake (v. 24). A storm had arisen and the winds were blowing from the west impeding their progress to the western shore.
14:25-27 The Jews divided the night, from sunset to sunrise, into three watches (Judg. 7:19; Lam. 2:19). The Romans, however, divided it into four. Matthew used the Roman division of watches. The fourth watch was between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m.
Translators have rendered the Greek word phantasmaas "ghost,"but it means an apparition (cf. Mark 6:49). The disciples saw Jesus, but to them His appearance resembled that of a ghost. Perhaps rain or fog was responsible as well as poor light.
Jesus' response centered on, "It is I."Note the chiasm of His response. The disciples could take courage and not fear because Jesus was there. The words, "I am,"was a term Jesus used to claim deity (cf. Exod. 3:14; Isa. 43:10; 51:12).595The disciples may not have realized this claim in the terror of the moment, but later they undoubtedly saw the significance of what He had said more clearly.
"Fear is unwarranted where Jesus is present [cf. 1:23; 28:20]."596
God had ordained that man rule over the sea before the Fall (Gen. 1:28). Here Jesus was doing precisely that; He was fulfilling God's purpose for humankind. This action gave testimony to His being the Second Adam (cf. 8:27; Rom. 5:12-17), the man who succeeded where Adam had failed.
14:28 This is the first of three occasions in which Matthew recorded that Peter received special treatment (cf. 16:13-23; 17:24-27).
"The Evangelist here presents Peter in all of his impetuosity mixed with his great devotion. In keeping with Matthew's style of writing, these traits, which are first mentioned here, characterize Peter throughout the remainder of the Gospel. More significant is the fact that the place of preeminence among the apostles which Peter here assumes is never lost in the rest of Matthew's Gospel."597
It seems almost incredible that Peter would have believed he could walk on water. However the disciples had already done many mighty miracles because Jesus had given them the power to do so (cf. 10:1). We could translate the first class condition rendered "if it is you"as "since it is you."Peter evidently wanted to be as close to Jesus as he could be as often as possible (cf. John 21:7).
14:29-31 With remarkable trust Peter climbed over the side of the boat and began walking on the water. He, too, in obedience to Jesus' command, was able to fulfill man's destiny by subduing the sea. He was doing well until he became more concerned about the waves than about Jesus. "Seeing the wind"is a figure of speech (synecdoche) for seeing the storm. His distressing circumstances distracted his attention and weakened his faith in Jesus. Jesus rebuked him for his weak faith even though it was stronger than that of the other disciples who remained in the boat. Jesus used this rebuke to help Peter and the other disciples see that consistent confidence in Himself was absolutely necessary. Peter became both a good example and a bad one. Jesus rescued him as God had rescued many others from watery graves (cf. Ps. 18:16; 69:1-3; 144:7).
14:32-33 The stilling of the wind is not the climax of the story. The disciples' worship of Jesus is. This is the first time they addressed Jesus with His full title (16:16; 26:63; 27:40, 43, 54; cf. 3:17; 4:3, 6). This was a new high for the disciples in their appreciation of Jesus' person.
"Retrospectively, the disciples, in making this confession, are giving answer to the earlier question they had raised in an equally perilous situation at sea: What sort of man is this, that even wind and sea obey him?' (8:27)."598
In view of their later lapses, the disciples evidently understood this title in the Messianic sense, but their understanding was still not very mature (cf. Mark 6:52).
"Several important lessons can be learned from this account. (a) Courage comes from knowing that Jesus is present. (b) The answer to fear is faith, and faith is best placed in the One who is identified as the I Am.' (c) Doubt is an evidence of a divided mind. (d) Confessing Jesus' divine sonship is evidence of faith."599
